#'Mara' - thank you for sharing your story with me and letting me share it with others

[the-cimmerians]

a storytime story. Not my story, it's my friend's, but she doesn't go here so I'm sharing for her. We'll call her Mara. Mara is a high-femme, lovely queer girl from a wealthy family in the southern US, but when I met her she'd been living in California for many years, chugging through her postgraduate education in Women's Studies. She rarely went home, because being at home was always a bit of a fraught experience: not unendurable (because to most heteronormative casual viewers the radiant queerness of a high-femme is pretty much indistinguishable from a quirky beauty queen waiting for the right football quarterback to sweep her off her feet), but still--not the most fun. Yet every once in a while, Mara would have a fit of 'dutiful daughter'-itis, and go home to mend some fences and keep some peace.

Mara's mother had often asked her to come with her to philanthropic events, but Mara had always said no. On this trip, however, Mara's mother had purchased a full table as an event sponsor, and she cajoled Mara into going with her. For those of you who haven't ever attended such an event, they are all different, and yet terrifyingly all the same (and I say this not as an attendee, but as an event-runner for various nonprofits; an event-runner who, fair warning, hates everything about these events, and this part of nonprofit work). There is some form of lower-calorie food (chicken or fish on greens with a very light citrus-fruit dressing is de rigeur, along with some sort of fruit-based airy parfait served in the smallest and most elegant glasses imaginable for dessert), usually an emcee (occasionally entertaining, but always inoffensive to the assembled guests), sometimes speakers (high-profile or famous women on a local or national level depending on the 'get' of the organization in question, or extremely well-spoken young people or teens for youth-serving organizations--with the youth in question being very carefully coached), and an 'ask'--the fundraising portion of the event, where the wealthy attendees compete with the rest of their friends and enemies in the social scene to be the most gracious and beneficent person in the room.

And there is gossip. So much gossip.

Poor Mara knew enough to expect some of this (mostly due to listening to me complain bitterly about how awful these events are), but there were aspects for which she was completely unprepared. Her mother had filled her sponsorship table with all of her closest friends, and the 'social hour' before the event started in earnest was a haze of white wine and a constant stream of excessively perfumed women dressed in full southern socialite chic, coming by the table to air-kiss cheeks and say how it's been ages since they've seen each other and what a darling ensemble, where on earth did you get it? and who does your hair now?--you must tell me, it's simply scrumptious--you look incredible, we really must do lunch some time soon--

...and the moment the woman or women in question moved on, the table, as a whole, in excited, urgent-whispered voices, would drag the everloving fuck out of every single lady they'd just been gushing over.

"Did you see how botched her last lift was? I hardly recognized her--I'm surprised she recognized me, with her eyes yanked back like that--" "so terrible, but she did go to the cheapest surgeon in town--husband has money troubles, you know--"

"Didn't expect to see her here, but I suppose you have to go somewhere to show off that large a collection of paste jewels--" "oh, stop, you wicked girl! But you're right, of course--and she gives herself such airs, like we don't all know--"

"Poor dear looks exhausted--apparently keeping up with her pool boy isn't easy at her age--" "Can't say that I blame her; that Carlos, have you seen him? Of course, she's hardly his only client. I've been dying for a pool, but my Henry just won't--"

"Quite a plucky little attitude for someone whose husband just left her for his twenty-two year old secretary--" "And after she put him through college and law school--I heard she's not even going to get to keep the house. She really should have sprung for a better lawyer--"

"I can't believe she still thinks she can fit into that dress, with all the weight she's packed on--" "Truly grotesque--just ghastly! Seems like last summer at the fat farm didn't do her as much good as one would have hoped--"

::giggle:: ::giggle:: ::giggle::

Mara was horrified, sitting there with a bland, polite smile frozen on her face, with her white gloves and vintage pillbox hat and charming little clutch bag, her seamed stockings and her kitten heels and her classic red lipstick and pin-curls (because in true unquenchable femme spirit, she had taken this occasion as an opportunity for dress-up, an opportunity for fun and play and sexy whimsy--a Gene-Tierney-does-pin-up-girl kind of vibe), utterly unable to see how to extricate herself from this terrible situation.

Another woman glided away from the table, coyly waving heavily-beringed fingers. "Yes, Darling," Mara's mother said, coyly waving back. "See you soon! Kiss-kiss! Love to Laurent!" She sat down and hissed to the cabal at the table: "Ha! Her husband just gave her an STD."

The woman to Mara's left leaned forward excitedly. "Really? Two-door or four-door?--wait, if it was the latest Aston Martin, I'm going to literally perish of envy--"

And that was the tipping point--Mara fled. Walked until she found a suitably divey coffee shop. Had a coffee and a slice of peach pie, and flirted with a soft Butch waitress until the world seemed less dire.

[mondodisco]

Hello. I know my platform is not big, but the more people this reaches, the better it is.

As you might have heard, in Italy there has just been the Sanremo music festival, which is the most famous Italian music festival and is watched live by millions and millions of people on the state tv channel, RAI.

this edition, two singers brought a song against genocide: Dargen D’amico and Ghali.

They both took time after their performance to share words against the war, words for peace, words against genocide without even MENTIONING Isr**l or Palestine. Of course, Rai, being handled by a government who openly supports Isr**l, tried to censor their words but with no success since Italians were quick to make them public, to post them everywhere and to make sure that their intervention wasn’t going to waste.

The worst thing happened just yesterday, during the program DomenicaIn with host Mara Vernier. When Ghali and Dargen went on stage journalists asked them questions about the political point of view of the songs, to which they were happy to answer. Mara Vernier interrupted them quickly as soon as politics were mentioned by saying that “the show was about music, not politics” and that “there wasn’t time to unfold the whole story”. Her mic, however, had been left open and while the singers exit, you can hear her say to the journalists “don’t embarrass me, stop asking questions because this is not the place to talk about this.”

Though apparently, when Mara ended the program by reading a zionist comunicate from RAI that stated how Italy was pro Isr**l. I’m gonna post it here so that you all can see what my shit government stands up for.

“I want to read a statement sent by CEO Roberto Sergio regarding a statement about Israel and Palestine made by an artist during the Sanremo Festival. CEO Roberto Sergio said this: Every day our news and programs tell and will continue to tell, the tragedy of the hostages in the hands of Hamas in addition to remembering the massacre of children, women and men on October 7. My solidarity with the people of Israel and the Jewish Community is heartfelt and convinced. Of course, we all agree with this comunicate.”

Like this, in two seconds they completely ignored what people have been trying to say, what musicians have tried to pass on using a platform as big as Sanremo.

Fortunately, people were not okay with this. You do NOT speak for us Mara, after reading that shameful comunicate, I STAND WITH PALESTINE.

Thank you Dargen D’Amico, for talking about the kids not being protected and how it’s sick that not even the children are shown mercy now. Thank you for your heartbreaking video that you posted along with your song. Thank you for speaking up about genocide for 6 days every time a camera was recording you.

Thank you Ghali, for not even listening to Mara Vernier as she tried to interrupt you during DomenicaIn and just continuing to talk. Thank you for your beautiful text, thank you for showing Italy your immense love despite all its flaws, thank you for risking it all by using the biggest stage you’ve ever been on to spread a message of peace.

Thank you Amadeus, host of the Sanremo music festival, for choosing these two songs and for always letting both of these singers talk about what they wanted, praising peace. I know you won’t host Sanremo anymore and it breaks my heart.

Thank you people who watched this happen in front of you and started to whistle at the words out government has tried to put in pur mouth. And thank you, random viewer who shouted “MENTION GAZA!” As the comunicate happened.

Thank you. And fuck you RAI.

[thana-topsy]

Fic Writers Self-Rec

I've been tagged by so many lovely people in my time away from tumblr! Thank you so much to @gilgamish @mareenavee @changelingsandothernonsense @kookaburra1701 and anyone else I might have missed tagging me in this one.

I tag @expended-sleeper @mongoose-bite @banjotea @turbo-toast and @yesjejunus

Rules:

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love!

Halfway to the Sky An obvious choice I think! This fic is my absolute baby. Driven by a purely OC cast, it was kind of a gamble to release into the wilds of fandom, but I'm just eternally grateful and humbled by the amount of support I've gotten through the process of writing it. To say it's been a life-changing story for me is an understatement.

Hollow Men This fic was a genre switch-up for me. I'd never really written a "Recovery Fic" before, and it certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone. But it was one of those that tore its way out of me, just desperate to get out of my head. And I learned so much about writing and about myself. It'll forever hold a special place in my heart. Also an OC-heavy narrative that showed me I could, in fact, drive a story without an NPC anchoring me to the world.

Breathing Water / Liminal Bridges Pardon the two-fer, but I had to include the sequel in this! Breathing Water was a HUGE turning point in my writing. It was the first time I'd written a super compact narrative beginning to end before posting the story. So I was able to really refine the story, plot out appropriate foreshadowing, and wrap everything up neatly. And then Liminal Bridges, a sequel born out of a pure love of Neloth and Teldryn and wanting to see them bounce around in the world some more, has spun off into something so wild and wonderful that I can't wait to start sharing new updates again.

How to Build a Home (or Die Trying) A lesser-known fic of mine, this one I wrote at the very beginning of lockdown in 2020 and it taught me a LOT about flash-fiction, vignette storytelling, time skips, and pacing. That, and I'd wanted to write something with Ralis for a while at that point. It was a fantastic remedy for a rough year. Quickburn with some well-earned fluff.

Finding Mara A spin-off of a sequel, this is one of those fics that I am so incredibly proud of, fond of, and was kind of the prototype for stories like "Hollow Men" and "Halfway to the Sky". It was poking at a lot of themes that I wanted so badly to explore, but didn't yet know how. Nilandur is a character who, in so many ways, changed who I am as a person.

[damn-it-a-hogwarts-legacy-blog]

Hi!! Ask game: 6, 7, 22, and 25! :)

Thank you for the ask, lovely!! 💚

6. How easily could your OC be convinced to do something that goes against their moral compass?

Mmmmhmmmhmhmhm, specifically eyeing @boxdstars' Mara here, whose canon is intertwined with mine lol. Mara is a very... Morally grey character (and my DAUGHTER I LOVE HER) and through sharing a friend group in school, Mara eventually ropes Isabel into a number of unspecified but illegal activities when they're adults, some of which may or may not involve dark magic. Allegedly.

All that to say, Isabel is honestly kind of corruptible lol. There exist some things she refuses to compromise on, like the safety of her family. Other things, like oh, I dunno, taking a little bit of revenge on a Gaunt or two even though Ominis would very likely not approve? Not so much.

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

God in what ways has she NOT changed since I first came up with her lol. I've already talked at length about how she's technically my HM mc, but at this point she's evolved into being my HM mc's ancestor.

I've come a long way with her characterization simply by virtue of writing about her for so long and in so many varied fics. She's still evolving just a little bit with every fic I post, but she's become much more complex and, imo, interesting since I wrote my first fic. I've given her legitimate struggles both internal and external, and she's so much more than just the generic armpiece for Ominis now. She has her own fleshed out background and perspective that she brings to Ominis' life and struggles, and I think by having that deeper background, it's easier to write narratives that are realistic and engaging (well, to me and my friends at least LOL). If anything, I have to be careful not to let Ominis fall into being a generic trophy husband these days.

22. What character alignment would you consider your OC to be?

Somewhere between chaotic neutral and chaotic good tbh. I hope I can do more to explore her not-so-virtuous side sometime soon, because I haven't fleshed that out as much as I'd like.

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

Man this is HARD lol. I think it's more that I'm proud of the work I've put into her. My fic output is slow af right now, but that doesn't mean I'm not constantly thinking about her. Through consistent writing, conversations and headcanon posts, I've been able to chip away at building what is now my favorite OC I've ever made.

Another thing I've just recently begun enjoying is using her as a tool for processing via angst. If you made a graph of the prevalence of fluffiness versus angst in my fics and put the fics in order by posting date, you'd definitely see a clear pattern. It's not that I dislike Isabel or Ominis--really, my love for them has grown a LOT and continues to grow. I've just found that using her as an emotional conduit makes for great combo story fodder and journaling lol.

[tabswrites]

Writer Questions Tag

Tagged by @writernopal here. I love these questions, thanks for the tag!

Gently tagging: @clairelsonao3 @gummybugg @rachaellawrites @zmwrites

What is your absolute all-time favorite idea you’ve ever had?

I am equally proud of Silver Sentinels and Ascension. The magic system in S.S is really cool to me, and I’m having a lot of fun creating it. I also really love the magical creatures!! With Ascension, I have been creating my own mythology within the world as well as creating an entire species, and that’s something I’ve never done before and it is going to be incredible.

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes?

Not really, but I’ve only really begun sharing my writing and talking to other writers for a few months.

What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

I love being able to navigate complex themes and emotions in a variety of different ways. Playing with different writing styles to mess with people’s heads is one of my favorite things to do, because I’m secretly evil. The one thing I wish I could get rid of is the guilt of not being able to dedicate myself to my writing all the time. I am so, so passionate about my two stories but with the little free time I have it’s hard to get in the right mindset, and I feel like I’m letting myself down.

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

Initially, I just wanted to have a bit of fun. Recently, I fell in love with storytelling again when I watched this show called The Owl House. It was unfortunately struck down in its prime by D*sney and even though there was a series finale, a lot of its world building fell flat when the writers were unable to continue developing it. It broke my heart, and a week after I finished it I got the idea for S.S. It’s like my subconscious was trying to tell me that I could fill the void myself.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

Give yourself permission to suck, especially in first drafts.

I struggle a lot with just getting the story out because I feel like everything I write is incoherent, but I also am getting really into my own plot so I want to keep going. I just have to remind myself that it’s okay if it’s not amazing right now.

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

You can literally do whatever you want. If someone doesn’t like the direction you’re taking, they just won’t read it. You’ll find an audience some day. Just give in and be your weirdest self.

What is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

404. Page not found. (Haha, you guys finish stuff?)

What is your favorite out-of-the-box quote?

“The real violence, the violence I realized was unforgivable, is the violence that we do to ourselves, when we're too afraid to be who we really are.”

~Nomi Marks, Sense8 (my fave tv show)

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

This is such a difficult question, but I’m going to go with Oliver, from S.S. His mindset is to basically do the bare minimum and expect everything to fall into place. Even from Ch. 2-4 he doesn’t even apologize or try to make amends, he just assumes Mara will forgive him because he got himself exiled too.

I think he’s a big dumb idiot, but I don’t think I try to hide that. He’s going to have very little development in book one for the sole purpose of me using him as a punching bag, so his idiocy is tolerated for now.

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

I think she would be super sad to know we became estranged from our longtime RP friends, but she would be absolutely floored that I’m attempting to write not one, but TWO multi-book series. At the SAME time. Yeah, little dude, we created characters in other people’s worlds, and now we create our own.

[whatisreggieshortfor]

Almost Didn’t Make It

Jack tells a story at their wedding.

Jack x MC

@csmicletters @justtuesdays

“I’m sure some of you aren’t surprised to see us here,” Jack grinned at the crowd, glancing briefly at his bride with eyes overflowing with love and affection, “but maybe you should be. Cause there was almost a time this wasn’t going to happen. I forget to take things seriously sometimes- well, all the time really. It can land me in trouble. But one such time, it may have been the best reflex I ever had, because it helped me hold onto the best thing that ever happened to me- Bet.” Elizabeth’s eyes widened, a startled laugh springing from her throat as she realized exactly what story he was preparing to tell. She could remember the day so vividly, she’d been having the worst week at work and decided to have a girls night with Mara and Alina. Alina was more than willing to open bottle after bottle of wine, hosting the girls at the home she shared with Logan, but Jack had kept texting. Here, at their wedding reception, seemed like an odd time to bring it up- at least if you were a stranger to Jack and Bet it seemed like an odd time. The ones that knew this story however, Bet could see them trying to stifle their laughter as her groom continued, “And don’t worry, my dream, I cleared this story with The Voice and a lawyer- because it didn’t happen, we never violated the agreement from the show.” She breathed a sigh of relief as he grinned at her before turning back to his audience, “But you see, it’s generally a good time when your partner decides they want to get wine drunk with friends on a Friday night. But if you’re like me- and I’m sure some of you are thanking the heavens right now that your partner isn’t- but if you’re like me, you like to check in and be generally annoying.”

“Love, I don’t think you’re annoying.” Bet protested, but they were both laughing.

“Sometimes you do, my sweet, and that’s okay! Because sometimes, like a month after we finished Couple Up together, I do things like this…” Jack hit a button on a remote she wasn’t aware he had, and she cackled in her seat as a screen lit up and showed the word vomit of repeated texts she had been getting that night. Bet couldn’t help but laugh, even as she cringed, because every time Jack clicked the button a new text from that night appeared and she was flooded with memories.

Alina had opened a bottle of some kind of fancy wine neither Bet nor Mara had ever heard the name of before, Bet let out a laugh, “You know, if you had told me when we met that the three of us would be getting together to gossip and vent over wine, I’d have tried to have you committed.”

Alina laughed, long and loud, while Mara hid a smirk behind her glass. It hadn’t been a secret that Bet and Mara agreed with Lizzie that Alina seemed like a gold digger- but they had all seen the transformation take place, Bet especially as she played peacemaker. But now the blonde just nodded with a smile, “Believe me, I know what you mean. Logan ruined me.” Mara snorted into her glass as Alina continued, “Now what’s been going on at work? Your text said something about the label pressuring you?”

Bet groaned, “Yes! You’ve met the guys by now- they want us to replace Jamie as the guitarist for the album!”

Mara made a face, “Why’d they sign you if they didn’t like the whole band?”

Alina waved her off, explaining the show had provided a substantial amount of press on Bet’s talent, before she paused, “Everyone turned their phones off, right? I hate when girls night gets interrupted.”

Bet shrugged, “I had to change my number after the show- only Jack and the guys have my new number so far, but I told them all to leave me alone if it wasn’t an emergency. The band is too afraid I’ll fight them- or that I’ll sic Mara on them.”

