#x wing pilots are my jam

[notasapleasure]

The greatest treasure in the Star Wars collection I finally have the space to unpack and store properly isn't my beloved giant Wedge and Biggs figures, nor is it my Ewan MacGregor autograph, nor even is it my precious MicroMachines set for Heir to the Empire. No, it is far and away the folder full of early '00s print-offs from Aaron Allston's website:

This is like....you can pinpoint the exact moment she discovered fandom!! You can see how floppy the paper was from the ink when I printed out the pictures :')

Yup, Aaron said 'Star Wars canon is whatever you want it to be'. He also changed Hobbie's hair colour though, so maybe he just had a thing about Hobbie.

He also hosted a bunch of fanart, which was my first exposure to the genre and which I utterly ADORED. Here are some by Jenny Kauer and Sixten because they include my blorbo Janson:

[lightwise]

The Sun Also Burns

gifs by @amiracleilluminated. Dividers by @dystopicjumpsuit

Come get your (very) late dinner with a side of Jod Juice. 'Tis very long, so read on AO3 here if you prefer.

Jod Na Nawood/Original Character. Character Study, Post-Finale, Canon compliant.

Words: 8,792

Tags/Warnings: 18+ only! Here be smut, your friendly neighborhood star wars pirate, we could fix him but it's better if he fixes himself, emotional angst, emotional sex, PinV (wrap it up kids), oral sex, vaginal sex, hurt/comfort/and then hurt again, light hand on the neck/choking mention, past character death referenced, kidnapping mentions, swearing/foul language, emotional baggage, Jod has spent his whole life running and he doesn't know how to stop now, unhealthy coping mechanisms, mutual pining, oh and did I mention the emotions

Summary: Jod managed to escape the Supervisor’s tower, his choices and life path now open before him. But he can’t escape his past, his demons–or an unexpected reunion. Will he finally grasp onto the pinpricks of light trying to break through his darkness? Or will he make another trip around the void he’s been circling before he’s willing to change his ways?

Notes: This came to me in a dream. Literally. 

Well, the diner scene did. Everything else is just an attempt to justify the ever expanding black hole labeled “Jod” that Jude Law (bless that man) and Skeleton Crew (bless everyone involved in this show) have introduced to my brain. 

Also, the belt buckle took on a life of its own before I went back and realized that Jod doesn’t have it in the first episode. I can’t tell if it was Rennod’s or someone else’s, but regardless, I put too much work into certain headcanons to change them now 😅. Fun fact though, everything else toward the end of this fic is actually canon (check out the book Choose Your Destiny: A Luke and Leia Adventure), and I was thrilled that my character and Jod ended up slotting in perfectly. 

You sighed as you picked up a napkin and wiped your mouth carefully at the corners. The clinking of silverware and buzzing of the overhead lights created a low level hum in the background, just enough to make a conversation feel private without having to yell across the melamine tables. The neighborhood diner had been the first place to reopen after the chaos on At Attin that evening, after a rerouted electric track was restored down the block.

It seemed like a fairly dull but cozy place on the best of days, but now it was jam packed with server droids, neighbors gathering around in gossiping circles, and the sizzling of frypans serving up every fried food imaginable.

Everyone was famished for both food and community after the once-in-their-lifetimes excitement of a pirate invasion, the destruction of the Barrier that had kept their planet hidden for centuries, and the arrival of New Republic X-Wings in its stead. The place remained packed even as the hours dragged on into the early morning. The saviors of the day—Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel, along with their parents—had made their rounds earlier, but had since gone home. The kids' faces were alight with excitement and pride, neighbors and Republic pilots alike shaking their hands and clapping them on the back.

You knew there would be no sleep for them tonight, no matter how dedicated their parents were at herding them home after one too many yawns had split their faces. A small, nostalgic smile appeared on your own, hidden behind the smooth white barrier of the napkin. Oh to be young and full of unbridled optimism again. You hoped that they never outgrew it.

A deliberate cough from the man sitting across from you broke through your thoughts, prompting an irritated eye roll in response. He was the exact opposite of what you hoped for those kids—the pirate currently in your custody had lost his last ounce of innocence long ago, if he ever had any in the first place. 

Handcuffed, hemmed in on each side by an imposing security droid, with one of the fighter pilots standing behind the booth waiting for your release, he still exuded a sense of boyish arrogance that you begrudgingly admired. He was practically lounging, for Force’s sake, his legs spread, the tails of his army green coat draping casually around his thighs and over the plasticine bench.

Jod’s face was arranged in an adequately contrite frown, but you knew him better than that. Forcing your eyes back onto your plate, you scooped up another bite of hashed potatoes into your mouth. You just wanted sustenance to fuel what was sure to be a long ride back to the embassy. Dealing with this perpetually scheming bastard had not been on your radar for tonight.

“Sooo…” his lilting voice drifted across the table. “How have you been?”

You barely restrained a scoff. “You are seriously not trying to do small talk right now.” Lifting your gaze, you saw that he had steepled his fingers together (as best he could with the chains hampering his wrists), elbows laying claim to the table and his head cocked slightly to the right. The classic Jod smirk just barely stretched the corners of his mouth.

“Isn’t that what two old friends are supposed to do when they have a chance to…how do they call it? Catch up with each other?” His eyes gleamed, though not with sincerity. Beneath the charming veneer and polite cooperation, the desperate calculations of a man who was caught, but had not surrendered, were whirring in the shadowed lines of his face.

“We are not catching up,” you frowned at him. “Your actions have caught up with you, and you alone.” You swallowed the last bite and scraped the fork harshly across the edge of your plate, hoping it would make him flinch. It didn’t.

“And of course,” you continued, exaggerating the disappointment lacing your words, “once again, Kh’ymm and I have to pick up the pieces of the chaos you unleash.” You slid your plate to the edge of the table as a server droid passed by, not bothering to turn your head.

“I really should be charging you a transport and protection fee every time I have to drag your sorry ass across the galaxy. Add on the multiple bounties on your head, and now charges of abduction and endangerment of children? Not to mention trying to take over an entire planet??” You clicked your tongue like an angry mother kroop bird.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time.”

His answering laugh built on itself until the smirk spread through his cheeks and crinkled the corners of his eyes. The energy rolling off of him felt frayed around the edges.

“Ahh, still as passionately eloquent as ever, my dear.” Despite yourself, your heart gave a faint clench at his choice of endearment. “I truly must have caused quite the stir if you came out all this way to deal with me personally.”

“That was not a compliment.” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“Well, that’s true for one of us then,” he winked back. “You’ve got yourself a fancier gig than I realized. They must put a lot of trust in you.”

You ignored the slight ache in your chest. The attempted banter and familiarity threatened to spark memories that were best left untouched. Ones you thought you had left rotting in a corner, like a pirate’s forgotten carcass, speared through the heart, buried alive. Never to be seen again.

“Have you really been this bored? Trying to rack up a sheet that rivals Gorian Shard?”

He shook his head slightly, the thin smile still stretching across his face, eyes sweeping over every inch of yours.

“Or have you truly become something this cruel?”

The smirk vanished instantly. His mouth drooped, eyes gleaming still, but this time with something brittle, bitter, and desperate.

“That’s not…ugh…I didn’t…” he trailed off in frustration, silently begging you to understand.

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

You studied him silently for a moment before scooting sideways off the bench and rising to your feet.

“You never do.”

A flicker of anguish overtook the pirate’s face as you nodded at the pilot to take him away. The crack in the facade almost gave you pause, but the glint of sincerity was lost as his usual mask slammed back into place.

“No, no, no, wait! I can explain…”

The droids grabbed his arms and hauled him roughly to his feet as the pilot began to maneuver them towards the door.

“I had to see if the legends were true! And I needed the credits…my crew needed the credits. We didn’t mean any harm…agh!”

One of the droids clamped onto his arm, shutting him up for a brief moment. The five of you made your way out of the crowded diner, the smell of hot caf fading into crisp night air. Only the soft sound of chirping crunch bugs interrupted your measured footsteps.

The Corellian embassy corvette you had arrived in loomed ahead. The August Prime, while not officially yours, had become somewhat of a home the last few years. She was a little weather beaten from the war, but a new coat of paint and the occasional tune up had made her quite serviceable for emissary trips, and both Chancellor Mothma and Senator Leia Organa had made sure that it was available whenever you were called upon to represent the New Republic (and by extension, them) across the galaxy. 

Your career (you were still surprised it could be called that at this point) had started when you were young, taking whatever jobs you could find in order to survive. You quickly found that you had a knack for translation, bargaining, and brokering deals, and you made a name for yourself as a reputable goods and antiquities dealer–serving a rather diverse client base, as you liked to put it. You were nowhere near the league of legendary dealers in the Core Worlds like Luthen Rael, but your willingness to work with anyone who would abide by guild laws gave you a wide variety of contacts.

After the war, you had transitioned into being an ambassador for the New Republic, serving as a liaison between the fledgling government and the thousands of planets it sought to rebuild. In your previous life, you had often joked that you were far too addicted to a hot shower to indulge in a true pirate’s lifestyle, but really your morals were a touch too scrupulous to ever let yourself linger in filth for too long. That fact, along with your connections to pirates and politicians alike–and every class in between–made you an invaluable representative. 

Sometimes a true friendship sprang up along the way, like the one you developed with the owl-ish navigational wizard, Kh’ymm. Occasionally, you found something a little more than just friendship. 

And once or twice, a lot more, if you were honest with yourself. 

Which explained the current tension running like a live wire between you and the slightly cowed, but unbroken man in front of you. The droids were heading toward the August’s boarding ramp, and you could tell by the tilt of the closely-cropped head in between them that the pirate was staring quizzically into the dark hold, as though hoping the fate that awaited him on board that vessel would suddenly blink, and miss him.    

Your stomach gave an unexpected churn. You had to see his face again.

“Jod.” It came out as a whisper.

He stopped completely, limbs rigid, back straight. The droids were forced to stop with him. 

It was the first time you had said his name aloud in years.

Willing your legs to move again, you circled until you were facing the man you had once given a piece of your heart. Or had he stolen it? You were never quite sure. All you knew was that ultimately, what he truly treasured had never been you. 

“I know you’ve seen the inside of prison cell after prison cell.” Your voice was low as you reached out your hand and cupped the side of his face gently in your palm. 

“Until you’re free of the one in here,” you tapped your finger slowly against his temple, “nothing is ever going to change.”

His eyes grew wide and heartbreakingly solemn. You couldn’t miss the tremor in his throat, nor the subtle lean he made into your hand. 

As his lips parted, you almost held your breath. But no sound came out. After a moment of those storm-colored eyes staring straight into your soul, you let go and reluctantly moved up the gangway. You didn’t look back. 

******

An hour later, you were finally back in your quarters and slumped wearily in a chair. After debriefing your captain and copilot, recording a quick message to send to Mon’s secretary ahead of your arrival, and signing off on the path back to Coruscant the ship would take in the morning, you had beelined straight for your suite and locked the door behind you. 

Glancing at your desk, you caught sight of your daily log laying haphazardly in the corner, neglected after the unexpected distress call from Kh’ymm had come in. You couldn’t believe she hadn’t told you that Jod had shown up on her doorstep several weeks before, and with four bedraggled children in tow. There hadn’t been time to argue about that, however. Having heard from one of the children–KB, you believed it was–that a group of pirates had both found and infiltrated At Attin, an old Republic mint most people in living memory had never even heard of, it was clear that a squadron had to be sent, and quickly. A call to Leia and an emergency page alert to Mon, and you had been reassigned and on your way, though you hung back a little from the fighters to give them room to do their jobs. The August Prime had quite a few turbo lasers on her, but you had no interest in serving as a blockade runner unless it was necessary.

When you showed up to one (large, but still outmanned and outgunned) pirate frigate, a population who had never seen an X-Wing before (or stars, for that matter, as you later found out that evening), and a suspiciously familiar pirate captain who was nowhere to be found, you wanted to adopt the pirate code and throw someone–preferably him–out of an airlock. 

Although the battle itself was short lived, you were wholly unprepared for the chaos that followed. At first intending to remain on the planet to establish ties to the administration there, you quickly realized that the myth behind the lost planet of At Attin, versus the reality of the sequestered population having lived their lives under the control of a well meaning, but automated central computer system, was going to require more effort than anticipated.

After talking with Undersecretary Fara, whose daughter Fern was one of the children involved in this debacle, you decided to deal with the meddling pirates first, report back to Coruscant with a sample of the solid gold credits At Attin had been sequestering all these years, and then return with a few colleagues to establish further relations. You had a feeling you might even be bringing Fara and Fern with you on one of your trips–Fern’s inquisitive nature and brash confidence reminded you of yourself, at that age. You were interested to see what some encouragement might do for the girl’s prospects, along with the other kids, as well. You had noticed Wim almost jumping out of his skin with excitement when talking to one of your fighter pilots, while Neel just seemed to be relieved to be back with his siblings and parents on solid ground. 

KB, for her part, had explained to you in less than two minutes the elaborate systems that powered the money making machine at the core of the planet. A mere fraction of the wealth found in those vaults now lay on your desk, the pile of gold dataries glittering in the low lamp light. After her explanation, you had asked to be taken down into the vaults in order to collect a small sample you could bring to the Senate for inspection. 

While leaning over the platform, the two of you waiting for the service droids to return with the chest you had provided, KB had suddenly gasped, her visor flipping down as she spotted movement further along one of the air shafts. A series of shouts floated down to both of you as a scuffle took place. It looked like some of your guards had caught another intruder. 

“It’s him.” Her voice was soft and quiet. Almost disappointed.

“Who?” You turned to the slim girl, wondering at the change in her demeanor.

“The man who helped us…and then betrayed us.” Her shoulders slumped a little. “The captain.” 

Alarm bells were ringing in your head. KB hadn’t given a name, and there had been no designators on the frigate that caught your eye. But a slight tug in your gut warned you who you were about to face, even as one of your men reported over the comm. 

“We captured the instigator, your excellence!”

You braced yourself as the platform rose back to the surface. It felt like an eternity, but really it was only a few moments before the somewhat pathetic excuse for a pirate–his grimy blue shirt and tattered coat snapping in the wind as he struggled–was thrust in front of you. 

You raised your head slowly, the world tilting off-kilter as you came face to face with a soft smirk and a pair of intense blue eyes you had never expected to see again. The air between you shimmered with recognition. 

******

Joints aching, you eased yourself up and toward the ‘fresher. There was no use in dwelling on the past now. Or the man currently chained up in the hold of this very ship. You stopped in front of the mirror and let out a low groan, grimacing at the strained lines that had etched into your forehead. You thought about washing off the grime of the last twelve hours, but you honestly weren’t sure you could stay upright much longer. 

Deciding to forego a shower, you shuffled over to your bed and began changing into a set of night clothes. You had just started to relax when you heard a faint knock and then a scuffling noise at your door. Then another knock, slightly louder this time.

You groaned again. Who could possibly still be needing your attention at…well, you didn’t want to look at the chrono and find out.

Muttering several choice curses under your breath, you crossed the room and swiped the latch on the door, ready to chastise whoever stood on the other side. But the words died in your throat as it slid open.

The figure in front of you slipped through, silent as a shadow, punching the lock on the door as it closed behind him. A scarf obscured his face (had that been on him the whole time? you distantly wondered), but that didn’t stop every nerve in your body from screaming in recognition once more. 

Before you could utter a sound, he pressed a gloved finger to your lips. That touch alone was enough to send tremors through your limbs, and he took advantage of your shock to push you slowly back across the room.

Your lips opened and closed helplessly, the cut of his coat brushing against you and the sway of his boots on the floor disintegrating any words that tried to make it past your throat. Even in the dim light, you could see his eyes twinkling with mischief like you remembered, two shining pinpricks in an otherwise dark galaxy.  

And they were utterly fixated on the curve of your mouth. 

Fuck.   

He stopped a few feet from the patch of wall between your bed and your desk, breaths coming heavily as he tore the scarf down from his face. He stared straight through you, as though he was trying to decide exactly what it was that he wanted to do. 

You couldn’t help yourself. Your eyes dropped to the chiseled edge of his mouth, remembering the insistent way those delicate, full lips used to drag against your own. 

You gulped at the memory, and his gaze shifted to track down every inch of your throat.

Before you could blink he slammed you hard into the wall, hand grasping your jaw tight, lips crushing yours in a bruising kiss. They were warmer than you remembered.

A startled, but pleased moan made its way up your throat, and just as you began to feel lightheaded, he pulled back a few centimeters. A soft gasp escaped you as he changed course, his scruff brushing against your cheek as feather light kisses tracked down the side of your jaw, in sharp contrast to the ferocity with which he had just claimed your mouth. A pleasant hum began to settle in your blood.

You knew he had seen the chest of gold gleaming on your desk. You knew that nothing good could come of this. And yet this wasn’t just a distraction, wasn’t just another calculated ploy for him to find a way to escape. Against all odds, you knew that too. 

Jod made his way back to your lips, letting just the tip of his tongue flick over you before he pulled back completely. You were stunned at how…open he looked, the lamp on your desk gently caressing the side of his face. There was no mask, no pretense in his gaze. Just a quiet, wistful seriousness that you had rarely seen before. A hint of boyish desperation, too.

“One last romp?” His voice was smooth, head cocked a little to the right in that endearingly smug way of his, but you could feel the tension strung like a wire underneath.

You shook your head, chuckling under your breath at his audacity. “You are crazy, Jod.”

He simply continued staring at you, one hand making its way to your waist and resting lightly on the jut of your hip bone, thumb beginning to draw slow circles.

You let out a huff of resignation, your fingertips trailing over the tight line of his jaw. “Only if you brought condoms.” You were only half joking.

Something like relief flashed across his face. “You know I always do,” he smirked in return.

You rolled your eyes at that. “The one thing you’re reliable for.”

A flicker of real hurt sparked in his eyes, simmering into frantic desperation. You could sense that something fragile underneath was screaming for his attention, even as he still couldn’t bear to let it have control. 

“You really are…something, my dear,” he rasped, his nostrils flaring as frustration mixed with admiration. 

Your eyes softened as they passed over his hardened features. He had aged since the last time you saw him, fine lines in places they hadn’t been before. Heavy shadows hung under his eyes, and his shortened hair was touched with grey. But the green and brown flecks that danced in his irises held the same warmth as always, glimmers of unspoken affection swirling you into their bright orbit.  

“So are you.” And you meant it.

You surged forward, capturing his mouth for your own, needing to taste him. His muffled gasp curled over your wandering tongue as you asked for entrance, thrilling at the feeling of his fingertips scraping up the sides of your waist. Grasping the high collar of his coat, you tugged it sideways, trying and failing to pull it down his shoulders. 

He chuckled at your sudden insistence, his tongue licking against yours. Lazily plundering the roof of your mouth, he awkwardly shifted one arm out of the fabric only to wrap it immediately around your waist, doing the same with the other as he let the rest of the coat fall. 

Heat pooled in your belly as he pulled you tight against him, the familiar ridges of his Quarran forged belt buckle digging into your flesh. He had shoved his leather gloves into his pocket, leaving his rough, sensitive fingers free to trace mesmerizing patterns over your thighs and hips. It almost tickled through the fabric of your dressing gown.  

Groaning as your teeth caught on his swollen lip, he reached lower and grabbed the backs of your thighs, dragging you roughly up the wall until he could wrap them around his waist. Taking a moment to adjust his stance, he pulled at the edge of your gown until it fell to the side, letting the tips of his fingers drag along your skin, all the way up to your breast. Your back arched in anticipation.

You felt the air punch out of your lungs at a sudden tilt of his hips, almost choking at the feeling of his half-hardened cock now pressing urgently against the warmth of you. He managed to graze his thumb across your nipple at the same time, and your jaw dropped as a jolt of electricity went straight to your cunt.      

“You still like that, huh,” he gave you a cheeky grin.

“I’m surprised you remember,” you retorted, flushing as you tried to hide just how much it affected you.

“I remember everything,” he replied earnestly. Sweetly. “You know I don’t fuck around, unless I have to, or I want to.” His other hand shifted slightly to keep you in place, the one on your breast teasing light, reverent circles. 

“And which one was I?” You breathed, struggling to keep your composure.

“Both.” His eyes bored into yours. “Always both.” 

Your heart stuttered, and you traced one hand slowly up the subtle angles of his chest, letting your fingers tangle in the patch of hair that tumbled over his open shirt. Clasping the other tightly behind his neck, you tugged him back against you, and he groaned in satisfaction. The heat of his mouth against yours was the only thing you wanted to feel in that moment. 

****** Jod couldn’t believe he was actually here, standing in your quarters, his belt unclasped and your legs wrapped tightly around his waist. 

He had to choke down a maniacal laugh when he first saw your face on that platform. 

