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danidrabbles · 3 years

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OCTOBER 21: BREEDING KINK

Notes: Got something new in store for you today: Ezra Prospect hate sex 🤗 I dedicate this piece to @javier-pena and mine’s very different views on Ezra. I really enjoyed writing this one, I hope you enjoy reading it just as much!

Pairing: Ezra (Prospect) x f!reader

Rating: Explicit (18+!)

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: hate sex, mentions of oral (m receiving), unprotected PIV sex, orgasm denial, dub con, dirty talk, degradation, creampie (as the title might give away). I think that’s all. If I forgot anything, let me know!

Ezra is pretty sure he hates you.

At first he thinks it’s a coincidence that, somehow, you’re there before he is for every job. But the fourth time he runs into you, as he sees you at the prospecting site, doubled over in concentration in your tight little space suit with your Laser Scalpel in hand, he begins to think you’re doing it on purpose. It’s in the way you notice his presence that does it, the way you look over your shoulder and flash him a smug little smile.

He fucks you against the Drop Pod before you’ve even packed your Aurelac.

In true Baader-Meinhof fashion, he sees you everywhere after that—while prospecting on The Pug and Bakhroma, on The Ephrate, in a bar on Central.

He can’t take his eyes off of you, simply watches as you raise your beer bottle at him with a nod and a grin, before wrapping your lips around it.

It makes him so fucking angry, how you can rile him up with such a simple action. But it’s nothing compared to how much it pisses him off when you take his cock down your throat without so much as blinking an eye, and manage to smile while you do it, once he gets you alone in the dark alley behind the bar. Or how heated he feels by the sound of your voice moaning his name when he pushes you against the bricks and takes you from behind.

Or how furious it makes him when he doesn’t see you for weeks, after.

When does he finally sees you again, it’s on the Green Moon.

The air has changed there ever since a subdivision of Kaslo Porting started installing the filters. With a dust and spore count that’s almost negligible, the air has become safe to breathe, which makes prospecting much easier without the helmet on top of the suit obstructing your view.

It’s how he recognizes you immediately: by your hair. The soft strands he’s had in his hands countless times, to pull you closer, to push you away, harder, faster, deeper… Before he knows it, he’s striding towards you, watching as your back flexes under your space suit while you prospect.

“I’m afraid today’s endeavours end here,” he says, grabbing you by the arm that’s holding the scalpel and pulling you up.

The metal tool lands on your prospecting gear with a clang, and you whip your head around, scowling when you see him. “What the fuck, Ezra,” you spit out as a burning smell fills the air. “I was just working on the blister, asshole. Do you want me to get covered in acid?!”

He can’t help but smile at your angry tone, pleased that he has caught you off guard for once. Your flush flowers all the way down your neck, to where your chest heaves under your space suit, the movement making the zipper glint in the sunlight.

“Certainly not,” he answers you, holding you still as you try to shake free from his grasp. He watches you as you struggle, eyes large and round as they look up at him, and despite the fact you’re full of rage now, it reminds him of how you look when you’re on your knees for him. “I’ve seen you covered in much better liquids.”

The comment makes you scoff, and he uses your moment of distraction to let go of your arm. You stumble backwards, a heel catching on the grass before falling back into it. Ignoring the offended huff of breath you let out, he dives down to straddle you. His hands encase both your wrists, pinning you down, pushing harder when you struggle against him.

“What are you gonna do, Ezra?” you ask, voice strained with effort, eyes glimmering with excitement. Practiced hands nearly rip the zipper from your suit. You help him pull it down to your ankles, until he can fit himself between your legs. “Are you gonna fuck me, like you always do? That’s why you keep following me around, isn’t it?”

His hands hold you at the waist, pinning you down against the green at your back. “And who is following who, exactly, little explorer? With so much space on these moons in the sky, it’s hardly believable that you continuously showing up at my dig sites is coincidental, wouldn’t you say?”

Amused, you roll your tongue around in your mouth before replying, “Well, since I’m always the first one on site, I think I should be asking you that question, wouldn’t you say?”

Ezra’s face falls, and the smug look on your face that appears after, the blatant provocation, makes his blood boil. His breathing becomes hard, huffing out through his nose, and his lack of response makes you let out an entertained chuckle,

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

His hands rip themselves from you as if burned, shooting up to fumble with his own suit until he can shove it down far enough to get his cock out. “It’s in your best interest if you stop talking,” he tells you.

“No, I—” you counter immediately, but it’s cut off by a sweet little gasp as he pulls your shirt up to expose your tits. One hand cups your left breast, squeezing the flesh in his hand until it spills between his fingers before twisting your nipple, making your gasp carry into a moan. He lets go in favour of hooking your underwear to the side and giving himself space, and you try again, “I don’t think you want me to—”

“Shut…,” he positions himself at your glistening entrance, and slides into you in one, sharp thrust, thighs slapping against the back of your own, “...up.”