“I don’t do that type of work any more.” Mara protested, before seeming to rethink the statement, “But I would be willing to make exceptions for you guys so I take your point.”

Alina huffed, “You haven’t actually explained what’s going on with the label! Why has the whole week been so bad?”

Bet rolled her eyes, but there was a lot more fondness than there had been when they first met, “It’s been literally the whole week. I’ve had to talk Jamie out of quitting every damn day- and that’s on top of arguing with the agent they assigned us that if they boot Jamie, then they lose us, too. I don’t even want the deal anymore at this point! Like I started this band with Jamie, we wouldn’t be the same band if-“ Bet’s phone chimes and she scowled as she pulled it out, “It’s Jack.” Mara and Alina suppressed grins, expecting to see the same lovesick smile they’d been seeing on video calls whenever Bet mentioned him, but instead she slammed her phone on the table. “God, I asked him so many times to leave me alone tonight. He keeps trying to give me his life coach advice- like just let me make these decisions on my own!” The phone dinged three more times in rapid fire before she finally unlocked it.

The Avatar:

My wishing star

Did you feed Henry?

I know you think it’s a dumb name for a fish

But it’s not a reason to let him starve

I just don’t wanna over feed him if you already did

I know you’re busy with the girls

(Hi Mara, Hi Alina!)

Just please tell me if I need to feed him

Eh, an extra helping of food one day won’t hurt

Bet It All:

I’m breaking up with you.

Alina and Mara stared wide eyed as she slammed her phone down, not expecting an onslaught of texts to bring her to that point so quickly.

But Jack wasn’t done.

The Avatar:

No.

Bet It All:

No? What do you mean no?

The Avatar:

I mean no 🤪

Bet It All:

You can’t just say no.

How does it feel to be single now?

The Avatar:

I wouldn’t know 😚

Mara took the phone from Bet’s hand before she could reply again, “Bet, you know we care about you, even if neither of us is particularly great at showing it. We aren’t going to let you do something you’ll regret. What else is going on?”

Bet’s lip wobbled, tears leaking out, “I’m scared. Am I making the wrong choice? Jamie is a one of a kind guitarist, we’ve been friends since we were little, but am I throwing away my chance at making it to keep her with the band? Jack says I’m doing the right thing, that we’ll figure it out, but it’s not like either of us have a stable career. I don’t want to let him down.”

Jack clicked all the way through to the last message before addressing the crowd again, “As you can gather, we didn’t break up that night. Maybe that was mostly thanks to Mara and Alina, but I like to think I played a part in it. I refused to accept it, partially because it would hurt, but because I didn’t think it was what she actually wanted. And later that night, once the girls were properly toasted on three or four bottles of wine, I got this video from Logan. Alina, I’m sorry, because Bet may murder your fiancé since she’s never seen this before.”

“Be more worried about her murdering you for showing it!” Lizzie called out from the crowd.

Jack gave them the big, carefree smile that made Bet fall for him to begin with, “She’d never, so pipe down second best Elizabeth.” A mock gasp of indignation came from her spot next to Owen as the video played.

Logan was on screen first, pressing a finger to his lips like he was on a call instead of recording, before he quietly turned the camera over to show the three of them lounging comfortably on the couch. The audience could see the moment Mara caught sight of him, but they could also see his finger touch his lips again on the edge of the screen before she turned back to Bet, “What were you saying?”

“I’m saying he’s perfect!”

“Oh god,” Bet put her face in her hands, laughing as the onscreen version of herself flipped across the others girls’ laps.

“Perfect?” Alina scoffed drunkenly, “Perfect is overrated.”

“No, no. I mean he’s- he’s really perfect. Those stupid texts I got mad about? That’s his way of letting me know he’s thinking about me because he knows I was upset. He can’t cook nearly as well as I can, but when I come home late from the studio I know there’s going to be a dish of whatever he made for me waiting in the fridge, usually he’s already heating it up because he stayed up until I got home.” Bet sighed, her eyes blinking slowly at the grins the girls directed her way, “I caught one of those twenty four hour stomach bugs the week after we left the Mansion, right? He made me chicken soup. He helped me wash my hair. Even though he made jokes, he stayed with me through the whole thing. I really don’t think I could ever do better.”

The clip cut off, and Jack was still standing right beside her, grinning like he’d really won the lottery, “The video continues to Alina waxing poetry about Logan, and he is welcome to using that for his wedding, but today isn’t about him,” he winked at Logan, sitting in his place as a groomsmen, to let everyone in the joke, “Everyone in this wedding party played a part in our journey to get here. There’s Bet’s band mates, they encouraged her to sign up for the show. My best woman, Mara, was a confidant for Bet from the first day, and I know it worked both ways. The man of honor, Samir, was the first friend Bet made, being the one to wake her up and make sure she was okay. Logan was with Bet most of the mansion, out of a friendship formed more than romantic obligation, and he kept her safe on Passion Island. Alina let Bet talk to her, comfort her, get through to her, no matter how terribly their friendship started. Not to mention-“

“Me!”

Bet’s jaw dropped, “The Voice? Is that you?”

“Observant as ever, Bet! I had to be present for a wedding born from my favorite Love Seekers!”

Jack grinned at her, “Surprise, baby!”

“The Voice is crashing my wedding.” Bet shook her head with a smile, “I expect nothing less.”

“Hey, I was invited!”

“This is like the reunion party all over again, but without Gaby’s terrible lying skills.”

“Hey, that was on the fly!” Said woman called from her table with the other Love Mansion guests, and Caleb, that didn’t make the wedding party choices.

“Like I was saying,” Jack continued, “Everyone played a part in us making it here. Mara, Samir, Logan, Alina, The Voice. This day wouldn’t have happened without them. And so I thank you all, for helping me get the greatest thing I’ve ever had. The woman who taught me that life is about more than just living in the moment, but still finds reasons for us to take a day trip to the next town just to spend the day trying little mom and pop shops.”

Bet dabbed at the tears springing in her eyes, Samir taking over when she started smearing her make up, “God, how am I supposed to make a speech now?”

“By one upping me like you do with everything else about you, love.” Jack winked, pressing a kiss to her cheek, “I love you, Bet.”

“I love you, too, Jack. What was your wiki page said? ‘This precious boy is a boundless well of optimism and excitement’?” He nodded with that same smile, “I think it might’ve undersold you.”

Masterlist

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Sins of The Father - Chapter 34

Summary: Amara is slowly becoming whole again after gaining her memory, a big step for Adi, and Din needs to weigh his options.

A/N: Hello Lovelies, 

Man oh man, Season three is going to be busy, that’s all I’ll say, but I’m glad to be able to see Din and Amara together finally!!! It’s been two seasons of will they won’t they, and now they finally are an item!

Please don't forget that starting September 12, I will be back to working full time, so it may take me longer to upload my stories. I’m hoping once I get use to the routine, it’ll be easier to manage. 

Love oo, and thank you for your understanding. 

Warnings: Sparring, mentions of alcohol, flirting, teasing, innuendo, kissing, Wookiee talking about chewing on someone, upset stomach, mentions of slavers, I think that’s it, if I miss anything please let me know. 

AO3 Link |   Words: 5,708 |   Previous -> Next

Main Master List   |   Sins of the Father Master List

THE REQUEST

Din simply watched as Ara sparred with Fennec, she was quick to dodge and block most of Fennec’s attacks. He was amazed how quickly she was recovering, especially after she had gained all her memories back, it seemed to give her the strength and energy to work even harder. He couldn’t help smirk as she flipped Fennec once more, not that he was surprised really his cyar’ika had a strength many only dreamed off. 

“How are they doing?” Boba’s voice was low as to avoid disturbing the sparring session that was proceeding in front of him. He had wanted to see them sparring from the beginning but had some other business to attend to, however, from what he could see he came just in time to see Fennec getting flipped, she was going to be sore tonight. He’d have to work his magic hands over her sore spots. 

“Really good” Din matched Boba’s level, “Fennec’s knocked her down four times, however Ara’s knocked Fenn down three times. Plus, it’s taking Fennec longer to get a hold on her. She’s getting quicker at dodging and blocking Fennec’s punches.”

“That’s good.” Boba took his time examining Mara’s footing, her stances, even the way she was breathing, it made him smile seeing all the movements he had taught her so many years ago mixed in with what she had learned on her own. 

Amara glanced over to see her father and Din talking, it made her smile as she looked at Din’s helmet. Remembering the last few days between them, she still couldn’t believe they had confessed their feelings for each other and shared a kiss. Remembering that night in the garage, made her stomach flutter, how handsome he looked, the way his eyes locked on hers. How wonderful it had felt being in his arms, they had both agreed not to rush the intimacy, especially since she got her memory back, and she was grateful for his consideration.

Yet, despite how happy she was, there was still a feeling of uncertainty in the back of her mind. After all, he was the Mand’alor, he couldn’t stay forever on Tatooine with her, he’d need to rebuild, he’d need to …

Fennec took Amara’s distraction as an advantage and flipped her over once again. The room resonated with the loud thud of Amara’s body hitting the sparring mat, she could see from the way her breathing shifted she hadn’t been expecting it. She peered into Amara’s eyes, she was a little disappointed in her but she understood why she was distracted, “You can’t get distracted. Any distraction could cost you your life. Remember that.”

Amara let out a sigh as she nodded, the pain from being tossed onto the mat reaching every nerve ending on her back, shoulders, legs, and arms. Thankfully, her head wasn’t too hurt, last thing she needed was a concussion. She took in a deep breath, hoping to ease her nerves, she glanced up at Fennec’s towering form nodding, “You’re right. Sorry.”

“Alright, I think we should stop here. Come on” Fennec held out her hand, helping Amara to her feet, they headed towards Boba and Djarin. She grabbed the canteen, taking a swig from it, before passing the water canteen to Amara. “You gotta be more careful about keeping your mind in the present, try not to get distracted” she shifted closer to Amara, lowering her voice, “Regardless of how shiny his armour is” she smirked as she took another swig of water. 

Amara felt her face flush at Fennec’s statement, she thought she was being clever, obviously her eyes were more focused on Din then she had realized, she cleared her throat, reaching out to take the canteen back from Fennec. 

“You guys done?” Din asked as he held up her towel.

“Yeah” Amara mumbled as she wiped the dribble of water that escaped from her lips, grabbing the towel to wipe away the sweat dripping from her forehead and neck.

“You did good, ad’ika” Boba stood, wrapping an arm around his daughter, “You lasted a lot longer, this time. How do you feel?”

She glanced from her buir to the man who held her heart, a smile appearing, before she looked at Babeh again, “Good. Sore, but good. Thankfully, when she flipped me I didn’t hit my head.”

“Good, make sure to get checked out by the doc, just in case” she nodded as she took another swig of water, “Ad’ika, do you think you’re ready to take on an assignment?”

“Only way to know for sure is to take it on right?”

“Ara” Din stood, placing a hand on her arm, “don’t push yourself. Don’t feel you have to take anything on, unless you are absolutely one hundred percent ready.”

“I know” she gave him a soft smile, shifting her hand till she held his arm as well, his very toned and well defined arm, that she had felt before, “But I need to see how much I can handle, otherwise what good am I?”

“You have a lot to offer, cyar’ika, not just fighting”

“I know Din, but … I need to do this for me.”

“Good” Boba interjected, “then let’s go have a drink and we can discuss details of the last puck right?” Boba squeezed her shoulder, maybe he was pushing her a bit harder than he should’ve but if he didn’t get her out there, back to her old self, knowing she could handle whatever came her way, she’d just go on thinking she was useless, which wasn’t the case. 

“I’ll meet you there Babeh, gonna take a shower first.”

“Same” Fennec added, grabbing her gear. Boba smirked, fiddling with the helmet he had in his hand. He watched as his cyare headed out of the sparring room he wanted to chase after her, but there was still the unsettling feeling he might be pushing too hard or overstepping when it came to intimacy with Fennec.

Amara couldn’t help but laugh at her father’s childish antics. The man was clearly head over heels for her, and he was still acting like a schoolboy afraid to take the next step; yet that wasn’t how he acted in other aspects of his life, maybe because it had to do with his heart.   

“Babeh” Amara’s voice was low, “Just follow her, we all know you want to, and I’m pretty sure she wants you to too.”

Boba simply chuckled, placing a kiss on Mara’s temple before he followed after Fennec, as soon as he stepped out of the room, Fenn was there leaning against the opposite wall, she smirked at him, “Took you long enough old man, thought you would be in there debating till the dewbacks came home.” 

Boba strode up to her, clipping his helmet to his belt as he placed his hand on the wall beside her head, leaning into her space. She couldn’t help smirk at the man as their eyes locked, the electricity and tension between them growing. She loved it when he was like this with her.

His free forefinger tipped her chin, tilting her head till her lips were a mere hair’s breadth away from his, “Let me tell you something, this old man can still go a few rounds my dear”

She smiled from ear to ear, “Looking forward to it, old man. After all the spirt might be willing” she tapped his lower abdomen, “but the flesh might be weak.” Fennec smirked as she headed off to her room quickly knowing Boba would be following behind her to prove her statement false. 

Din stood in the sparring room, watching Ara wipe away the sweat on her forehead, she was taking her time packing things up, no doubt she wanted to avoid whatever was going with Boba and Fennec in the hallway that he couldn’t blame her, he’d seen enough of their affections, he was quite happy to avoid seeing it again, “Are you okay?” He asked as she rolled her shoulders and neck.

“Yeah,” she rubbed the back of her neck, hoping to ease the tension from her last fall, “Let’s just say, Fennec doesn’t hold back when we spar, partly why I like sparring with her. I know that if I can handle what she gives, I’ll be alright in real world situations.”

He nodded, understanding why she looked forward to her matches with Fennec, yet at the same time he wanted to wrap his arms around her, to help take some of the tiredness and exhaustion away, if that was even possible. He shifted closer his arm reached out to her back, maybe he could help relax her muscles a bit, when Ara shifted grabbing her gear and turned around to look at him. His moved his arms aside, pretending he was stretching after sitting and watching the two of them spar for almost two hours. 

“You okay?” She tilted her head watching his movements, as awkward as they were.

“Yeah, just a little stiff”

She simply nodded and chose to believe him, rather than try and assume what he was aiming to do, although she had an idea. She couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on her lips when she turned around again, she wished she could see his dark eyes, his strong nose, his scruffy bread, but looking at his helmet was equally pleasant and reassuring “I’m gonna go to my room, shower and change, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Sure” Din didn’t want to miss out on any moments with her, especially after almost losing her, he watched as she headed towards the door, his hand instinctively reaching out “um …”

Amara stopped in her tracks, turning back to look at him, his hand was stretching out towards her a little. If she was being honest, she didn’t want to leave his side either, but what she really wanted was for him to offer to stay with her or something along those lines. Outside of that kiss in the garage and a few light touches of holding hands here and there, there hadn’t been much contact between the two of them. She wasn’t sure if it was because he still saw her as a weak woman who was gaining her strength back or if it was because he was shy to take further strides with her after they both agreed to take things slow.  

“Yes?” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her from laughing at his adorableness. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she could tell from his shifting shoulders and the way his hand clenched and unclenched by his side, he was struggling to get out the words he wanted to say.

“Well …” he rubbed the back of his neck through the layers of his cowl, “I …” Maker! Why was he nervous? This wasn’t the first time he spoke with her, nor the first time they were alone, yet the dynamic between them had changed. Why had they both agreed to take things slow? 

“Ner bare (My dear), what’s wrong?”

“Cyar’ika, rather than going to your place … I mean I haven’t eaten … um … no doubt, you haven’t … right? … So … I mean I still have a room … there’s …”

Oh good lord, she couldn’t let him keep fumbling like this, regardless of how cute it was, she loved him too much to see him suffer even in this simple little declaration, “Din, would you like me to shower in your room, so we can eat together before we meet up with Babeh?”

“Yeah, do you wanna?” He shrugged, hating the fact he couldn’t utter one complete sentence. He was pathetic. However, the idea she would use his shower made his face flush, not that it was a big deal since he had used her shower when he was staying at her place, but rather than having a whole house, they were going to be in a small room. 

She wondered if she should tease a little, but she wouldn’t do that to him, at least not right now, “That sounds like a plan” Amara fully turned to face him, stepping closer to him, she couldn’t hide the smirk or how adorable she thought he was. She took the initiative and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Din, if you wanna eat with me, you don’t have to be nervous. You’re pretty much guaranteed a yes. Pretty much anything you wanna ask me, might guarantee you a yes.”

He appreciated her thoughtfulness and the fact she took the first step, he wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer, “Thank you, cyar’ika” he pressed his helmeted forehead to hers, “I don’t know why the words just wouldn’t come out. I guess I’m still nervous that you might change your mind and realize you deserve better.”

“First, your welcome, secondly we each deserve each other. Let’s face it, who else would put up with us?”

“True”

“And finally, the reason you have trouble with your words, is because you find me so adorable you can’t speak” she giggled.

He let out a soft chuckle at her statement, “That’s probably somewhat accurate”

“Probably?”

“Yeah, probably”

She squeezed her arms around his neck, smirking, “Be glad you are as handsome as you are, otherwise I wouldn’t have let that go”

“You think I’m handsome?”

“You know I do”

“So that’s why you’re with me” he chuckled as he squeezed her waist, pulling her in closer.

“Darn it, you found out my secret” she giggled placing a kiss on his helmeted cheek, “However, you know why I’m with you, because you’re a good man, who’s kind, charming, adorable, loveable, an amazing fighter, and you’ve earned my respect. I’m with you, because you are an amazing man, Din Djarin.”

He let out a contented sigh, he loved hearing his name on her lips, the way she said it, made his heart flutter, “Thank you, mesh’la”

“For?”

Din shrugged, “For everything, just … thank you”

“You gonna show me to your room?”