Of course.

He knew that a CR90 had shown up after his frigate had been pummeled to the ground, had seen it appear in the newly dark sky as he escaped the Supervisor’s tower and made his way down to the vaults. But not on the wildest bet would he have considered that you might be inside. 

He had hoped for a clean getaway. Salvage a few dataries, pick up whoever else had escaped, and hightail it to a distant port to nurse his latest defeat in a strong bottle or two. Carefully try to ignore the long-buried wound that Wim’s unexpected concern for him had prodded. It was the only way he had survived this long.

And then you had appeared in front of him, and that ache cracked open wider than an entire kriffing galaxy spinning in orbit.  

There was nothing the universe loved more than reminding him of his failures.

Your hands were inching their way along his back, attempting to lift up the hem of the threadbare shirt he had pilfered off the floor of the Onyx Cinder. He knew what you wanted but he couldn’t bear to separate from you long enough to accommodate the motion. 

He had almost forgotten how good you tasted. The room threatened to spin around him as he breathed in your warm scent, heard the familiar gasps in your throat, felt the delicate pull of your fingers. The taste of your lips was intoxicating, but he needed more. 

He wanted to drown himself in you. 

Reluctantly straightening, he bowed his shoulders to heft you higher under his arms, clicking his tongue in amusement as you tensed with the fear that he might drop you. Crossing the extra few feet to your bed, he carefully tilted you back on the mattress, one hand still greedily grasping at your waist as he scrambled to kick off his tall boots. 

Normally pants and shirt would have followed too, and your hands had already reached for the hems again, but he was too impatient. He grabbed your wrists as they inched lower and pressed them together, fingers locking around the fragile bones. Pulling them up and crossing them over your chest, he held them gently in place, shaking his head in warning. 

Your cheeks flushed with heat, and he relished in the way your eyelids fluttered as he lowered his gaze to your chest, slowly sweeping his other hand down until he came to the ties still holding your robe loosely together.  

“On, or off?” His voice was gentle, interested. You nodded. “Off then.”

His hand moved quickly, unlacing the ties and brushing the garment aside. Releasing your wrists, he lowered his face until his nose dragged against your sternum, licking and sucking his way across your salty skin. His pebbled tongue scraped roughly over one nipple and you arched against him, your throat and chest gleaming in the lamp light. His cock twitched as your hips squirmed beneath him, and he laved over your nipple one more time before making his way down your stomach.

He could smell your arousal as he kissed along the groove of your hips, and he grinned at the sight of just how soaked you already were.

“All this for me?” He teased, eyes narrowing in amusement as he glanced up at you. 

“I don’t think you need me to inflate that head of yours any further,” you quipped back, pretending to scowl as he carefully slid your underwear off your legs and onto the floor. You had missed this ridiculous banter.

“Oh, but I really think I do,” he winked, his smile fading as he closed his eyes and breathed you in. Head dipping, he kissed softly up your thigh until you were squirming, silently begging him to move closer.

Digging his fingers into your hip, he finally let his tongue take what it wanted, reaching out with just the tip to tease your folds before fully diving in. You were soaking wet, your lips slick and dripping onto his chin as he drank you in. Letting his tongue wander, he reached up and cupped a breast with one hand, the other holding your hip secure against the mattress.  

Wonderful. You were wonderful. Your taste was so sweet and rich. You filled his palm perfectly. Memories began to trickle back, unbidden, as he pulled you even closer and dipped his tongue into your pussy just to feel you quiver. Days spent arguing over the worth of his latest finds, your smile smooth and eyes filled with a challenge that he could never back down from. Nights spent mapping each other’s bodies while spinning dreams of exploring the galaxy. Sitting side by side, hours whiled away but never wasted. One of the few gleams in an otherwise dim existence. 

Suddenly he felt one of your hands curl over his head, brushing softly against his hair as you sought to anchor yourself in his presence. The motion was comforting at first, a slight tension in his scalp soothed by the tips of your cool fingers. 

Until a jarringly recent memory launched a mutiny in his mind–the sensation of his head bowing under the cascade of a very different kind of lust earlier that evening.

The waterfall of credits. A room literally bursting with the golden light of limitless wealth. A life-long dream–no, need–finally come true.

He had the sickening feeling that after today, the pursuit of security he so ravenously clung to now felt more like an anchor that was dragging him down faster than any shipwreck. Shackles too thick for him to casually break, unlike the handcuffs he had disengaged twice already with a subtle flick of the Force. 

No. No, no, NO. He shook his head in frustration, biting roughly down on your thigh in a futile attempt to disguise his own contradictions. He wasn’t just thirsty. He was hungry. He always had been, and here you were willingly satiating him, and he wanted it to be enough. Needed it to be enough. You deserved everything he had to give.

And everything he couldn’t. 

Shifting your leg at the knee, he rutted his shoulders under you and lifted you to his face again, devouring you like the starving man he was. Your back arched, your hands clenching helplessly as your nerves trembled from his onslaught. He focused on your clit, easing one finger, and then two, into your warm depths as he sucked, feeling your hips buck against him like he knew they would. 

He pulled you closer, ignoring the pulsing in his own groin, fingers relentless in the pursuit of your pleasure. He chased every twitch, every moan, feeling your walls tighten until finally, with a wrench of his knuckles, it was enough. He shivered as your taste flooded his mouth, gratified to hear the whimpers leaving your throat as he flattened his tongue and licked you clean. 

He didn’t come up for air until he realized your hands were tugging at him, begging him to slow, the pressure now too much. Catching one of them in his, he gently kissed your knuckles in acknowledgment. The cool air shifted against his back as he disentangled himself, and it suddenly registered just how tight and uncomfortable his clothes had become. They were practically soaked through from his efforts. He gave you a quick smile and sat up, peeling off his shirt and pants haphazardly before crawling back over to you and flopping down with a sigh.

******

Still trying to catch your breath, you reached down and ran your hand lightly over him, admiring the view you had been craving since the moment he stepped through your door. His wiry, lithe frame had always held good muscle, and the curve of his ass against your palm was a comforting weight. He would never know just what the sight of him with his mouth buried between your legs meant to you. 

Your lips pursed as your heartbeat began to slow. You hadn’t missed the earlier shift in his mood, but you decided not to question it. You just ached for him. 

“Was anything on you actually yours? Besides the belt,” you gestured at the glint of his buckle half buried under the pile of clothes now strewn on the floor. His weapons had all been confiscated, but even those had been borrowed or stolen. “Oh, and your coat, of course.” 

He paused for a moment, his lips tilting in a smirk. “Well, I would say this is,” he gestured down at his stiff, aching cock nestled against your thigh. “But I’m afraid that belongs to you at the moment.” Once the words left his mouth, he realized how little of a joke it actually was. 

“Oh really?” You couldn’t help but laugh gently, and he looked almost relieved. “Well, that’s nice to know.” 

Your fingers trailed lower, relishing the way he began to squirm as the back of your fingers brushed over his stomach, his hair, and lower until they finally whispered teasingly over his shaft. His jaw clenched, a half smile belying the slight shake of his head. 

“Careful,” he rasped, eyes easing shut as you took him fully in hand. You rubbed your thumb gently over the velvet skin, humming a little as he curled into you, chasing the sensation. Pulling long, smooth strokes, you reacquainted yourself with his thickness, the veins running up the side, the way he curved as he hardened in your fist. 

His jaw slackened a little as you picked up the pace, and you shifted yourself so that you could lean over and still look up at him. Pausing, you ran your knuckles lightly over him again and waited until he opened his eyes, and then slowly, you let your face hover over him, lips parting, until you felt him throb in anticipation. Gripping him tightly, you reached out your tongue and licked. First a quick swipe of his tip, and then letting your tongue circle his head, savoring his salty taste. You licked a wide, slow stripe up his shaft, and then welcomed him into the heat of your mouth with a rhythm of pumps and licks, a groan occasionally escaping him at the twists of your hand. 

A glance caught him biting his lip, eyes half-lidded, and you smirked as you leaned down, mouth wide, and took him in as far as you could, hollowing your cheeks as you sucked. Your nose just barely brushed against the curls at his base. 

“Hhhah, wait, wait,” he gasped, reaching down and fiercely gripping your chin to haul you up and off of him. His eyes were wild. Your teeth scraped against him in the process and you almost thought he would come right then and there.

He flipped you over, pulling you up to the top of the bed, and it was your turn to whimper at the feel of his teeth as he mouthed along your neck. Grabbing the packet he had set on your bedside table, he pulled away just long enough to sheath himself before crowding you with his hips. He kissed you deeply, reaching down and lining himself up to sink into you, slowly at first, and then all at once.

Every muscle thrummed at the stretch of him, and you closed your eyes as you felt your walls pulse, willing yourself to relax. It was almost overwhelming, the teasing pace he set, deliberately keeping you both at the edge. You moaned helplessly. There was something about him that could reach places in you that no one else could. 

He closed his hand around your throat and your eyes flashed, the slight pressure on either side of your neck heightening every sense. You were so close. 

“I need you to come on my cock”, he growled, almost breathless from the heat of you. “Need you…to…” his hips faltered for a moment. “Give me one more, pretty girl.” 

You murmured something he couldn’t quite catch. He released your neck and moved his thumb to meticulously explore the curve of your collarbone, letting you both catch your breath.

“What was that?” 

A small, teasing smile crept onto your face. 

“Yes sir.” Your voice was light and airy. 

His eyes widened comically, his hips stuttering with unexpected violence. That was…oh, that was…

Before he could muster any scrap of control, your hips snapped up in desperation to meet his, giving him room to slide one hand under your sacrum, fingers nestling in the indents on either side. 

Your fingertips clung to the planes of his shoulders, traced the cage of his ribs in a plea no words could convey. He couldn’t leave you wanting. 

“You can let go.” Your whispered release floated into his ear.

“I need you with me.” 

Shoving one elbow down for support, he twisted his thumb over your clit, gathering your slick in calculated circles and pressing, begging you to follow him into the void, to yield to the burst of heat flaring down your spine. 

Until with a few staggered gasps, you both fell over the edge in a pulsing surrender. 

******

Once breath settled back into your lungs, you rolled over and reached for him across the tangle of sheets, your heart catching as he turned to you with a languid, peaceful smile. 

“Sorry for the mess.”  

‘I mean, there’s ways to deal with that.” Your eyes glinted with mischief. Flipping onto your stomach, you flicked your tongue over him and then moved to take him back into your mouth. 

His hand flew to your head. “I wouldn’t do that…unless you want a repeat.”

You pulled off and gave him a sweetly innocent grin. “I have a perfectly good shower right there, if you’d prefer that instead.” 

“Are you calling me dirty?” he scoffed.

You slid off the bed and sauntered through the room, pausing at the ‘fresher door. “Very,” you winked. 

He groaned, head in his hands, before forcing himself up. A persuasive glint filled his eyes as he caught you by the waist and pulled you into the shower, muffling your laughter with determined lips. 

******

You both collapsed back on your bed, cleaned off and utterly spent. You were shocked that you hadn’t fallen asleep standing up. 

Jod wrapped himself around you, chin tucked against your shoulder, legs slotted between yours. You were savoring how the two of you fit together, limb against limb, and you let your hand wander up and down his back in a soothing sweep. 

You were about to drift off when you remembered something you had been meaning to ask. 

“So, how did you actually get up here? Don’t tell me I need to completely overhaul my security systems.” Your voice was thick with drowsiness.

He snorted. “I mean, I’m sure your crew is doing their best,” a flippant wave contradicting the sentiment until a yawn interrupted him. “But you seem to have forgotten that I’m quite capable of getting myself out of handcuffs when the situation requires.”

You slowly smiled. You had spent more than one night taking advantage of that fact in the past, though it apparently had slipped your mind since then. 

“Guess I need to start hunting for some of those old repression binders that could keep Force users in line if this is going to become a regular occurrence.”

You knew it was a horrible joke before it even left your mouth, and you belatedly winced, holding your breath as Jod stilled beside you. 

But his response was not the rebuke you expected. 

“I…” he cleared his throat, his voice muffled against the side of your arm. “I told them…about Ninaa.” 

You didn’t trust yourself to move. “Told who?”

He glanced up at you before burying his face in your chest. “The kids.” 

He had been drunk, and very morose, the night he told you about the Jedi woman who had found him as a ragged child. He was begging on the streets, she was a survivor on the run. They were perfect for each other. Jod learned a little about his natural giftings from her, and they kept each other safe. Until they couldn’t. 

“Told them how she died. What she taught me, the potential she saw in me”–he almost spit the word out of his mouth–”only for those bastards to use her own lightsaber to kill her in front of me.” His teeth ground in their sockets.  

The children must have gotten deeper under his skin than you thought if he had unburdened that story on them.

“And then I threatened to do the same thing to them. As if I could convince myself that I could actually follow through on it.”

He exhaled a slow breath, his features cycling through emotion after another. And then, so quietly you weren’t sure the words hadn’t just appeared in your mind–

“Don’t give up on me just yet.” 

The weight of his body on yours was suddenly crushing.

“I’ve never given up on you.” Your pulse raced. “Those kids haven’t either.”

His voice was measured, low. A steel knife dragged against the edge of a whetstone.

“Yeah they have. Just like everyone else.”

Before you could protest, he lifted his head, eyebrows raised. “I know you don’t trust me fully. Nor should you.” His mouth drooped in defeat.

Your lips parted but no sound escaped at first. Your hands trembled slightly. 

“There’s always time to surprise them.” Surprise me. 

He lowered his head in resignation.

“Maybe.” Someday.

You hesitantly swept your hand over his strained shoulders, wishing you could pierce through the shadows engulfing you both. Your voice was barely a whisper. 

“You know those pinpricks of light you always talk about? The few good things in the galaxy that are so… sparse and unattainable.” 

You waited. It was a long moment before he nodded, reluctantly. 

“They only stay pinpricks when you keep running away from them. Up close…those stars are suns. They give light. Warmth. Life.”

His limbs tightened around you. His breathing was so shallow you almost thought he had fallen asleep. 

“Yes.” The quiet hiss startled you.

“But the sun also burns.”

The night itself seemed to hold its breath at his admission. Your heart spasmed in your chest, frayed nerves bare and broken at the acknowledgement of the open wound seeping into the air between you. 

The starved desires of a frightened child whose every grasp for the light left him shrouded in darkness. Fear of abandonment leaving ash on everything he touched. 

The silent screams of a boy who had never been able to become the man he thought he would be. 

The barrier on At Attin may have evaporated, but a different, more insidious fog swirled around the Force-sensitive pirate’s heart and mind, clouding him from your sight. All you could do was hold onto him, keep a sliver of hope for him shining like a beacon in the night sky. 

Hope that one day, that light might become a flame that could illuminate rather than ignite and burn.

A gleam that wouldn’t cheapen into fools’ gold. 

The moments warped around you, plasma slipping through a time-glass, until the man in your arms shifted slightly. His hands dug into your sides, lightly at first, and then gripping you like a vise. He leaned up, his eyes meeting yours in mute exhaustion, and pressed a slow, cautious, achingly tender kiss to your mouth.  

You fell asleep to the imagined hum of a lightsaber, slashing and cutting as terrified screams filled the air, burning a hole in the hopes and dreams of the poor boy who carried its scars still. 

******

Jod could still feel your lips on his as he stood in the doorway of your room, the gasps of laughter (and more) you had shared with him through the night echoing in his skull. It was early morning, the sun about to rise over the newly exposed plains on At Attin. He had to move if he was going to steal one of the RZ-1 interceptors docked on the hull of the ship and make his escape. 

But he couldn’t stop staring at the one streak of light that trickled through the curtain onto your peaceful, sleeping face, framed by your loose hair and the sheet he had pulled carefully over your shoulder.  

Slung under his arm was the chest full of credits that had been sitting on your desk. Face strained with regret, he turned one of the datary shards over in his palm. It was cold–hard–the sharpened edge firm and unyielding. Such a stark contrast to the softness of your body, the sunshine of your lips, the pliant way your curves filled his hands. He clenched his fist until the sting of the metal sent a jolt through his palm, blood beading in its wake. 

He was itching to choose the warmth of you instead–to turn away for once from the blinding gleam of the forged gold pieces at his side–but he still couldn’t make himself do it. Not quite yet. He couldn’t shake off the darkness that surrounded him on a persistent, daily basis, and until he found a path through that haze, he couldn’t bear to shroud you in it too. 

His jaw jutted forward, lips pursed in a scowl that threatened to slice the cool air. 

No attachments. The one rule of the Jedi he had always been able to follow through on. Forget ‘em. That’s what he had told Wim when the boy was crying, scared and shaking from missing his parents. He recalled boasting like a mynocked fool that he had done just that. 

He shook his head. Call him a fool if he ever found it within himself to forget Ninaa, or those damn kids–or you.

Especially you. 

He pulled his scarf up over his face, double-checked that your blaster was still cocked at his hip, shut your door behind him, and left. 

******

A beam of sunlight bursting at the seam of your eyelids finally woke you. Eyes screwed tight, you immediately buried your face in the cooling relief of your pillow, not caring whether you had slept past your alarm or not.

Until the memories of the previous night that led to why, exactly, you had turned off said alarm came rushing back, unbidden. 

Your hand stretched out hesitantly, feeling along the mattress. You knew even before you opened your eyes.

He was gone. 

Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you reluctantly stretched your arms, spine, and neck in turn, and scanned the room. 

You weren’t surprised that the chest of gold was gone from your desk. Nor even that one of your blasters had disappeared too (although it was a rather expensive antique, damn him).  

What was surprising was what the missing pirate had left behind. In the middle of your desk, surrounded by a sea of papers, lay a small bag of coins–deliberately culled from the cache he had absconded with–the worn clasp from his belt, and a hastily scribbled note. 

You picked that up first, willing your fingers not to shake.

You told me once to make my life the one I want to live.

I haven’t forgotten. I promise you, I will.

A hitched breath escaped you, turning into a laugh halfway through. 

Promises were like breathing to him. But this was one you would try to believe.

Laying the letter down with a sigh, you picked up his buckle and ran your fingers over the familiar scuff marks. It had been years since you had first seen its plundered steel. A token of the meager threads that held a pirate’s humanity together. 

Not that the buckle’s first owner had been human at all. Originally strapped around the waist of the Quarren upstart Kragan Gorr, it made its way into Jod’s hands during a scuffle in the Outer Rim, which you once called a nuisance, and would later call fate. 

Visiting Kh’ymm and rather bored at the time, you had agreed to join Jod on a supply run when he picked up a distress signal near the Kiax Nebula. You learned the hard way that the one-eyed pirate Grox was running a grift to lure unsuspecting ships into the system, before stripping and selling them (and whatever cargo and crew they contained) to a group called the Tech Masters, who ruled the nearby planet of Trionax. 

Jod had been intrigued by the rumors of ships going missing, tales of a hidden junkyard planet somewhere in the nebulae, and whispers about the loot Grox was accumulating. He never could resist a tall tale.

Convincing you that the scavenging possibilities would be worth the detour, Jod followed the signal until you found yourselves locked into a tractor beam. Predictably, the two of you were no match for the formidable Lasat, although you put up a dirty fight. Gruesomely efficient, with only Kragan and two others for backup, Grox had eventually shipped you off to Trionax alongside a rather banged up Corellian light freighter he had captured on the same trip. 

Unbeknownst to everyone until you landed, the freighter was not unmanned. Inconvenient capture turned into a fateful rendezvous as you met the woman who would become your employer, role model, and friend. Why Senator Organa, her blond, innocent-faced twin, and their blue and silver astromech were wandering around in that part of space was beyond you, but you didn’t have time to question the situation. 

Trionax had remained hidden for so long due to an artificial force field protecting the planet. After realizing your ships couldn’t take off even if you could sneak back on board, Leia was prepared to brashly try and force a way out of the situation. You had a feeling Luke both could and would back up her threats, but the Tech Masters had no patience for being patronized. Trying a different tack, you let Jod and Luke sweet talk their way into finding a communications panel, while you summoned every power of negotiation and a pocket translator you had to try and stall for them. 

And it worked, Force knew how. Alerting the Empire to the planet’s location, you all managed to slip away in the chaos that unfolded as a Star Destroyer appeared in the atmosphere above. 

Not, however, before Leia slipped you her comm number, muttering something about reaching out if you ever wanted to lend your impressive skills to a good cause.

That had been years ago, before the Empire fell. 

You and Jod returned home in one piece, the stolen belt buckle the only memento of your unexpected adventure. But something had shifted in you, and bargaining your way through Jod’s whims was becoming less of a thrill, especially when capture and near death were involved. 

While you stayed in touch for a while, the two of you drifted apart, Kh’ymm giving you updates on his expanding crew and latest escapades until even she lost contact with the man you had once dreamed of a future with. She was never willing to divulge why.