He feels almost proud as he watches your mouth drop open, brows knitting together as your body adjusts to his size. He doesn’t give you any time to process, he simply draws his hips back and fucks back into you, dragging himself through the slick channel of your cunt again, and again, and again.

“There you go, from singing like a bird to quiet as a mouse.” His eyes trail down your body, fixating on the way your tits bob with every thrust of his hips before shifting his focus to where your bodies are joined. “I’d say it’s on account of how you're struggling to take it all.”

You grit your teeth before looking him in the eye and giving him a mischievous little smirk. “Don’t flatter yourself, Ezra.”

He snarls at your condescending tone, infuriated by how the tight squeeze of your cunt contradicts your words, and it only fans the flames, makes him fuck you harder. Both hands hook under your knees, drawing them up so he can slide in deeper. The change in angle has you crying out, and it makes Ezra’s scowl dissolve into a wide grin. Pushing your legs towards your chest, he leans into you, knees slipping in the dirt, your body sliding up each time he buries himself to the hilt.

“Tell me—” he begins, swallowing thickly before continuing, “Tell me how you do it and I’ll consider letting you come.”

You bite your lip, doing a poor job of fighting back a smile, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

A frustrated sound rumbles from his throat at your reply, he tries to ignore the way your teasing makes him impossibly harder, and he compensates by making his fingers squeeze you meaner and his hips meet you harder. “Fine,” he says, voice gravelly. “Your choice.”

He uses you for his pleasure. Looking down between your bodies, revelling in the sight of himself sliding in and out of you, in the tight squeeze of your pussy around his cock, the tremble of your thighs against his ribs. Then he makes the mistake of looking up at your face. You’re looking right at him, those sparkling eyes letting him know something is brewing, that trouble is coming, that—

“I’m gonna come—oh, fuck—,” he breathes out. “I’m gonna come all over that stupid, pretty face,” he promises, continuing to pound in to you while he holds you down against the grass, waiting for the exact moment to pull himself from your soaking cunt...

...And as if you can sense it, you lock your legs around his waist, using the grip you have on him to pull him tight against your pelvis.

Ezra’s eyes widen, and his hands try to pry your legs from around him to no avail. “Let me out,” he growls out between clenched teeth, fingers digging into your thighs in a way that’s no doubt painful.

It’s accompanied by a grin when you shake your head, tightening your legs as you do. He’s still pumping himself into you, and on each thrust, you push your pelvis further up to meet his.

“Oh, fuck, fuck, you fucking—” he cuts himself with a groan, almost doubling over as he fists the grass and grinds himself into you in desperate little circles, “bitch,” he spits out eventually. He throws his head back, the muscles in his throat straining as he groans. “M'gonna come. Fuck, I’m gonna—”

“Then fucking do it, Ezra,” you encourage, flexing the muscles in your thighs as you do. “It’s what you need, don’t you? A warm pussy to come in? Do it.”

His cock twitches, his balls draw up and then he starts to empty himself inside of you with a shuddering moan. “F-Fucking take it,” he stutters out with each thrust. “Little fucking brat, so fucking greedy for my come, hmm? Take all of it.”

Suddenly, his vision flips, and it takes him a moment to realize it’s because you rolled the two of you over. You sit up in his lap, and when he comes up, you give him a forceful push back against the ground, keeping him down with your hands against his chest.

“I hacked into your account,” you sigh, bringing a hand down between your legs to touch your clit. “Every time you plan a prospecting job, I can see exactly where you plan on go—ooh—” The end of your sentence doesn’t get past your lips, making room for a moan instead as your orgasm washes over you.

Ezra should be occupied with your admission, beaming with pride that he was right, but all he can think about is the steady clench of your pussy around him that continues to keep him warm, and how your orgasm is making his softening cock twitch with interest.

“Fuck, you’ve got to s-stop… stop milking me, or…” His fingers dig into your waist so hard he thinks he might be drawing blood, his voice thin when he says, “You’re gonna get me hard again, fuck, you can’t—”

That smirk is back on your face, and it only serves to make him harder, swelling and throbbing and unexplainably, stupidly close. When he makes another attempt to sit up, you let him. You allow him to clamp a hand down at the back of your neck so he can pull you in for a kiss that’s all tongue, and teeth, and desperate pants. He bites at your bottom lip, then pulls on your hair to draw it back.

“You’re gonna be full and satiated by the time we’re done,” he growls, forehead pressed to yours as he pulls you down onto his cock and grinds into you at the same time. “And if anything should bloom, know it's because of your greed…”

Thanks for reading! Truly don't know what I have for you tomorrow, but maybe I'll go with something that is my brand 😏

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fatehbaz · 4 years

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Ah man I'm so glad you made that post about ski resorts and racism, I never see content about the effects of ski resorts on the land. Keeping jumbo wild was a huge W and I was so glad to see it, and I hope it puts pressure on the people trying to push zincton through. I actually haven't heard much abt the zincton project lately, do you know of any updates? Thanks again for the content, so rarely hear other voices online from the inland temperate rainforest

Hey, thank you so much for the message. I know you’re also a fan of the region. Glad you saw that post and said something to me. :)

Yes, there has been some new media coverage of Zincton as of November 2020. And can I use this as an opportunity to say a couple of things about this rainforest? Sorry in advance for rambling and all of this text.