He smirked as he pulled away from her, grabbing her hand and guiding her towards his quarters. He couldn’t wait till they were in his room, he’d be able to remove his helmet and give her a proper kiss and not just a keldabe one. 

- - - - - - - - - - - 

“I thought you would’ve headed back by now Krrsantan”

Krrsantan looked at Amara, noticing how completely different she looked from the last time he saw her a few weeks back, when she had just woken up from her coma. Her skin had been paler than usual, her movements and speech at that time were slower as well. However, the woman in front of him, sitting beside the silver Mandalorian was more the Amara he knew and recognized. He felt relief knowing she was getting better. 

“I ohrac rrooahwhrr aooo acworawa oohuao, rhhuao I rcwooawoahhowowa ra oaooscsc wwrcoosc aoacwo anworawaworc ooww scro hoahananrarrwo.” (I was going to but I received a comm from the leader of my clan.)

“Everything okay?”

“Whoo, whooao rcworaananro” (No, not really) He took in a deep breath, as he turned to look at Boba, “Waoo rooohu rcwoscwoscrhworc aoacwo Cufworcorra oaoorcakoorcraaoahoowh?” (Do you remember the Czerka Corporation?)

Boba’s hand clenched around his drink, they Zygerrians slavers were bad enough, but the Czerka Corporation was somehow ten times worse. Maybe it’s because they weren’t simply slavers, they were weapons manufacturers, arms dealers, strip-miners and provided cheap industrial labourers, basically if they could make money off of any venture, you could almost guarantee they couldn’t wait to their grubby hands on it. 

“What do those bastards want?”

“Owhwo ooww aoacwoahrc coaoohuaoahwhrr oarcwoohc anrawhwawowa oowh aoacwo oohuaorcworaoaacwoc ooww oohurc hoahananrarrwo” (One of their scouting crews landed on the outreaches of our village)

“They’re actually bold enough to come back to Kashyyyk? You think they’d learn from the last time they got kicked of Kashyyyk” Amara began to feel that familiar anger every time Czerka Corporation’s name was mentioned, if there was money to be made even from the scuzziest form of transaction they were behind it, in some way or form. 

“What do you mean back to Kashyyyk?” Din looked from the Wookiee to Ara, clearly everyone had some sort of experience with Czerka, he had been fortunate enough to avoid them completely. 

“A long time ago, during the era of the Old Republic they occupied Kashyyyk for a brief time, trying to enslave all the Wookiees” Fennec took a swig of her spotchka, “Not that it really made a difference, seeing as how the Empire just went in and started enslaving all the Wookiees anyway.”

“Mrawhro ohworcwo rcwocoahuwowa oorc wocoaraakwowa rawhwa wwoohuwhwa aoacwoahrc ohraro rhraoaor aooo huc “ (Many were rescued or escaped and found their way back to us)

“Do you think that could be why Czerka is back on Kashyyyk, to regain ‘their property’ now that the Empire is gone?” Boba’s eyes narrowed on his cup, Gods he hated slavers. 

“Iao’c ra akooccahrhahanahaoro” (It’s a possibility)

“You know the Zygerrians use trackers on their slaves, did you guys scan those that came back?” 

“Doowh’ao ohoorcrcro anahaoaoanwo Fwoaoao, wohoworcrooowhwo aoraorwoc aoacwo akrcooakworc akrcwooarahuaoahoowhc. Wacahoaac rhrcahwhrrc scwo aooo scro rcworqhuwocao” (Don’t worry little Fett, everyone takes the proper precautions. Which brings me to my request)

“Really you do requests?” Fennec smirked, “Thought you just demanded things”

Krrsantan simply growled as his eyes focused on the woman he had fought side-by-side, on more than one occasion. Fennec simply chuckled as she took another swig of her spotchka, “Relax, I’m kidding.”

“What’s your request?” Boba stepped in hoping to change the older Wookiee’s focus before the man he had fought and hunted beside for years decided to hurt his cyare. Although, those two always seemed to irritate one another, yet never actually come to blows. 

“Sahscakanwo, I whwowowa Ascrarcra rawhwa Dshrarcahwh’c acwoanak aooo cwowhwa ra scwoccrarrwo aooo aoacwocwo Cufworcorra coahusc” (Simple, I need Amara and Djarin’s help to send a message to these Czerka scum)

“What message?” Din asked, as much as he didn’t like the idea of Ara going back out, possibly being in danger, she needed to know she could handle herself in this situation. Plus, how dangerous could one scouting crew really be?

“Yoohu’rcwo whooao ohwoanoaooscwowa acworcwo” (You’re not welcomed here)

“No disrespect intended” Amara began holding up her hands in a placating gesture, “But wouldn’t your people be able to handle one scouting group?”

“Iao’c whooao rarhoohuao whooao rhwoahwhrr rarhanwo aooo acrawhwaanwo aoacwosc. Iao’c rarhoohuao cacooohahwhrr aoacwosc ohwo’rcwo whooao raanoowhwo.” (It’s not about not being able to handle them. It’s about showing them we’re not alone.)

“Where’s your village?”

“Wraohraraaoao Arcoaacahakwoanrarroo” (Wawaatt Archipelago)

Amara turned to look at Din’s visor, Wawaat Archipelago, that’s where Krrishor said they could find him, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach as she turned her attention back to Krrsantan, the last thing she wanted for Krrishor was to have to deal with more slavers, “Has anyone been taken from the village yet?”

Krrsantan shook his head ‘no’, “Ac wwrarc rac I orwhoooh, wohoworcrooowhwo ahc crawwwo rawhwa coohuwhwa, rhhuao aoacraao’anan oowhanro rhwo ra scraaoaoworc ooww aoahscwo rhwowwoorcwo aoacworo wawooaahwawo aooo ‘oahuanaoahhoraaowo’ aoacwo anoooaraan oaooscscoowaahaoro” (As far as I know, everyone is safe and sound, but that’ll only be a matter of time before they decide to ‘cultivate’ the local commodity)

“Gods I hate slavers” Fennec clenched her hand around her spotchka bottle. She always did her best to be selective with her assignments, which is why she preferred assassination over bounty hunting. Working with the Kaminoans however briefly was more than enough for her. 

“Feelings mutual Fenn.” Din offered in agreement, after seeing how even the remnant Empire treated Grogu as a piece of commodity, he couldn’t stand slavers or those who felt they had a right over someone else. Not that he had much patience for slavers or ‘owners’ before Grogu, “Alright so when do we leave?”

“Amara can head out now, but you’ll have to wait a week” Boba answered Djarin’s question, as he finished his drink, ignoring the quick shift of the helmet beside Mara.

“Why?” Din turned his visor to the man who he owed more than he ever thought possible. As much as he respected Boba, not just for taking him in, but also for raising such an amazing daughter, he couldn’t understand why he would be okay with sending Amara on her own. 

“You have a visitor coming in a few days, and you can’t avoid her”

Amara looked at Babeh, narrowing her eyes, “Don’t tell me that woman is coming here” she had heard from Fennec that Babeh and Bo had made some sort of deal, but to know that woman would actually step foot on Tatooine somehow made her infuriated. 

“Hence why it might be a good idea to not have you here” Boba smirked at his ad’ika, “I know how much you would love to meet her again, and it might be better if that meeting was delayed a little.”

“What, afraid I’ll take her down again?” Amara smirked thinking about the last time she met Bo-Katan and the subsequent argument that happened then, along with the physical altercation they had. 

“Let’s just avoid any unnecessary complications. After all, you are just back to fighting shape, let’s keep you fighting a little bit longer.”

“Fine” Amara grumbled as she sat back in her chair, her drink in her hand, she bit her bottom lip as she thought about Adi, “Adi’s going to come with me.” Everyone including Krrsantan focused their attention on Amara, she could tell what they were all thinking more than likely they all thought she was crazy but it was about time to get Adi out there, “Listen, Adi’s coming-of-age ceremony is just around the corner, he needs to handle a real world situation. After all he’s been training for the past seven years, like Krrsantan said, it’s just one scouting crew, something Adi and I can handle on our own.”

Boba looked at his daughter, she had something up her sleeve, was she going to give her son the armour of his father? It would make sense if she wanted to do just the two of them, “Will you be making a stop on the way to Kashyyyk?” 

Amara focused on Babeh’s eyes, she simply nodded, she didn’t have to explain more, after all this was her father who knew her well enough to know what was running through her mind.

“I’anan ohahanan rhwo acworawaahwhrr rhraoaor aooo Kracacrororoor whoooh, ohacwowh oarawh I wokakwooaao rooohu rawhwa Awaah aooo shooahwh scwo?” (I’ll will be heading back to Kashyyyk now, when can I expect you and Adi to join me?)

“We’ll follow you shortly, our detour will be brief so maybe a delay of one or two days, I doubt more than that”

Krrsantan simply nodded, as he stood chugging back the rest of drink, a dribble slipped down the corner of his mouth which he quickly wiped with the back of his hand, “Aanrcahrracao anahaoaoanwo oowhwo, I’anan cwowo rooohu ra wararo oorc aoohoo rawwaoworc I rarcrcahhowo.” (Alright little one, I’ll see you a day or two after I arrive.)

“I’ll have my comm on at all times, if something happens just let me know, and we’ll double time it towards Kashyyyk”

“Goooowa, cwowo rooohu coooowh. Boorhra, Fwowhwhwooa, aoahanan whwokao aoahscwo.” (Good, see you soon. Boba, Fennec, till next time.) 

Boba stood, stretching out his hand clapping the older wookiee’s hand, “Thank you for coming with us, for helping me exact a bit of vengeance.”

Krrsantan chuckled, “Awhroaoahscwo, Boorhra, raanaoacoohurrac rcwoscahwhwa scwo whooao aooo oaacwooh oowh Proorwoc whwokao aoahscwo, ahao rcworaananro anwowwao scro caoooscraoaac wwwowoanahwhrr rqhuworacro” (Anytime, Boba, although remind me not to chew on Pykes next time, it really left my stomach feeling queasy)

“That’s probably all the spices they were smoking” Din chuckled.

“Vworcro aorchuwo, cwowo rooohu oowh Kracacrororoor, Mrawhwa’raanoorc” (Very true, see you on Kashyyyk, Mand’alor)

- - - - - - - - - - - 

“Ama, are you serious? I get to go with you?”

“Yup, so pack up a few things, because we’ll have to make a stop before we get to Kashyyyk”

“Awesome! This is so lit!!” Adi ran into his room carrying Grogu, before he heard anything else.

 When Adi had found out about Amara and Din, he had been overjoyed. He even went so far as to say he didn’t care if they shared a bedroom, which of course made her uncomfortable to hear her son say such nonsense. He even asked who said what first, wanting to hear the complete story. Then when Din had headed to the Palace for a little bit he asked her privately if she was sure about taking this step with the Mand’alor, reassuring her she didn’t have to make any hasty decisions, he’d always have her back. She couldn’t help smirk at his retreating form, and realized how much he had grown, how proud she was of him and the man he had grown into.   

Din sat on the couch, chuckling at how quickly Adi rushed out of the room, his helmet was off and sitting beside him, Ara was on his other side, she leaned further into him now that Adi and Grogu were gone. He noticed her face looked a little hesitant, maybe she was second guessing her decision.

“You okay?” He asked as his arms wrapped around her.

She nodded, somewhat absentmindedly, “I’m fine, just wondering if I’m doing the right thing, bringing Adi along.”

“You are, this will be good for him, plus it’ll be good for you too” Din placed a kiss to the top of her head, as his arms pulled her in closer. 

“Explain to me how this would be good for me too?” 

She turned her head to look at him, Amara hadn’t realized how close his face was to hers, his brown eyes peered into her own with so much adoration and passion, she felt the air around them becoming weighed down with tension and anticipation, it almost made it difficult for her to breathe. Not to mention, Din’s scent was overwhelming her completely, his lips were close to hers as his breath fanned her face, she couldn’t help looking from his eyes to his lips and back again. 

“Because …” Din caressed her cheek, as he shifted a little aiming his body towards her more, “Eventually, you will need to let him go, he’ll eventually have his own life. Don’t forget, at his age you were already part of the rebel alliance. Having adventures of your own. I know you care for him, but eventually he’ll have to make a decision on his own, whether to stay or to leave.”

“True, and I know maybe I’m a bit protective of Adi, but he’s my son. Just like you’re protective of Grogu”

“Which is why I understand how difficult and beneficial this might be for you. Plus by the time Grogu is old enough to go out on his own, I’ll be long gone.”

Amara reached her hand up to cup Din’s cheek, offering a bit of comfort, she couldn’t imagine how nerve-wracking the thought of her son not growing at the same speed as herself would be, having to make sure someone she trusted would be the one to look after him once she was gone, it left her with a sense of uneasiness, “It’ll be okay Din, Grogu will have people who love him by his side, I have no doubt you’ll find the perfect person to look after him”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because you wouldn’t let it happen any other way, you love him too much”

“Maybe that’s something we can both discuss later” Din’s hand shifted from caressing her cheek, to her hair, pulling her closer to him, “Something a family can plan out” maybe he was going to far with his statement, but he wasn’t going to let her slip away again. This is where he belonged, by her side, with her, Adi and Grogu. 

“Hmmm, a definite possibility” Amara shifted her hand pulling him closer till her lips touched his, within seconds they were deepening their kiss. She pulled on his hair, as her fingers threaded through his curls, causing Din to pull her even closer to him. There was barely any space between the two as their kiss became more heated. 

“Din” Amara mumbled in between their kiss.

“Hmmm”

“We have to stop” she let out as Din nipped on her jaw on neck, “Adi … Grogu … come back”

Din reluctantly pulled away, resting his head on her shoulder, doing his best to calm down his racing heart. He could feel her fingers trailing over his scalp again and again, and as much as he wanted to continue, she was right the kids could come back and the last thing Grogu or Adi needed to see was him getting carried away with Amara, “When we’re done on Kashyyyk, you and I are going to spend some quality time together” he pulled his head back to look at her. Her lips swollen from their kiss, her hair a little tousled.

“Together as in the four of us?”

“Together as in you and me”

Amara smirked as her hand rested on his chest as he hovered over her slightly, “Why Din are you making untoward advances?”

“If I was making those advances, I’d pick you up right now, take you to your bedroom and lock the door” he smirked as he placed a kiss on her forehead, she shifted till her head rested on his shoulder and her legs draped over his.

“Maybe we can go somewhere - our own mini vacation?”

“I’d like that”

She trailed her finger over his cuirass, tracing his beskar heart, “Are you concerned about meeting Bo?”

“No”

“What if she asks you to go back to Mandalore?”

“What about it?”

“Din…”

He pulled back a little looking at her eyes, “Do you want me to go?” There was an uneasiness he felt when she called out his name like that, it’s was almost like she was telling him a million things with simply his name. 

“No … but, your people need you”

“You’re my people, you, Adi, Grogu, Boba, Fennec. You need me.”

“Din, we have to be practical”

“I just got you back … more than that, I finally have you. I’m not leaving you.”

“What about your people? They need a leader”

“Then someone else can take it up” 

Amara let out a breath, shifting off of Din, sitting further away from him, “Din come on, you can’t do that”

“Why not?”

“Why? Because you’re the Mand’alor, you are the one your people are waiting for. You know what it’s like to struggle, to live on the outskirts, to not be viewed as a Mandalorian. You know what it’s like not to have someone to count on. You’ll be able to understand your people better than most leaders, and because you understand that pain, you can be all those things for your people. They deserve a good man like you as their leader.”

“If it’s a decision between you and leading Mandalore, this is not a hard decision to make”

“How can you say that?”

“Because I love you” Din shifted closer to her, taking her hands in his gloved ones, “O’yare I want a life with you, I’ve been running from people and places for most of my life. By your side, I’m done running, I’m done hiding.”

She couldn’t hold back the smile that graced her face when she looked at Din, she squeezed his hand smirking, “I’m done hiding too. How about this, when the time comes for us to decide, we sit down all four of us and decide as … as a family where we go. Like you said Din, I just got you, I don’t want to give you up, I want a life with you, but not at the expense of other people’s well being.”

Din simply nodded, he looked a way for a bit before focusing on Ara’s eyes again, “We still have time before this becomes something we need to deal with; you go to Kashyyyk help Krrsantan, I’ll meet with Bo-Katan, and find you on Kashyyyk afterwards. Once we’re back, once we’ve had time for the two of us, then we’ll discuss what to do about Mandalore. After all, we still have one more puck to finish for Boba.”

Amara simply nodded, “Fine, but just don’t make any permanent decisions until after we’ve had a chance to discuss it. As a family. Deal?”

“Deal” Din smirked as he rested his forehead against hers, “Now if there was a way to solidify that deal between us” he chuckled.

Amara smirked as she placed her lips on his, deepening the kiss for a brief minute before pulling away, “Happy?”

He shifted his head back and forth with a smile on his lips, “For now”

“Okay Ama!” Adi came rushing back into the living room, Grogu strapped to his chest, a bag of his clothes, another of his weapons he had been accumulating and a tiny bag slung over his shoulders.

“That’s a lot of stuff” Din chuckled.

“Well I had to pack Grogu’s stuff too. He’s coming right?”

Din looked at O’yare and shrugged, she was doing her best to hide her laugh, as she bit the inside of her cheeks, “How about Din brings Grogu with him, since they’ll be joining later.”

“Oh. Okay. Sorry buddy” Adi looked at Grogu, who seemed saddened at hearing he was going to stay behind with Din. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll follow along in a few days after you guys get there, so it won’t be that long of a wait.” Din stood holding out his hand for Grogu, who leaped from Adi’s pouch to Din’s arms, “Guess you missed me, huh buddy?”

Grogu curled into Din’s neck, “Don’t worry, Adi” Din patted the older boy’s shoulder, “Everything will be okay, but I think your mom needed to spend some one-on-one time with you first.”

Adi looked from Din to his Ama, “Really?”

“Yeah,” Amara nodded to Din, as he headed out of the living room, “there’s something I need to tell you Adi about Ca’tra, come have a seat here.”