And now here you were. Headed back to Coruscant with gold left in your possession by the same pirate who had tried to steal the lot of it–twice. A trusted ambassador carrying news to your Chancellor of a planet that might as well be from another galaxy. Crafting the explanation you would owe your senator on how exactly one of your prisoners had managed to take a detour–again. Choices made, paths crossed, fates open.

And yet, you knew Leia would understand having a soft spot for handsome pirates who were nothing but trouble. 

A sudden buzz from your comm pierced through your introspection, the flickering blue figure of your haggard-looking first mate appearing in front of you. 

“Excuse me for waking you, but there’s been a disturbance. We believe one of the fighters took off a little while ago without authorization.”

You chuckled inwardly, rolling your eyes at the pirate’s predictability. You had known from the moment your security dragged him up the August Prime’s boarding ramp that he wouldn’t accept leaving the same way. 

You held down the receiver to answer.

“It’s alright, I was already awake. Thanks for notifying me. I doubt there’s anything we can do at this point, but I’ll be right there.” 

Jod’s penance would have to wait. 

Prison had never really suited him, anyway.

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[the-queen-of-hell-666]

The Rescue

Chapter 7 of 'The Angel of Death'

Book Masterlist

Pairings: Vera Kovalyov (OC) x Steve Rogers x James 'Bucky' Barnes, Vera Kovalyov (OC) x Steve Rogers, Vera Kovalyov (OC) x James 'Bucky' Barnes, Steve Rogers x James 'Bucky' Barnes

Word Count: 3.5k

Chapter Summary: Vera and Steve with the help of their friends go on an undocumented mission to save Bucky and the men in his platoon.

Warnings: angst, mentions of WW2, murder, mentions of human torture, PTSD

a/n: I had to add some dark elements in this chapter because we all know how cruel HYDRA could be. But they rescue Bucky, so that has to count for something! Hope you enjoy!

1943. 

Steve, Peggy, Bea, and I were on a plane with Howard as the pilot. Steve was in the back with us and he was putting on his parachute. I sat on one of the seats and I loaded up my guns making sure that they wouldn't jam on me and I made a few hex bags just in case. Bea sat beside me working on the protection spells to use once we’re out of the bunker. I changed before we left and I changed into a pair of brown leather pants, a white tank top, and a blue leather jacket. My black utility belt had holsters for knives, guns, and hex bags everything a girl needs.

"The HYDRA camp is in Kreuzberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind." Peggy said, looking at the map. I looked over at the map and realization dawned on my face.

"It's the same one," I whispered softly as I recognized the building as the same one they held me in and turned me into a monster.

Bea heard me and set the journal down, "You don't have to go with him." She whispered and I looked at her and she saw the thoughts in my mind. "He's not a frail kid anymore."

"I know but I still have to protect him." I sighed as I slid the hex bags into my side pockets.

"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep," Howard said from the front of the plane.

"Just get me as close as you can." Steve turned to us. "You know, you four are gonna be in a lot of trouble at the lab."

"They will be. I am coming with you." I said not looking up as I tightened the straps on my legs.

"No, you're not," Steve said sternly to me and I walked right up to him.

"Yes, I am." I said with a look in my eye saying that I won’t back down.

"Ver, I can't let you get hurt," Steve said, giving me his puppy dog eyes. I smirked at his puppy dog eyes and I leaned up and kissed him passionately, Steve was a bit taken aback by the kiss but he held onto my waist.

"I swear I'm gonna vomit," Bea mumbled and turned away from us to Peggy, but Peggy rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Want a bag?" Peggy suggested sarcastically and Bea waved a hand in the air and a paper bag hit Peggy in the face but just gently. "Oh, damn you."

"You're not going to win this one, Captain," Howard yelled to Steve from the front of the plane, making me pull back from Steve with a smirk. Steve blushed as I walked away and sat next to Peggy and Bea.

"Anyway, won't you get in trouble too, Steve?" Peggy asked to get us back on track, as I wiped off the excess makeup from today off my face and Bea mumbled some spells to protect the plane as well.

"Where I'm goin', if anybody yells at me I can just shoot 'em," Steve responded with a shrug.

"They will undoubtedly shoot back." Bea scoffed as she leaned back against the seat after finishing her spells.

"Well, let's hope this thing is good for somethin'," Steve said, knocking on the shield, and he handed me a parachute.

"Well if it's not. You got me." I smirked, I took the parachute and tossed it on the floor. "I don't need one, Cap." I hummed before a ‘whoosh’ noise sounds through the cabin and my wings take up the bench seats next to me before I tuck them in close. 

Steve huffed as one of my wings smacked him in the face. “Should’ve known.” 

"Hey, Beatrice, when we get back if we're not too late I thought we could head over to Lucerne for a late-night fondue," Howard asked her from the front, and I smirked at Bea a bit as I saw the surprised look on her face.

"Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen. He's mad enough to brave this airspace, we're lucky to have him." Peggy said as she looked over to the front to give Bea some time to think of her answer.

"Don't help his ego." I scoffed and leaned my head back against the seat. "Get him, Bea. How long has it been since you've dated someone?" I asked Bea and she shrugged before she thought about it then stood up and went to the front. Me and Peggy whistled after her, making Bea roll her eyes as she walked away.

"This is your transponder. Activate it when we're ready and the signal will lead them straight to us." I said after Bea left and handed Steve a small black box.

"Are you sure this thing works?" He asked, skeptical about the technological thing.

"It's been tested more than you, pal." Howard chuckled as Bea sat next to him and they whispered talk then the plane started to get attacked. Steve opened the door ready to jump and I followed him.

"Get back here! We're taking you two all the way in." Peggy yelled over the commotion, as an enemy's jet flew over our plane and they started raining fire on the plane trying to shoot it down. The metal rang with each shot and the plane rocked violently as Steve and I walked to the door. The sound of the metal ringing made me shiver softly as my mind tried to go back to the mindset of when I was with HYDRA.

"As soon as we're free, you turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!" Steve yelled from where he and I were standing.

"You can't give me orders!" Peggy exclaimed as she looked at Steve.

"The hell I can't! I'm a Captain!" Steve yelled and I chuckled a bit.

"Come on, Rogers!" I yelled as I jumped with my wings tight to my back, and Steve followed. I flexed my wings, the moonlight making the light gray look silver as they flapped to keep me in the air. I rolled around, enjoying the fresh air and stretching my wings felt like heaven after keeping them put away for so long. Me and Steve landed a couple of miles out. He unzipped his parachute, I let the wings curl into my back, keeping them pressed against me.

"We need to groom them." Steve whispered to me as I walked next to him.

"Yeah, I know. But not the time." I huffed as I had them disappear again.

"Right, sorry."

We ran through the woods until we reached the HYDRA factory. I slid my fingerless gloves on and I walked up to the truck, we slipped into the back of the truck and we were faced with four HYDRA grunts.

"Fellas." Steve greeted, punching one of them. He kicked the other one and smacked them with the shield, knocking them back. Steve knocked them out and he watched me take out mine as well, he couldn’t lie, he got a little turned on while watching me kick their asses.

I grabbed one by the arm pulling him towards me and I snapped his arm, then kicked the other in the stomach. I grabbed my gun and shot him three times in the chest. I snapped the other one's neck, I didn't even break a sweat as the guard dropped.

"Nice right hook, Cap." I smiled as I put my gun away.

"Well, I learned from the best, Ver." Steve chuckled, looking back at me. I smiled and he kissed my head for good luck and we got out of the truck when it parked. We sneaked into the HYDRA factory. We walked around the factory silently and they came across the captured soldiers in cages. They were dirty and looking skinny, I knew HYDRA didn't feed them. Why would they, they wanted all Americans dead so what's a few hundred dead?

"Who are you supposed to be?" Gabe Jones, one of the soldiers, asked Steve as he looked over the man's clothes.

"I'm... Captain America." Steve said somewhat proudly.

"I beg your pardon?" Another soldier asked as me and Steve unlocked the cages and all of the soldiers piled out. I hugged a few of the ones I knew from their training.

"Vera, what are you doing here?" Jim asked, realizing that I came along on the mission.

"Saving your arses," I responded, as I grabbed a few guns from my duffle and tossed them to a few soldiers. "You're gonna need these." I said and the guys nodded and cocked the guns.

"Is there anybody else? I'm looking for Sergeant James Barnes." Steve said loudly to be heard over the voices.

"There's an isolation ward in the factory, but no one's ever come back from it," Dugan answered wearily as he tightened his jacket.

“I did.” I said solemnly as I tossed my duffle to Dugan and I grabbed my twin blades from the holsters on my hips. 

"All right. The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. We'll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find." Steve stated and I nodded as the soldiers looked at me.

"Wait! You know what you're doin'?" Gabe asked as he looked around the room.

"Yeah. I've knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times." Steve shrugged, he grabbed my hand. "Let's go." He said as we took off running to where Bucky was.

"You're starting to get an ego, Cap," I whispered as we hid in the shadows as some HYDRA soldiers walked past.

"Really? This is a good time?" He asked, annoyed, and I rolled my eyes before we took off down the hall.

We were running down the corridors of the bunker until we saw Arnim Zola packing up the folders with the blueprints in his bag. Zola heard Steve and I at the end of the hall and he looked over at us. We advanced on him but Zola ran the opposite way. We wanted to follow him but we needed to get Bucky. I used my magic to shine a light down the hall and I heard whimpering coming from one of the rooms.

Me and Steve walked towards it and I looked in the room and saw a soldier locked in a cage like a dog. I sighed softly, not much surprised me anymore as I knew how cruel HYDRA could be. There was not much I could do for him as I saw that his side had been cut open and blood was everywhere. He saw me and pleaded for me to kill him, and I bit my lip thinking about what to do and he just cried and pleaded for me to end him. Steve could hear it from where he was standing against the wall and he hated that I had to endure that; then he heard a gunshot ring out and he visibly flinched. I walked out with a few tears on my cheeks and put my gun away, and I quickly moved down the hall with Steve following. I wasn't going to say what I did and he wasn't going to push me.

We heard more mumbling from the room at the end of the hall. We quickly rushed to it and I gasped softly as I saw a beaten, rung out, bloody Bucky Barnes on the table. He was strapped down, the leather straps tightened to the point that they were digging into his skin, and dried blood was crusted on the edges of his clothes.

"Barnes, James Buchanan. Sergeant. 32557038." Bucky mumbled and I immediately rushed over to him and cupped his face.

"Bucky? Oh, my God." I whispered in shock as I saw the broken man on the table. I could see it in his eyes, he’d been through the wringer and he was slowly giving up; the tears were spilling down my cheeks.

"Is that..." Bucky muttered looking at me as my worried eyes scanned him.

"It's me. It's Steve and Vera." Steve said as he worked on unstrapping Bucky and he helped him sit up. The sergeant slumped against us and let out a groan as the pressure pushed on his broken ribs.

"Steve? Vera?" Bucky questioned as he looked from me to Steve.

"It's us, hun. We gotta get you out of here." I said, as Bucky stood up with help from me and Steve.

"S-steve," Bucky said softly with shock when the realization set in. He was gonna be okay, his loves had come to save him; then he realized Steve's height and build difference.

"We thought you were dead," Steve said, his voice laced with emotion. He was ready to get his best guy home and safe.

"I thought you were smaller." Bucky chuckled weakly as he saw Steve's larger build.

"Come on." Steve grunted as he helped Bucky walk out of the room.

"What happened to you?" Bucky asked as they helped him down the hallway.

"I joined the Army." Steve shrugged and Bucky looked at me with confusion.

"How'd that happen?" He asked me and I shrugged a bit as we walked through the halls trying to get out of the bunker. "Did it hurt?"

"A little," Steve said and I rolled my eyes thinking back to when he almost gave me a heart attack when he was in the capsule.

"Is it permanent?" Bucky asked, still curious.

"So far," Steve replied as we got closer to the way out.

The bunker exploded around us as we rushed through, moving as fast as we could with Bucky. I saw things in the rooms that reminded me of what they did to me in that very building. I stopped when I saw the first room I was brought into when they took me from the town in Germany. My feet felt like stone like any moment one of the guards was going to drag me to my cell, kicking and screaming. Steve noticed me as I stopped and he and Bucky turned to look at me, and they walked up to me.

"Ver, come on. We gotta get out of here." Steve whispered to me and I turned my head, and tears were already filling my eyes. Steve sighed softly hating the things that happened to me there, but as the explosions continued we had to get out. "It'll be okay." He said and I nodded and sniffled a bit as we continued to move through the halls.

We got to a clearing where the door to get out was and there was a ladder across, right above the exploding bunker. On the other side, there was Johann Schmidt and Dr. Zola when Schmidt looked over and saw them, Steve stormed over across the ladder.

"Captain America! How exciting! I'm a great fan of your films. So Dr. Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still impressive. Vera always a pleasure." Schmidt smirked at me and I shivered, Steve punched Schmidt in the face as soon as he reached him. I was holding onto Bucky on the other side of the ladder.

"You've got no idea," Steve said through gritted teeth as he shot glares at the man in front of him.

"Haven't I?" He asked as he tried to punch Steve but he held up his shield to block the blow, and Schmidt's fist leaves a print in Steve's shield. As they fight, Zola pulled a lever and the catwalk they were standing on retracted to either side separating them. "No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see I was his greatest success!" Schmidt exclaimed as he pulled off the skin on his face to reveal that he was the Red Skull.

"You don't have one of those, do you?" Bucky asked as he turned to look at me. I was standing there frozen as I remembered all the things Schmidt did to me during those years.  "Hey, Vera? Are you okay?" He asked, grabbing my hand and I looked down and nodded, before wiping the tear that had spilled down my face. Bucky sighed softly before kissing my head softly and I smiled a bit through the tears.

"You are deluded, Captain! You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind! Unlike you, I embrace it proudly! Without fear!" Schmidt yelled and I growled low in my throat, my eyes glowing a bright blue.

"You're deluded, Schmidt! You're not human! You're a monster!" I yelled as I looked over as Schmidt and Zola ran to the door, but Schmidt stopped and turned to me with a devious look on his face.

"And what exactly are you, Mädchen? What I did to you made you something even worse, a weapon," He smirked as the word 'weapon' hit me like a knife. "And that's really all you're good for."

I knew what they turned me into and it made me feel worthless like I was only brought here to wreak havoc and kill. My eyes went back to normal as if those words rendered me powerless. Steve saw me freeze and he quickly grabbed me and we continued to run as the bunker exploded below them.

"Come on, let's go. Up." Steve said to Bucky and I, as we reached a ladder to a higher level. I was knocked out of my scared daze when Steve grabbed my wrist to pull me. I had got to get it together if I wanted us to survive. We ran up a ladder to the ceiling and we made it to a catwalk, and everything beneath us was on fire as more and more explosions rumbled through the bunker. There was a beam we could walk on to get to the other side, and the fire was too large, I couldn't fly across. "Let's go. One at a time." Steve said, helping me across it, and me and Bucky made it across but it broke after Bucky.

"Gotta' be a rope or something!" Bucky yelled to Steve as he looked across the jump at Steve standing at the edge of the walkway.

"Just go! Get out of here!" Steve yelled to us and I rolled my eyes, 'This guy.'

"Not the time to be a hero, Cap!" I yelled to him as I examined where he was at.

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" He asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

"Have you ever jumped off a ramp?" I asked as my hands glowed sapphire.

"Are you sure it'll work?" He asked as I got the ramp ready.

"99%. Now, let's go!" I yelled and he walked back before he started running and jumped off my ramp and across the exploding bunker.

Back at the Army base in Italy. Phillips was sitting with a corporal explaining the events when me and Steve left to save the soldiers. Phillips sounded annoyed as he read off the report Peggy gave him but the corporal just continued typing.

"Senator Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers and Lieutenant Vera A. Kovalyov went missing behind enemy lines on the third. Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers and Lieutenant Kovalyov killed in action. Period." Phillips finished and the corporal pulled out the document from the typewriter and had Phillips sign it.

Peggy came in and the corporal left and she and Phillips had a heated conversation about what happened and whether Peggy's decision was right or not and to Phillips the consensus was "No". Then suddenly outside the soldiers started talking loudly and excitedly and the commotion got Phillips' attention.

"What the hell's going on out there?" Phillips asked, annoyed at the loud commotion and they followed the crowd to the edge of the camp where Steve and I were walking in front of the captured soldiers we saved. We had guns strapped across our chests as we walked up proudly.

"Look who it is!" One of the men yelled as everyone cheered when they saw who me and Steve had brought.

"Some of these men need medical attention," I said to the officer that came up to the group and he nodded and he and the medics walked into the crowd accessing wounds.

"I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action," Steve said seriously, looking at Phillips.

"That won't be necessary," Phillips said, a bit taken aback by what Steve and I had pulled off.

"Yes sir." He nodded, as Phillips turned and walked away.

Peggy walked up to Steve and I with her arms crossed, "You two are late." She said, looking both of us in the eyes and I rolled my eyes and fished something out of my pocket.

"We couldn't call our ride." I smiled, holding up the broken transponder. "I believe this belongs to Stark." I shrugged and Peggy chuckled before pulling me into a hug.

"Hey! Let's hear it for Captain America!" Bucky yelled and everyone cheered louder. I looked at Steve and he looked at me and we knew what we did was right and he leaned down to kiss my cheek, making the crowd roar with excitement.

[akilahdrawssometimes]

Full posts on my a03 :D @/akilahdrawssometimes -

Jysyal sat slumped in the cockpit of the starfighter. Leaning as far back as the tilt lock of the pilot seat would allow. Still clutching onto the fresh wound it continued to pulse hot with pain. Running right into a clone trooper base had been free from the to-do list but the force always had a funny way to give you unnecessary problems. With a shot in her side from their blaster, the bilious scent of her burning flesh flared her senses.

A cauterized wound was the worst pain she had ever experienced by far. The med patch was the only thing preventing her guts from spilling out. The cooling gauze was compressed so tightly, almost squeezing her organs together. The dark red splotch became more abstract as blood seeped through the pale cotton. At that moment everything started to feel blurry.

It was almost like she could see spots.

Or was it shapes?

Squiggles?

It was too difficult to think clearly when the only rational thing her brain was screaming at her to take care of first was the growing injury. Her skin felt like it was on fire and slightly sticky from the condensation beads of sweat, her slow shallow breaths grew quicker with the anxious energy of not being able to make a miraculous recovery with the med bey being bare she had already used the last of her myoplexarii on the bounty mission in the outer rim after a three on one with Trandoshands.

Which in turn left her a bruised bloodied mess R4 had barely been able to recognize her aside from the gruff attitude she constantly wore. Strenuously leaning forward she jammed the starter button and gave a minute for the battery-powered motor to convulse the diesel engine. As it softly clicked to life she flicked the paddle switch and engaged autopilot.

Forcibly slamming back into the pilot's seat with a huff. R4-B9 shuffled into the small space on her motorized threads chirping and beeping as the droid announced her presence.

“ … R4?”

She turned her head to look down at the quippy astromech from the corner of her eye. She had never been so relieved to see such a provoking droid. She swiveled her cone-like head and chirped in curious recognition.

“I need you …” Drawing a long breath through her nostrils she tried to continue the one-sided conversation.

“Rhinnal take us there.”

Figuring the droid would take her stale statement easier than explaining why she was ten shades paler and half-dead in her pilot's seat.

The expressive droid gawked at the harsh monotone of the Togrtua. Sharply chirping and clicking a demand of a nicer plea. With an internal roll of her eyes, Jysyal quipped stalling and spilling her guts across the cockpit floor for the sake of theatrics just for the droid to shut up and enter the coordinates. It seemed like she was already half dead, the nausea and clammy, sweaty skin as the result of her blood loss had already taken a toll on her body.

Capitulating defeat the droid programmed the coordinates into the ship's navicomputer, skipping a beat when the hyperspace ring of their shared X wing began to glow a subtle white. The hyperdrive motors rolled into rhythm as the all-familiar blue tunnel appeared swallowing the ship into the deep outer rim of space.

As the ship continued to be pulled through space a thought came to her mind. ‘Why does blood always smell like iron’ The same metallic, copperish taste filled her mouth as the air infused with the scent of her raw wound. As she dwelled in the pain she could not help but feel ashamed that her torment and discomfort were so minor compared to those of the Jedi order.

While on Jakku a few rotations ago to refuel and restock basic supplies, she got in touch with an old contact who had informed her of the massacre and betrayal of the clone troopers, even her master, the steady anchor of a mentor had fallen. It was too difficult to comprehend at first but the Jedi temple on Auratera had been burning for a long time when she had to see the evidence herself. The charred remains of the five spiral building only drew her further from the truth it was all too much to believe.