Right? The downfall of the Jumbo project was uplifting. Ski resorts obviously (like many “parks” in US and Canada) involve Indigenous dispossession and obscuring/erasure of histories and lives. (Details from that article: US sky resort visitors are 88% white, and half make over $100 thousand a year.) As for voices from the inland temperate rainforest: Gotta mention that the province of BC goes to such great lengths to silence the voices of the Sinixt people, declared “extinct” by the Canadian government and whose traditional territory includes much of the inland temperate rainforest (between 2016 and 2020, BC has fought against the Sinixt and their request for recognition, appealing every ruling, culminating in an October 2020 Supreme Court hearing). BC institutions like to claim the inland temperate rainforest as a “treasure” or “prize”, a “globally-unqiue” ecosystem, as a sort of entitlement or patrimony; meanwhile, the province of BC legally fights the Sinixt in court, ignores the caribou extinction, and still issues dozens of logging/timber and clear-cut contracts in the inland temperate rainforest each year. That said, the end of Jumbo was good news.

For anyone unfamiliar: Jumbo was a ski resort mega-development project planned for the Purcell Wilderness on Ktunaxa traditional territory right in the heart of the inland temperate rainforest region of interior so-called British Columbia, in old-growth cedar-hemlock forest, on the edge of glaciers, and in the middle of key habitat of southern mountain caribou, grizzly, wolverine, mountain lion, lynx, wolf, elk, mountain goat, marten, fisher, etc. The Glacier Resorts-owned project would’ve been “the single largest ski resort in North America” including a “resort base” of at least 110 hectares, a hotel with over 5,500 beds, and an expectation of over 3,000 visitors a day. The Ktunaxa had opposed the project since 1991, and took a case to federal Supreme Court. In January 2020, the Ktunaxa were able to buy-out the project, and the Jumbo area will now be managed as a formal Indigenous Protected Area.

The new Zincton resort is also being built on Ktunaxa and Sinixt land, about 70 kilometers away from the former Jumbo resort site.

Traditional territories:

And yes, there are some updates on Zincton from November 2020.

@moss-effect -- I know that you already know this stuff. But for anyone unfamiliar:

The Zincton resort is being constructed only about 70-ish kilometers or so away from where the Jumbo resort was planned. Zincton is also on Ktunaxa territory, as well as traditional land of the Sinixt. Zincton (being built near Valhalla and Goat Range, between Naksup and Kaslo) expects a “grand opening” in December 2021. The project is run by the owner/founder of a local outfitter/recreation company. As of November 2020, BC’s Mountain Resorts Branch is still reviewing the owner’s formal proposal. Zincton sits closer to even more extensive old-growth forest and major protected areas.

Zincton also seems to be a manifestation of that now-classic category: “progressive” settler-colonial entrepreneurs from coastal BC, the Pacific Northwest, and/or Rocky Mountain West are familiar with local rhetoric and therefore elude criticism by rebranding their extractive and development projects as “eco-friendly”. According to The Narwhal (November 2020) the owner/project leader had this to say about the project: “There is a real story here of a proven disruptor facing down the mob to do one last project for the kids and grandkids. … Jobs for locals, a future for families, saving the hospital. Zincton is the Tesla of the ski village business.”

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Also, for context: Here’s a post I made about the inland temperate rainforest, its ecology/geography, and its endemic creatures. Here’s a post from June 2020 about the Zincton resort development. Here’s a compilation post with news/timeline/summary and maps describing the extinction of southern mountain caribou in 2019 (southern mountain caribou are a local icon, completely endemic to this region, and are highly endangered; caribou were declared extinct in the contiguous United States in 2019 when the last of the southern mountain caribou were relocated farther north to BC). Here’s a compilation post with news/timeline following the Sinixt case to receive formal recognition from BC/Canada in 2019 and 2020 (much of the rainforest, including the Zincton site, is within Sinixt traditional territory; the Canadian government declared the Sinixt “extinct” in the 1950s).

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Location of core cedar-hemlock forest of inland temperate rainforest region, compared with distribution range of the southern mountain caribou:

Photos I took of stream habitat in inland temperate rainforest:

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Coincidentally, just a couple of days ago, The Narwhal just released an “explainer” dedicated to the Zincton: Paul Fischer. “Why B.C.’s Zincton resort, the proposed ‘Tesla of ski villages,’ is worrying conservationists.” The Narwhal. 27 November 2020.