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[haladriel]

Thanks for the tag, @tairona-is-taken! I don't have a full ten fics to hand (let alone in Tolkien alone) but I'll post my little gaggle of five. Most of them are one or two chapters only because I previously couldn't plan a story for toffee (my new haladriel one represents Serious Progress).

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway 💜

1. Consciousness.

Voices... electronic, without ambience. 

The television is on. John is home.

It’s late. Sofa, beneath the soles of my feet… leather, smooth. Weather-worn. Mellow. Like John. (Scientia Somnis, or that time I tried to stream-of-consciousness Sherlock-bloody-Holmes. Originally Sherlocked @bakerstreetbe)

2. ‘Bolly?’

His voice was quiet, still holding a hint of the cocksure authority the guarded brace as a shield and which Gene wore over himself like his broad-shouldered coat. (Promised You A Miracle, @quattrohunt, waiting for Lazarus)

3. ‘DI Drake and I will investigate as soon as possible, sir.’

‘Ah yes! The two lovebirds. Are you honestly sure you can concentrate, Hunt? We can’t have the work being compromised, you know’.

Alex looked up from her paperwork, her expression startled, mildly offended, then quietly flirtatious. Gene coughed.

‘We make it work, sir’. (Drake and Hunt)

4. ‘Sherlock…!’

John’s yell echoes off the hard faces on the shards of concrete in his head. His broken, chisel-split head.

Rough pavement against his cheek. The distant cry of London’s sirens. The metallic squeak of a hospital trolley. 

‘Oh god, Sherlock…’

A builder’s radio plays a familiar song. One of his mother’s favourites. Tortoiseshell stretching horizontal in front of his eyes; a bunch of pink and yellow flowers resting on the front seat. 

An earsplitting crack thunders through a large pane of glass.

‘When are you gonna come down?’

He groans. Rubs his eyes and pushes himself up off the paved floor. 

‘When are you going to land…’ (The Yellow Brick Road, ambitious Life On Mars / Sherlock crossover fuelled by my serious 70s music obsession) And last but not least, for my fellow haladriels... 5. ‘What do you think of Donne, anyway?’

‘I admire how brazen he is. He doesn’t hide from the truths of the world.’ 

The boy nodded. ‘Like sex.’ 

‘And lust.’

‘Death.’ 

‘And power.’ She blew lightly across the foam. ‘All of those. Marlowe’s the same. Frankly, he beat Shakespeare for having the biggest balls. He was there first. And he and Donne weren’t as popular, so took more liberties.’ She paused. 'Although Marlowe's thematic panache probably got him killed.'  (The Sun Rising, my Mairon/Galadriel university AU. A few lines in as I've quoted the beginning beginning very recently.)

*Bonus!* From my first ever attempt at ficwriting, for Julie Bertagna's wonderful Exodus trilogy: 6. The fox pads towards her. 

It pauses, hesitant. ‘Mara?’ His husky voice, the same as ever, rings across the cyberspace between them. Mara’s heart leaps in her chest. ‘Yes,’ she whispers, ‘yes–’ She runs the last few paces to stand in front of him. His eyes are shining with a wild fire. Even in fox-form they are beautiful. 

‘Give me a second,’ he murmurs softly. A miniature tornado smothers the image of the cyberfox, which dissolves into a pixellated mass. After a few seconds the cyberswirl settles, the electronic matter rearranging into a well-known face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm ninety-nine percent sure I'm one of the last to join this bandwagon so won't tag any new folk, but please do feel free, anyone.

[feralandmoonstruck]

[for the OC interview Ask game]

Hey cal Hey cal hEY CAL.

1, 2, 6, 8, 16, 17, 18, 20, 24

(also! When was your first kiss with Mara?]

@bloodlessheirbyjacques

[sorry there's so many. this is for research. thank you in advance]

Thanks for all the questions @bloodlessheirbyjacques even though I know you're going to use them against me

"So, Calidaazr, let's begin, shall we? Who makes up your family? And how close to them are you?"

Cal shifts in his seat, tipping his head to one side. "Demons do not have 'family.' We simply are. Mara has taught me about the human concept of 'family,' and she seems to be the closest thing I have to one."

You scribble down the notes. "And who would you say is your best friend? Tell us about them."

"Again with this unnecessary need for 'attachment' that you humans seem to crave," he sighs, "Mara is, what I assume, the answer you're looking for. She has friends of her own, of course, but I have no desire to be around them for long."

You smile, "Humans crave attachment because we're pack animals. We need one another to survive."

Cal shakes his head. "This is something I do not think I will ever understand. Demons do not require this."

"But you are attached to Mara, aren't you?"

Cal's eyes narrow and he leans forward before speaking, "Mara fascinates me and teaches me things about the human world that I never would have bothered learning before. She is the only thing keeping me here. If that is what you consider attachment, then yes. I am attached to Mara."

"Let's move to the next question. What is the hardest thing you've ever had to do?"

"Accept that I would not be returning to the Void. I cannot fully return to the Void. Not unless I take Mara's soul. Any time I use my ability to teleport, I reenter the Void, and it is a risk every time. No demon has done this before."

Your eyes widen as you scribble this new information down. "Alright, what do you think had the biggest impact on you growing up?

Cal sighs again and closes his eyes. "Demons are not born. We do not 'grow up.' We simply are. We are given our jobs and we carry them out. If you're really asking "who had the biggest impact on me" your answer is the same as all the others. Mara."

"How would you describe your perfect day?"

"Mara and I would make brownies to share and more to take with us. She would make a flower crown for me because she knows that I like them. We would go somewhere outdoors. She has a place on the mountain she likes to visit. She pushed me off the ledge there, but I still enjoy being there with her. It makes her smile. We would watch the people, which is not fun or comfy, but she says it's nice. Sometimes we make up stories about them. She laughs when we do. Her smile is very comfy. We would eat the brownies we brought with us. When she is ready we would go home."

"That sounds like just doing things Mara wants."

"I am happy to see her happy. It feels nice to make her happy. It is all that I need." He shifts again, leaning back this time.

"Is there anything that makes you laugh, Cal?"

"You must be getting ..what did Mara call it, 'bored?' Is that right? with my answer. Mara has taught me to laugh, demons have no need for it, and it is more comfy than I expected it to be. I laugh about the stories she tells me from when we are apart. When she has to work," he says the word like it tastes bad, "or when she is out with friends."

"Don't worry, Cal, your answers aren't boring. This is about getting to know you better. What is the best way to cheer you up?"

"I enjoy hugs and brownies. They are both very comfy. Kissing is also comfy. Being around Mara makes me happy. She had me take a 'bath' once and washed my hair. That was surprisingly comfy. I have never experienced anything quite like it. I am not sure if those are things that 'cheer me up' but they are what I can say make me very happy."

"Those things all sound lovely. What do you consider to be your biggest pet peeve?"

"A what?" Cal tips his head again in confusion. "We do not have pets. Mara's 'landlord' does not allow them. Though I still do not understand why he can tell Mara what she is 'allowed' to have. That is fucked up, but she says they are the rules. I have offered to take his soul, but she will not let me."

You chuckle, "A pet peeve is something that annoys you. It's not an actual pet."

"Humans annoy me. Especially the ones that are on Mara's TV. She enjoys them and always wants me to watch them, but I will only stoop so low in this world. I have no interest in stooping low enough to enjoy that."

"Alright we're almost done. Just two questions left. What would you consider your main love language?"

"There is a language for love? Mara has never mentioned that."

"No, no," you give him a smile, "I mean how do you show your love, or how do you like to be shown love?"

"Oh. I enjoy it when Mara touches me. Her hugs are very comfy. That is why I stayed here. She was unafraid of me and gave me a brownie. And she asked for me to take her soul while she was hugging me. She wanted to be "yeeted like a pop can" which means to be thrown very hard, but she says 'yeeted' is funnier. I had never been given a hug. Another thing that demons have to use for. But it was not something that I wanted to give up. Hugs are more comfy than brownies, even though brownies are very comfy."

You smile and take down his answer. "Last question, when did you and Mara have your first kiss?"

A smile flickers across Cal's face. He raises one hand to brush along his bottom lip as though remembering it. "I had asked Mara what 'fuck' means. I know of lust demons and she confirmed that they fuck, or have sex. But she had also said that 'fuck' can be insults as well. I asked her if she would like to have sex. It sounded interesting and I wanted to experience it. Mara said she had sex many times before we met. She also did not know that demons have some control of their appearance, but I am the only demon she has met. She kissed me, and it was very comfy. We kissed many times. And we had sex. She said that I was very sensitive, and I must have been. It was overwhelming, but it a nice way. She made sure I talked to her to tell her if I became uncomfy or if things became too much. It was very nice. Nicer than brownies even.

[voiceless-terror]

In which Martin and Gerry help Jon acquire a cat, among other things. 

“Martin, look!”

A phone is shoved in his face; on the screen is a tiny black kitten sprawled on a carpet with the headline “Free to a Good Home!!” Martin knows where this is going.

“Finally time to bite the bullet, eh?”

“We could surprise him!” Gerry’s voice is animated as he waves his phone in the air. Martin loves when he gets like this, unguarded and sweet. “You know how stressed he’s been. Honestly, I’m shocked we haven’t gotten one already.”

“Well, he’s certainly been hinting at it.” Martin gestures broadly at the walls of the bookstore, decorated with various cozy knick knacks and art they’ve picked up at charity shops. There’s no less than three oddly majestic cat paintings along with a shelf of tiny porcelain felines, not to mention the gaudy clock that has cat breeds instead of numbers. Jon has...particular taste. “Not very subtle, is he?”

“Should I message them, then?” Gerry squints at the screen. “We met them at trivia a few months ago - Mara, the one with the-���

“Green hair, yeah.” Martin remembers the night rather fondly. Gerry usually spent most trivia nights scowling in the corner and making snarky commentary with Jon, but on that particular occasion he had a few drinks and was considerably more relaxed. He managed to charm half of the bar with his stories and wit while Jon stared on, adoration clear on his face.  “But you know Jon would kill us if we didn’t let him have a say. You know how he gets, he needs to prepare-”

“-buy ninety toys-”

“-think up a ridiculous name.” They both laugh at that- Jon’s got a penchant for renaming their friend’s pets when he doesn’t think their moniker “suits them.” He’s gotten into more than one fight about it. “Text him so he doesn’t stay late, though. I’m not staying up until midnight again.”

“On it.”

_______

They hear Jon before they see him. 

The door creaks open, alerting them to his presence as Jon lets out his usual long-suffering sigh (Gerry fondly calls this mood ‘The Bouchard Blues.’) His clothes are wrinkled and his eyes are barely open; from the slight indent on his face, Martin reckons he fell asleep at his desk again. Gerry meets him at the door, grabbing his bag and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Rough day, love?”

Another sigh, this one a bit more huffy. “Elias came in at half past four with a box of ninety random documents and wanted them all organized by tomorrow. Impossible, of course, unless I stay the night-”

“But you came home!” Gerry says it with a sort of wonder in his voice; Jon very rarely stands up to his boss, no matter how ridiculous the ask. 

“W-Well, you said it was important,” Jon looks between them with large, worried eyes. Always assuming the worst. “It’s nothing bad, is it?”

“Jon, I thought the twelve reassuring texts and afternoon phone call put that to rest,” Gerry replies as he steers them towards the couch. “Suppose I should’ve just told you. I wanted it to be a surprise.” He unlocks his phone and scrolls until he finds the ad, handing it over to Jon.

His eyes immediately light up, alert and awake. “Cat!”

“Cat,” Martin agrees, settling down beside them. “We were thinking of getting one for the bookstore-”

“Of course,” Jon’s smiling that rare, bright grin and Martin melts just a little. “It’s only logical. And I do like black cats-”

“Damn it!” Gerry groans, startling them both. He throws his phone down on the couch, crossing his arms in a sulk. “Someone just claimed her. I knew I should’ve said something-”

But Jon’s already fishing his phone out, his smile not dimming in the slightest. “There’s a shelter not too far from here- I’ll see if we have to make an appointment. Martin, can you call Georgie? She’s got an excellent carrier for the Admiral, and she can probably recommend other necessities-”

They end up going to bed at midnight anyway.

________

“I still don’t see why we had to order so much,” Martin complains after another confirmation email lights up his phone. The credit card bill’s going to be astronomical this month. “Surely we’re overpreparing. We don’t have room for the deluxe cat tower in the shop, and we certainly don’t need one for the flat as well.”

“I assure you these are all necessities, Martin.” Gerry and Martin are both fairly tall, but even they have trouble keeping up with Jon’s brisk pace, sharing a fond look over his head. Jon managed to find them a Saturday appointment with a rather impressive combination of wheedling and charm. When it came to cats, Jon didn’t pull his punches. They made it to the shelter in record time and Jon burst through the doors, his next words full of self-importance. “We’re expected. Jonathan Sims.”

They’re led back to a large room by an amused assistant, Jon at the front of their little line. Martin watches as his eyes light up upon seeing the many cages that lined the wall; even Gerry seems a bit excited, though he tries to hide it by hanging back. Gerry’s never been much of an animal person; he shares Jon’s distaste of loud and jumpy dogs too unpredictable in their behavior. He only just started getting used to the Admiral, and that was through much prodding on Jon’s part. Jon’s love is surprisingly infectious. 

Jon peers into each cage intently, answering every inquisitive noise with a prim “Pleased to meet you.” One of the first cages contains a fluffy brown cat with curious eyes and Martin stops to poke a finger through the door. “Walnut” (as provided by a helpful nameplate) does not respond, though she seems interested. 

Jon’s already halfway down the row before he stops in his tracks, eyes trained on a large, grumpy ball of gray fur sitting right at the bars of the cage. He’s missing an eye, and he begins to growl as soon as Jon nears him.

“This one.” He declares, staring as if entranced. He hasn’t even touched it or attempted to pet it- they’re locked in some sort of silent standoff. Martin’s reminded of those romantic comedies Jon and Gerry hate, where couples lock eyes across the room and it's love at first sight. He surreptitiously takes a picture. Adorable. 

“Jimmy?” The assistant inquires. Jon scoffs at the plainness of the name. “He’s been here awhile. Not very friendly, I’m afraid.”

“No, not Jimmy.” Jon offers up a hand, and the cat comes closer, sniffing at it with suspicion. After a few moments, he butts his head against Jon’s hand, earning a smile. “Lance Corporal.”

“No.”

Jon swivels around, eyes narrowing at Gerry’s words. It’s the first time he’s spoken and he’s got one eyebrow quirked up in amusement. It’s a good look on him. Jon, however, is having none of it and he puts a hand to his hip. “And why not?”

“It’s such a mouthful.” Martin has to agree; it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. “I’m not going to call him that. What about Lance?”

Jon wrinkles his nose. “Ew.”

Martin sighs; Gerry and Jon get along like a house on fire but when they bicker, they bicker. He eyes the cat that’s now rubbing against Jon’s hand and purring; he hopes the its sudden geniality will extend to Martin and Gerry. Jon would pick a cat that’s just as prickly as he can be.

Martin gives it a good look, coming up beside Jon at ‘Jimmy’s’ cage. The cat immediately stops its gravely purr, it’s eye now trained on Martin. It’s unnerving, Martin never thought a cat could radiate authority but this one surely managed to. If any animal deserves a title, it’s this one.  “What about the Captain?” he asks in a fit of inspiration.

They both turn to look at him; Gerry amused, Jon thoughtful. “Go on.”

“It’s a title, you always liked the naval ones.” Jon nods in agreement, the beginnings of a smile on his face. “He looks like an old sailor, very distinguished. I dunno, I think it’s cute.”

“The Captain,” Jon whispers in awe as the cat resumes rubbing against his hand. “Martin, that’s perfect. Inspired, even.”

He can’t help preening a bit. “Thank you.” Gerry rolls his eyes.

And then there’s the moment of truth- the assistant opens the cage door and Jon steps forward with all the solemnity of a man about to be knighted. He reaches out his arms and the cat lets itself be picked up, going limp as Jon brings it to his chest. He sighs in contentment, giving himself one more moment of bliss before he perks up and opens his eyes.

“Now pick yours.”

_________

Three. They’ve got three fucking cats.

Martin and Gerry immediately began to refuse, but Jon was insistent. “The Captain is obviously very partial to me, and I think you should have some say in who we adopt. If we each get one it eliminates any favoritism. It’s only logical.”

There was nothing logical about it. Three cats and three people in their tiny flat, or worse, destroying their bookstore. They didn’t have the space, the cats might not get along, it would be too expensive. But Jon wouldn’t hear of it, countering every point in a calmness that was borderline unnerving. Martin shot Gerry a pleading look; he’d gone silent after the initial refusal, content to let Martin do most of the arguing, but he just shook his head in amusement- he knew how this would end, and Martin did too. As the final nail in the coffin, Jon deployed the eyes and that’s how he found himself in the front of a taxi with a lapful of Walnut. She’s a friendly thing, instantly purring on contact and meowing whenever he turned away. Martin hadn’t the heart to turn it away.

Gerry took more time. He slunk around the cages and the cats seemed to sense his reluctance. But soon he came upon a small, sleek black cat, not unlike the one from the Facebook post. It was a tentative thing, barely coming to the edge of its cage to sniff at his fingers, but Gerry was determined, patiently waiting the fifteen minutes it took to get him to warm up. Martin didn’t point out the similarities between it and a certain goth, though he shared a knowing look with Jon.

“I’ve got it - the Unfathomable Void.”

“Dear God,” Martin muttered, rolling his eyes. So dramatic, the both of them.

Jon snorted. “That’s a bit much.”

“Okay, Lance Corporal.”

“Excuse me-!”

“Settle down, boys,” Martin put a hand on Jon’s shoulder, he looked liable to pounce. “If that’s what you want, go for it. But we’ll call him Void for short.” Gerry nodded, seemingly satisfied. Jon continued to scowl, though without any heat.