The piles of bodies, the smell, broken lightsaber hilts, and torn robes it was all too much at once. The empty libraries and training halls. Broken holocrons and keber crystals. Everyone deserved a proper burial with their lightsabers but Jysyal doubted herself as the one to do it. “I’m sorry.. ’ her voice wavered in turmoil and shame.

I’m sorry I have no right to give you all the proper burial you deserve I was banished I can't do what you all crying out for me to do. She was forced to leave the guilt burning in her stomach to cease and ignore her internal conflict that was the Jedi order and everyone in it.

The tunnel of blue had finally ended and the planet of Rhinnal had finally come into view. Quickly swatting the few stray tears that had fallen Jysyal slouched forward ignoring the way her lekku fell awkwardly in the process. The landing was a bit rougher than what the two of them were used to but given her condition, she hoped the flailing droid and her dramatics would go easy on her and turned to the droid as she did something else caught her eye.

“R4 we're here.”

Her abandoned lightsaber hilt she had tossed across the cockpit days before. The dull brass handle craved with her initials, the blue and gold ribbon looped around a crease in the base to remember an old friend... a dead friend and the familiar grip of her hand almost imprinted into the surface. It was a part of her, a piece of her, her identity was now a constant reminder of the pain of leaving everything behind.

Leaning over into the passenger seat she grabbed the old sheet that would normally be a safety blanket when doing various repairs on the X-Wing and lazily covered it with the grease-stained fabric. And pressed a various set of buttons to unlock the hydraulics of the ship and let down the ramp. The hiss of the hydraulics finally stopped and the standard controls looked fine, the aerator warning light and circuit breaker were in okay condition. Now she could get the medical attention she desperately needed.

If she could even get there.

[enigmaticxbee]

Casefiles - Fic Recs

Need just the right case to push you from UST to RST with your not so platonic work partner? Casefiles with slow burn MSR are my jam:

Early On:

Universal Invariants by @syntax6 - set over the course of a canon-parallel version of season 1 and early season 2 where Scully’s boyfriend Ethan who was cut from the pilot sticks around. One of my all time favorites.

Classic Era (or I don’t know when it’s set so I picture season 3):

This House Is Burning by Tesla - serial killer undercover case set at a ski resort.

Under Covers by skinfull- Scully goes undercover.

We’re Married Now by skinfull - married undercover with a cult.

Scary Stories by skinfull - investigating urban legends.

Homicidal Tendencies by Swikstr - crossover with Homicide: Life on the Street, but you don’t need to know that show. Scully/Other ending in MSR.

Cancer Arc Era:

The Common Fate of All Things Rare by @aloysiavirgata and Scarlet - post Never Again, filling in the blanks leading up to Momento Mori.

Omens by @lepus-arcticus - a cancer era classic.

On Untying the Endless Knot, and Other Improbable Things by secondsflat - post Demons, dealing with Mulder’s lingering flashbacks and tying back to the post lives from The Field Where I Died.

Gates of Hell by @alienqueequeg - post remission they work a cold case from Scully’s past.

Embers by @syntax6 - post remission as they explore a new relationship.

Laws of Motion by @syntax6 - sequel to Universal Invariants, set over the course of season 5.

More Than a Feeling by @sisterspooky1013 - undercover at a carnival with fake dating goodness.

You He Did Not Fail by extraordinary_ordinary - AU where Scully leaves the X-Files post-remission. Two years later their paths cross again on a case.

Post FTF:

Queen’s Gambit by Suzanne Schramm - early season 6 serial killer case.

Kinesthesia by Amy - early season 6 undercover at a fairground.

Quietus by Allison Johnson - early season 6 follow up to Paper Hearts.

Suspicious Minds by skinfull - undercover as a couple at a drug compound.

Lesser Evils by Hannah Mason - fun dramatic, tropey Scully is kidnapped, will Mulder save her in time?

Cold Cuts by Joann Humby - serial killer case.

No Earthly Means by Circe Invidiosa aka @invidiosa - season 6 follow up to Gender Bender.

March by bluesamutra - post Tithonus

Speechless by Anjou - post Tithonus

Heart’s Desire by @malibusunset-xf-blog - post Two Fathers/One Son. My favorite Scully/Other fic - ends in MSR, but it’s probably the only fic where I’ve thought that Mulder might be the wrong choice.

Overnight Sensation by @syntax6 - post Two Fathers/One Son case in Boston. A favorite.

Arizona Highways by Fialka - post Two Father/One Son, dealing with the discovery of more Emilys. A classic.

Ensky by ViXen - late season 6 serial killer case.

Lacuna by @aloysiavirgata - post Milagro, Scully/Other ending in MSR.

Amish Country by Lolabeegood - serial rapist case within an Amish case. Undercover married, a favorite.

Mind Games by Spider - featuring profiler!Mulder. Warning for very disturbing case details.

Margaritas by agoodwoman - post The Unnatural morning after.

Watching Wall by amerella - post The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati

Petrichor by @aloysiavirgata - post The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati

Damsels by @sisterspooky1013 - Scully goes undercover at a strip club.

Hallowed by @gaycrouton - married undercover in a cult.

Parabiosis by penumbra - set across season 7, an all time favorite.

Wing and Prayer by Revely - post En Ami, investigating a miracle.

Seeds of Synchronicity by mountainphile - follow up to Aubrey 6 years later.

Late Era:

Mobius by L.A. Ward - while Mulder is missing a missing scientist’s case leads Scully to Mulder in an unexpected way.

Gerber Daisies by DiscordantWords - set during the back half of season 8, case involving Charlie Scully.

If anyone has any IWTB or revival era casefile recs please let me know!

[peterbarnes]

For the blurbs I saw you were open! So a angel!reader x Natasha Romanoff would be nice :) thanks even if you don’t do it! Have a nice day!!

Masterlist

The floor rumbled underneath your feet. You would've thought it was an earthquake had you not been in a building thousands of miles above the ground. You had always imagined the Red Room to be underground, as secretive as possible, not a huge institution floating in the sky.

It's a wonder these idiots haven't been caught yet. But I guess being a man with a lot of money does that.

On the more positive side, it had made it easier for you to slip in undetected. You flew in under the jet Melina was piloting, your large, white wings brushing against the bottom of it every now and then.

Now, you were trying to stay upright as half of the building exploded and rapidly catapulted towards the ground. But as the floor crumbled beneath you until all you saw was the white of the clouds, you were forced to resort to your wings. You glided down the hallway until spotting a large window at the end. You picked up speed, feeling the harsh wind against your wind, before colliding with the window. The glass shattered into various pieces and, miraculously, you came out unscathed.

The scene before you looked as if it was out of a nightmare. The once bright, bold, and blue sky was now ruined with dark debris.

"Where are you, Nat?" You mumbled under your breath, scanning the surrounding area for the redhead.

Eventually, you spotted her above you, on a part of the Red Room that had not yet collapse. It was a tarmac, holding just a single helicopter. You spotted Dreykov in his navy suit being ushered onto the vehicle by several of his male guards. And not far behind him was your girlfriend, her vibrant red hair flowing behind her, braids slapping against the side of her face as she ran.

You quickly started to fly over to where she was as she climbed up the side of the helicopter towards the blades.

"Nat! What are you doing?!" You exclaimed.

She held her staff in her hands, watching as you flew closer to her with each coming second.

"I love you!" She shouted back. You could have sworn you saw tears leaking from her eyes. But Natasha rarely showed vulnerability, let alone on missions. Usually, those moments were saved for quiet and private spaces where you were the only person around.

"I love you too! What are you doing? Wait- Nat, don't!!"

Before you could stop her, Nat had jammed her staff into the blades, causing them to malfunction and explode. She was blown back by the impact and hurtled over the edge of the tarmac, joining all the debris in their journey towards the grass below.

It's odd, how the worst moment of someone's life can occur in a matter of seconds. Too short for someone to react effectively, long enough to traumatize all the people involved.

She had already fallen a good few meters below the tarmac before you kicked into action, flying as fast as you could towards her flailing figure.

You briefly felt a piece of debris, a wire, scrape against your face, but adrenaline was rushing so heavily through your bloodstream that it didn't phase you. Your only concern was saving the girl that you loved.

You were closer to the ground than you wished when you had finally caught up to her. You scanned her face, trying to see if she was okay, but she never looked back at you. Her eyes were shut closed, fully unconscious. Behind her, you saw the ground grow larger as you came closer and closer to it. You would survive the fall, you were an angel, after all, a being of supernatural origins. But Nat couldn't. And it was too close for you to break effectively- the impact would be the same. So instead, you wrapped your wings around the girl you were holding, not a patch of her skin showing, and you braced yourself.

You and Natasha hit the ground with a large thud, the grass scratching against your body, even causing feathers to fall off. When you finally stopped rolling, you took in a deep breath, trying to gain back what had been knocked out of your lungs. You started coughing as well, trying to grasp onto any air you could find.

"Easy, easy. Breathe" you heard behind you, as a soft hand rubbed down your back.

Once you had calmed down and regained your breath, you turned your head to where the voice had come from. Dark brown eyes stared back at you, boring into your own. You gave her body the once over to make sure she didn't have any injuries other than a few minor crashes. And of course, she didn't have any. It always amazes you how Natasha manages to come out of potentially life-ending fights without needing anything other than a few Ibuprofen.

"Your okay," you wheezed, wrapping your arms around your girlfriend. She squeezed back, and your wings slowly wrapped around her. She always loved when that happened, she said it felt like two hugs in one.

"That was so stupid, Natasha," you continued. "You should've let me done that. I don't have to worry about falling to my death, unlike you."

"No," she whispered, refusing to break eye contact with you. "Dreykov's my past. I had to do that... face my own demons."

You nodded softly, rubbing your hands gently up and down her arms for comfort.

"I know. And I'm proud of you- I just got scared."

Natasha pressed a soft kiss to your cheek before resting her forehead against yours.

"Fly us out of here, my angel?”

"You got it, darling."

[fullbattleregalia]

So there’s a three year gap between Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.  That’s three years Han Solo spent with an astronomical price on his head and a long time to be outrunning bounty hunters.  And in my head, it went down something like this:

This is the tale of the Cursed Puck.

It starts off small - Greedo gets dead.  Nobody is surprised.  Greedo was a thug - hired muscle that liked to talk waaaaaaay too much - not even a proper bounty hunter.  Of course he got bumped off by the first person he went after with two brain cells to rub together.  Jabba sends a couple more Greedo level goons after Solo and they either get dead or come back empty-handed and oddly relucantly to talk about it.  Nobody bats an eye.

Then the bounty finally officially makes it to the Bounty Hunter’s Guild.  It’s a BIG bounty for a smuggler - it garners a lot of interest.  This is when things start to get... weird.  Like, every time somebody picks up Solo’s puck disaster strikes, weird.  Equipment malfunctions, navcomputer mix ups, atmospheric interference, tracking fob hiccups, jammed weapons.  One longtime bounty hunter falls off a roof when trying to get a lock on Solo.  Another catches a sever head cold mid hunt that completely screws up their aim.  Another accidentally drinks something not compatible with their biology while staking out a cantina.  It’s like there’s a chaos field surrounding Solo wherever he fucking goes, and it effects EVERYBODY.  Seasoned bounty hunters make rookie mistakes.  Half the time hunters never even get eyes on Solo.  It’s getting fucking EMBARRASSING.  Reputations have been ruined over this goddamn idiot smuggler (who apparently runs around with other high profile bounties such as Princess Leia Organa and That Fucking X-Wing Pilot Who Blew Up the Death Star and the Empire REALLY WANTS DEAD).  The only people who are willing to go near that puck after going on three years of this nonsense are the delusional egomaniacs and upstarts who are desperate to earn a spot in the Guild.

Then Boba Fett happens.

Solo is delivered to Jabba in carbonite and Fett’s already towering reputation goes right through the roof.  He turned in Solo with his dignity and all his limbs still attached.  (Some fellow bounty hunters debate whether getting Darth Vader to do most of the heavy lifting for him was a feat tactical brilliance or cheating, but they never do it anywhere where they might be over heard.)  It seems too good to be true.  This stain on the Guild’s reputation is finally gone.

Six months later - what do you mean JABBA’S DEAD?!?  What do you mean BOBA FETT GOT EATEN BY A FUCKING SARLACC ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?  AND SOLO SOMEHOW SURVIVED ALL THIS?!?!?!  WHAT. THE. FUCK?!?!?!

The Bounty Hunter’s Guild pulls out of Tatooine shortly after that - nobody wants to stay within the radius of enough bad luck that it got a Hutt and a top tier bounty hunter killed.

The Guild no longer accepts bounties on Han Solo.

[some-dr-writings]

Fuyuhiko x Reader who won’t confess

·       Of all people you could have fallen for, why did it have t be the YAKUZA BOSS!? He has a bad temper on top of that! What if you tried asking him out and he was insulted by it so he had you killed!? Nope! No! You couldn’t do it! You were way too scared! It would be best you ignore the feelings…

·       …

·       But how could you!? Sure, he was a hot head, but he was a good guy, kind and loyal to his friends. It didn’t help either that you saw each other every day because you were in the same class. It also REALLY didn’t help that your best friend there was Peko, her and Fuyuhiko never spent much time together but the few times they did they seems to be good friends, and Peko seemed to know a lot about Fuyuhiko, so the pair of you would end up talking about him and your crush on him often.

·       “I understand your apprehension, but you can try talking to him more, nothing has happened to our other classmates who have gotten close to him.” “Peko. Gurl. I am the Super High School Level Crime Boss. I may be bold and cunning, but I’m not going to approach the heir of the biggest and greatest crime syndicate in Japan with something like this. I could go with the excuse we are both great powers and should be on amicable terms so we don’t slaughter one another, but that would be a lie, and we don’t lie in my family.” “… Would it be a lie to say you wanted to get to know him because you like him, and he is your classmate?” “… Hmm… perhaps. Even so, I don’t need others on looking, possibly seeing us getting chummy and taking that as a threat.”

·       You didn’t avoid the man per se, but you did try to spend as little time with him as possible, fearful of him asking something in just the right way where you couldn’t dance around it and would have to confess. The few times you did get to spend time together was rather nice.

·       The wind rolled past carrying bright green leaves along with it, a much-needed break from the heat that came pouring down from the cloudless sky. You sighed, taking a sip of your cold drink. With the condensation on the glass, it slipped in your hands for a moment, almost spilling into your lap. You and Peko chatted away at the balcony of the café, loving the summer day. You sighed noticing Fuyuhiko from the corner of your eye. You had figured out long ago that Peko was Fuyuhiko’s secret bodyguard, the man always was near by whenever the pair of you spent time together outside of school. He was even generous and kind to his subordinates letting them live life outside of his syndicate. It truly kind man.

·       “Hmm, oh, Kuzuruyu, hello.” “Huh?” “What?” Clearly both you and the man were caught off guard, it evident on your faces. “What are you doing here?” “Uh… Well, this place just opened but I’ve heard nothing but good things, so I decided to check it out.” “Same with us. Say why don’t you join us?” You spat out your drink, choking on it mid-sip hearing the suggestion, thankfully for the heir who only would have gotten flustered if you had noticed the bright scarlet that had erupted on his cheeks when he approached you and Peko. “Y/N!?” “I’ll get some more napkins.” Peko immediately dashed off, leaving Fuyuhiko with you. You were still coughing, covering your face with napkins, embarrassed by the whole situation and not wanting your crush to see you like this. Nervously Fuyuhiko pat your back, feeling too awkward to do much else. When you settled down you were completely embarrassed but tried to remain calm and let the staff clean the table. “You okay?” “Physically, yes. Emotionally, no, I am a wreak right now.” “Ah.” …

·       …

·       Thankfully for the awkwardness neither of you tried to make idle chit-chat allowing you to notice… something. “Since the staff are taking care of things let’s look for Peko.” “Yeah.” Instead, you both immediately left the premises. Your suspicion was confirmed, you were being followed. At the first opportunity you raced to anything you could use for a quick getaway, a motorcycle this time. Mentally you apologized to the couple and made sure make a note to repay them with a new motorbike later as you slammed a helmet on Fuyuhiko’s head, dashing away on the bike.

·       “Sorry for getting you caught up in this. I recognize the bastard, some assassin who’s like a cockroach, won’t just die no matter how much lead I pump into em’!” A bang sounded, a gun having been fired, the bullet landing right beside the tire sending a few sparks flying. “A cockroach. I’ve dealt with the likes before. Focus on driving, I’ll take care of them.” “Alright. Let’s see how good of a shot you are!” A chuckle seeped out of you, the thrill of the chase always something you couldn’t help but enjoy no matter the danger. With a rev of the engine you took a sharp turn, turning around, leaving skid marks on the pavement as you did so before charging head on for the car behind you. Fuyuhiko blew out a tire as you raced past. “Only two in the car, usually has at least ten assistants. Don’t let your guard down!” “Wasn’t going too. This isn’t my first assassination plot.” “Except you’re a bystander who got dragged in this time, so at least you aren’t the primary target.”

·       Fuyuhiko kept up carefully aimed fire, only having so-many bullets, but you though trying to escape and dodge fire you also specifically made opportunities for Fuyuhiko to get good shots in on any attackers.

·       “Fuck! Gun’s jammed!” “OF COURSE!” Fuyuhiko kept muttering swears under his breath desperately trying to get the damn thing to work again. You looked over your shoulder for a moment, finding Fuyuhiko opted the hurl the junk at the car, cracking the windshield right on the driver’s side. “Hah! Nice one.” “Don’t celebrate just yet. We’re out of fire now.” “Hell no! We could die at any moment, so we’ve gotta celebrate when we can!” You laughed, speeding away as the car behind you wavered, almost crashing. Still though it made chase. Now it was completely up to you to keep you both alive. Taking a sharp turn off the street you instead raced down an alleyway in between buildings. You smiled seeing where you were. “Take in that ocean air Kuzuryu! We’re almost home free!” “Home free you say? Alright, show me what you’ve got!”

·       “There’s more assassins!” “Got it.” Unfortunately the streets by the sea side were much narrower than deeper in the city so dodging was near impossible, all you could do was weave between cars and hope for the best.

·       “Kuzu, Hold on tight!” You dashed through traffic, turning into the opposite lane and cutting across it, slipping between spaces in the railing. Unfortunately, the hill beyond the railing was a bit steeper than you remembered, the pair of you being in the air for a while before crashing down, wavering too much you could only keep balance for a few moments before flipping over.

·       “Hey. Hey, Y/N!” You groaned, slowly getting up, your head ringing and the world swirling and spinning. “Y-you alright?” “For now, but we need to go!” Taking your arm he pulled you up and ran along. The motorcycle left deep marks in the ground, signaling where it crashed, pointing out where you were. “Just gotta get to the docks. We’ll be safe there.” “Got it!”

·       Quickly the pair of you ran along, hiding behind anything you could, from shrubbery to beach umbrellas, the gun fire raining down around you. However for a short time it did suddenly come to a stop. “Peko!” Indeed it was the swords woman, putting a stop to the attacks as long as she could.

·       “Young Master!” Finally you had reunited on the docks. Not stopping for even a moment you raced for a building, kicking the door down upon entering. “Get in the seaplane, now!” The moment your companions were in, you started the engine, immediately going not even giving them the opportunity to strap in.

·       You were surrounded by nothing but blue. Blue skys, blue water, not another plane or boat in sight. You let out a shaky breath, shuttering. “Holy hell, I have not had a chase like that in a while! You two okay? If not there’s a first aid kit under my seat. If you have any serious injuries we’ll have to land and do work on the wing of the plane. But if it can wait for an hour or so we can take care of it on the island.” It was a rather small plane, just for personal use so there was little room, only enough for four seats to be squished against to one another. “I’m fine. Peko-” “I am unharmed. However, you have several cuts.” “Y/N, you’ve been shot!” You gritted your teeth, instead focusing on piloting. “Maybe… but it can wait.” “No! You’re landing this thing right now!” “Kuzuryu! The island has much better supplies for this, and though I know there are no other sea planes in the docks they could have them hidden elsewhere and I want minimal risk of them finding us and my private hideaway. So we have to out run them” “… Fine, but we’re using the first aid kit on you.”

·       You winced as Peko and Fuyuhiko tried patching the wound as best they could. The bullet didn’t get in too deeply but the longer your flight went on the more that fiery pain seeped into you, it no longer being ignorable as your adrenaline lowered and slowed. You could feel our heart pounding against your rib cage, your breathing getting heavier. “Y/N, you’re pale.” “I-I’m fine.” “Like Hell you are! Don’t pull that bull shit with me!” “I can fly this thing, if I can keep doing that I’m fine. It… it’s not too much farther now.”