Zincton claims that it is a “radical departure from the status quo” and will be a “carbon-zero” resort. But local groups oppose the project, including Wildsight, West Kootenay Eco Society, and locally-famous Valhalla Wilderness Society. (The core of the inland temperate rainforest is sometimes referred to as “Valhalla” or “Caribou Rainforest”.) The project also claims that the resort’s focus on so-called “eco-tourism” is a good way to “grow and replace economic decline,” which you might perceive to be a settler-colonial interpretation of the “value” of the forest and also suggests that the concern here is, of course, making money. From Fischer’s article: ‘In a series of emails with The Narwhal, Harley [the project leader] dismissed environmental concerns. He said impacted grizzly habitats are low quality and categorized the criticism from certain environmental groups as a “copy and paste” campaign motivated by a desire to oppose everything rather than contribute constructively.’

These quotes can be found in the article:

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Here’s some other stuff:

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Headlines from the Jumbo resort news:

The Sinixt case:

Southern mountain caribou herd decline in the inland temperate rainforest between 1990 and 2018. The Zincton resort will directly affect Purcells South, Central Selkirks, and South Selkirks herd.

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And I want to say that both the Ktunaxa and Sinixt people have recently been undermined, insulted, and dispossessed by BC and development projects in similar ways. Media, educational material, and conservation groups in BC like to point out that the inland temperate rainforest is “globally-unique” (in that it’s really the planet’s only sizable “coastal-type temperate rainforest” existing inland and away from a coast). And you’ll see the inland temperate rainforest described with terms like: prized, treasure, gem, hidden/secret rainforest, etc. And the region is discussed in settler-colonial terms/concepts (”BC’s forgotten rainforest,” “BC’s other rainforest”, “a magnificent carbon cache”, “unparalleled resource”) as if it is the patrimony of the province of BC or Canadian state. Which of course is problematic because it (1) associates the forest’s importance with bioprospecting/scientific extractivism, carbon sequestration, or other metrics of settler-colonial “value,” and also because (2) the province of BC continues to fight very hard against recognizing the land as part of Sinixt territory (after Sinixt people and allies were able to win cases against BC, the province continued to appeal, and this case has now culminated in the October 2020 hearing at the federal Supreme Court, which will soon make a final ruling on whether or not Sinixt people are legally allowed land rights to harvest, travel, etc. within BC).

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Here’s a map:

From 2018, there is this book:

In the US, too, parks, like ski resorts, are implicated in Indigenous dispossession.

Glacier National Park (at the border of BC, Alberta, and Montana) sits on the edge of the Kootenay and inland temperate rainforest regions. Conservation groups, universities, and other US institutions have taken to calling Glacier part of “the Crown of the Continent” (another possessive/patrimonial term maybe?), a portion of the heavily-glaciated Canadian Rockies that kinda includes Banff and Jasper, too. Glacier National Park is on Ktunaxa and Blackfeet territory. A recently published book that might be interesting: People Before the Park: The Kootenai and Blackfeet Before Glacier National Park. Sally Thompson, Kootenai Cultural Committee, and Piikuni Traditional Association. 2015

Described by Montana Public Radio in 2017: “Step [...] into the world of the Kootenai and Blackfeet peoples, whose traditional territories included the area that is now Glacier National Park. [...] In this book, the Kootenai and Blackfeet tribes share their traditions -- stories and legends, foodways and hunting techniques, games and spiritual beliefs.”

Just a special place.

Thank you for saying something.

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ezrasarm · 4 years

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Come Back To Me In Waking Dream

[ Day 5 | Angstaggedon Masterlist ]

Pairing: Ezra x Reader

Word count: 2.4K

Summary: Torn apart by the forces of the universe, Ezra becomes a ghost of himself.

Warnings: ANGST, hints at depressive episodes and thoughts of death, more angst. This is not an uplifting story.

Credits: A huuuuuge thank you to @din-damn-djarin and @chaotic-noceur for beta reading and letting me use them as a human squash court for me to bounce my ideas off of! The title is inspired by a piece of poetry written by David Keenan that preludes his song “Full Stop” and I thought it fit just right.

A/N: Not to toot my own horn or anything but... I hope y’all brought tissues.

As with any line of work, the longer you’re in it, the smaller the world- or in this case, the universe- seems to become. You and Ezra had made a number of first encounters through your years working the aurelac business. It wasn’t glamorous by any means, no matter what the precious gem associated with it might suggest. The work was rough and often fruitless. But, on those rare occasions that you managed to find a sizeable deposit in those tangles of rhizomatic roots- provided you had the skill to extract them, one, without killing yourself, and two, without damaging the delicate bounty in the process- you could make quite the pretty penny off of it. And you could make it fast. It was part of what made the industry so cutthroat in the first place. It was also entirely the reason that making lasting relationships, business or otherwise, was nearly impossible for you.