The cabbie was definitely not pleased at having to cart around three men and three cats. He muttered the entire drive while Jon bounced in the backseat, cooing at his companion. Gerry sat much more stoically, though Martin didn’t miss the tiny smile as the cat nipped at his fingers. Jon’s insistence on multiple supplies was starting to make sense now. He definitely planned this from the beginning, sneaky thing.

“Oh no,” Jon suddenly said upon entering their flat, struggling with the carrier in his hand.  Martin’s starting to think he shouldn’t have picked such a massive cat. “I forgot this was for the bookstore!” 

“Well, yeah.” Gerry sat his cage on the ground, kneeling down beside it. “I figured mine or Martin’s would do. The Captain’s not very friendly, Jon.”

“But what if they get lonely? We can’t split them up.” Jon’s eyes dart around the room, growing more conflicted by the second. “Perhaps we should keep them all at home.”

“There’s no room, Jon! And no one’s here during the day.” Martin surveys the room- the three carriers already seem to take up an enormous amount of space, not to mention the living creatures inside of them.  And all of those packages, that damn tower…

“You can take them back and forth. Commute.”

“Christ, we did not think this through.” Gerry’s smiling even as he says it, watching as the Unfathomable Void slowly makes his way out, sniffing tentatively at the air. Walnut’s content to stay in her cage, and Martin tucks her in a corner away from the other two. Jon’s already got the Captain out, holding him in his arms and refusing to let him go.

“You’re right, we didn’t.” Jon agrees, tucking his face in the Captain’s fur. “We should’ve gotten four-”

“Fuck’s sake, Jon!”

“Let’s talk about this later, alright?” Gerry takes Martin’s place as the voice of reason, a rare occurrence. “We’ll keep them at home, let them get used to us, and then we’ll figure out the bookstore situation. No sense getting worked up about it now.” Jon sighs, cradling the mass of fur to his chest and plopping down on the couch. Martin’s sure they’ll be at it again tomorrow; Jon sniping as Martin tries and fails to put together a massive cat tower, Gerry groaning about whatever surprises the cats left for them in the morning. The next few weeks were going to be stressful, to say the least.

For now, though, he sits with his partners once again until midnight, watching their new additions roam about the flat and ignore each other. Jon frets, Gerry sighs, and Martin unsuccessfully attempts to steer the conversation towards anything but cats. By the end of the night, only Void manages to feel at home, curling up in Martin’s favorite armchair (much to his chagrin). Could’ve gone worse, Martin cheers himself with. They’ll get used to the flat. And the bookstore. Probably.

Later that night, once their partner’s asleep and snoring softly between the two of them, Martin turns to Gerry, borrowing Jon’s patented sigh. 

“We’re gonna get a fourth cat, aren’t we?”

Gerry’s voice is just as resigned. “Yeah, reckon so.”

“Christ.”

-------

Others in the JGM series:

What We’re Given and What We Make

At the End of the Day

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28945809

[aftgficrec]

Thank you so much! This blog has left me with hours and hours of reading and tears and nearly being caught in morning traffic because I stayed up too late reading one of your recommendations.

Do you have any stories where Renee’s or Nicky’s mask falls apart?

They have both had traumatic pasts and Nicky’s struggled with suicide and depression while Renee’s had her own fair share of violence and, while she’s trying to be a better person now, there’s no way she can be perfect all the time. Any days where Nicky or Renee just fall apart? Preferable Canon-compliant but either way.

Thank you again! Have a wonderful day and I beg you—drink water.

I found two that kind of fit for Renee. Unfortunately we don’t have anything new for Nicky, but here are some where he breaks down and more hard times for him in previous recs. - A

also see:

nicky & depression here

angst w/comfort for andreil and nerik here

bad days andreil & nerik here

Renee 

Nightmares by eyes_like_a_miracle [Rated G, 1660 Words, Complete, 2017]

Most people mistook Renee for a perfect person. Allison knew better.

Call Me Mara by frog2522 [Rated M, 8826 Words, Incomplete, Updated Feb 2021]

"Call me Mara, for the almighty has dealt with me bitterly" ...

Natalie Shields was arrested for drug use and possession at the age of fifteen and relocated into a foster home under the eye of the law. Between withdrawal treatment, fear of her past, and grief, Natalie is thrown into a life she had not planned.

This fic did already exist however I hated how I wrote it so am trying again this time with better planning and editing. Like before please read content warnings for each chapter.

tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: drug addiction, tw: ptsd

Nicky

This is After by AgapantoBlu [Rated T, 3109 Words, Complete, 2018]

It’s a summer trip, when it happens. In hindsight, it’s probably not the first time, but in all the years they’ve known each others, it’s an absolute first for the Foxes to witness.

tw: flashbacks, tw: panic attacks, tw: dissociation, tw: referenced conversion therapy, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: implied/referenced torture

All we need is somebody to lean on by AgapantoBlu [Rated T, 33196 words, complete 2018]

“Stuff came up,” he said, in a voice that let no doubts about how much goodness could be in such stuff. None. “It involves my parents and a courtroom.”

Nicky didn’t react while saying those words, but Matt flinched enough for both of them. Once more, he didn’t know the details, but he knew, just like all the other Foxes, that Luther and Maria Hemmick figured in the register of campus security as “unwanted: forbidden entry”.

tw: homophobia, tw: depression, tw: suicidal thoughts, tw: implied/referenced drug addiction, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: alcohol

prayers by MadHatterNO7 [Rated M, 15425 words, Complete 2017]

To put it simply, it's like this.

Nicky doesn't want Erik to fix him. Erik doesn't think Nicky is broken.

tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: suicidal thoughts, tw: panic attacks, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: eating disorders

innocence died screaming by loud_as_lions [Rated M, 3800 words, Incomplete, Updated February 2021]

Basically, the conversion camp Nicky went to is being investigated for unlawful therapy tactics and it forces him to finally deal with the trauma he went through there.

There is a lot of soft, family and friend bonding BUT there is also going to be a lot of talk of religion and trauma and conversion therapy and some really dark stuff. I'm begging you, read the tags and chapter warnings and please, please, do not read this if it might trigger you.

tw: conversion therapy, tw: depression, tw: suicidal thoughts, tw: religious abuse, tw: homophobia, tw: internalized homophobia

[witchofinterest]

It’s my birthday! well, i’m making this post in advance, but i’m gonna post it on my birthday! i haven’t liked my birthday in years, but i love you all, so let’s talk about it!!! okays, it’s today! god, i love you all so much, and you’ve all given me a real sense of belonging and i wanna say thank you again! and if i somehow missed you, know i love you too, i just have a bad memory.

@foxesandmagic hey birthday twin!! yiu have lovely and you are so so nice i love any chance to converse with you!

@twinmasks you were the first person i was really friends with on here, and a big part of me feeling welcome in the community and i think you should know that! also, you are just so cool and talented, and i am always in awe of everything you say and make!

@nolanhollogay water sign besties! i adore you, it feels like we’ve been friends for 20 years allready! i hope we are friends for a lot longer, also you are one of the best people i know, and i want you to know that!!!!

@luucypevensie grace you are the sweetest girl ever!!!!!! ever!!!! you are sunshine in human form!! i love you so much!!! 💛💛💛

@whindsor hey nich!!!! i love you so much, you’re an excellent and amazing friend, and i adore you beyond words!!! god, i love you so much and i am so so proud of you, from your consistent updates to finishing your story!!!!! you put so much into life, and yiu deserve nothing but the best back!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@kazinejghafa keke my beloved!!!! you are like, a real life disney princess! i mean, birds should follow you around if they allready don’t! i love you! you always make me feel like: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💛💚❤️💛💙💛❤️🧡💛💚💚🧡🧡🧡🧡❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

@ocfairygodmother you absolutely live up to your name! you are the backbone of this community and i couldn’t be more grateful to have you as a friend!!!

@anotherunreadblog you are the mutual!!! you are so nice, sweet, cool, talented, cultured, and i could keep going on forever! love you!! 💙

@darknightfrombeyond you are the cool, slightly intimidating because their so good, mutual!!! you are also one of my sweetest mutuals, with the coolest updates! you’ve got it all! love you! ^ _ ^

@water-writings hey mel!!!!! you are so sweet and supportive to everyone and your are so talented too and i love you!! and i am so happy your at a better job now!!!!! 💙

@elenapetrova hey tessa!!! god, we’ve been friends for so long now! this is the second birthday i’ve been your friend and i hope many more to come!!! you are so strong and so good and so so amazing!!! i love you a lot and i hope you know that!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@taylorswiftrulestheworld heather! we just started talking, but your really sweet and talented and i had to include you!!

@perhapspearl pearl!! hello friend!!! i love whenever you rb things, and wow your writing is so good, regardless of whether it’s for your wonderful ocs or canon! and you have a gift for gifs too!! you are wonderful and talented!!

@richitozier hey mara!!!! you are so cool and you have such good taste in like, everything, and you are so fun to interact with!!!! love you!! ❤️

@lizziesxltzmxn hey Ali!!!!! you are a beloved mutual and i love talking to you and i love when you update about the things your watching/reading/etc, bc i always love to hear your thoughts on things!!!!

@starcrossedjedis hey sara!!!!!!! you are one of my favorite people ever, and even if your going through a rough time right now, your still the best, and ill always believe in you! love you a lot!!

@aceyanaheim hey acey!!!! you have the coolest ideas and i am so excited whenever i see you in my notifications and on my dash!!!! i love you!!!

@wokenhardies hey Siobhan!!! taking with you is a treasure!!!!! in fact, your a treasure!!!! i love you a lot!!!

@squirrelstone Squirrel!!! my cherished friend!!! i love you and all of your creations so so much!!!!!!! also, you are just the best!!!!!! this site wouldn’t be the same without you in it and i am so glad your here!!!

@alghulnyssa hello Flop! you probably didn’t know many others on this list, but we’re buddies and i wanted to put you here! you have the best taste in so many things! and the prettiest edits!!! your last nyssa one lives rent free in my head! and you are part of the reason i made this blog! also, i am gonna to try to be on instagram more, im sorry.

@randomestfandoms-ocs hey maddie!!! ah, you are such a good friend and i love you so much!!!!!!!!!!! you are the sweetest and super talented!!! ❤️❤️💖💖💖💜💜💜💜💜

@iron-parkr hey Rory!!!!! i am super proud of you and how you handle all your responsibilities!!! all of your stories you have out are so good and i love them all! and even more, i love you!!!!

@myoc-eansmind hey sof!!!!!!!! we haven’t been friends for too long, but you are such a good one and i love you!!!! also, you are just the sweetest!

@nightwingshero hey jodeci!!!!! your writing is so so good!!!! and i love your ocs, they have such cool and unique storylines!!! also, you are so nice and cool!!!!!!! :)

@ceruleanmusings mack!!!!! hello friend!!!!! i swear, reading anything you write is an absolute privilege i’m glad you allow!!! also, talking to yiu is always a highlight of my day!!! 💙💙💙

@raging-violets hey Ri!! Hey Rhu!!! god i love you both so so much!!!!!! from bonding over to shared interests to learning about things like narnia! being your friend is so so good!!! riley i admire your confidence in life! rhuben i admire your ability to never give up! and i love both of you so much!!!

@ben-bcrnes hey becca!!! you are so passionate about so many things and i love seeing you on my dash!!! ❤️❤️❤️

@stanshollaand hey!!! your blog and your ocs are so so cool, and even there only half as cool as you are!!! i hope to interact more in the future bc your awesome!!!

@cecesxwickedxocs hey cece!!! you are one of the most creative people i know!!!!!!! also, i love hearing about how your days going and your interests!!!

@fiercefray rachel my beloved!!!! i love you so so much!!!!!! you always come up with the coolest stuff for your ocs, and you have so many awesome interests!!!! and behind that, i just really love you a lot!!!!

@inkoutsidethelines ink!!!! hey buddy!!!!!!!!!!! you are so so amazing!!!! i love learning about you and your ocs and i hope to more!!!!

@padmeisqueen aaron!!!!!! we don’t talk a lot and i hope to change that, but from what i know you are super sweet and nice and make the prettiest aesthetics!!!!!

@the-october-reviewer hey ash!!! it’s been a minute, but if course you’d be on this post!!!! we’ve been friends for about 2 years now, if i’ve done my math correctly, and it’s been amazing!!!!! i love you so much, and i always love hearing about what’s caught your eye!

@pock-galliard sairaid!!! you are so cool and i love seeing all your posts on my dash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@codenamekryptonite V!!!!! hey, love. it’s been a minute since we’ve talked, but i love you so so much, so i had to our you in this post!!!!!! you are such a good person and i love you and your ideas so so much!!!!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

@superspookyjanelle hey janelle!!! you put out so much quality content and i admire you so much for it!!!!

@ofbadcharacters hey gabbie!! idk if you still check your blog, but i love and miss you, and you made me feel so welcome last year, i had to include you in this post!! you are such a good friend and i really miss you! love you! ❤️

@phoebestarks hey phia!!!!!! you have the best, super intricate plots and i am constantly in awe!!!! also, you are so nice to converse with!!!

@whctsherncme-archive hey madi! you de-activated, bir i love you and you belong on this list!!!! you were such a good friend with the best ideas and i miss talking to you, and you, so much!

@mystic-scripture gwen!!!! it’s been a minute since we’ve talked, but we’re friends!!!!! i love you and your ocs so much! you always knock it out of the park from the mcgrath clan to alex!!!!! your so good!!!!

@avengiers hey ari!!!!!!!! you are so so cool, and everything you make is so so pretty, and i just wanted to tell you that!

@shanaoharas hey dylan! you stopped using this account, but i wanted to include this bc we were good friends! and i have been meaning to catch up on your excellent stories! love you a lot!!!!

@cassercole hey lizzie, you are no longer with us, but i didn’t manage to make this post when you were like i meant to, so I wanted to add you. you were the first oc creator i followed (first account, actually) and you always made me so welcome in everything! you introduced me to so many things i love and i really miss you.

[nostalgiabones]

Finding Out // C.H

So, this is the first blurb in my new ‘second baby’ series! Following on from the responses I got in this poll, I decided to do this as a series of blurbs rather than one big fic. Thank you to everyone for sharing your thoughts! I don’t have a solid plan for this series yet so there’s still plenty of time if you want to have any input. I’m basically going to do a pregnancy and baby series! As always, feedback is appreciated so please let me know what you think💕

Word count: 3.3k 

Warnings: pregnancy & sickness (nothing graphic!) 

“Baby…”

Calum’s gentle touch on your arm rouses you from sleep, his fingertips lightly running up and down your wrist. Your eyes flutter in response, eyebrows furrowing in confusion when you take in your surroundings. You’re in bed, in the middle of the afternoon, tucked up under the duvet with Mara asleep in your arms. Calum is perched on the edge of the bed, wanting to make sure you’re feeling okay after falling asleep for a few hours with Mara.

It wasn’t often you fell asleep with Mara during her nap. Additionally, Mara didn’t usually nap in your bed; she’d be in her own bed, in her own room, down the hall. Yet today, she had wanted just one story to settle her, and with your own eyes ladened with tiredness, you decided to read to her in your bed. The plan was to move her when she fell asleep, yet it seems as though you didn’t make it that far. It was becoming less often that Mara would nap, now that she’s almost four; only sleeping during the day when she had been unsettled the night before. 

“What time is it?” You murmur, careful not to move and jostle Mara – even though it’s time she wakes up too. Mara stretches, pushing her hands against your arm as she wriggles before settling again. “I didn’t even mean to fall asleep.”

Calum chuckles at your confusion, taking your hand in his own and pressing a kiss to your knuckles.

“It’s nearly 4,” He replies, his free hand brushing Mara’s curls away from her face. She leans into his touch, a sigh slipping from her lips as she snoozes. “I thought it was about time Mara woke up. We’re in for some fun later if she sleeps any longer.”

You nod in agreement, knowing she had already slept too much. You move the arm that’s wrapped around her, rubbing your fingertips up and down her back to wake her. She yawns and rubs her eyes, realising that she’s still snug up against you, and that she slept in your bed. “Hi mama,”

You smile at her words, her voice heavy with sleep. She sits up and notices Calum is there too; holding her hands out for him so he’ll take her. He lifts her up, standing up from the bed and sitting her on his hip as she wakes up a little more. It melts Calum’s heart to see you nap together – reminiscent of the days where the two of you had no responsibilities, where you used to spend whole afternoons asleep together, sometimes waking up when the sun had gone down. It makes him realise how different things are now. “Hi, little moon. Someone had a good snooze with mum, huh? Is your tummy ready for some dinner?”

He chats to her absentmindedly as he takes her downstairs, giving you a few moments alone to come round from your unexpected nap. Sitting up, you notice how your body aches with fatigue, your lower back twinging as you stretch. Thinking nothing of it, you re-make the bed, before joining Calum and Mara in the kitchen.

The familiar scent of Mara’s favourite pasta flooded your senses; one that you’d usually enjoy too, yet it makes your stomach turn as you enter the kitchen.  Calum notices the scrunching of your nose as it hits you, wondering what caused it.

“You okay?” He murmurs, his hands resting on your hips as you stand in the cradle of his hips. You nod, taking quiet deep breaths through your nose to stop the sick feeling creeping up your throat. Mara was unsuspecting, the sight of you and Calum close in the kitchen not unfamiliar to her. “What is it?”

“I think it’s the food,” You reply, that being the only thing you can think of that’s making you feel queasy. Calum’s warm palms rub up and down your back as your hands rest on his chest. “I’m okay, though. I might just be coming down with something.”

“Mmm,” Calum replies, raising an eyebrow in suspicion of you. The fatigue and sickness are all signs that he’s seen before; specifically, four years ago. “We’ll have to keep an eye on you.”

“I finished,” Mara calls out, your attention diverted from Calum to your sweet daughter sitting in her chair at the end of the table. The plate in front of her is clear and Calum has already covered the rest, saving it so she can have it for lunch tomorrow. You’re grateful that it’s no longer in the room, not wanting to get sick in front of Mara. “Can I go play?”