·       …

·       You were in the cabin. “A-aunty, Uncle.” You smiled, knowing you had arrived at the island safely seeing the elderly pair. “Wh-where’s my guests? How are they?” The woman simply gestured to the wide open doors leading to your tropical paradise, the sand and ocean waves so close, Fuyuhiko and Peko standing in the frame. Fuyuhiko had a few bandages but seemed fine. Both of them looked relived. “Boss shall we leave you with your guests?” “Yeah, but before you go, how long till I’m healed?” “You may get up now.” You looked questioningly to the older gentleman. “We sedated you with sleeping drugs this time so you would not have to just lie in bed and constantly sneak out instead of resting for your health.” “H-hey! I’m not that reckless!” “Boss, you had three bullet wounds.” You simply shriveled in your bed. “I-I needed to check on everyone else myself. Too many got injured that time. Those basters needed to pay.” “And you can not risk your health when doing so, Boss.” “… Thank you, Uncle. You and Aunty prepare some food for us.” In unison the elderly folk said ‘Yes, boss’ heeding your command and making their leave. “I shall assist.” And Peko left with them. Slowly you sat up, getting out of bed. “Well… care for a walk? I feel rather sluggish from having slept for several days at least apparently.” “Sure.”

·       Even if you would regret it later, you could safely spend time with the man now, knowing none other than Peko where here to protect him and heed his command. Just this once you could get a little closer without fear, and more importantly, learn exactly how bad his injuries were.

·       You took the chance to explain to Fuyuhiko just who exactly your assailants were, how they were actually an organization made by rogue government officials who wanted you dead no matter the consequences. How this island was your personal place you only allowed the most trusted of family members in your organization to go to, or those injured should this place be the most convenient, how you ‘Aunty’ and ‘Uncle’ were individuals who had worked in your organization since you first created it and were like family though not actually being blood related to you or even married to one another. And… you just kept talking like how you found this island and made it your home away from home, about school and your classmates. You both just talked about whatever through the day.

·       And soon there you were sitting on the sandy shore, looking up to the starlit sky. “Really? I don’t believe it.” “No, I really did crash the car there.” “You call the assassins cockroaches, but that more so describes you.” “What!?” Fuyuhiko couldn’t help but chuckle a little seeing your reaction. “Yeah, surviving car crashes, being shot through the chest, poisoning, now a motorcycle crash. Seems you’re unkillable.” “Excuse me, but all of those were calculated risks!” “Exactly. Even in crazy situations you can keep calm and take the less disastrous outcome…” His smile faded, a more serious expression taking on his features. “Y’know… When I step up as the leader of the Kuzuryu clan, I’ll need someone strong, and capable by my side… maybe… someone like you.” “……… Are you… confessing, or am I horribly misreading this.” Fuyuhiko froze, a blush flaring up on his cheeks. “Well, I think we worked rather well together today so… W-wanna go out?” “Yes! Absolutely yes!” “O-oh… alright then.” Clearing his throat he stood up. “Well… it’s getting late, I’m shoving off to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow… maybe you could give me a run of the grounds here?” “Yeah, definitely!” “Good… I’m looking forward to it.”

·       “Oh my god, Peko, I finally asked them out! And they said ‘Yes’!” “Good for you, Young Master.” “I didn’t even hesitate! I know you said they it would be safe since nothing had happened to our other classmates, but… they’re still the Boss of the greatest crime syndicate over seas! This could have gone horribly and I just did it! I didn’t even use the excuse we should be on good terms or allies, so we don’t kill each other. I just asked them out!”

·       Even if Peko’s plan didn’t go quite as she thought it would it still worked out. Her duty is to protect her young master, so it would not do for him to kill himself due to stressing over asking his crush out. She already knew things were going to turn out great for the pair of you. You were so alike and so drastically different you just complimented one another perfectly.

[notasapleasure]

PATTIJENKINSROGUESQUADRONFILMWHAT???????!!

#makeTychocanonagain

[dameronology]

the one that got away {poe x reader}

summary: based on the song the one that got away by katy perry 

this song has been my jam since i was about 11 and i’m now closer to being 20 than i am to being 11 and that’s making me panic! everywhere and not just exclusively at the disco but it made me produce this 

warnings: angst, swearing, mentions of smut 

enjoy, 

- jazz

Poe Dameron had always believed in true love.

He saw it not only within his parents’ relationship but everywhere he looked: in the couple who lived next door to his childhood home, in the bar where he worked during his time at the academy, in couples walking down the street. It was everywhere and nowhere; the kind of thing that you could feel in your soul but never physically grasp - or, at least that had been his initial understanding of it. 

Then Poe met you.

That was how he realised that love was very much something he could physically feel. Not only could he feel it, he could see it and he could hear it and he could finally understand it. You were the answer to every question he’d ever had. 

He could feel it whenever you held his hand and he could hear it whenever you laughed at one of his terrible jokes. Whenever he simply looked at you - whether it was under the blinding morning light or simply the outline of your and against his chest in the dark - it was there. What had started as a stupid fling in the academy had turned into something more. You were his whole world, his everything.

Poe was your soulmate; your best friend and your partner-in-crime (or as you had affectionally dubbed him, your poetner-in-crime). You were always on the same wavelength, emitting the same chaotic energy and terrible jokes. You had each other’s backs to no end, the kind of bond that spanned the galaxy and back ten times over. The love between was the kind that very few people were lucky enough to experience. 

‘Poe, quick!’ 

You were tearing down the corridor, fingers intertwined. Almost tripping over each other, you skidded around a corner and into a dark classroom, slamming the door behind you. You fell back against the door, Poe’s arms on either side of you as he leant against you, body shaking with laughter.

‘His face!’ The pilot could barely control his laughter. ‘Maker, I’ve never seen the guy so angry.’

‘That’ll teach him to fuck with us again.’ You smiled.

‘Us.’ Poe repeated your words back to you.

‘Yeah?’ You grin grew wider. You pushed a few strewn, dark curls back off his face. ‘Me too.’

‘I love you.’ His hand ghosted your cheekbone, resting on your face for a moment. 

‘I love you too.’ You leant up to kiss him, revelling in the feeling of his lips against yours. It was the feeling of home; warm and soft and welcoming all at once. 

‘Forever?’

‘Forever.’ 

Nothing could come between you - until it did.

The war. 

The beginning of another civil war were in the making. People who had lived through the first one had the same sense of unease they did the first time around; the appearance of more TIE fighters in the sky, more recruits coming to the academy, training increasing tenfold. There was discontent across the galaxy and nobody knew what was coming. 

Poe left first. He was a few years ahead of you in terms of training, having been piloting since he was a kid. That, paired with his admirable recklessness and natural leadership, made him perfect for the Resistance. You were his whole damn world but he had to fight for the galaxy; a galaxy in which you could both have a future. 

‘I guess this is it.’ 

You were stood in front of Poe’s X-Wing, hands shakily intertwined as you tried your hardest not to digest what was happening. If you did, he would probably try to say. Or worse, you would try to go with him before you were ready. 

‘It’s only a few months.’ Poe’s voice was wobbly, and he gripped your hands tighter. ‘A year at most, and then you’ll come out and join me. Right?’

‘Right.’ You nodded, a tear splashing down your cheek. ‘And we’ll talk all the time. Beebs always knows where to find me.’

‘I love you.’ He pressed his forehead to yours, lips momentarily brushing together as he trembled. ‘I love you so much.’

‘I love you too.’ You murmured. ‘If this is it, I’m always going-’

‘- we literally just said.’ Poe almost reeled back. ‘We’re going to see each other again.’

‘But if we don’t-’

‘- say it.’ Poe’s voice was firm, his grip on your hands inhumanly tight. ‘Say that we’ll see each other again. Promise me.’

You sighed, trying to calm yourself for a moment. You wanted to be hopeful, to think of a future where two could find your way back to each other - but you had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the case. The galaxy was getting darker and darker by the day and the light at the end of the tunnel seemed impossibly far away. 

‘I promise.’ The words were barely a whisper.

‘Take this.’ Poe reached up to the chain around his neck, pulling the ring off. 

‘Poe, I can’t ask that of you-’

‘- you’re not asking. I’m telling.’ He shook his head. Taking your hand in his, he slipped his mother’s ring across your middle finger. ‘Forever, right?’

‘Forever.’

You would both come to learn that forever was a long time - almost as long as the months you spent apart. 

At first, you would talk every day. You would talk to him via the holo-link in your droids, sharing stories about your day and talking about what you were going to do when you saw each other again. It felt like you were hopelessly clinging onto a distant dream, desperately wishing that the promises you were making could ever be fulfilled. You spoke about where you were going to live (Coruscant, probably) and what you were going to name your kids (Leo for a boy, Shara for a girl). 

But then your calls became less and less regular. Poe was being taken all over the galaxy on his missions and you were busy trying to finish your training. What had been a daily thing turned into one of a weekly nature, and before you knew it, it was a two-or-three-times a month affair.

You were tired whenever you spoke, and Poe was grumpy. You’d been worn down with your training and his body had been torn through eleven different timezones in a week. The hope that you’d both once had was almost completely faded, replaced with concern for the war. All your energy was going into fighting - sometimes for the Resistance, sometimes with each other.

Then the calls stopped. 

You couldn’t exactly recall when you realised it was over but some part of you just knew; there was no conversation, no closure. It was over, just like that. You didn’t even have time to think about it or to cry about it. The fact that you’d lost Poe Dameron was just a reality of life - a painful one, but a reality nonetheless. 

You took the ring off, putting it in a safe space to give back to him should you ever cross paths again. You wouldn’t - not for a few years. 

Almost a year to the day that Poe left, Leia Organa recruited you into the Resistance. It was a different base to your former love, systems away in the Outer Rim. Your work was focused mostly on communications and collecting data for building new bases. It felt good to finally be doing your part for the cause but you couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. 

(It was Poe. Poe was the thing that was missing). 

Time flew by. You were jumping between planets, having a few near misses and experiencing your first real sense of loss; not only for your flyboy, but for your team-mates who didn’t make it back. You were haunted with thoughts of the same thing happening to Poe, of the idea that he could have already left for his last mission without knowing it.

So, you started wearing the ring again. Even when you met somebody new - Perry, a six-foot-tall blonde gunner with a kind smile and a moderate sense of humour - you kept it on. You wore it when you kissed Perry for the first time and you wore it when he declared his love for you. 

He wasn’t Poe. He didn’t hold your hand the way Poe did or kiss you in the way that Poe did. He didn’t make you laugh like him or smile like him or feel like him. He wasn’t the same. Nobody could ever compare but you weren’t going to find the love of your life twice. It was like you’d won the lottery on your first ticket. Nobody won the jackpot twice. 

‘This is the bar that Leia said most of the other guys went to.’

You and Perry were stood outside a cantina; it was dark on Ajan Kloss, the sky lit in a low navy colour by the yellow of the moon. The signs of the establishment flashed before you, a welcome invitation away from the cold night. The air inside was stuffy in comparison, smelling of stale beer and filled with the sound of other Resistance pilots chortling and chatting. 

You were on a two-day lay over at another base. The whole squad needed a drink, given how rough the mission had been - whilst they sat down, you ditched your jacket and headed to the bar up front. 

Falling against the wooden counter, you let out a small oof! as somebody dropped against the bar next to you, He was too busy talking to someone, but you could have recognised him from anywhere. 

Poe Dameron had a warm presence; there was an aura about him, something welcoming and sweet. He still wore the same after shave and laughed with his whole body - that’s how you knew it was him. 

‘Poe.’ Your words weren’t really there, but he still managed to hear you.

‘Yeah?’ He spun around, doing a double take when he saw you. ‘Oh, shit.’

He looked tired; his hair was still dark and curly, but littered with more greys than it had been five years ago. His warm brown eyes were decorated with dark circles and he had a five-o-clock shadow on his chin. Still, he looked good. 

‘I - wow.’ You couldn’t find the words. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi.’ A small smile fell onto Poe’s lips. ‘Hi.’

A moment later, he had dropped his drink and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you flush against his chest. He hadn’t held you since the day he’d left all those years ago; a day that felt so alien to you both. Your immediate feeling was one of relief - Poe Dameron was alive, drinking in a bar and doing exactly what he said he’d always would (saving the galaxy). 

‘You’re...’ You trailed off, pulling back to stare at him. ‘You’re alive.’

‘Just about.’ Poe smiled at you. ‘And so are you - and you’re a Lieutenant.’

‘You’re a commander.’ Your eyes fell to the markings on his jacket. ‘That’s amazing, Poe.’

You were both thinking the same thing: we should have done it together. 

You should have been there to witness him rising through the ranks and he should have been there to welcome you to the Resistance with open arms. But life could be a bitch and she’d dealt you both the worst cards. The galaxy had done everything within its power to tear you apart.

‘It’s so good to see you.’ Poe bit his lip, brown eyes refusing to move from holding your gaze. ‘I know that we said-’

‘- don’t mention it.’ You shook your head. ‘We were pretty fucking naive, right?’

‘Right.’ He breathily laughed, nodding. ‘I still think about you, though.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ He smiled. ‘I think about the academy, and the day I left and - is that my mum’s ring?’

Poe’s eyes had fallen to your hand, where the metallic band still sat on your middle finger. You’d always promised yourself to give it back if you ever had the chance. After all, it was supposed to be a symbol of commitment, of your love for one another. It was a promise you’d made to each other before either of you knew what shit life was going to throw your way. 

‘Oh, yeah.’ You went to pull it off. 

‘No.’ Poe moved his hand to cover yours. ‘Keep it.’

‘Poe, it’s yours.’ You reminded him.

‘And I gave it to you.’ He replied. ‘I know...I know things didn’t go the way we wanted but I still mean everything I said.’

You smiled, nodding. ‘Thank you. Me too.’

‘Are you around later?’ Poe asked. ‘We should catch up. There’s a lot to talk about, right?’

‘Of course.’ You took a sip of your drink. ‘I’m staying in-’

‘- babe!’ Perry’s voice suddenly cut between the two of you. Your boyfriend appeared beside you, wrapping an arm around your waist. ‘What’s taking so long?’

Oh, yeah. Him. 

Maybe you weren’t around tonight. 

Five minutes with Poe Dameron had been enough to make you forget two years with your current boyfriend. He’d made you feel more in that brief conversation that Perry had in your whole relationship.

You didn’t mean to compare them, truly. It was just that there was no coming back from Poe Dameron; he was your soulmate then and you had a feeling he was your soulmate now. In fact, it wasn’t just a feeling; it was a certainty. 

That was what you told yourself when you snuck out of bed that night to see Poe. 

It was what you told yourself when he kissed you for the first time in five years. 

It was what you told yourself when you made love for the first time in five years. 

But repeating it over and over in your head wasn’t enough to make you stay the next morning. Even when you woke up in his arms, pressed against his bare chest with scratches on your back and bruises on your thighs, finally feeling like you were at home for the first time in five years, you couldn’t convince yourself to stay. You couldn’t fall back to him; you couldn’t let yourself get hurt all over again.

Perry didn’t ask where you went that night - and you never told him. 

You didn’t confess when he found you the next day and he confessed his love for you. You didn’t confess when he asked you to marry him six months later. 

There was now another ring sat next to Poe’s; shiny and expensive and far too big for your hands. It was where his ring should have been; instead, Shara Bey’s ring stayed on your middle finger, a constant reminder of what could have been - of what should have been. 

You were glad for that night with Poe. It felt like a goodbye for you both; like you’d finally got closure. At the same time, you didn’t want your time with Poe to reach a conclusion - you still wanted to hold out hope that the promises you’d made as a twenty-something would come true. You were engaged to marry another man but for some reason, you couldn’t see a future with anyone else.

Then there came a point where you couldn’t see a future at all. 

The First Order was closing in; the war was getting rougher and rougher. There were losses left right and centre. Missions were becoming longer and darker. The bags under your eyes were getting darker and each day, you strayed further and further from the light. It was hard to hold on, hard to see past the dark forces at play. 

That’s when you’d think back to another time; six or seven years prior, when it was just you and Poe against the world. You’d let your mind wander back to the times that you would stay up late, laughing and crying together. You remembered all the pacts and promises you’d made. How did you get here? 

Before you knew it, you were back on Ajon Kloss. Everyone had gathered to begin making preparations for the final battle. Nobody was calling it that - final was too scary of a word, after all - but everybody knew it. You were powering up your jet for what felt like the last time. 

‘Trident Squad, you’ll be behind Dagger. You know your orders.’

You were hardly listening to your commander, hands shaking as you played with the straps of your helmet. You were leaning against your X-Wing, trying to calm your breaths with clammy hands and a pounding chest. 

‘Hey.’ 

You looked up, eyes meeting Poe’s. Despite everything, you smiled. ‘Hey.’

‘You got engaged?’ His words were breathless. There was no greeting, no question of how you were. There was just the hurt in his words; the disbelief and the grief. 

‘I got engaged.’

‘Fuck.’ 

‘Fuck?’

‘Fuck.’

‘Yeah, you’re right.’ You nodded. ‘Fuck.’

Dropping your helmet to the ground, you met Poe half-way across the gap between you. He took you in his arms, lifting you off the ground for a moment as your bodies collided. He held you in his arms, a sad imitation of the last time you’d been stood together in front of an X-Wing. 

‘Do you...’ your words were muffled by his shoulder. ‘Are you sure you don’t want your ring back?’

‘That’s what I was trying to say last time I saw you.’ Poe put you back down; his hands stayed on your waist. ‘My mum told me to give it to whoever I wanted to spend my life with.’

‘Poe-’

‘- I know.’ He cut you off. ‘You promised to marry Pete-’

‘- Perry-’

‘- whatever.’ You couldn’t help but laugh at his flippancy. ‘Just because I can’t spend my life with you doesn’t mean I can’t want to.’

‘That makes no sense.’

‘None of this makes sense.’ Poe corrected you. ‘Normally I’m more than happy to respect the boundaries of another guys relationship but...but it’s you.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I gotta ask.’ He have your hips a light squeeze. ‘If we make it out alive, there’s no chance at all that you and I can finally be together?’

‘Poe, I-’

‘- Captain!’ The sound of your commander’s voice came from around the corner. ‘We’re heading out now! Power up!’

‘I have to go.’ You took a step backwards, but he still clung onto your hands. 

‘I love you.’ Poe gave you a watery smile.

‘I know.’

‘Forever?’

‘Forever.’ 

tags: @blacksquadron-rougetwo​ @drinksomecoco​ @obi-wankenobae​

[secretficblog]

In another life - Chapter 1 - Poe Dameron x Reader

Summary:  Long before there were new Jedi, before the fight between the Resistance and the First Order came to an end, there was just a young man, skilled in flying anything he could get his hands on, with the urge to be something greater. Then there was you. You broke him 

Rating: M for smut in later chapters

Now on ao3, come say hi if you want to! 

Warnings: both of them are idiots, I feel like I only write idiots with zero communication skills, you’ll see; little angsty but not to much; you dumped him; 

no use of y/n 

Word count: 1,999 

chapter 2 here

Let me know if you’re enjoying this, I’m already 6k words in, I will be switching PoVs in between chapters. 

You blinked carefully, the ringing in your ears slowly subsiding. The explosion in front of your hiding spot had cost at least three of the people you were taking cover with their lives. You could hear the sound of X-Wings above you as the Resistance landed and pushed the First Order troopers further back from the spot you were seeking shelter in with a few of the village’s children. 

Years ago, when you had decided to stop mindlessly traveling through the galaxy, running away from problems and emotions long pushed aside now, and settled on the mostly empty swamp planet you had been glad for the peace and quiet the small village brought with it. The villagers had warmed up to you quickly after you had gotten a chance to prove that you were not a threat to their secluded life but an asset. 

Right now you were cursing the fact that this planet had been mostly untouched by the First Order. Due to the secluded lifestyle most of the inhabitants of the village were farmers and while they were very capable of hunting down the local wildlife they were not trained to evade blaster fire. Of course it was just your luck that the First Order had picked this planet to make their own. You supposed you were indeed slightly lucky because the Resistance was here too. The thought that they were here to protect the more helpless people in the galaxy was nice, but you knew better than that. They probably wanted the planet as a base for themselves. The pilots were pushing the troopers back further and you saw how a few of them broke away from the squad, trying to sneak behind the Resistance ships. 

“Not today, bucketbrains”, you muttered and made eye contact with the other two people left to protect the village’s children. “Stay.”, you commanded, “Do what you must to protect them.” You raised your blaster, a relic of a life left behind, and left your initial place of coverage. The time you had spent living here gave you a clear advantage and you snuck up on the first pair of troopers undetected, trees and greenery providing a perfect cover for your task, taking one out by quietly leaping at him from behind and breaking his neck. You had picked up his Z6 before the other one had a chance to turn around and you thrust the baton into the space between armor and helmet of the second trooper. “Kriffing riot control”, you muttered, stepping over the body. 