Both Ezra and yourself had gotten into prospecting and harvesting aurelac even before the rush. It seemed like your timelines were interlinked. You couldn’t stop running into one another if you tried. You could recall quite vividly the first time you saw him. His rich smooth voice and exuberant charm were not things that detracted attention from him. So he was hard to miss in the small, dingy convenience store on the freighter back from the Bakhroma system. When you finally acquaintanced yourselves with one another quite sometime later, he insisted he had seen you around here and there long before that. You argued that he must have been mistaken because you couldn’t possibly have failed to notice him and that peculiar blonde patch in his hair. And that even if you did, you would have heard him coming even sooner. “That,” he said, “is not necessarily true.” But none the less you managed to crack him up. He’s had a soft spot for you ever since.

You had gotten to know each other pretty well through the many drinks you shared when you found yourselves on the same planet and the odd job you would work together in between. You now knew him well enough that if you were feeling bold you might venture to call him a friend. Perhaps even admit that at times you thought you could be a little more than that. Although you would never have the nerve to say it to his face.

Then he disappeared. One moment he was on The Pug scanning the boards, the next he was gone. Funnily enough, the job he managed to scrounge up was one you had been eyeing yourself. You got pulled away on a contract with an old client of yours to do some appraisals and he set off for this prospecting mission of his. He said it would take a week tops and that he had something he wanted to tell you when he got back. Then you never saw him again.

You see, Ezra had just been working up the courage to tell you how he felt. He swore the next time he saw you would be the day he told you he loved you. That you were the star of his dreams when he slept and the object of his reveries when he woke. That practically every moment of every day he spent away from you he was thinking about where you were or what you were up to. None of this stopped when his pod crash-landed on Bakhroma Green.

He just needed one more job to save up to take you out on Kamrea, your temporary home when you could afford to live there. He had this grand plan to woo you with a nice meal and a necklace made from a small aurelac crystal he had harvested on one of the first jobs you had worked together. He knew how hard you pushed yourself. You never gave yourself a break. He thought it would be nice to treat you to more than just a drink in a bar for once.

It was supposed to be a simple job. Prospect potential dig sites, maybe even harvest a little while he was at it, then get the hell out of there. But none of that happened. Instead, he got stranded on that godforsaken rock. It was years before anyone came to his rescue. He lost his arm somewhere along the way. A rogue thrower shot from a skittish young sater. He was normally quite conscious of staying out of their territory but with the seasons changing, foraging for food brought him out of his comfort zone. The resulting infection cost him his dominant hand.

But his physical injury was hardly the worst of his ailments on his extended visit to the Bakhroma moon. He was quite positive he was going insane hauled up in the damaged drop pod that only served as a reminder he wouldn’t be leaving the forest moon any time soon. As he quickly came to find, he and prolonged periods of time without human contact were not a good combination. While saters and other prospectors may have passed through every now and again, he often had enough trouble bargaining with them for his life, let alone a ride off the dumb rock. They never stuck around long and they certainly weren’t talkative. His mental health took a nosedive quite early on. He took to talking to himself, writing to keep his mind busy. At his worst, he could recall experiencing fits of hysteria and even hallucinations. He had the delirious diary entries to prove it.

It was around the time he lost his arm that he began to lose hope too. The longer he was stranded there, the more doubt that there would be any way out at all began to creep into his mind. There were some nights where the thought of seeing you again, brushing that rebellious strand of hair out of your face and pulling you into a long-awaited kiss, was the only thing that kept him going. He could still see your face. The upward quirk to your lip and the light graze of your hand against his as you passed him by in the hall on his way out. You were in some big rush as you always were. You assured him you would see him later. All he could think of was how wrong that assumption was now. He never could have imagined that would be the last time he saw you. And now here he was projecting phantom memories on the blank ceiling of the pod, cursing himself for not telling you what he should have the moment he knew. He refused to let himself die without letting you know how he felt. Maybe he would be able to rest easier if you knew.

For the first couple cycles you worried yourself sick. The risk associated with your field of work was not lost on you. He wouldn’t just leave you like that- he couldn’t. You wouldn’t let him. But years had passed. It soon came time for you to confront the acceptance of one of two realities: either he was dead, or he had abandoned you. The thought confused you. He wasn’t yours to be abandoned by and yet the resentment that came with it stung you just the same. You couldn’t tell which hurt you more but you knew you couldn’t sit around waiting for a dead man. And if he was alive, you refused to spend another second pining over a man who would up and leave you without so much as a goodbye. So you swallowed your yearning, the nag in your heart that clung to the hope he would still come back for you, and you moved on.