You nod, helping her down from the table, accepting the sweet hug as she wraps her arms around your legs. “You have an hour until bath time, okay? I’ll come play with you soon.” 

“Okay.” She responds, running off to the lounge where most of her toys end up throughout the day. Calum’s eyes follow you as you clear up after her; you feel him watching you, like he knows something is going on.

“Stop looking at me like that,” You tell him, without even looking at him. You know the look he’s giving you. It’s a knowing one. He knows the thought has crossed your mind too. “I’m fine.”

He chuckles, taking Mara’s plate out of your hands so he can take over cleaning up. He brushes a kiss to your pouty lips, before setting the dishes down in the sink. “Go see Mara,” he murmurs, followed by another kiss. “We’ll talk about it later.” 

***

“Is mumma okay?”

Mara’s question takes Calum by surprise as he brushes through her unruly curls, following her bath. Her cheeks are rosy from the heat of the bath and the warmth of her pyjamas, perched on the edge of her bed as he gets her ready to go to sleep.

Calum tends to forget how old Mara is – how she’s not a baby anymore, and how she’s much more intuitive than he realises. She knows when something is different – always a curious child, much like he was, always asking questions when she thought something wasn’t right. He didn’t want her to worry though. He’s almost sure of what’s going on – that you’re not sick, and he doesn’t want Mara to lose sleep over it.

“Why do you ask, baby?” He replies, although he already thinks he knows the answer. Bath and bedtime is usually a joint effort; yet tonight Calum has sent you to relax early. He knows you won’t unless he forces you to, and he doesn’t want you to overwork yourself, especially if his suspicions are correct. Mara notices your absence though.

“She said her tummy felt funny earlier,” Mara informs him, looking down at her hands as she talks. Calum hums in acknowledgement, setting the hair brush down on the side of her bed as he gets her attention. Gently tiling her chin to look at him, he notices her big brown eyes are filled with worry, and it makes his heart ache.

“Listen to me, sweetheart,” He murmurs, settling her in his lap so he can reassure her. “No worrying, okay? She’s fine, I promise. I’m sure she’ll be in to say goodnight any moment now.”

Mara nods, trusting of him – he knows he hasn’t settled her completely, yet he hopes that once you say goodnight, she’ll feel better. He feels bad telling her that you’re fine when Mara has heard otherwise, yet he doesn’t know how else to explain why he thinks you’re sick. Not until he’s sure, anyway. “Are you ready to get into bed?”

He’s cut off by you joining them in her bedroom; the night light illuminating the room in a soft glow. She hadn’t quite overcome her fear of the dark; still needing the golden light from the lamp to reassure her that there was nothing lingering in the shadows. Mara’s eyes light up at the sight.

“There’s my sweet girl,” You greet her, kneeling next to where she’s getting into bed. “Are you ready for some sleep? Mumma is ready to go to sleep too.” 

It’s something you say to her most nights, that you’re going to bed, so she doesn’t feel as though she’s missing out on any fun with you and Calum. Yet tonight it makes her more anxious, that you’re going to bed because there’s something wrong. 

“Does your tummy still feel funny?” She asks, tucking her bottom lip between a teeth -- a sign of her nerves. Her sweetness makes you smile yet you can’t help but feel bad that she’s worried. You help to tuck her under the duvet, pulling it up around her shoulders so she’s snug in the bed. 

“No baby, I feel better now.” You reassure her, though not completely true. It’s not something you want her to worry about either. Mara seems satisfied with your answer, shuffling down in her bed so her head is on the pillow. You rub your pointer finger over her cheek, watching as her eyes grow heavier and flutter as she looks at you. “Have sweet dreams, okay? We’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Love you, mama,” She murmurs sleepily, snuggling into the bed as you kiss her cheek. Calum follows, brushing her curls out of her face and giving her a goodnight kiss.

“Love you, baby. You know where we are if you need us, okay? Duke is here too,” Calum assures her, gesturing to the sleeping dog curled up on the foot of her bed. It’s where he slept most nights, wanting to be near Mara -- sometimes ending up under the duvet next to her. “Sleep tight.” 

You leave the room and pull the door to so she can sleep, knowing you and Calum have an interesting night ahead. 

“So,” Calum begins, leading you to your bedroom, where you had previously been curled up watching Netflix. You sigh as you sit on the edge of the bed, looking down at your slippers to avoid his gaze. He knows where Mara got that habit from. “You’re thinking the same thing as me, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” You feign seriousness, taking a deep breath before looking up at him, a knowing smirk on your lips. “But when I napped earlier, the smell of your cologne on the pillow nearly made me throw up.” 

Calum raises his eyebrows -- another occasion reminding him of this time four years ago. He’ll never forget the time he came home from the studio and wrapped you in a hug, your face buried in his neck, but only for a second before you nearly threw up all over his shoes. He’d had to use something other than his favourite Calvin Klein fragrance for the remainder of your pregnancy, and he feels as though he’s about to have to do the same thing again.

“Do you still have those spare tests in the bathroom?” 

Your mind wanders to the stash of spare pregnancy tests in the bottom drawer of the bathroom cabinet, kept there always ‘just in case.’ It turns out to be pretty handy that you have them now. You nod, but make no effort to move from the bed in order to take one, and Calum wants to know what’s on your mind.

“Talk to me, honey,” Calum prompts you, sitting down next to you, his arm around your waist. You sigh and rest your head on his shoulder, trying to avoid his cologne once more in the worry of it turning your stomach. You sit for a moment, trying to work out what you’re feeling before articulating it to Calum. “What are you thinking about?”

A second baby was something the two of you had discussed; you weren’t necessarily trying to get pregnant, but you weren’t trying not to, either. You just hadn’t expected it this fast, and your mind wanders to the sweet girl sleeping down the hall.

“I’m nervous.” You reply, wringing your hands together in anxiousness, and Calum tries to soothe you by taking one of your hands in his. He links your fingers with his, gently squeezing to keep you grounded. “What if Mara doesn’t want us to have a baby? She’s so used to it just being her.” 

Calum nods, and he’d be lying if he said the thought hadn’t crossed his mind too. You were so settled as a family of three, always focused on Mara, yet you both know you always planned to have more than one child. 

“She’ll adjust, baby. It’s going to be new for us all. She has plenty of time to get used to the idea, and we can help her with that.” Calum replies, his hand rubbing up and down your arm as he speaks. “She’ll be so excited. You’ve seen how interested she is in talking to Luke about their baby when we see them.”

He’s right -- with Luke and his wife getting closer to the arrival of their first baby, Mara had taken a great interest in everything to do with her pregnancy. She had many questions whenever they visited, each time wondering when the baby would arrive. Her concept of time was something she didn’t quite understand yet. ‘Soon’ seemed to be her least favourite word. 

“I love how we’re doing this and we don’t even know if I’m pregnant yet,” You chuckle, followed by a laugh from Calum too. He pulls you a little closer and kisses your cheek, a smile on his lips.

“I’ll be very surprised if you’re not.” He replies, and you know he’s right. There had been little signs here and there; mainly the sickness and how tired you’ve been, along with a few other symptoms similar to that of when you were pregnant with Mara. You both recognise the signs. “Should we go find out for sure?”

You nod and follow him to the bathroom, closing the door behind you, as not to wake Mara. You go into the drawer and find the tests, pulling one out so you can use it.

“You’re really gonna watch me do this?” You ask, seeing as Calum had no intention of leaving the bathroom.

“I’ve seen worse things.” Calum replies, met with you rolling your eyes. “I’ll look away.”

He chats to you to take your mind away from your worries as you take the test. “Can you believe it’s been four years since we last did this?”

It doesn’t feel like four years. It barely feels like any time at all since you brought Mara home from the hospital. 

“Well, if you don’t count that one time after Mara’s first birthday.” You retort, Calum’s eyes widening at the memory before he laughs. That time you had definitely not been trying to have a baby. The test had been false, but you went through the motions all the same. 

“Oh yeah,” He murmurs, getting distracted by playing with his hair in the mirror. The bleach blonde look was starting to grow out, the dark roots no longer concealed. He made a mental note to get a haircut, not like he had more important things to think about in the moment. His attention is diverted by the sound of you running your hands under the sink, watching as the three minute timer began on your phone. 

“And now we wait.” 

Calum takes your hands in his once more and tries to get you to look at him, even though both of you are pre-occupied by the white stick next to the sink.

“Stop worrying,” He murmurs, like he can tell how fast your mind is racing. He knows it’s a big adjustment, that it’ll change your lives forever, just like Mara did -- yet he finds himself much less terrified than he was four years ago. “Whatever happens, we can handle it. We always do, don’t we?” 

You nod, feeling much better with him by your side. You think about how Mara will react -- will she be happy or upset? She’s so caring towards Duke, so you can’t help but think about how great of a big sister she would be. The thought of introducing a new baby to her makes your heart ache a little, just hoping that she would be happy. 

Time seems to stand still as you watch the clock on your phone -- the longest three minutes of your life. You press your face against Calum’s t-shirt, knowing that if his cologne did make you sick, you were in the right place. You’re both snapped out of your thoughts when your phone buzzes against the marble counter.

“I can’t look,” You tell him, facing away from the counter. As nervous as you are, now that you’ve thought about another baby, you know you’ll be disappointed if it’s negative. 

“Do you want me to?” Calum asks, and you nod, wrapping your arms around his waist and hiding your face against his shoulder. He picks the test up off of the counter and looks at the result, your heart pounding in your chest when he lets out a deep sigh. 

Pregnant. 

Calum pauses for a moment, his gentle touch on your lower back the only thing grounding you in the moment. 

“So... which room should we make into the nursery?”

You clasp your hand over your mouth, tears instantly slipping down your cheeks. Calum pulls you towards him, setting the test back on the side and wrapping both of his arms around your waist. He rests his head on your shoulder, his lips brushing the bare skin exposed from your jumper falling out of place.

“Really? I’m really pregnant?” You ask through tears, cupping Calum’s face in your hands so he’s looking at you. You see a shine in his own eyes, unshed tears just sitting at his lash line at the thought of your family expanding. Flashes of your pregnancy with Mara flood through his mind, as well as glimpses of the past four years of being parents. He can’t wait to do it all again. 

“Yeah, baby,” He chuckles, his tone laced with disbelief too. “Mara’s gonna be a big sister.” 

There’s so much on your mind, you don’t know where to begin. “Should we tell her?”

Calum shakes his head, one hand moving to rest on your stomach, your bump non-existent. His heart skips a beat at the thought of your bump growing and your body changing again, all to accommodate another baby. He knows it’s very early days and he doesn’t want to tell Mara until you know everything is okay. “I don’t think we should yet, honey. Let's at least wait until you see a doctor? Just so we know for sure.”

He sees a flash of worry in your eyes. He’s forgotten how scary pregnancy is; how you feel like everything is out of your control, yet you want to do everything you can to protect the baby at all times. 

“Don’t,” He murmurs, knowing where your mind is going. He cups your face in his hand, his thumb gently rubbing circles over your cheek. “Everything is going to be fine. We just need to be sure, okay?”

You nod, agreeing with his words. You reach up to peck his lips, savouring the serene moment of joy with him his fingers still absentmindedly brushing over your stomach. “Well, how should we celebrate?” 

“I just don’t know,” Calum chuckles, thinking for a moment. The word celebrate has a different meaning now that you’re parents; it used to mean getting dragged to a bar with his bandmates and not returning until the early hours, and then spending the following day in bed. Now, you’re lucky if you find the time to go out for dinner. “I think we should go all out. Ice cream in bed and Netflix?”

“Sounds like a plan,” You reply, brushing your lips against his once more. “But if you get ice cream on the sheets, you’re washing them tomorrow.” 

He shrugs his shoulder, nodding as he speaks, “fair enough. I’ll get the ice cream. I’ll meet you in the bedroom in 10.”

***

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[aerinsfables]

Part 6 for the Flower Shop AU PLEASEE! I need to know what happens next!!

:)

Flower Shop AU Part 6 below :) In which Warrenessa makes an appearance.

Read part 5 here!

-----

Bracken showed up at the address Seth had given him about ten minutes before the event was scheduled to take place. He’d brought a bouquet of flowers for Kendra’s grandmother, and a green salad he’d made that morning to share with the other attendees. Kendra had told him that he didn’t need to bring anything, but he felt weird about dropping by empty handed.

Almost as soon as he pulled up, he saw Warren leave the front of the house and walk toward him. Bracken exited his car and picked up both the bouquet and the salad bowl as Warren approached and clapped him on the back. “Good to see you again, Bracken,” he said. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone,” Bracken replied.

Warren then pointed to the flowers. “For me? Aww, you shouldn’t have.”

Bracken smiled. “Sorry to disappoint, but I brought these for-“

“You’re moving a little fast if you brought them for Kendra,” Warren interrupted. “She’s not in a good place right now.”

He blinked a few times. “I brought these for her grandmother,” he explained. “This is where Seth and Kendra’s grandparents live, right?”

“Ah. Trying to get into Ruth’s good graces, huh? Smart man. Good approach.”

Before Bracken could reply that he’d simply intended to be polite, Warren led him toward the house and began walking while he spoke some more. “Ruth is inside, or at least she was when you pulled up. Most everyone else is in the backyard. Stan and Scott - Seth and Kendra’s grandpa and dad - are grilling. I’ll introduce you to everyone as we meet them.” He opened the front door and motioned for Bracken to head inside.

The interior of the house was comfortable but also a tad ornate. The floors were made of quality hardwood, a staircase led to a second story, plush rugs were located in stylish locations, and a lot of knick knacks rested in various floating shelves which lined the walls in some spots. Family photos were artfully placed in different spots around the area as well; some hung on walls, some occupied desk or dresser tops. To the left was a living room, and to the right was a hallway which led somewhere Bracken couldn’t see. Overall, the house was quite large and held an inviting atmosphere.

Warren led him through the living room and into the adjoining kitchen which Bracken hadn’t been able to see from the entryway of the house. It was large and spacious, with lots of counter space and what was apparently a walk-in pantry. “Ruth,” Warren called, and an older woman came out of said pantry.

“Oh, hello there,” she greeted with a warm smile and a wave of her hand. “Warren, who is this handsome fellow?”

“This is Bracken,” Warren said. “Bracken, this is Ruth. Kendra and Seth’s grandma.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Bracken said. He offered the bouquet to her. “These are for you. Thank you for permitting me into your home.”

“Ooh, he brought a gift! Well, these are certainly beautiful. Thank you. Make yourself at home. Most everyone’s out in the backyard. Show him around, will you, Warren?” She sniffed at the flowers and smiled again. “I’ll put these in some water!”

Warren grinned and patted Bracken on the back again. “Okay, you little suck-up, let’s take you out back to meet the others.”

Ruth clicked her tongue at that remark. “It wouldn’t hurt you to bring me flowers every so often,” she said. “You just come here to raid my kitchen.”

A chuckle left Warren’s body and he walked over to embrace Ruth, who swatted at him the whole time in a manner which suggested to Bracken that she was clearly very fond of him, and they were used to bantering with each other. He smiled. Warren pulled away from Ruth and walked away, then motioned for Bracken to follow. “This way,” he said as he opened another door which led outside.

The backyard was quite large, with a spacious deck connected to the house, steps leading down to a grass lawn where a volleyball net had been set up, a pool off to the far left, and a fire pit to the right. Bracken noticed two men standing near a nice grill on the deck, Seth was at the volleyball net with someone Bracken didn’t know, and Kendra sat near the unlit fire pit with Dale and three other women. Warren led Bracken toward the two men who were cooking hamburgers and chicken at the moment, and introduced him to them. “Stan, Scott, this is Bracken. He works at the flower shop across the street from our cafe. Bracken, this is Kendra’s dad and grandpa.”

He waved at them, probably a little awkwardly, and said, “It’s nice to meet you both. Thank you for allowing me to be here today.”

Scott smiled. “Friends of my children are always welcome.”

Warren then pointed at the volleyball net. “You know Seth. Looks like he’s getting ready to start a game. That’s Tanu over there with him. Come with me, I’ll introduce you to the ladies. Oh, but first - ditch the salad over there.” He gestured toward a picnic table which was laden with other foods; chips, fruit, cookies, hamburger and hotdog buns, potato salad and the like. Bracken did as instructed, then walked with Warren to the fire pit.

“Hello, ladies and Dale,” Warren greeted. Bracken did not miss the mildly exasperated look which crossed Dale’s face. “This is Bracken. He works at the flower shop across the street from the cafe. Cool guy. Brought a salad to a barbeque, but you know. Whatever.”

“Don’t be mean,” Kendra tutted. She then waved at Bracken and pointed at a spot next to her. “You can sit here.”

“I was just teasing,” Warren said. “He helped get rid of Gavin earlier this week. I did actually mean it when I said he’s a cool guy.”

“Ah, so you’re the man who helped my daughter,” one of the women spoke up. She walked over to Bracken and laid a gentle hand on his forearm. “I’m Marla, Kendra’s mother. Thank you for interfering the other day.”

“It was no trouble,” Bracken replied. He could feel his face heating up a little. “I did what anyone in my position would’ve done.”

“No, honey. Most people probably would’ve just sat back and watched, or recorded the event with their phones. You and Warren really made a difference.”

He wasn’t sure what to say in response, so he went for his usual phrase when he received compliments from strangers or new acquaintances. “Thank you for your kind words. I was happy to help.”

“Come, join us,” Marla invited. “The spot next to Kendra is open. We can chat while we wait for food to be ready.”

Bracken made his way over to the empty space and sat down. Kendra gave him a somewhat weak smile and he gave one back to her, then mumbled, “You okay?”

She nodded her head. “I’ll introduce you to everyone here. To your left is Mara, then Vanessa, my mom, and Dale tells me that you already know each other.”

He waved at everyone and said, “It’s nice to meet you all.”