Baton in your dominant hand and blaster in the other you advanced, spotting two more troopers ready to aim at the Rebels from behind. Quickly you aimed your blaster at the one closer to you, aiming costing you slightly more concentration than it would with your other hand. He fell down with a thud but you decided to fire again for good measure. As the second trooper turned you took cover behind a tree, switching hands on your weapons. He looked around wildly and decided to turn back towards the Rebels, willing to take at least one of them with him if he had to die. “Pilots, watch out!”, you yelled stepping out from behind the tree and aiming at the trooper. He had already pulled the trigger by the time your shot made him drop down but your yell had made the pilots turn and lead to the shot that was aimed at one pilots heart going into their shoulder instead. The remaining troopers were boarding ship, leaving the planet’s surface. 

You stepped out of the woods and hollered “You okay?” into the direction of the X-Wings. Another pilot had climbed the X-Wing that belonged to the injured one and was helping them out of the cockpit. A third was approaching you. 

“Thanks to you we are. Jessika Pava the name.” You nodded politely, stating your name as she walked you towards the X-Wings. 

“Well hello, you really saved our asses just now!”, one of the pilots next to the X-Wings said.“ 

Pava heaved herself up, top half disappearing in her X-Wing. “Black Leader, this is Black Three, Black Leader, come in please.”, she spoke into her comms. 

They crackled to life as a distorted male voice replied “Black Three, this is Black Leader, you good?” 

“Wexley got hit but one of the villagers took down some troopers and basically saved his ass.”

“Wexley, Kun, Pava, you’re magical, well done. Black Leader landing.” 

“You’re not so bad yourself, Dameron.”, Pava laughed. 

Dameron. There was no kriffing way it was him. The were many people with that name in the galaxy. Didn’t mean he was your Dameron. Not that he was yours anyway, you both had clarified that. 

Memories you had worked so hard to suppress were forcefully pooling into your mind. The world around you was blurring, the air suddenly smelled suspiciously like a night in the streets of Kijimi. This couldn’t be. You saw another X-Wing approaching and your heart sped up. There was no way of telling that it was even him but your body still reacted to the idea of him being near you like it did all those years ago. You only noticed that you were holding your breath when you let it out in a big gush of air as the ship touched the ground. The cockpit opened up and a figure swung out, still hidden behind the body of the ship. 

“You know guys, I’m really freaking proud of you, showing those bucketbrains how it’s done. I think we deserve a go-”, his voice faltered as he rounded the ship, eyes landing on you. You wanted to snort at him using the exact same insult you had but all air left your lungs. He looked even better than the day you left, soft curls peaking out from underneath his helmet, clad in a worn bright orange flight suit. It was unmistakably him, Poe kriffing Dameron. 

Your eyes met his and the look of hurt that washed over his dark orbs and settled into them made your stomach churn. You wanted to say something, anything really, but you couldn’t form words. He seemed to be having the same problem, lips moving slightly without a sound coming out. The Black Squadron had noticed the tension and you could see them uneasily shifting and whispering the corner of your eye. When he finally settled on something to say it came out strangled. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Poe, I-”, you started. He huffed. “No, don’t bother. None of my business, eh?”, you had never heard his voice sound so bitter when he addressed you but you guessed you deserved it. 

“Did you save my squadron?”, he inquired. You shifted under his gaze, still trying to find the right words. The man, Wexley you remembered, chimed in.

 “Oh she absolutely did. Could be planning my funeral otherwise, Commander.”

Commander. The title suited him. You knew he was wearing it with pride. “Course you did”, Poe muttered, still looking at you. “Alright, Black Squadron with me, let’s check up on the people around here.” 

Wexley huffed out a big breath, trying – unsuccessfully – to comply to his commanders orders. Pava rushed to him, supporting his body weight. “No offense, Commander but I think we might need to let Wexley head home early.” Poe nodded in agreement. 

Wexley looked him in the eye and said “Maybe you should take her”, jerking his head at you, “she seems to know what she’s doing around here.” Resentment settled on Poe’s sharp features, eyes darting between his crew and you. Tiredness took over soon after and he sighed. 

Directly addressing you he said “You’re with Pava.” Nodding curtly, you turned around to the woman, who was stripping off her helmet, revealing beautifully sleek hair and a pretty facial structure. A pang of jealously bloomed in your chest, wondering if Poe had looked at her before and thought of her as beautiful too. You had no right to feel that way but that didn’t stop your insides from uncomfortably twisting at the thought. 

You motioned you fingers in the direction of the hideout and Pava followed you. As you approached you yelled “It’s me, don’t shoot!”. The fact that there was no reply made you grow antsy and you shared an uneasy look with Pava, who was about to say something as you raised a gloved finger to your lips. You held your other hand to your ear, motioning for her to listen quietly. Sneaking close to the entrance both of you could hear the strong electrical buzz of another shock baton. Your eyes widened looking over at Pava who had unmistakably heard the same thing. Kriff, kriff, kriff. 

“No other way in”, you mouthed. “Gotta overpower them, contact Poe” His given name slipped out of your mouth so easily, word caressing your tongue like a melting piece of chocolate. The familiarity that was still lingering after years made you shift with uneasiness. 

Pava clicked a button on the side of the comlink on her wrist and straightened her shoulders. “You go high, I go low”, you whispered. She nodded. The cave was filled with cowering children, one of the villagers you had left behind was on the floor, cold eyes staring up at the ceiling of the cave. The other was standing in front of the children, arms stretched out wide as to protect them. 

Two troopers were standing in the centre of the cave, one with his baton at ready, one pointing a blaster at the last remaining villager. Pava and you shared a quick look, your head jerked towards the Riot Trooper and then you pointed at yourself. Pava nodded, staying back, weapon trained on the other trooper. Stealthily you snuck up on the trooper, lifting the Z6 you were still carrying around and, without activating it, jammed the end of it under the front of the troopers helmet, pressing it against his neck. A grugling sound escaped his throat as you tightened your arms around the baton, pressing the trooper into your chest while he struggled, jamming his own baton into your arm several times. You couldn’t let go now and after a few seconds he finally went slack in your arms. 

The other trooper had been alarmed by the noises of his companion but Pava had reacted faster than he possibly could and shot him right trough the helmet. Both of you turned to each other and shared a slight grin, you thought that you might have been good friends in another life. One where you stuck around instead of breaking Poe’s heart maybe. 

As if on cue, Dameron stormed into the cave, blaster drawn and looking around frantically, the other pilot right on his heels. His wide eyes landed on you and some of the tension left his shoulders and his lips mouthed what could have been your name, your vision was becoming slightly blurry. Noticing his momentary slip up he straightened his back immediately. 

Not looking at you again he strode over to the village’s children and the last remaining grown villager around. “My name is Commander Poe Dameron, I’m with the Resistance. Let me help you.” The sound of his voice, so silky smooth yet official, made your knees weak. He had grown into his new position finely, authority making his chest puff slightly when he talked but not obnoxiously so. You felt the overwhelming urge to sit down and sank onto a nearby rock. 

Pava knelt down next to you, smiling. “We’re a pretty great team, don’t you think?”, she said. You nodded, room spinning slightly as you did. “You’re cool, Pava.”, you said. Her brows knitted together at the slight slurring in your voice. “Are you hurt?”, she asked and you lifted the arm the trooper had shocked very slightly, feeling the adrenaline rush leave your body. Pava gasped and the world around you went black.

[authorbarbie]

Miracle

Summary: The battle of Exegol is raging on when a horrible feeling of Poe being in danger grips your heart. It’s time to find out if the Force really is always with you.

Your legs burned as you ran alongside Finn, Rose and Jannah, lightsaber in hand as you fought to keep your edge in the battle. Being unable to reach and help Rey down below, who had shown the rebels exactly how to reach the mysterious planet of Exegol, you instead used your bright blade to block blast after blast, taking comfort in the familiar hum it emitted as it cut through the hulls of enemy ships.

During a pivotal moment in the fight, sudden large bolts of lightning had come from below, frying circuits and jamming signals. All around the skirmish, the surrounding ships and freighters were experiencing the same malfunction.

Palpatine.

Within seconds, the Resistance fleet began to fail, pilots frantically flicking switches and pressing buttons in desperate attempts to regain control of their birds. Ships Poe recognised as belonging to his fellow comrades began to fall out of the sky and his own X-Wing was quick to follow behind.

With the stakes getting higher and the initial goal for the ground team of knocking out the navigation tower complete, Rose and Kaydel had quickly begun to retreat (as had several others). But with the command ship still in play and rebooting their systems, Finn couldn’t, in good conscience, follow them. And if Finn wasn’t going… then neither were you.

“What are you doing?” Finn asked as you jogged back to him after urging the girls to leave.

“You think I’m letting you do this by yourselves?” you gestured towards Jannah, who stood a little behind Finn.

“Are all Jedi this self-sacrificing?” Finn joked, though you could see the gratefulness in his eyes.

“I don’t know,” you swung your lightsaber casually, attempting a little light-heartedness amidst the terror. “After you become one, you can tell me.”

Finn’s eyes widened partially, not expecting such a comment. You were the first person he had told about being sensitive to the Force (after you admitted to having had your suspicions for a while now) but the idea of actually becoming a Jedi… It was something Finn never would’ve thought of in his wildest dreams. “Act now, talk later,” he eventually decided and you weren’t about to argue.

However, before you could take more than a few steps to follow them, something stirred inside you and locked your limbs in place.

It was different than the subtle, underlying anxiety you had been feeling since arriving on Exegol.

It was different than the anger you had once felt during your last duel with Kylo Ren.

Because this time, you weren’t fearing for your own life.

This was about…

“Poe,” you said softly, brows furrowing. Frantically, you began to search the skies for a sign of him.

Flames licked the sides of the familiar T-70 starfighter, smoke billowing outwards in dark, thick plumes as it streaked across the sky.

“Artoo, my systems are failing,” Poe told the droid desperately as the screens inside the cockpit began to fail. R2-D2 squealed in panic. “Can anyone hear me?” he called desperately into his comm as his X-Wing shuddered and rocked beneath him. His head jerked forward at the sudden motion, hitting the dash and causing an immediate throbbing to radiate from his skull.

Another starfighter passed by, crimson flames surrounding it as it flew straight into the wing of Poe’s. “Always knew I’d meet my end while flying,” he chuckled darkly, tasted blood in his mouth.

As the pungent smoke from the engine began to filter inside, making Poe’s nose scrunch in disgust, he was doing all he could to quell the growing panic in his chest.

He was well aware that each time he sat in his cockpit, he was taking his life in his hands. He enjoyed the thrill of it all, enjoyed using the adrenaline that came with flying to keep his mind on target and his movements sharp.

But this… He knew it was something he would need a miracle to survive.

It would seem there’s something about imminent danger that causes you to think about your life; to look back and analyse it— the good moments and the bad. The moments that shaped you, the people that made it all worthwhile.

As Poe’s ship grew closer and closer to colliding with the First Order command ship that lay beneath, his thoughts went to you.

You, who had come into his life like a beam of light in the darkness, challenging him at every turn. You, who trusted him with your life, letting him see each and every atom of your being and allowing him to show you his. You, who he loved, who he fought for. You, who was now giving him comfort in his final moments without even knowing it.

Exhaling a shaky breath, Poe tried his comm system again. “Sweetheart? You out there?”

Despite knowing they would be no answer, not being able to hear your voice just one last time before the end made his throat tighten and the back of his eyes sting. His eyes fluttered shut, preparing for impact as he apologised to everyone he had let down by leading them into a war that they were about to lose.

Leia. Finn. Rey.

BB-8. Rose. Kaydel.

Snap. Karé. Jessika.

You.

He held onto the image of you, keeping it at the forefront of his mind, even as everything went black.

●  ●  ●

If Poe had been clear headed before, he would’ve noticed how his free-falling descent through the skies had begun to slow somehow as the wing was ripped unceremoniously from his beloved ship and his body began to bruise and bleed.

He would’ve noticed how this mysterious miracle is what saved his life, for if he had hit the command ship at the initial speed and velocity he had been falling at, his chances of making it out alive were non-existent.

He would’ve noticed the panicked girl on top of that First Order command ship, eyes closed and hand outstretched as she focused harder than she ever had before — even during her Jedi trials — to make sure that he was safe.

He wouldn’t be questioning how said girl was now crouching over him inside the Millennium Falcon with wide, frantic eyes, mouth moving at a speed he couldn’t keep up with (not that he could even hear much with the ringing in his ears).

“Am… I—”

“You’re okay,” you shushed him gently, your hands on either side of his face. “I tried to stop your ship but I couldn’t, not completely.”

Poe’s brows began to furrow but the pull at his muscles made him wince in pain. It seemed every part of him was hurting somehow, from small scratches and scrapes to a twisted ankle, to a large, bleeding wound along his torso.

“It’s over, baby. Lando and Chewie are bringing us home,” you spoke softly, comfortingly, your fingers delicately brushing his curls out of the blood that ran down his face. “Help came. Palpatine and Ren are dead, and Rey made it out. We won.”

“We won?” Poe managed a whisper, the corners of his lips twitching minutely.

“Yeah,” you smiled in response, blinking rapidly to rid yourself of the tears that began to form in your eyes. “All thanks to you, General.”

Poe chuckled, though it sounded like more of a rattling in his chest than an actual laugh. The sound, coupled with Poe’s rapidly paling skin, terrified you. You turned your head to make eye contact with Finn, who was hovering nearby with BB-8, a worried look on his face. You knew you needed to act quickly.

“Hey, flyboy,” you said, hoping your voice sounded more confident than you really were. “You trust me?”

Through his hazy mind, Poe managed to look almost offended at the question. “You know I do.”

You nodded, fully aware that Poe believed in you more than anyone, and shifted your position, one hand cradling the back of his head while the other pressed against his bloody torso, uncaring of the dark liquid that was quick to cover your palm. Poe’s hand instinctively moved to rest over your own.

“I’ve got you,” you whispered, forehead pressed to his own and eyes closing in concentration.

For the second time that day, you allowed yourself a moment of silence, reaching out to the Force for the help you so desperately needed once more.

You weren’t unfamiliar with Force healing. Hell, you’d used it once or twice in the past to help some wounded creatures you had come across on missions, and Rey had even used it mere hours ago back on Pasaana. But this was the first time you were attempting it on another person — the most important person at that — and all you could do was pray to the Maker that it would work.

As you poured as much of your life force as necessary into Poe, the wound that ran along his chest and stomach began to close up, the flow of blood that dripped coming to a slow trickle before stopping altogether. His ankle began to stop throbbing, the ringing in his ears stopped, and even the pain in his head slowly dissipated.

Only once you were satisfied did you allow your eyes to re-open, gazing down at the man beneath you who stared in awe— though that look on his face wasn’t uncommon when it came to you

You took a few deep breaths, feeling the toll from your actions but not regretting them for a second. Force healing came at the expenditure of your own life, but you would die a thousand times over if it meant he got to live.

Poe slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, testing his body as he moved and feeling immense relief at the lack of pain that came with it. Now, it was his hands that cradled you. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said quietly, disbelief coating his words.

“We won,” you repeated, gripping onto his torn flightsuit. “But if I’d lost you… A galaxy without Poe Dameron just isn’t worth living in.”

This time, Poe did laugh. It was a mixture of relief and shock and love. It was the kind of genuine, warm laugh you were so used to getting from him, and your heart lifted at the noise.

He was okay.

“Like I could ever leave my best girl behind,” he said before he brought his lips to meet yours.

Poe knew he would need a miracle to be saved.

And that miracle came in the form of you.

[misadventures-of-balmy]

Honestly I stan Carson, and Wolf now.

Why didn’t we get to see the New Republic like this in the sequel trilogy? Competent, lenient, helpful??? Like ffs aged X-wing pilots THAT IS MY JAM

[kikis-writing-world]

Bittersweet

A/N: This is kinda different, but I had a lot of fun writing it. I just want to make sure anyone reading this is careful. It’s heavy. It’s set after The Battle of Exegol and mentions canon-typical violence and losses.

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Neutral Reader

Word Count: ~1500

Rating/Warnings: PTSD style flashbacks of war/battle, mentions of death, character death, mentions of blood, injuries, ship crashing. Mentions of alcohol. What happens after you die. Angst. If I missed anything please let me know.

Summary: Everyone is celebrating victory, but you can’t shake the final battle. Why can’t you shake the final battle?

(not my gif, not sure where I found it anymore - sorry! If it’s yours and want credit/want it removed, please let me know!)

It was so bright that it was easy to forget that it was actually night. Lights seemed to shine from everywhere - strung up around the base, from windows and doors, bonfires between buildings. Music and conversation floating on the breeze. The cup was heavy in your hand, filled with- you weren’t even sure what. You didn’t remember drinking, but you must have had enough that your tongue couldn’t discern the taste of the alcohol in your drink. It was a party, you could be forgiven for letting loose a little. There was no fighting tonight. No planning, no code breaking, no researching. The battle was over - The First Order had fallen at the hands of The Resistance.

There was still work to do, of course. Sympathisers to track down, lines of resources that needed to be tracked. Anyone who fled from the final battle would have to be found. So much work would have to go into making sure that another horrible evil didn’t rise from the ashes, like The First Order had from the ashes of The Empire; but all of that could wait until tomorrow.

Tonight was a well deserved celebration, earned through hours of battle and bloodshed. Blood that would not be forgotten. Even through the festivities, moments of silence were observed for fallen comrades. Fond memories recounted of those that hadn’t lived to see victory. It was bittersweet, but the sacrifices of those lost would not be forgotten.

You looked through the crowds of people, seeing familiar faces all around. Connix. D’acy and Tyce. Lando. Chewie. You grinned seeing Finn animatedly recounting parts of the battle to those who had been back on base. He mimed an explosion and you had to shake your head, swearing you could hear the actual explosion ringing in your ears.

You turned away, staring at the fire in front of you. There was a cool breeze in the air, preventing the warmth of the fire from fully reaching you. The fingers gripping your cup were chilled, as was the tip of your nose. You leaned forward, trying to embrace some of the warmth.

Fire Blasters Fear

The flashback had you jolting back from the fire. You took several deep breaths as you glanced around, but no one seemed to notice the moment you’d just had. You shakily lifted your drink to your lips, trying to swallow down the lump in your throat.

You stood, choosing to get away from the fire since the warmth wasn’t coming. Maybe get another drink while you looked for a group to meld in with and join their conversation. You were making your way to the last place you’d seen drinks when an astromech droid cut you off, beeping apologetically as it wove through the crowd.

Beeping Warning Sirens The flight stick is jammed-

You nearly fell over from the power of it, panting through the memory. Why was this happening now?

“Hey, are you okay?”

You stood up straight, seeing Poe approaching you with a concerned look on his face.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” You brushed off his worry, feeling embarrassed. Of anyone noticing your stumble, it had to be Poe Dameron. Best pilot in The Resistance. Handsomest pilot in The Resistance. Man you’d been head over heels for, for longer than you could remember.

“You don’t look fine. Do you need a drink? Some water maybe?” He held his hand out towards you, like he was worried you were about to fall over, but didn’t actually touch you. You wondered if his hands were warm in the cool night air of just as chilled as yours.

“Got one.” You lifted your cup to show him. You took a drink for good measure, trying to steady yourself. It tasted heavy and coppery on your tongue, but still you drank.

“Alright,” Poe conceded, lowering his hand. His concern was sweet. You found most things he did sweet, or at least appealing in other ways. That’s what you get for harboring a crush - could it still be considered a crush after years?

You never admitted your feelings to him, or to anyone. Both of you had to focus on the war at hand, your minds needed to be clear in the sky. You had always thought maybe someday, when the war was over, maybe…

“You were great up there.” Poe told you before taking a sip of his own drink.

“Oh. Thanks.” You thought you might have blushed under his compliment, but you didn’t feel the heat warm your face.

The cockpit around you The warning beeps of incoming fire Red-

You forced yourself back to the planet’s surface, in the moment here and now. Not thinking of the moments of battle. Poe must have noticed you falter.

“Come on, why don’t we sit?” He suggested, nodding to a conveniently empty bench a few feet away. You nodded, taking a long pull of your drink before leading the way. You’d need a new one soon at this rate.

He sat next to you, your knees only inches from touching. Your eyes burned into his leg, wondering how it would feel pressed up against yours.

“So, now what?” Poe asked you, snapping your attention back to his face.

“What?” You questioned, not sure what he meant with such an open ended question.

“What are you going to do now? Now that the war is over.” He asked, the light of a nearby fire dancing in his warm eyes.