When Ezra got off the Green he hardly recognized himself anymore. His hair had grown shaggy despite his attempts to keep it under control, there were patches of grey in his dishevelled beard, his face had thinned, and those were just the physical changes. It was one of the last sling-backs before they killed the Central-BG line for good. A Kaslo Porting team, dropped to scavenge for old scraps and parts they could mark up and sell second hand, stumbled upon his pod. He was deathly frail when they found him. With his food supply having long since been depleted he had almost poisoned himself by mistaking a species of berry for its edible cousin in his desperation. If they hadn’t found him sooner, the doctors on board the freighter couldn’t see how he would have survived. He wound up hospitalized for weeks.

After all that time with just one thought on his mind, he knew he had to find you. Upon being discharged he searched high and low for you. He felt foolish checking all your old haunts. It had been so long. But he didn’t know where else to begin. He checked with mutual friends and old employers. They all seemed too surprised by being in the presence of a ghost to give him a straight answer.

He went to just about every place he could think of, asking your name as though it carried the same weight to everyone else as it did to him. He was sure he had searched every last corner of the galaxy. When he kept coming up empty he began to doubt whether you yourself were alive. It seemed like he was the only who knew who you were. It was like you didn’t exist. It was like you never had existed. He went so far as to question if he had made you up. If you were merely some fucked up defence mechanism manufactured by his brain to keep him hopeful. To keep him from giving up so long ago as he had been tempted to do. But he couldn’t bring himself to stop looking. That would be admitting something to himself that he would never be ready to. His head would perk up if through the chatter of crowded spaces he would hear a laugh similar to your own carry across the room. He would lose his place in conversations when he would see a flash of hair not unlike your own out of his peripheral vision.

Then one day he found himself back on The Pug, scanning the boards the exact same way he had been the first time he laid eyes on you. He wasn’t actively looking for you. No more than he always was. But sure enough there you were. Your arms crossed over your chest and your gaze tilted upward to read the job postings that flashed by not unlike flight numbers in an airport. You had matured a little. You wore your hair differently now. Shorter than he remembered but he liked it just the same. Your posture had changed too. You looked calmer, more confident and at ease as you watched the boards. Not tense and nervous as you used to be when you lived paycheck to paycheck, desperate for every opportunity you could leap at. Life had treated you well, he remarked to himself. As it should have. You looked just as beautiful as you were in that faded photograph of the two of you he carried everywhere with him. The same one he studied every night as he tried to fall asleep on those lonely nights on the Green.

He felt his heart leap in his chest when you turned in his direction, a graceful smile across your face and your arms outstretched. He felt the adrenaline kick in, like a jolt of electricity through his entire body. He realized then that he hadn’t moved since he had laid eyes on you, too startled by the long anticipated discovery to function. A hysterical grin had stretched across his face. He couldn’t believe he had finally found you. That you were there standing right in front of him after all he had been through trying to get back to you. He was just about to step towards you. To shout your name, take you in his arms and do what he should’ve done long before. That’s when a young tike, hardly three years old came darting past him, tripping over her own feet as she bumbled towards you at top speed.

Then it dawned on him. That smile? Those open arms? They weren’t for him.

You crouched and swept the child up in your arms, peppering her face with kisses as she giggled back at you. It was now that he could see the resemblance. The twinkle in the young girl’s eye and the way she threw her head back when she laughed were not foreign to him. A man he didn’t recognize came trotting after her, scooping her up from your embrace before leaning down and pressing a kiss to your lips.

It finally occurred to him why no one had recognized your name.

You looked happy. The smile on your face made his heart swell as he watched you from a distance. He only wished that he was the cause of it. The realization struck him that he could never be that for you. A husband. A father to your child. Even if he wanted to, years of breathing in toxic particles does things to a man. Now he was too late anyway. He had never wished so strongly that he hadn’t taken that job, that he hadn’t boarded that pod and set off to Bakhroma Green. Tears stung his eyes as he choked back the confession welling in the back of his throat. He couldn’t do that to you now. You deserved better than the trauma of a phantom walking back into your life after all this time. And stood there, every semblance of hope he had harboured since your fingertips slid off his own in that hallway shattered around his feet, he considered something. He should’ve let himself die on that rock. It would have been a more merciful death than the one he had just experienced as he watched the very dream that kept him alive all that time fall apart in front of him.

[ Angstageddon Masterlist | Ezra’s Arm Masterlist ]

-- Angstageddon Taglist

@chaoticspaceidiot @engineeredfiction @pedropascalito @dreamgirl-67 @hillarymurray4 @wille-zarr @oloreaa @this-cat-is-dea @marydjarin @roxypeanut @cryptkeepersoul @agirllovespasta @wickedfrsgrl @dindisneydjarin @opheliaelysia @aeryntheofficial @adikaofmandalore @goldafterglow @yespolkadotkitty @chibi-liz05 @scarlettvonsass @rpcvliz @cinewhore @basura2319 @theravenreads @mxndoscyarika @jaime1110 @f0rever15elf @pancakepike @phoenixhalliwell @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @synystersilenceinblacknwhite