Mara looked like she didn’t really care whether he was there or not, Vanessa looked at him as though she was trying to gage how much of a threat he was going to be, Marla’s smile was sweet, and Dale gave him a friendly nod. He could deal with Mara’s indifference, but Vanessa’s glaring was uncomfortable to endure.

Warren stepped in and wrapped his arms around Vanessa. “Don’t mind this one,” he said. “Her bark is worse than her bite.”

“I haven’t said anything,” she retorted.

“You’re doing that suspicious sizing up thing you like to do. It’s intimidating,” Warren replied. “Cut the guy some slack. He’s the one who made the good riddance flowers.”

Marla laughed, while Mara and Vanessa seemed to look at him in a slightly different light; Mara seemed perhaps a little more interested, and Vanessa’s glare felt a little less deadly. Maybe.

“That arrangement was perfect,” Marla complimented. “Hilarious. Kendra sent pictures. Did you really fill it with loose glitter?”

“That part was up to her,” Bracken said. “Did you? I didn’t even ask my mother.”

Kendra nodded but didn’t say anything. Warren spoke up instead. “I hope he realized the glitter problem when he was in the middle of his living room, and I hope he never gets it all the way out of the carpet.”

“Agreed,” Marla said.

“I still say it wouldn’t have been a tragedy for him to die,” Mara added.

“I punched him in his face,” Warren said in a defensive tone.

Mara shrugged. “He could’ve died. I’m just saying.”

“Murder might be pressing a bit too far,” Dale stated.

Warren stroked the stubble on his chin. “She’s right. I probably should’ve accidentally pushed him into traffic.”

Bracken noticed that Kendra seemed to shrink into herself a little as the conversation progressed. He tried to think of a way to change the subject, but failed to come up with anything. He needn’t have worried about it, though, because it seemed that someone else had picked up the same memo.

“Ugh. Go play volleyball with Seth and Tanu,” Vanessa said to Warren.

“What did I do?“ Warren whined.

“Seth!” Vanessa shouted. “Come get your cousin!”

Tanu held the ball in his hands and both he and Seth turned their attention to Vanessa.

“Oh, hey, Bracken!” Seth called and waved in a summoning motion. “Come play with us!”

“I told you to grab your cousin,” Vanessa emphasized.

“Warren! Get over here so we can play two on two!” Tanu said.

Vanessa turned toward Warren with what looked like an extremely insincere smile on her face. “Your presence has been requested at the volleyball net.”

Warren rolled his eyes. “Fine, I can tell when I’m not wanted. Bracken, you coming?”

Bracken hesitated before standing up, as he felt concerned for Kendra and wanted to make sure she was doing alright. She looked at him and gave him a soft smile, then waved and pointed to her brother.

“I hope you like volleyball,” she said. “Watch out for Seth. He likes to cheat.”

“I do not!” Seth protested.

Warren leaned closer to Bracken and whispered in a conspiratorial voice, “He really does.” He then pushed Bracken’s shoulder and led him toward the volleyball net.

---

Part 7 is here!

[elocinnicole]

A New Year’s Kiss

Summary: Daveed plans to propose to Reader on her favorite holiday as he prepares the night before the proposal he thinks back through memories of their three-year relationship.

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x Black!Reader

AN: I’m giving the sisters names since the Reader comes from a big family.

Series Masterlist

It was a cold night in New York City, you sat in the living room of your new three-bedroom apartment sipping on a cup of hot ginger tea. Daniel crawled all over the place, loving the ample amount of space he had to chase the new family dog, Rocky, a Beagle puppy. Daniel’s laughter made you smile widely; you loved the life you and Daveed built for yourselves. The new apartment was coming along nicely, you finally unpacked the last of the boxes, thus ending the living out of a box phase. You decorated the walls with pictures of family and friends, there’s even a wall dedicated to the tv shows, movies, plays, and musicals the two of you have been in. Even though you truly think that it was Daveed’s way to brag about your accomplishments every time someone came over to visit, despite the many times he denied it. The sound of the front door opening alerted Daniel that Daveed was home, he crawled to the front of the apartment, screaming at the top of his lungs. Daveed scooped Daniel and kissed the top of his head where his curly dark brown hair was starting to grow.

“Hey, little man! Where’s Mommy?” Daniel pointed toward the living room. Daveed walked over and plopped down next to you. You shared a quick kiss before Daniel slid himself out of Daveed’s lap to keep playing with Rocky.

“How was your day?” Daveed asked he wrapped an arm around you to pull you close to him.

“It was fine, just like the first day of rehearsals.” After being in The Lion King for about three months, you landed the lead role in a new musical called WET PAINT. “We start previews at the end of February. How was it with Anthony?”

“It was great, babe. We got the song done Rafa’s gonna send in his verse tomorrow.”

“That—” Then there were several loud knocks at the door

“You expecting company?”

“Remember my mom and sisters are coming up for New Years,” You hopped off the couch and greeted your family at the door, they were staying at a hotel not far from your apartment and you planned for them to come over and visit since your sisters haven’t seen Daniel since he was born.

“Hey Mom,” You pulled your mom in for a hug

“Hey, Y/N!”

“Come in guys,” Your mom and three sisters walked into your apartment,

“Where’s my grandson?” Your mom wondered loudly

“Nana!” Just like that Daniel made his way over to your mom who swooped down to pick him up.

“Hi, Nana’s baby, Y/N, I love the new place.” Your mom said as everyone followed you into the kitchen.

“Thanks, we needed more space, with Daniel getting bigger and having a dog.”

“Is there any other reason why you and Daveed needed more space?” Your oldest sister, Fatima, playfully suggested

“Um, girl no, Daniel isn’t even one yet. I’m just getting back to my pre-baby body. Oh, by the way, can you re-dip my braids tonight?”

“I was gonna offer but I didn’t want to be rude,” Fatima teased

“Shut up, rude ass.”

“So,” your older sister, Mara started “have you thought about having another baby?”

“I mean, yeah but not anytime soon.”

“What about marriage?” Your other sister, Kalani, added

“It’s been discussed, we both know we’re in this for the long haul.”

“Wedding bells may be in your near future,” Mara teased

“Can we wait a minute, we just moved, Daniel’s about to turn one, I just went back to work, I need some more time.”

“Girl, you waited three years, how much longer?” Fatima reasoned

“Why are you guys interrogating me?” You asked overwhelmed knowing that Daveed was well within earshot.

“Alright, alright, we’ll leave you alone, come on and let me fix your hair.”

Your sisters and mom ended up staying well past dinner and you didn’t mind it one minute. After graduating from Howard University, you moved to New York and didn’t look back. The last time you saw your sisters, in person, was at your baby shower and that was a year ago. After eating the crab cakes your Mom made and about three glasses of Merlot, you currently playing Black Card Revoked with your sisters, one of your favorite games, India Aire playing in the background.

“Okay, so this is majority rules, ‘You know it’s about to be a fight when you hear someone say? A. We need to talk… B. I just find it funny how… C. So what you not gonna do… or D. Didn’t I tell you…’” Fatima read

“C!” You said confidently, “That’s how all my fights started in high school.

“Naw I gotta go with D,” Mara shouted “D is one of them sneak attacks from behind.”

“Like that time, you grabbed that girl’s hair,” Kalani reminisced

“Yeah, she was bothering Y/N, and I was the only one in high school with her and I was not gonna let some bitch mess with my sister.”

“And that’s on period,” Fatima said

“Pooh!” Kalani added, making the sisters laugh

Daveed noticed your mom in the kitchen washing the dishes and saw it as the perfect opportunity.

“Hey, Daveed, sorry about the wedding talk with my daughters. I promise I didn’t say anything to them.” Your mom said in hushed tones

“It’s okay, I just wanted to show you a picture of the ring,” Daveed pulled out his phone and showed your mother the engagement ring. Shortly after you had Daniel, Daveed came to your mother and asked for her blessing, of course, she agreed and helped him find the perfect ring and the way he should propose. Knowing you were a private person he was going to give you a gift after midnight when everyone left your place, a photo album and on the last page, he was going to pop the question.

“It’s beautiful Daveed, where is it?”

“I keep it on me at all times,” Daveed pulled the engagement box out of his pocket.

“Is that what I think it is?” Fatima gushed

“Shush, get over here girl.” Your mother urged “Where’s Y/N?”

“She’s in the living room, so you’re gonna propose?”

“Yeah,” Daveed said quietly “tomorrow.”

“Aw, I’m so happy for you two, how are you gonna propose?”

“With a photo album,” Daveed replied a small smile on his face

“Oooohhhh, I can’t wait,” Fatima said clapping her hands together

“Fatima it’s your turn and you about to get skipped!” You shouted from the living room

“Girl, skip me I’m winning anyway,” Fatima said walking back over

Daveed sat in the living room long after you had fallen asleep and your mom and sisters went back to their hotel. He was going over the photo album to make sure that everything was perfect for tomorrow. The first picture he came across was from the opening night party of the First National Tour of Hamilton, which is where the two of you met. After consuming many drinks from the open bar the two of you snapped a very drunk selfie. Daveed had kissed your cheek and you were laughing.

March 2017

After you spilled your wine on Daveed, it seemed the two of you were attached at the hip. Between the bar and the dance floor, Daveed was not far from you and you didn’t mind at all. There was a lavish balcony looking over San Francisco, you and Daveed were laughing at a high school story you were telling him.

“So, the girlfriend started hitting the boyfriend mind you, we’re all in line for the Haunted Mansion ride and it got so bad that we were told to get out of line, so I never got to ride the Haunted Mansion. Long story short, my first and only trip to Disneyland before all of this was pretty bad.”

“Well, that just means we have to go back.”

“When?”

“Whenever,”

“Daveed, we can’t just drive to Disneyland and I don’t know you like that.”

“We can fly, that’s not a problem.”

“Did you forget that I’m on a tour right now?”

“Ain’t y’all here until August.”

“Well, I still don’t know you.”

“You can get to know me.”

“What if I don’t want to?” You challenged

“I can get us Fast Passes.”

“Oh, so you got it like that?” You teased flirtatiously

“Yeah, uh, I got some connections,” Daveed smirked

“Alright, let’s go.”

“It’s a date,” Daveed smiled

“It’s a date.”

The next picture was a picture Jasmine took of them at an award show, that night you said I love you to each other for the first time.

June 2018

You and Daveed had attended your first red carpet event of the award season that evening. It was also the first time you were at an exclusive event as a couple. The paparazzi went crazy all of them wanting to snap pictures of Daveed and his new girlfriend. It was all overwhelming to you. Of course, you have been on a red carpet before but not for an award show. While it was exciting it was also draining. Unfortunately, you had to leave that night to go back to New York you had a show the next day, what made it worse, was that Daveed had to stay in LA for an interview about Blindspotting. Now at the airport, you hugged your boyfriend tightly not wanting to let go.

“You gonna miss your flight,” He mumbled into the crook of your neck.

“I don’t care,” You said, tiredness evident in your voice.

“It’s only two days, go make that money,” Daveed said trying to lift your spirits. Daveed cupped your face and kissed you on the lips.

“I love you,” He said tenderly, you looked at him wide-eyed. He mentally slapped himself for saying that out loud. He scanned your face for any sign that you would say it back. When he didn’t he pulled away from you, suddenly.

“Sorry, for saying that, uh—-”

“Daveed—-”

“I um, I hope you have a safe flight. Call me when you land.” Daveed said quickly, wanting to end the already awkward moment. He turned to walk away but you grabbed his arm and pulled him in for another kiss.

“You didn’t let me say it back, dork.” You gave him a quick peck on the lips “I love you too,” Daveed smiled widely and kissed you once more.

“Can you say it again?” You playfully rolled your eyes

“I love you too.” Daveed leaned in to kiss you but you put up your hand to stop him

“I’m gonna miss my flight, messing with you. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

January 2019

“Happy New Year!!” You smiled while you kissed Daveed. The two of you were hosting a New Year’s Eve party for your friends at Daveed’s New York apartment. This was the first big event the two of you hosted. Well, it was mainly you, Daveed just let you do your thing. You pulled away from the kiss and raised an eyebrow, you know that there was something was on his mind.

“What are you thinking about?”

“You should move in with me.”

“Huh? How much have you had to drink?” You asked but you were just as tipsy after taking quite a few shots out the Grammy.

“Not as much as you.” You lightly slapped his chest you examined his face to make sure he wasn’t playing a joke

“You serious?”

“Hella,”

“Aw, so I’m gonna have more than a drawer.” Daveed playfully rolled his eyes

“You can have a whole dresser,” You gave a peck on the cheek, smiling widely.

“I love you,”

“Love you too.”

The next day, Daveed did his best to keep his cool which was easy because your sisters, Mom, Jasmine, Kim, Rafael, Barbara, and Dountes were all at your place for New Year's Eve and served as the perfect distraction. Anthony was in Times Square performing on the Main Stage and would be the last act before the ball dropped so you decided to host a party.

You caught Daveed staring, smirking you walked over to him. You were wearing a brown bodycon dress and matching heels. Feeling the effects of the alcohol had you feeling more confident. You sensually wrapped your arms around Daveed making sure to caress his muscles.

“We have some time before midnight,” you suggested Daveed smirked and kissed your forehead.

“With your Mom here?” Daveed asked with raised eyebrows.

“I can be quiet,”

“After everyone’s gone. So we don’t have to worry about being quiet.” You pouted which made Daveed snicker.

“It’s shot o’clock!” Your sister Mara called from the kitchen

“Oh, so we doing body shots?” Rafael suggested eying your sister.

“Body shots?” Fatima questioned

“I’m down,” Mara responded giving Rafael the same look.

“No one is down for anything, this is not some frat party.”

“How much you wanna bet, Rafa’s gonna—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence, I don’t need the visual.”

Midnight came and went and Daveed’s nervousness was at an all-time high. He watched as your guests left one by one. Neither of you were surprised when Mara and Rafa slipped away shortly after the ball dropped. Surprisingly, Daniel stayed up until the ball dropped, but went to sleep shortly after.

“I’m about to go change so we can start cleaning up.”

“Hold on, I wanna give you something first,” Daveed said you sighed heavily.

“Babe, can you give it to me after I change? I wanna get out my shoes.”

“It’s not gonna take long. I promise, go in the living room.”

You sleepily walked back to the living room and plopped down on the sofa, whatever Daveed had up his sleeve better be worth it. Daveed returned with a purple photo album in hand and handed it to you.

“What’s this?”

“Just some pictures, something I put together.” You smiled, tears threatening to fall.

“Aw, you’re so sweet, thank you so much, baby.”You kissed his cheek before looking through the album and reacting to the pictures. It was so crazy to see the timeline of your relationship, who would’ve thought that back in 2017 you would be where the two of you are now.

You flipped through the album until you got to the last page. It was an empty page and dated for today. Confused you turned to look at Daveed only to find him already on bended knee with a ring box in hand. You covered your face as the tears started falling. Daveed gently removed your hands from your face. You saw that he was holding back tears as well.

“When you purposely split your wine on me—”

“Oh my gosh, Daveed!”

“I knew you were something special the first time I laid my eyes on you. Baby, you are the love of my life. I want to spend the rest of it with you. I kept going over what I was gonna say or how I wanted to do this. I wanted it to be perfect because you deserve nothing but perfection. I love you so much. Will you marry me?” You were full-on crying at this point. The album already made you emotional but, the both of you had discussed marriage but still, this proposal is everything you’ve could‘ve dreamed of.

“Yes, yes of course.” Daveed slid the ring onto your ring finger and you pulled him in for a kiss. This is always how you imagine your engagement would be, just you and your fiancé.

[zelenacat]

When We Were Young- An Obitine Story- Chapter 25

Master Secura was not pleased to hear about the wedding.

“It hasn’t been announced yet,” Satine stated, “and I have to talk it over with my advisors.”

“But you accepted.” Ahsoka pointed out.

“I had to, he,” Satine paused, “knows family secrets.”

Obi-Wan lowered his head.

“You have a child,” Aayla Secura realized, “and Count Dooku knows.”

The Duchess turned to Obi-Wan and placed a hand on his leg, he took it off, instead choosing to hold her hand on the table.

“We can help you protect them.”

“The Council won’t be pleased however,” Satine pointed out, “that’s why they were a secret.”

“They?”

“The Duke of Sundari,” Obi-Wan counted on his fingers, “Padawan Tyra, Tristan Wren, Mara Supreis, and the two new foundlings Jinn and Lyra.”

Master Secura’s eyes went wide, “That is many transgressions.”

“Twins three times.” Satine pointed out.

“That doesn’t matter,” Aayla sighed, “come, Master Kenobi, we must update the Council. Ahsoka, keep looking.”

The Padawan nodded and continued, Satine scanned the room.

“I can’t believe you’re actually engaged to him.” Ahsoka muttered, searching corners.

“Not officially,” the Duchess defended, opening drawers, “my advisors don’t know.”

“But-”

“We decided we were going to continue the courtship.” Satine confessed.

“Ew.”

When they found nothing, Satine returned to her personal parlor where her children were waiting.

“You’re all so quiet.” Satine observed.

“Marrying Count Dooku?” Mara questioned.

“Not officially,” Ahsoka jumped in, “your mother said they agreed to an extended courtship.”

“That’s still gross.” Tyra admitted.

“And that kiss?” Korkie asked, frowning.

“I know,” Tristan nodded, “and I literally carried his laundry for him.”

Ahsoka shivered.

“I’m sorry you had to find out like that, children,” Satine sighed, sinking into a chair, “but it really happened too quickly.”

“I’m sorry, Lady Mother,” Mara smiled sadly, “I know you don’t want to marry him.”

“I don’t.” the Duchess agreed.

The room grew silent.

“Come children,” Satine stood, “it’s bedtime.”

Tyra shoved Ahsoka’s shoulder, “That includes you too.”

In the hallway, the group ran into the Jedi Masters. Satine made note of Obi-Wan’s stiffness, he was tired and embarrassed.