“I don’t know.” You admitted. “There’s a lot left to do.” You hadn’t thought a lot about what you’d do after the war. You weren’t even sure the war would ever end. The only thing that had really crossed your mind for after was-

“So you’re sticking around?”

“I’m not going to up and leave now.” You chuckled.

“Some people are.” He shrugged. “Now that the worst is over, there’s a few I talked to. They want to settle down. Get out of the line of fire.”

“Not me.” You assured, face set. “I want to see this through.” You couldn’t really tell if you meant the end of The First Order, or him.

“Me too.” He agreed with a grin. He inched closer, the bench rocking lightly.

Rocking Spinning Plummeting

You took a drink, forcing yourself to focus on Poe’s face, not the memories.

“I’m glad you’re staying.” Poe told you, his voice quieting. He looked down at his cup, biting his lip in thought. “I was hoping you would.”

“Really?” Your eyes widened in surprise, watching Poe, the fearless leader, grow almost bashful.

“Yeah.” He nodded, his cheeks pulling up in a grin as he continued to study his drink. “I was hoping to maybe… spend some more time with you now that we’ll be in the air less.”

“Me?” You practically squeaked. There was no way he’d said what you thought he’d said, otherwise your heart would be beating out of your chest.

“Yeah.” He laughed, finally looking back up at you. “If that’s okay with you.”

The sounds around you seemed to fade away as you gazed into his eyes, trying to gauge if he was being serious. There was a spark of hope in his eyes, not like the ones he would have before battle. That was a fierce, strong expression. This was quiet, almost subdued.

“I’d like that.” You admitted, smiling. “I’d really like that.”

Poe scooted closer once more. You wish he’d get even closer, wanting to feel the warmth of his thigh against yours. He whispered your name,

Poe yelled your name

as he leaned closer. His eyes dipped down to your lips and you couldn’t help but lick them self-consciously.

Tangy, metallic taste on your tongue

Your hand was empty, no cup in your grasp. You reached up to cup Poe’s cheek but never made contact.

Red Blood Coughing Splattered all over your hands

Poe was gone.

Everything was gone.

Just the light remained.

Your lip trembled as you looked around the bright space. No buildings, no trees, no bonfires. Just bright, white light.

You were hit Your wing was taken out Spinning as you plummeted out of the sky Ears ringing - there was so much to hear. Beeps, sirens, Poe, you- You were screaming as you went down.

You gasped as you remembered the impact, falling to your knees. You gasped, struggling to catch your breath as you remembered. Realizing-

You hadn’t made it.

But, where did everyone go? Poe had been right here, about to kiss you-

Was he dead too? Your squadron, everyone else you had just seen- Snap, Pava, Finn, Rey, Chewie-

Did we lose?

Did we win?

A warmth in your fingers, spreading up your hands and arms. The chill finally faded away as the sensation took over your whole body. Like drinking caf on a cold morning or curling up in a fuzzy blanket. It was easier to breathe.

The light seemed to pulse around you, enveloping you as the thought came into your head. You couldn’t tell where it came from, but you let the warmth consume you and you knew:

Yes. The Resistance had won.

You’d left so much behind, but that all consuming thought seemed to be the only thing that mattered in that moment. It brought you peace as you closed your eyes, surrendering to the light.

[elmidol]

Armageddon

Three Blind Tooke Part Three Death is an Art

Read on Ao3

Three Blind Tooke 

 Part Three: Death is an Art

 Chapter Sixty-Five: Armageddon

 And on this day I was afraid

That my actions would come too late.

Why did we hear the trumpet’s call

Far too close to the curtain’s fall?

 In the end it had taken four shots to fulfill your mission of destroying the jamming tower. This was not due to you missing your shot, because you hadn’t. Once you had succeeded in hitting the area of the weak spot that you had known about, you noticed that what you had eliminated was a reinforced casing. It, along with the shields and Walkers, had been the First Order’s quick fix with the limited amount of time that they had had before the Order of Ren’s arrival. With your comrades continuing to cover you, you had at last cut through the final barrier and blasted through the transmitter. Broken wires crackled, sparking, and you searched for additional shields that might be raised.

 One of your stormtrooper allies lifted their comlink, which they had done periodically as a means of testing if the signal remained jammed. Static burst through. It caused the muscles in your arms to jump; it was good that you had removed your finger from the trigger. The signal was no longer jammed, however there were clear interruptions that prompted you to scan your surroundings. That was when you noticed First Order reinforcements emerging from portions of the facilities that remained guarded by AT-M6 Walkers that had not abandoned their posts. You now understood why that was. The soldiers that were joining the battle in full had to be one form of the terror troopers that you had been anticipating. The mecha soldiers that walked behind them--in sync with them, you noticed immediately--were a surprise. You gnashed your teeth together and placed a steadying hand on the stormtrooper’s arm. Their thumb depressed the button on the comlink, ending the stream of static.

 “Change frequency,” Cardo instructed. There were four frequencies that had been discussed, that were capable of working while the scrambler was in use. The stormtrooper cycled through the three other frequencies, testing each one, and settled on the third due to receiving a response from another soldier. You adjusted your own comlink, as did the others around you who were in possession of such a device. Two of the comlinks within the group remained on the original frequency in case the issue was remedied; the pilots above might not know to switch, and this was one method of informing them of the change. It was unlikely in your opinion. Droid companions would advise them. Regardless, it would be foolish to not take such precautions.

 The group that you were a part of worked together to head in the direction that you had desired, nearer to where Kylo Ren had last been seen. The appearance of the terror troopers meant that splitting up would be unwise. It would be far too easy for them to pick you off one by one. Although remaining too bunched together would yield a similar result, albeit in a shorter time frame.

 Maintaining a set distance between each of your allies as they accompanied you, you targeted the regular First Order stormtroopers. They were acting in defense rather than offense now that the terror troopers were more freely roaming the battleground. Many were gathered together around damaged shield projectors, their goal obvious to you. You refused to allow them any leeway. They could not regain any sort of upper hand that they had lost. Homefield advantage would only go so far, and taking out the shields had eliminated much of that.

 The storm raged on overhead along with the dogfights, and after a second of not staring up at the sky you were unable to tell what sounds were man made and what were natural. There were too many pawns on the battlefield for you to watch the skies, however, and so you selected a route as well as a target then shouted to your comrades so that they would be able to follow your lead. Once more, it was not one of the terror troopers--you were too far away, and you had not yet deduced what shields they possessed. They were alone, unlike the previous groups that you had targeted. No need to waste time and firepower until you had a better assessment. On top of that, one of the other squadrons had messaged in on the comlinks to reveal that they were engaged with similar forces. They were coming from the opposite side, and if you could converge upon the enemy that would increase the odds of success.

 I wonder how Finn is doing. As you thought this, you found yourself searching for Rey. A part of you hoped that locating her would reveal Kylo’s position, as you were having difficulty spotting his red blade. He might have it deactivated for the time being. If he was focused on temporary stealth as a means of drawing nearer to his destination with limited obstacles, it would be his best bet. Should Rey be with him, it would mean that she would have her lightsaber deactivated as well if he did. Which meant that you would not want to see them spark to life, an indication that they had met enemies the Knights of Ren were unable to quickly defeat.

 An akk dog drew up to your side, pausing and pushing at your leg with its snout. You glanced at where you had been touched and discovered that there was a tear in your pants that exposed flesh. You did not see any blood, no visible wounds. The dog stuck by your side, which you appreciated due to a sense of calm that enveloped you with its presence. You could not recall ever having fought beside such a creature in the past. The new experience instilled in you a need to protect it, which heightened your ability to focus. Along with this was the sense of comfort that it would be aware of injuries you might miss. That held the potential of saving your life. You waggled your fingers before the dog’s nose. It pressed its snout to your palm.

 Cardo, three paces ahead, stopped walking and checked on your location. His mask shifted as he considered the akk dog. It was another life to care for on the battlefield, and you were plenty willing to take on that responsibility without hindering the Knight of Ren’s ability to keep you safe. For the akk dog to be there, you suspected that its original handler had perished.

 Cardo said nothing, turned around, and resumed walking towards a terror trooper that was linked with one of the mecha soldiers. The machine stood at the height of three average men stacked atop one another, which would have caused you to wonder if there was a pilot inside had the soldier’s movements not been in such sync with the trooper. Cardo drew out his blaster. He gestured with the weapon at the terror trooper’s right arm and left leg, on which there were two blinking lights that correlated with the identical flashes on the mecha soldier’s chest. There would be a third transmitter in the terror trooper’s helmet. That would be more difficult to target, which had you taking aim for the trooper’s leg while Cardo sighted the arm.

 An officer that had joined your group from another squadron as well as two stormtroopers mimicked your actions. Together the five of you shot at the terror trooper, whose limbs were obliterated one by one in a shower of sparks and blood. The mecha soldier jerked in response, shuddered, but did not collapse nor stop. Its movements became sporadic, lagged, however it was not out for the count. That was an enemy that the X-wings and Order of Ren TIEs would be best suited to pick off. You turned to the next terror trooper in unison with one of your allies. At the same time, you noticed that Cardo had transferred his attention to a different one. 

 The akk dog’s more calm demeanor in the face of battle caused you to wonder how long the Resistance had been training them for. Or else they may have discovered a breeder with some already fully trained and ready for battle. Whatever the case, it kept pace with you as you moved from target to target, slowly weaving your way nearer to Cardo until the two of you were practically touching.

 Two of the mecha soldiers stretched out their arms in accordance with the movements of their assigned terror troopers. New shields spread out before them and deflected the blaster fire that would have damaged those now hidden behind their protective barrier. The First Order’s attacks were less inhibited. One of your nearby allies caught a bolt to the chest that was swiftly followed by two more. Their armor did not save them. The hole went from their chest through their back, a steaming wound that unfortunately had not delivered an immediate death. Thankfully, it had not been overly prolonged either--if that had been a possibility, it was eliminated when an officer momentarily pointed down their weapon and fired at close range through the helmet. The stormtrooper’s movements ceased. Beside you, the dog scented the air.

 Clicking your tongue against your teeth to summon the akk dog to follow, you shuffled forward before heading in a more diagonal direction. Cardo had murmured to you that he had located Kylo prior to starting to shift away. You kept contact with a portion of his body--his shoulder against yours or else his hip on yours--in order to let him guide you while not tearing your gaze away from your enemies. They were still growing in number. As one mecha soldier fell, another came to take its place. There were far more terror troopers as well, and they were proving difficult to kill. Their limbs scattered the battlefield yet they walked on, seemingly oblivious to pain.

 What was worse, the comlinks jammed, which was proof that there was a secondary tower or portable jamming device that the First Order was using. You growled low in your throat. Dameron had just been reporting in when the signal had cut out. He had spotted a new variation of TIEs that the First Order was using. They had no shields but did possess improved weaponry that had taken out one of the Order of Ren’s AT-M6s with ease.

 You felt torn between ignoring the growing need to locate the new jamming device and flinging yourself towards Kylo. Cardo could sense your unease. He nudged his hip into yours, shoving you in the opposite direction than where your heart screamed for you to go. Lightning flashed in the sky, spiderwebbing outwards. It failed to catch any ships. It did succeed at illuminating the area enough that you were provided with a clear view of an antenna on a First Order AT-M6 that you had previously failed to notice. You brought it to Cardo and a stormtrooper’s attention. Cardo grunted, grabbed one of his grenades, and readied to throw it. You scanned the path it would take for any allies. Not that you could do anything to help them, you thought while your heart thudded painfully in your chest. He had already lobbed the explosive. He threw a second, arcing it a little differently so that as the enemy prematurely activated the first by firing on it, they missed the existence of the second.

 “I’ll take care of whatever remains,” an officer said, and you recognized them as the one that had argued with you earlier due to wanting more air support. “You go to the Supreme Leader.”

 You patted the officer on the shoulder in the quickest display of gratitude that you could muster, one that emphasized your uttered thanks as you pushed away from him and began to run towards Kylo. The akk dog chased after you, releasing a noise to let you know that it was there. Cardo took an extra few moments before he rejoined you; you assumed that he was giving some of his grenades to the squadron that you were leaving behind. Anything to give them whatever advantages he could. You scanned the stormtroopers and officers that were closest to Kylo Ren, noting how they were using themselves as a barrier that would hold up even when their shields failed; they would protect them until their dying breath.

 They parted enough for you to slip into the center as a way of joining Kylo then immediately converged, sealing off any hole that had been created to make way for you. There was a separate collection of soldiers that surrounded Rey. In this way, the pair of Force users were together without clashing. Cardo joined Rey just as you had joined Kylo. The two groups were focused on separate targets. In doing so, they prevented the First Order from sandwiching them. Chewbacca’s squadron was within view now as well, mostly from the damage they were delivering.

 With Kylo and Rey in close proximity despite being divided into two groups, you were nervous that the First Order might target them as one. A single attack could cripple the Order of Ren. It might not be a complete defeat, however it would lower the chances of success. They must have realized this. Rey began to split off towards the right. Those surrounding her followed suit, meanwhile the soldiers that were around you and Kylo remained in place. On the other side of the battlefield, Chewbacca’s squadron split into two. Thus three became four, and the Order of Ren went on the offense anew.

 Finn was cutting across the land from another direction. You caught sight of his lightsaber in the corner of your eye as you scanned for weaknesses in the First Order’s defenses. You were unsure how to tackle the AT-M6 that was closest to Rey’s group. Chewbacca released a bellow as he hefted his crossbow and fired off a shot. You tracked the blast from weapon to target. He was not targeting the Walker directly, but instead focusing his attention on a nearby mecha soldier that careened into the Walker’s leg. As you turned back to consider Finn, you saw the Force user downing another mecha soldier with his plasma blade. Due to their actions, Finn and Chewbacca were further dividing the First Order’s forces; this lessened some of your previous concerns.

 The akk dog circled you protectively. Kylo looked down at it again, gesturing with his hand. “Are you wounded?” You shook your head in unison with answering verbally. He grunted in response. “It can sense your unease.” You narrowed your eyes in suspicion. There was not much time at all to think about what he might be sensing through your bond. Chewbacca had shot once more at a mecha soldier that slammed against the AT-M6, which toppled over.

 An X-wing that you assumed was Poe based on its maneuvers dropped low, rolled, and fired on a squad of terror troopers that had begun to pour from the Walker’s belly. He--or whoever the pilot was--was joined by three more ships, each of which focused on a different AT-M6 or mecha soldier. Two other X-wings swept past to target enemy TIEs and one of the shield generators.  The pilots had little fear of lightning; the storm was travelling away, the electrical bursts less frequent.

 “Can you sense him at all?” you asked Kylo after observing the starfighters split apart from one another to provide additional cover. Beside you he curled his hand into a tighter fist around the lightsaber’s hilt. You waited for the red blade to emerge. It did not. “Kylo?” You already had a decent idea as to what the answer was based on his reaction, however you wanted the verbal confirmation. This was partly because you just wanted to hear his voice.

 It was only after Chewbacca released a wookie roar that your group could easily hear that Kylo responded. “No. there are no voids either--he is using a taozin amulet, as expected.” You heard no traces of bitterness. He simply spoke facts, was detached emotionally though you strongly suspected that this would change the moment Armitage Hux and Kylo Ren stood face to face. In the meantime he was levelheaded, which was the best state for him to be in at the time.

 He looked once more to the akk dog, this time appreciating its presence for a reason other than the potential it had to protect you. Not that you had any item on your person that would help the akk dog track down Armitage. That would have been very convenient. Kylo ignited his blade in his right hand while extending his left towards the akk dog, which moved forward to nuzzle his fingers just as it had done to yours. The contact was prolonged in comparison, as though they were communicating via the Force.

 You made yourself jerk your gaze away, lifted your blaster rifle, and worked to pick off regular First Order stormtroopers that were mixed in with the terror troopers. Rey’s squad was angled to where it would merge with Finn’s if they both continued on their path. The group that you were in would meet up with the portion of Chewbacca's that contained the wookie. You kept note of their various positions while also shooting at your enemies. There was a nearby Walker that had been cut in two and was collapsed on its side; Kylo ordered the soldiers around you to head in that direction.

 Air support drew attacks from the AT-M6s as well as some of the weapon turrets. There were bodies and ships dropping, the carnage growing on both sides of the battle. You heard comms going, ground and air troops speaking to one another in order to coordinate attacks. Kylo extended his left arm. One of the ships wobbled, clearly under the influence of the Force. You smiled to yourself, watched the ship hit into an ally, and felt a burst of pride knowing that the man you followed had eliminated two more enemy vessels.

 You began to move as if on autopilot; many of the sights and sounds of battle were stored in the back of your mind to be processed--to be acknowledged--later, should you live. Your finger pulled the trigger. You knew that the power level on your blaster was being drained, however you had the pistol and vibroblades if and when it became useless. On top of that, you could pick weapons off of corpses. A morbid thought to have, perhaps, but not one that you hadn’t been forced to contemplate in past battles.

 Kylo Ren had Leia’s lightsaber clipped on his belt while he wielded the one he had made. At one point he had asked if you wanted to use the weapon. Hesitation had caused you to sway in place, to go over your previous experience with the blade. You could and would use it if it became necessary, yet your overall inexperience with it dictated your answer at the time. Originally you had believed that the lightsaber would be burned or buried with Leia Organa’s body. Maybe Kylo would bury it after her murderer was killed.

 The soldiers surrounding you began to fan out, creating a break in the shield that had thus far assisted in keeping you from injury. There was no way around that. The AT-M6s, mecha soldiers, and terror troopers continued their assault; and your allies did not cease in their counterattacks. Kylo, the akk dog, and you began to slip away from them toward a visible entrance that would take you underground. A quick glance over your shoulder revealed who was following. Chewbacca, Rey, and the nearby Knights of Ren would not be abandoning you to this mission of locating Hux. The narrow doorway meant that all would temporarily be lined up, ready to be skewered with a single shot.

 Though Hux was using a taozin amulet, that did not block Kylo from using the Force as the ysalamiri had. It was more a cloak for himself. This was preferable, emphasized now that Kylo was headed through the entrance. He flicked his lightsaber in front of himself, both lighting the way and as a means of defending himself from any attacks that might come. Two Order of Ren soldiers walked behind him then you, followed closely by the akk dog. Next came Rey, more soldiers, the Knights of Ren. You worked to judge the identities of those in your group that ventured underground based on their footsteps.

 Light gradually dwindled until you were eclipsed in darkness aside from the red glow of Kylo’s blade. Rey ignited hers, increasing the amount of light. Its color mingled with the red, casting new hues along the walls and faces of gathered beings. You tapped at the side of your helmet to activate the night vision that Cardo had ensured you would be equipped with. You spotted silhouettes in the distance, a large gathering of them as the hall expanded at an intersection. What kept the First Order from attacking outright was the lightsaber that would deflect their blows, and the fact that firing too soon would lower the amount of targets they would have in comparison to if they waited. Prompting a retreat was not what the First Order did. They wanted death, not prisoners.

 Within moments lightsabers glowed in the darkness, illuminating the soldiers that relied on blasters and claws as well as those in possession of the plasma blades. The sheer number of terror troopers at the First Order’s disposal summoned an invisible hand that wrapped around your heart. It sent an icy chill throughout your body. There would be more in the corridors beyond; not one of them in sight due to an absence of lightsabers. Armitage Hux had been wise in positioning the soldiers in stages. The limited amount of entrances had already been a successful deterrent for the plan to attack from both sides. Hux was relying on his army to either kill Kylo Ren or else tire him out. Anything to gain an advantage over the Force user. He truly was playing a game of holochess, always had been.

 You wracked your brain to remember what plays he tended to make. There were specific pieces that he held onto, and it was those that you would not yet have seen. You moved forward, nudging Kylo with your hip. Rey stepped up to join you. Together, the two of you were blocking Kylo from your enemies and thus from needlessly exerting himself. In these cramped quarters, you would be able to pick off the terror troopers with greater ease than you had up above.

 The thrumming of the lightsabers grew in volume as two more activated. You swore aloud and asked Rey if she believed the others were hiding any more on their bodies. A pause, which was in part from her seeking an answer and also because your adversaries had charged. You dropped down onto one knee, genuflecting and firing the pistol after slinging your rifle’s strap across your back. You had one of the vibroblades in your hand, firm against your pistol’s grip and ready for use. Kylo swung his lightsaber over your head. The bolt that would have killed or wounded you ricocheted off his blade and into the throat of a nearby terror trooper. They lost an arm but did not stop walking forward. This was what they were designed for, you reminded yourself. It was no different than the ones that you had fought above ground save for the fact that you were closer to them.