#ezra #ezra x reader #ezra (prospect)#ezra (prospect) x reader #prospect 2018 #prospect #angstageddon #angst week

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dxrkenedheights · 11 months

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where: the stables oct 2nd

with: ryan cross and tammie jones @rviner

★・・・・・・★

The time after their return from Kaslo are filled with bigger concerns for Ryan than the run gone bad. Like many things in his life before war, there is little time for recuperation. On your feet, boy. Shut the hell up. More pressing matters fill his thoughts and with them, his help at the farms stop entirely. The ban preventing Elliot and Isla from heading out is a focus of the Cross pack but even then, there is a gnawing in the back of Ryan's mind. How the years apart almost diminished between him and Tammie. Almost. Only to appear again to feel vaster than ever. The slow building friendship that formed during their time in Hollow Cove disappears too, and the two wolves are back at the start. Quick glances to one another in passing, held breaths and swallowed back words.

And yet he finds himself, on a slower day, etching towards the barns that the Jones' made their own. Just a ghost in comparison to Blue River Ranch, yet the hearty warmth of their pack is evident throughout. He knows it's Tammie that he approaches from the way she sits against the fence, taking a break and glancing through the scenery. And he also knows what she thinks. She's thinking of home, the scrunch of her nose and frown on her face making Ryan fight a smirk. "You good?" he chirps once close enough, slowing a few paces from her and settling his expression. "That new wolf, whatever the fuck he called, he healed up?" The distance may feel further than ever but the issue with them has always been their familiarity, knowing one another a little too close for comfort. So, Ryan can no longer stave the smirk from appearing. "I wanted to come see if you're still pissed or if it was the wolfsbane makin' you a God damn nightmare."

#ryancross.talk #c: ryan cross w. tammie jones 004 #ts: oct 2nd

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secrettyrant · 1 year

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closed starter, the farms wolf and ethan @manybcdthings

With the Kaslo trip taking slightly longer than anticipated, comes a natural form of concern. While Wolf knows he worries about Ryan, he also knows that Ethan's must far surpass it. It's why he offers to help at the farms, talking about their next plan of action if it becomes a second day without any of their return. "I have plenty of wolves that will come with you too. If it comes to that." Wolf nods, but he can't deny that his visit to the other Alpha has another reason. "I know the timing of this conversation could be better, Ethan but there is something else." he sighs, continuing on the work within the barn. "I know when you took Jack and Sophia in you weren't completely aware of how the mess and I said before, there's no issue with them being a part of your pack." he still means it too, not wanting to see wolves with nowhere to go. But, even Wolf has a limit. "Jack has been causing a few problems. Mainly out of bitterness but they're starting to prevent Elliot and Isla from looking for Cece. I was wondering if you'd talk to him as a favor to me." he looks over to Ethan, a respectful gaze for the Alpha who has far more experience than he does when it comes to leading. "He doesn't need to become our best friend. I just think he needs to let a few of us on runs so we can look for those we've lost. I'd even be happy if he let only Elliot and Isla on runs, at the very least."

#wolfinteracts #replies: wolf and ethan #This really didn't need to be this long and yet it is

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nwbeerguide · 3 years

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Featuring over 50 beers, available for a limited time, the BC Ale Trail invites you to support breweries in British Columbia.

Press Release

… Vancouver, BC: As the nights get colder and darker, so too do the unique and boutique beers produced by craft brew crews throughout BC that conjure up unmistakably festive flavours. This winter, beer lovers can sip more than 50 seasonally inspired suds available at breweries along the BC Ale Trail that are heating up the holiday season in style.

From sours incorporating a bounty of BC fruit to barrel-aged and bottle-conditioned beers, along with inspired recipes that bring forth notes of cocoa, orange and mint, there’s no shortage of limited-edition, get-’em-before-they’re-gone seasonal beers to choose from.

The usual suspects like stouts, dunkels and porters are well represented, but with festive twists, like the Angry Elf Peppermint Holiday Stout from Port Alberni’s Dog Mountain Brewing, and the Chocomint Mocha Porter from the Noble Pig Brewhouse in Kamloops. There are some think-outside-the-gift-box beers — like the BC Cranberry Sour from 33 Acres in Vancouver’s Brewery Creek — as well as returning festive favourites like the latest entry in the ‘Anno’ series from Burnaby’s Dageraad Brewing, and the 2021 edition of the now-annual Winter Ale from Kelowna Brewing Company.

So bundle up, grab your crew, and cozy up to some great winter beers while supporting local. And don’t forget to download the BC Ale Trail App to find and collect points for rewards at participating breweries, taphouses, pubs and liquor stores that await at BC Ale Trail’s 200+ locations.

Be sure to check out the blog for the full list of holiday-inspired beers from BC craft breweries, or get in the festive spirit by sampling a selection of 11 different beers from 10 craft breweries below for starters!