“We leave in the morning, Ahsoka,” Master Secura announced, “Master Kenobi and Padawan Tyra will be returning to Coruscant.”

Tyra was clearly disappointed, Obi-Wan put a hand to his head.

“Get rest, children,” Satine turned to her children, “Especially you, Ahsoka, you have a long day ahead of you.”

Mara kissed her mother’s cheek, “Goodnight, Lady Mother.”

Tyra did the same and looped her arm through Mara’s.

“Goodnight, Master Jedis.”

The girls turned.

“Tyra?” Obi-Wan spoke up.

Tyra turned, swinging Mara around as well. A mutual understanding seemed to pass between the two.

“Goodnight, Father.”

“Goodnight, Father.”

Tristan kissed the Duchess’ cheek, then gave a bow to Master Secura, winking at his father as he came up.

“Go on now,” Obi-Wan gestured, “listen to your mother.”

Ahsoka told her Momdalore to sleep well, then moved towards Master Secura.

“Peaceful sleep be upon you, Duchess.” the Jedi stated.

Satine smiled tensely, she knew the Jedi Council would not be pleased.

“Dad,” Korkie stepped forward and held out his hand, “I’m glad you’re a part of our family.”

Obi-Wan’s face melted and he placed his hands on Korkie’s shoulders.

“May I hug you?”

“Of course, Father.”

Satine nearly cried at the sight.

“Sleep well, son of mine,” Obi-Wan ruffled Korkie’s hair, “now go, I must speak with your mother.”

Korkie kissed Satine’s cheek before leaving his parents. Then it was just Satine and Obi-Wan in the hallway.

“I know you’re ashamed,” the Duchess stepped forward, “your fellow council members must not be pleased.”

Obi-Wan sighed.

“Ben,” Satine placed a hand on her Jedi’s cheek, “you can stay with me.”

“I-”

“It’s not a crime, Ben,” Satine continued with a swallow, “Jedi need love too.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan sighed, “I suppose that’s true.”

Satine took her Jedi’s hands and led him to her room.

“This is Jaym and Gorg,” the Duchess gestured, “they know.”

Obi-Wan shook both their hands, “Thank you for keeping my Satine safe.”

“Of course, Master Jedi.” Jaym responded.

“The Duchess is a gift to us all.” Gorg agreed.

Obi-Wan fixed Satine with a warm gaze, “Yes, she is.”

The Duchess pulled Obi-Wan inside and shut the door.

“Will you help me with this, Ben?” Satine asked, trying to unbutton her dress.

The Jedi clicked his tongue when he saw the girdle Satine was wearing.

“This thing is monstrous.” he frowned.

The Duchess huffed, “Try wearing it.”

Satine sighed when the pressure released from her stomach, Obi-Wan rested a hand on the large shell.

“I still can’t believe we have two more.”

“It was hard,” Satine agreed, turning to face him, “but now everything is alright.”

“Why's that?”

The Duchess grinned, “You’re here.”

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Satine, who yawned and placed her head on his shoulder.

“Let’s get you some sleep.” Obi-Wan decided, pulling his Duchess towards the mattress.

Satine sat down while her Jedi removed her shoes and socks.

“My shining Jedi Knight.” she muttered.

Obi-Wan smiled sadly, ”Your feet are still swollen.”

“Hera says that will end soon.”

“Hera?”

“The nurse,” Satine smiled, “you’ll meet her tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.”

The Duchess swung her legs over and pulled up the covers.

“Your shift?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No,” Satine yawned, “tired.”

After a few seconds of rusting fabric, Obi-Wan joined Satine.

“This is all I ever wanted,” he mused, wrapping an arm around her.

“This is more than my happiest dreams.” Satine smiled, closing her eyes.

The morning was not as sweet. Obi-Wan was already up and meditating, so there was no morning cuddle time.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan paused, opening his eyes, “I’ll come back if you want.”

“Can all of you read thoughts?” Satine sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

“No, why?”

“Tyra and the Count can.”

Satine could feel Obi-Wan’s displeasure.

“Yes, he read my mind, if it wasn’t for Tyra, I would’ve kicked him out of the palace.”

Rolling over, Satine faced her Jedi.

“I don’t like you having to pretend that you’re marrying.”

Satine sighed, “He knows about the kids, and he read my mind when I was thinking of you.”

Obi-Wan frowned, “Mean.”

Satine sat up, then flinched.

“What?”

The Duchess actually smiled, “Give me a minute.”

Obi-Wan didn’t question her that much when she exited the fresher, only raising an eyebrow.

“Have you ever given birth, Ben?”

“Right, sorry.”

Satine laughed.

A knock bounced off the door, “Satine?”

“Yes, Khaami?”

“I’m here to help you dress.” Khaami announced.

“Well, come in.”

Khaami entered, eyes searching for Obi-Wan. When she saw him, she raised an eyebrow at her Duchess.

“No, Khaami,” Satine shook her head, “you won’t be attending any more births.”

The Jedi snorted. The lady smiled, relieved, and marched over to Satine’s closet. 

“I guess I should go.” Obi-Wan pouted.

Satine kissed her Jedi, “Poor Ben, tell our friends I say hello.”

“I will.”

After a moment, the Duchess added, “And make sure Tyra Satine doesn’t get up to any obscene antics.” 

Mirth glowed in Obi-Wan’s eyes, “That’ll be a challenge.”

Satine watched as her knight in shining armor left, Khaami had to call her name three times to get her attention.

“Yes?”

“Black.”

“Black? I hate black!”

Khaami sighed, “We want to give the council the impression that you’re sad about this engagement.”

Satine bid goodbye to the Jedi before heading into the Ruling Council Chamber, Aayla had winked at her, they’d shared a moment.

“Duchess Satine?”

She frowned, reality set back in.

Once everyone was gathered, Satine took a breath, “The Count and I have agreed we will marry eventually.” 

Silence, then outrage.

“Your Grace-”

“Duchess!”

“Please, Your Grace, reconsider-”

Satine raised her hand, the room grew quiet.

“It will be a long courtship,” the Duchess continued, “but there is more you should be aware of.”

If the Ruling Council had been dumbfounded before Satine explained the ties to the Sith the Ancient Mandalorians had, and their current plan with the Jedi, they were certainly shocked now.

“Your Grace,” Countess Bralor sighed, “This is quite the mess.”

“And are you sure your sister will assist in the capture of the Count?” asked Governor Eldar.

“Death Watch does not like the Count,” Satine assured, “and the Jedi will gladly take him.”

In the next week, Satine had met with the Jedi Council (who sometimes struggled to address her properly), made contact with Count Dooku for a second courtship visit, and informed Bo-Katan of their new situation. She was exhausted.

Count Dooku returned a month later, and after much consolation from Padme, Satine felt brave enough to face him again. The Count’s arrival was less grand, the majority of the court couldn’t make it for this visit, yet he still chose to drive through the airways of Sundari. 

“My popularity here is increasing,” he boasted to Satine on their walk, “it will be good when we announce the wedding.”

“I worry about the extremists though.” Satine admitted, setting a ploy.

“What, Death Watch?”

The Duchess nodded.

“I have friends who will deal with that.”

This was news to Satine, but she tried not to show it.

“More criminals I presume?” she asked.

The Count smirked, “Eager to know, are you?”

“They do want me dead.” Satine offered.

Dooku shook his head, “They won’t kill you.” 

The Duchess frowned, “How do you know?”

The Count placed Satine’s hand on his arm, “Because you’re under my protection.”

“That guarantees nothing.” the Duchess countered, slightly shocked.

Dooku raised an eyebrow, “We’re on our way to announce our engagement.”

“Ah, right,” Satine nodded, “they happen not to like you either.”

“I may have a spy in Death Watch.”

Despite herself, Satine grinned, “That’s useful information.”

The Duchess was still smiling when she and the Count stepped out onto the stage for their press conference. The whispers hushed as Dooku helped Satine into her seat. Soon after Satine’s ladies situated themselves behind her, and the Prime Minister took to the podium.

“The palace is happy to announce today, that the Duchess is engaged to Count Dooku, Head of the Seperatist Alliance and Speaker of the Most High Seperatist Senate.”

Silence. Then a burst of questions all at once.

“Your Grace-”

“Duchess-”

“Your Excellency-”

“Count Dooku-”

Satine raised her hand, but it still took a few seconds for the press to quiet down.

“The Count and I have made our decision with what is best for both our systems. If you have any questions, please ask them politely.”

Some of the questions were general, how they thought this would help both systems, did they have any plans for initiatives, would Mandalore officially join the war?

“Not directly or immediately,” Satine answered before Dooku could, “our peaceful way of life will require some integration of aggression before we are ready for war.”

The rest of the questions were all about wedding plans at Satine’s dress. 

“I will have to consult with my seamstresses,” Satine announced after much prodding, “but nothing shall be announced until the day of the ceremony.”

“When will the ceremony be?” a journalist shouted.

“There is still much planning that must be done,” Count Dooku jumped in, “but of course we shall be respectful of traditional holidays.”

Satine turned to the Count, she hadn’t been aware that he knew of Queen Mara’s birthday celebration coming up. Dooku gave her a small smile. A camera flashed.

“Thank you,” the Prime Minister announced, Satine blinked, “the palace press secretary will answer any other questions.”

The Count helped Satine up and led her from the room, her ladies behind her.

“We did well.”

“We did.” Satine agreed.

“I think I should take some time to tour Sundari and meet the local leaders.” Dooku suggested.

“That sounds beneficial,” the Duchess agreed, “I’ll speak with my advisors about that.”

At dinner that evening, Dooku sat on Satine’s left, Korkie on her right. They glanced att each other the entire night, but neither spoke to the other directly. It was exhausting just being around them. It had been decided that the Count would take a tour of Sundari in the morning, so he excused himself early.

“Ugh,” Korkie sighed when Dooku left the room, “I thought he’d never leave.”

“Korkie-”

“Walk with me, Lady Mother,” Korkie whispered, “after dinner, there’s news.”

So they did, sitting in the garden, the Duke showed something to Satine that made her shriek.

“What? How?”

“Lady Mother,” Korkie put a hand on Satine’s shoulder, “don't worry.”

“Fire, Korkyrach,” Satine shook, eyes wide, “you can make fire with your hands.”

“It’s called force fire,” Korkie explained, “Tyra and Mara have been helping me.”

Satine began to weep.

“It’s alright, Lady Mother,” the Duke hugged his mother, “it only happens sometimes, and I’m learning to control it.”

“Be careful around the Count,” Satine wiped her eyes on her son’s shoulder, “I worry so much for you all.”

“It’s alright,” Korkie stated, “Tyra’s with Father on Coruscant.”

“And Tristan?”

“He called me after the announcement,” Korkie admitted, “he was pissed, but I talked him down, he’s alright otherwise.”

“Mara?”

“Left for a Seperatist world a few days ago,” the Duke informed his mother, “they’re gathering information.”

Satine sighed.

“Let’s get you upstairs, Lady Mother.” Korkie decided.

“Yes.” the Duchess agreed.

Satine was about to crawl into bed when her comm went off. She grabbed it, turned down the volume, and hid under the covers before answering.

“Hi, Ben.”

“This scares me, Satine.” Obi-Wan admitted.

“Ben-”

“And the way you looked at him,” the Jedi spat, “what was that?

“What was what?” Satine asked.

Obi-Wan sent her a photo from the press conference.

“Ben-”

“You look like you care about him, Satine.”

The Duchess frowned, “No, I don’t.”

“But that's what it looks like,”the Jedi stressed.

“Obi-Wan,” Satine said sternly, “don’t get any premonitions in your head that I love someone else, I love you.”

Obi-Wan’s mouth hung open for a second, then he smiled.

“Ben, it’s been what,” the Duchess counted, “about two months since our last children were born?”

“They’re doing great, Satine,” Obi-Wan grinned, “they smiled at me today.”

“Tell me about it,” tears filled the Duchess’ eyes, “I’ve missed all my children’s first smiles.”

“They were beautiful,” the Jedi’s eyes fogged, “Jinn reached up at me and Lyra giggled.”

Satine let a little sob escape her.

“Darling-”

“I miss you,” Satine confessed, “and I miss them.”

“I know.” Obi-Wan sighed.

Satine went to bed late that night and woke up just before lunch, long after the Count had embarked on this tour.

“Why’d you let me sleep?” Satine mumbled.

“Because,” Khaami pulled up her lady, “news from the Jedi has come.”

“And Dooku can’t well know we’re in league with his enemies.” Parna added.

Satine sighed and rubbed her eyes.

“You can do this, Duchess.” Khaami assured.

After she was dressed, in her usual purple and navy ensemble, Satine went o a private conference room with her Prime Minister, who was just turning on the communication device. Soon, a collection of blue figures appeared before Satine.

“Duchess,” Master Windu frowned, clearly upset to see her, “how wonderful to see you.”

Satine smiled, “Thank you, Master Jedi, I hear there is news?”

“News, yes,” Master Yoda began, “bad news, it is.”

Satine’s eyebrows rose.

“There is a Sith Temple on Concordia,” Master Shaak Ti stated, “hidden below ground, our sources say that the Death Watch are aware of this as well.”

“The Count informed me that he has a spy in Death Watch.” Satine announced.

“Told you this, did he?” asked Master Yoda.

“Yes.”

“And you believe him?” questioned Master Ti.

Satine opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again.

“I made a joke that I would be dead before the wedding at Death Watch’s hands, he said I didn’t worry because of his spy.”

Master Yoda nodded, “Interesting, that is.” 

“How is your sister?” Master Mundi asked.

“Angry, but her wife feeds that fire.”

“Ah yes,” Master Windu frowned, “Asajj Ventress.”

Satine glanced quickly at Obi-Wan, his face was pensive.

“I suggest, Your Grace,” Master Mundi began, “that you destroy the Sith Temple on Concordia before the Count visits it.”

Satine nodded, “Thank you, Master Jedi.”

“A plan, you have?” Master Yoda smiled.

“Yes.”

“Wish you the best of luck, Duchess.” said Master Windu, frowning a slight smile.

“Thank you.”

When the comm ended, Prime Minister Djarin gave the Duchess the side eye.

“Your plan?”

“Recent developments have proved beneficial,” Satine grinned, “and I have some friends.”

  Satine met Tristan and Korkie for lunch that day, and as she sipped her tea and listened to her sons’ accomplishments, the plan took shape.

“Lady Mother,” Tristan sighed, “you have that look on your face.”

“What look?”

“You’re planning something,” Korkie agreed, sitting back, “and it involves us.”

Satine leaned forward.

“Tristan, what new skill have you learned?”

Her second son understood immediately, “Telekinesis, have you not noticed the floating wine bottles?”

Satine frowned, Tristan and Korkie burst out laughing.

The Duchess sighed, “Such immature pranks prove you aren’t ready for this mission.”

“A mission?” Korkie’s eyes lit up.

Satine rested her chin on her hands, “There’s an underground Sith Temple on Concordia, it needs to be destroyed.”

“Ooh.”

“Sweet.”

“I want you boys, Mara, and her Master to do the destroying.”

Tristan grinned.

“But how do we get around the Count?” Korkie asked.

“Secrecy.” Satine answered.

The boys then went back to school, knowing they’d be leaving on the weekend, and Satine returned to the palace, where the Count was waiting.

“How was lunch with your sons?” he whispered.

The Duchess hesitated.

“Teenage boys perplex me.”

Dooku actually laughed, “Perhaps a step-father is a beneficial addition to the family, then?”

Satine gave the Count a side eye, “You have quite the high opinion of yourself.”

“I most certainly do.”

“So tell me,” Satine began walking towards the gardens, “how did the public perceive you?”

“Well for the most part,” Dooku explained, “lots of stares and whispers.”

“May I suggest charity efforts?” the Duchess grinned.

“Charity,” the Count asked, “like helping the poor?”

“Yes, Dooku,” Satine grinned, “like helping the poor.”

A moment of silence leaked in and the Duchess turned to face her fiance.

“Call me Kal.”

“What?”

“My name is Kal,” the Count repeated, “as we’re engaged you should know my name.”

The Duchess repeated the name, it sounded strange in her mouth.

“Surprised, Satine?”

The Duchess winced, “Don’t call me that.”

“How about Tina, then?”

Satine frowned, “Even more revolting.”

“Then what should I call you?” the Count asked.

“Your Grace.” Satine decided firmly.

The Count bowed.

“If you would please excuse me, Your Grace, I must speak with my Master.”

The Duchess went cold and she hated how her voice quivered.

“You’re excused.”

Dooku turned and began to walk away.

“Kal?”

The Count froze, but he didn’t turn back to Satine.

“Who is your Master?”

The Duchess could hear the Count’s smile in his reply.

“You will never need to know that.”

Satine waited until Count Dooku was out of earshot, then ran to her room, bumping into Jaym and Parna on the way,

“Spy on the Count,” Satine ordered, “he’s talking to his Master.”

“Call Padme,” she whispered into her comm, “oh, please pick up.”

“Satine, I-”

“Did you know Dooku’s first name was Kal?”

A moment of silence, then the Senator excused herself from the room.

“What?”

“He told me to call him by his name, and I said that he couldn’t call me by mine.”

“Satine, are you okay?”

“No,” the Duchess whined, “we might actually have to marry!”

Padme sighed.

“What?”

“You should’ve been prepared for this.”

“I’m also sending my children to destroy an underground Sith Temple on Concordia that’s over a millenia old.”

“Satine,” Padme frowned, “you need to rest.”

“Dooku is calling his Master right now,” Satine pouted, “from my palace!”

The Senator’s jaw dropped.

Satine lowered her voice, “Of course, I have spies in action, Padme.”

“Dear God,” the Senator mumbled, “when did our lives get like this?”

“Master Windu did not seem pleased to know that Ben and I have children.” Satine confessed.

Padme snorted, “When he found out Anakin and I were married he just left the room.”

Satine giggled.

“Good luck with everything, call me if you need help.”

“I will, Padme, thank you.”