 Armitage better be in this area, you thought as you took aim at a terror trooper’s head. That would be the swiftest means of defeating them. Rey realized this as well. Her lightsaber sliced in an arc, decapitating one of her opponents mere moments before she twirled to avoid injury from a second. The difficulty here was that there was less room to maneuver. You had to duck so as to not be caught by Rey’s blade. This resulted in you missing an opportunity to attack one of the clawed troopers with your vibroblade. Instead they caught your arm, fine pointed tips burrowing into your flesh after shredding part of your sleeve. Without missing a beat, you thrust your vibroblade forward into the soldier’s throat. A gurgle erupted, the claw giving a spasm, and the terror trooper yanked backwards to disengage. It took your blade with it, eliciting another curse from you.

 You went for one of your other blades with one hand, the other preoccupied with the pistol you had managed to keep hold of. Your aim was off, which meant you clipped the terror trooper’s cheek instead of penetrating the center of his face. Scowling, you fired twice more in rapid succession. The trooper jerked backwards, righted himself, and lurched forward as gore spewed from the hole in his face. Blood showered you, momentarily obscuring your vision.

 A hand on the back of your collar stopped you from surging towards another soldier. It yanked you backwards, temporarily choking you while also keeping you from being impaled on a clawed hand that had sought your hip. Trudgen maneuvered so that you were behind him. He held his second blade, also large, and sliced through the soldier’s throat. There was not enough room for him to use his vibrocleaver without risk of harming an ally. It had to be frustrating for him, however he did not act as though he was hindered in the least from what you had observed. You recovered from being placed behind him, angled your body and extended your arm, and shot at one of the lightsaber wielding terror troopers.

 Your blast hit the soldier’s wrist but to no avail. There was no loss of momentum on their swing, which was caught on the edge of Rey’s lightsaber. Had she not gone for that, the enemy’s blade would have sliced Trudgen’s weapon in half. You shot again. This blaster bolt also did minimal damage. Aiming higher up on the terror trooper’s arm, you managed to catch a bit of flesh. The soldier’s arm gave a spasm, the lightsaber falling to the ground--or towards it; another of the troopers dropped down and caught the hilt, reactivating the lightsaber and attacking one of the Order of Ren stormtroopers. Growling, you fired at this other enemy and again managed to get the lightsaber to drop. This time it clattered noisily to the ground and, when it was picked up, was retrieved by an ally of yours.

 Chaos erupted around you, the flurry of motions making you unable to fully distinguish friend from foe. You dropped down lower, felt a welcomed hand on your shoulder that was accompanied by a buzzing to your left, and were grateful for the red lightsaber. You watched with interest as some of your shots arced unnaturally. Kylo cupped his hand, three fingers shifting towards his palm as he directed the shot towards the right. A flick of his finger separated the blast into two, which pierced different terror troopers. One crumpled towards the ground, twitching, and the other was thrown off balance enough that Rey easily stabbed through their chest before thrusting her blade upwards, slicing through the merged flesh and technology.

 Together Kylo and Rey thrust their hands forward, sending multiple terror troopers flying backwards. Some were impaled on the blades of their comrades’s lightsabers, others on claws. There were a few that hit the wall or else simply were unfortunate enough to pull the trigger and end the life of another. Not that any of them reacted to the losses. They stood if possible, rolling forward like a wave that existed solely to cause devastation. You shook your head, shooting over and over again. As you did so, you shuffled forward along with your own allies. You were further into the intersection, almost to where you would have to choose a direction to travel once the enemy was defeated.

 Everyone dropped back as you each noticed Trudgen stepping forwards. He was able to swing his vibrocleaver, breaking through multiple terror troopers as though they were mere dolls. It was not an inaccurate thing to refer to them as, you thought whilst piercing the arm of a clawed soldier with one of your own blades. Kylo swerved around you. He, Rey, and Trudgen were fast at eliminating your enemies. Chewbacca provided as much cover for the three as you did. Despite the high stakes, you were not as stressed as you might have been without the wookie’s presence. Likewise, the fact that Rey and Kylo were able to use the Force to aid in protecting your group gave you some peace of mind.

 The intersection split off into three directions aside from the path you had taken to get there. Directly ahead, two soldiers stood sentry. They were clad in darkened gear and wore masks that prevented you from knowing if these were terror troopers or some other form of elite soldier. Their visages reminded you much of Darth Vader, of the mask that Kylo Ren had worn when you had first hunted him. Their lightsaber blades were orange, one slightly darker than the other and nearer to a reddish hue. Amulets swung from their throats. Given how Kylo’s lips pulled into a frown, you guessed that these were the taozin amulets that Hux also used. It could not protect them from a pistol shot--no, that was what their quick reflexes and lightsabers did. The two sentries twirled their blades in a similar fashion to Kylo’s fighting style, the blasts forced backwards. One hit the wall to the right of your head. The other went left, striking a stormtrooper in the thigh. It scorched the red armor, chipped a portion of it, but thankfully failed to pierce flesh.

 You did not fire a third time, although many of your companions did shoot more. It was only when Kylo roared for them to cease fire that they stopped. As one, the two sentries fell into fighting stances that could swiftly alternate between defense and offense. Rey and Kylo stood side by side with their blades raised. They advanced in unison with their enemies. Turning away, you pursued those you stood a chance against, the soldiers that might otherwise search for weaknesses in Kylo’s defense while he was distracted by the other warriors.

 Footsteps from behind alerted you to reinforcements arriving. You listened for their identity, to know if they were friend or foe, and released a heavy sigh of relief through pursed lips when you heard Finn’s voice. He drew up level with you, the akk dog directly behind your legs and his. “I’ll need to return to the surface,” he said, sounding breathless, as though he had just been running. “They have more Force sensitives on their side. Maybe experiments. I can’t tell.” You nodded, bobbing your head in acknowledgement the entire time he spoke.

 “I’m just glad you’re here now. I’ll be shocked if he isn’t down one of these paths.” Finn took on one terror trooper that attempted to rush you, meanwhile you shot at two others. “If there are other entrances, they all are connected.” A sort of web, the spider somewhere at the center or perhaps even at an outer edge that you had not visited. “They’re trying to seal us off in here?”

 The reply you received came in the form of a grunt that preceded more fighting behind you. That was enough to elicit a growl from you, to increase your dedication towards defeating these enemies in order to take on the others more quickly. As he fought, Finn commented that communication with your squad had been lost. That coupled with witnessing other First Order troopers pouring into the entrance--these Finn and other Order of Ren soldiers had taken care of--had prompted the fast agreement to go underground and ensure that your group was not injured or defeated.

 Another set of armored sentries came from a second entrance at the intersection. These did not have lightsabers, instead wielding execution axes that were reinforced by plasma. “It isn’t just Hux that they’re protecting,” Finn said. “A transmission was intercepted--they have something that is amplifying the powers of their soldiers. It’s down here. You need to target that more than you need to kill Hux.” He spoke those words while stepping to the side so that Trudgen could aim an attack that put the two sentries on the defense. Finn utilized this alteration to his advantage, cutting at an exposed wrist.

 Frustrated bubbled within you anew. He was right, and that was what provoked your ire. The war extended beyond Armitage Hux. He could be killed after his army was defeated.

 You stopped seeing colors, stopped seeing faces. Your finger tugged on the trigger time and again as you switched from one target to the next. Your job was to provide support, and that was what you did as your mind raced through potential sources that would be increasing your enemy's power. It might well be Force related, however you assumed it was, at least in part, based on technology. A combination was not unlikely either; kyber crystals had been used to power the weapon that had destroyed Naboo.

 “Kyber,” you whispered, keeping your voice low so that you did not distract your allies. It was nothing more than a guess. You had no tangible evidence to support your theory as of yet, however you kept glancing around for signs. There remained a necessity for proof of Hux’s location as well as proof of which direction this source might be. “The Empire had other experiments. More blood from Palpatine and Vader?”

 The sentries that Finn, Trudgen, Kylo and Rey fought were superior to the other terror troopers that you had yet faced. Their reaction time was improved. They were hitting harder without evidence of fatigue. Here a third set started down the final path. Order of Ren soldiers moved past you to confront them. You were in the center of the intersection, away from any enemies. The rest of the terror troopers, those with claws and with lightsabers, had fallen. You took a moment to peer around the area and tally up the losses from your side.

 So many dead. You held your breath, looked down the three corridors as best you could. Darkness swallowed the secrets that each one held. Guide me. I don’t know where to… To Hux… To the power source… But I can’t stay still.

 Of the first set of sentries, the pair blocked the path that you would have to take to get anywhere. Those that Finn faced were farther into the intersection, leaving you more room. As for the final pair, one was lingering in the entryway to the path and the other had just stepped closer to your location.

 Please don’t let me die, you thought, twisting fast on your ankle and launching yourself in the direction of the first two. You ducked and rolled. Felt air sweep past you. Hissed in pain at the sensation of something biting and burning the flesh of your shoulder. Not deeply--you could move your arm, were able to support your weight when you caught yourself on that hand. You shoved yourself back up to your feet and turned to face your enemies. Witnessed them spinning to attack you--and thus you were able to see Kylo and Rey shove their lightsabers through the sentries. Kylo scowled, his expression almost completely concealed by the darkness. It was Rey’s lightsaber, which she drew back, that lit his face.

 Rey joined Finn to fight the other pairs of armored sentries. The screams of lightsabers echoed throughout the intersection, their violent meetings ringing in your ears. Kylo pointed a finger at you similarly to how one would scold a pet. You glowered at him in return, saying nothing and wiggling your fingers for the akk dog to sniff as it arrived beside you. Keeping it safe was one of your priorities. Noticing this, Kylo nodded in what you took to be a display of praise. He then resumed fighting.

 One by one the sentries fell, each of the three paths open for travel. Finn repeated the news he had given to you then rushed towards the exit so that he could report back to the ground troops on the surface. A few Order of Ren troopers followed after him, though most remained behind so that your group could divide into three.

 Chewbacca released a rumble that prompted Rey to place a single finger against her lips, hushing the wookie. His next sound was softer. He did not want to leave Kylo’s side, was refusing to do so. The Knights of Ren that were present nodded their agreement. Rey, too, voiced her refusal.

 “You will do as commanded.” Though he said this, Kylo gestured to a set of officers and stormtroopers then thrust his hand in the direction to his right. They headed that way without protest, their progress slow. Another group was sent in the second direction. As for the path that you were waiting at, the rest joined you.

 It was easy to understand why Kylo Ren had not fought the others much in regards to splitting up; another intersection meant that it became necessary to divide again. This time everyone came to a standstill. Everyone, that is, except for you. Your feet carried you in one direction of their own accord. You had not paid any attention to where you were walking. Became conscious that you were moving only when your name was called and the group moved to catch up with you.

 Susurrations slipped along your ear like delicate caresses from a tender lover. You paused midstep, cocked your head to the side, and held your breath as a means of eliminating any potential obstacles that would hinder your ability to hear. The words--if that was what they were--remained nonsensical. The sounds were not ones you often heard. Given an opportunity to pause, you realized that you had only ever experienced their presence when interacting with Rey or Kylo. These were related to the Force, and it was likely due to your bond and Kylo’s close proximity that you heard them in that moment.

 Chewbacca released a low rumble that you took as indication he, too, heard the strange whispers. The wookie took a step backwards, albeit not in retreat so much as to make room for Rey, who in contrast had started to push forward. Kylo held out an arm to block her and the others. You utilized this pause to take stock of everyone’s behavior. The other soldiers, Force sensitive and non, held perplexed expressions. The Knights of Ren were less fazed by the noises, a fact that did not surprise you given what you did know regarding their history as well as their more recent missions. As for the akk dog, it began to pace back and forth as though agitated. Chewbacca repeated his previous rumble, and you half-wished that you better understood wookie beyond the fraction of the language that you had managed to learn during the past few years.

 Kylo gestured for part of the group, including Rey, to proceed back to the intersection and to go in the direction that they had originally been assigned. She glowered at him, ready to protest, however he cut her off. “Do not enter the room. Keep a distance.” You bit down on your bottom lip, considered what he wasn’t saying. This might be an ambush of some sort, could be Armitage Hux working to use an experiment run by the late Emperor that allowed him to properly weaponize the Force. Everything that you had been thinking since Finn had explained the reasoning of his appearance. “Take the dog.” You again looked at the creature. It was difficult to know if it was excited or nervous or both.

 “Fine,” Rey bit out, reaching out her hand to summon the akk dog nearer to her side. It obeyed, slinking behind her and watching the direction from which a new set of whispers erupted. Your heart stuttered in your chest, the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. “Are you going alone?”

 “No,” you hissed before Kylo could reply. He considered you, a frown on his face. He could use the Force to compel you to remain behind; that was the only way you would obey such an order aside from the Knights of Ren seizing hold of you. That would be foolish. It would busy their hands, prevent them from being able to easily use their weapons should another attack occur. “I won’t get in your way.” His eyes pinched in the corners. His mood you could read; he was annoyed and amused all at once.

 He preceded you down the path, which you knew did lead to a room. How he was able to sense these things always astounded you. You held your pistol at the ready while walking behind him. Kylo had his lightsaber’s hilt in his hand, yet his blade was deactivated. He was curious more than he was apprehensive. That was not different from his normal demeanor, and you allowed yourself to take comfort in it. That did not mean that you dropped your guard. You listened to the whispers. Inaudible. Foreign. A mixture of hisses and gentle murmurs.

 The room was farther up enough that, when you turned around, you could no longer see Rey or any of the others. You did not call for them. Instead you twisted back, faced forward, and entered a dimly lit room with Kylo. Its center was bare, however the entirety of the wall shimmered. This room had been carved from the planet itself rather than being installed with durstaeel walls. There were some tanks that appeared to you to be filled with bacta and the remains of experiments. These did not hold your attention. The shimmering, on the other hand, did. Crystals were embedded in the walls. They pulsated, at times in unison and at other points in a pattern that you could not place.

 You walked to the right, hand outstretched and making contact with the cool stone and one of the crystals. It felt strange on your hand. Neither hot nor cold, a kind of lukewarm feeling that reminded you of touching another living being. “Tooke.” You hummed at the sound of his voice without turning around. He said your name next, and this did cause you pause. You started to turn--and then you felt it.

 You felt the intense heat that wanted to consume your entire being. Your body and spirit alike were being assaulted. It hungered for you in ways that you had not known before, or at least had never been conscious to experience in full. When you had perished that first time, you had been under the sway of Kylo’s power and medications that Miovtha had delivered into your system. This time you were conscious and could feel it all. The flame, the teeth, the metal biting into the flesh of your back. You were thrust forward.

 Strangely, he was as well. Kylo Ren’s body collided into yours, and the inferno swirled around the pair of you, wrapping around your limbs. As though it were fusing the two of you together into one. It was difficult to tell where you ended and he began, if the two of you were a single being or separate entities.

 The whispers quickly turned into screams; each of the kyber crystals that had been embedded in the walls exploded, widening the blast radius. It might well be swallowing the entire planet. It could take down all of your allies and enemies. Perhaps it would result in the planet’s destruction--but that would not end the war. Such was your thought as metal dug from your back and punched past your chest, into Kylo’s, out of his body.

 This can’t be real, one part of your mind screamed. Another portion was too focused on the pain to care. The pain of your physical injuries, but also the pain when you considered that Kylo was going through this with you. That he might die. Don’t let him die. Not again. Please, not again.

 Your hands, bleeding and mutilated, found his robe. You clutched desperately onto the material, tried to tilt back your head, and realized that you could not breathe. His eyes were locked onto yours. Then Kylo’s head jerked up as another whisper entered the room. This one grew in volume, in clarity, and gained a gender. It was a male speaking. A man that knew Kylo’s name and so spoke it as if in greeting.

 “And where were you last time?” An accusation, one that would come from the lips of a hurt child. Yet that was not Han Solo’s voice that you were hearing; it was one that you did not recognize.

 “Last time you were drowning in Darkness,” the voice said. “This time you have chosen balance.”

[geeky-writes]

The Phoenix Project Chapter 8 Preview

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Grabbing Steve’s discarded t-shirt from the night before, Tony slipped it over his head before padding over to the tiny half-bathroom to pee and brush his teeth. Next to the sink sat a brand-new toothbrush and razor still in their respective packages, just as Steve had told him, and Tony couldn't help but smile as he helped himself to some of his man’s toothpaste and shaving cream as he tried to make himself at least a little more presentable before Steve came back.

“Eh, guess it’s not too bad,” Tony said to his reflection once he was done. He’d try to squeeze in a shower later, once the simulator sessions were done and before he headed out to visit Peter. The cadets’ locker room was usually pretty quiet during that time of day.

There were still about ten minutes remaining before he expected Steve, so Tony decided to crawl back into the bed, propping the pillows behind him before reaching for his glasses that were resting on the bedside table, on top of what looked like a sketchbook. With a rather wry grin, Tony picked up the sketchbook and began slowly flipping through it, noting that Steve seemed to be just as talented at drawing as Peter, something that Tony hadn't thought was possible.

Steve also seemed to love being outside, judging by the various drawings in his book, yet another thing he had in common with Peter. There were several drawings of various trees and flowers, a couple of the ballfield where they’d had most of their picnics, a few of the X-301 and X-302 aircrafts, and one portrait of an older woman whom Tony guessed was Steve’s mother. Tony’s smile widened as he pictured the two of them sitting there on the bank of that lake that he loved, their two heads bent towards each other as they sketched whatever caught their fancy, while he worked on whatever project caught his.

He had just turned the page a bit beyond halfway through the book when a particular drawing caught his eye, one of a bird perched on the side of a large nest while three small chicks poked their heads out, eagerly awaiting the fat worm caught in the mother bird’s beak. Tony’s heart began to thud as he studied it, his belly swooping violently as he realised where he’d seen it before.

There were a few minor differences, but other than the smaller size and slightly different shading patterns on the mother bird’s wings, it was almost an exact carbon copy of the drawing that Tony had tacked to the corkboard in his office, behind his computer. The drawing that Peter had given him.

Which could only mean that—

“Oh fucking hell!” Tony rushed out as about a thousand different emotions began warring inside his mind and body, leaving him so nauseous and dizzy that for a moment he felt as though he might actually pass out. With shaking hands he dropped the sketchbook onto the bed like a hot potato, his legs nearly tangling in the sheets in his frantic attempt to get to his feet.

Steve had lied to him. The whole entire thing had just been one gigantic lie, and like a complete and utter fool Tony had fallen for it. Hook, line, and sinker.

No wonder Steve had told Tony so many times that he couldn't wait to meet Peter. It was because he’d already met him.

How could I have been such a goddamn fool!

Apparently the Air Corps was not only holding Tony hostage with their ridiculous demands on his time and intellect, they were also apparently sending their pilots in to stalk and harass his boy.

“Oh gods,” Tony murmured as he scrabbled with Steve’s t-shirt, finally ripping it over his head and launching it across the room. He searched the floor for his clothes, finally locating them halfway under the bed and nearly tipping over in his haste to snatch them up. His chest was so tight he could barely breathe, his limbs barely functional as he tried to push his legs into his pants and locate the fucking arm holes on his shirt, not even caring as he jammed his feet into his shoes that in his haze of betrayal and rage he’d managed put the damn thing on backwards.

All Tony could think about was that he had to get out of there, somehow had to get Peter out of that godforsaken hospital and somewhere else, where he could be safe. He’d heard various reports over the years of a few people who’d managed to defect over to Meridia, so maybe somehow he and Peter could—

The sound of an electronic lock clicking open stopped Tony in his tracks, and he looked over at the door in a panic as Steve stepped inside, obviously fresh from the shower and carrying a loaded tray of food in his hands.

“Hey,” he said, the smile dropping from his face as his eyes swept across Tony. “Tony? Is something wrong?”

Tony could only shake his head, his tongue refusing to cooperate as he pointed an accusing finger at Steve, who immediately set down the tray, hurt and confusion marring his blue eyes.

Damn those fucking blue eyes! Tony screamed inside his head. Damn every single part of him to hell! Oh gods, how could I have been such a goddamn idiot?

“Tony?” Steve said as he took a step towards Tony, halting in his tracks when Tony immediately backed away. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“You!” Tony finally choked out, bumping into the bed and nearly falling backwards. He sucked in a deep, shaky breath as he righted himself, his heart threatening to pound right out of his chest. “What in the goddamn hell have you done to my son?”

“Tony, I haven't done anything! I swear it!” Steve exclaimed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped. He took another step towards Tony, halting again when Tony raised his palm.

“Don't!” Tony yelped. “Don't you dare come near me! Just tell me what you've done to my son!”

“Tony, I swear I don't know what you're talking—!” Steve broke off as his eyes flicked over to the abandoned sketchbook. Almost instantly his shoulders sagged, his cheeks completely draining of colour as he squeezed his eyes closed, shaking his head.

“Tony,” he said, low and tight. “I’m not—I don't—please, Tony, it’s not what you think.”

The full chapter will post on Monday, May 18th 😊