Get Sweet on This Sour: BC Cranberry Sour by 33 Acres Brewing Company (5.7% ABV)

A smash hit from 2020, this cran-tastic sour will be back for another seasonal visit with bottles available to go in 33 Acres’ tasting room starting December 17. Brewed with barley, wheat and spelt and fermented with a special mixed culture in an oak foeder, this beer was refermented on BC cranberries to add delicate berry character and complex acidity.

33 Acres Brewing can be found on the Vancouver-Brewery Creek Ale Trail.

Enjoy the Fruits of Their Labour: Fruition 4th Anniversary Ale by Angry Hen Brewing (7.5% ABV | 15 IBU)

Kaslo staple Angry Hen Brewing is celebrating its fourth year in business and saluting loyal fans and new customers with a traditional gift of fruit. Angry Hen’s brew crew added locally picked raspberries, yellow and purple plums and fox grapes and sea salt to the Gose base from their 200th beer and conditioned it for four months to bring this ale to its true Fruition.

Angry Hen Brewing can be found on the Kootenay Rockies West Ale Trail.

Slip Into Some Comfy PJs: Flannel Pyjamas by Camp Beer Co. (10% ABV)

Get out of the cold and slip into some comfy flannel pjs via this Wee Heavy Scotch Ale aged in bourbon barrels for 11 months. This winter warm-you-up is strong, dark and malty with plenty of complex flavours for the discerning palate and has notes of toffee, caramel and smoke — just like a good Camp fire should.

Camp Beer Co. can be found on the Fraser Valley Ale Trail.

The Winter of Our Content: Anno 2021 by Dageraad Brewing (8.5% ABV)

It’s that magical time of year for Dageraad Brewing disciples: the Burnaby destination has released its Anno 2021. It’s a strong golden ale brewed with Okanagan pears and Indian coriander and bottle-conditioned with Brett claussenii (a strain of wild yeast that’s funky, fruity and adds complexity over time). For dyed-in-the-wool Anno acolytes, Dageraad is also selling Vintage Gift Packs featuring one bottle each of the Anno entries from 2018 through 2021 plus two limited-edition holiday glasses.

Dageraad Brewing can be found on the North of the Fraser Ale Trail.

A Buddy-the-Elf Approved Beer: Angry Elf Cocoa Peppermint Holiday Stout by Dog Mountain Brewing (6.5% ABV)

This one’s like Will Ferrell in a barrel — well, his character from the beloved holiday film Elf, anyway. As a special gift for their fans, the pack at Port Alberni’s Dog Mountain concocted this dark and delicious beer using cocoa, vanilla and candy canes to fill stockings of thirsty folks with a refreshingly unique beer that tastes like a peppermint hot chocolate for adults.

Dog Mountain Brewing can be found on the Vancouver Island Part Two Ale Trail.

Paint it ’Black: Black Mammoth Winter Ale by Fernie Brewing Co. (8% ABV | 25 IBU)

Rich, strong and decadent, this black ale is complemented by the additions of chocolate malt, dark organic cocoa and peels from Curaçao oranges and aged on oak for smoothness and complexity. It’s a big and boozy beer that brings forth rich notes of orange and cocoa and pairs perfectly with dark skies, cold nights and freshly fallen snow.

Fernie Brewing Co. can be found on the Kootenay Rockies East Ale Trail.

Sweet Sassy Molassy: 2021 Winter Ale by Kelowna Brewing Co. (7.5% ABV | 33 IBU)

It’s become an annual tradition for Kelowna Brewing fans — a beer perfect for cracking open in front of the fire after a long day on the slopes. Heavy on the malt bill and generous on the molasses in the boil, this brew has a balanced sweetness with notes of treacle and coffee. The Kelowna brew crew also offers personalized cans as a delicious alternative to traditional holiday greeting cards.

Kelowna Brewing Co. can be found on the Kelowna and West Kelowna Ale Trail.

Bob’s Your Dunkel: Candy Cane Dunkel by the Moon Under Water Brew Pub & Distillery (5.4% ABV)

This dark lager was brewed using a single-decoction process that gives it an intense malt flavour without leaving too much residual sugar and giving it a dry, refreshing finish. Candy canes and vanilla were used in the brewing process to give it some added hints of the holiday season.

The Moon Under Water Brew Pub & Distillery can be found on the Victoria Ale Trail.

Mull Over These Two Holiday Infusions from the Noble Pig Brewhouse:

Chocomint Mocha Porter (5.5% ABV | 22 IBU)

A festive spin on the Kamloops’ brew crew’s flagship Stone House Mocha Porter, this Chocomint Mocha Porter is brewed with pure cacao and peppermint for a delightfully delicious winter shiver in every sip.

Mulled Swine Belgian Pepper Ale (5% ABV | 20 IBU)

This ’Swine is mighty fine — a take on the Noble Pig’s beloved Stick House Belgian Pepper Ale, the Mulled Swine is infused with holiday heavy spices and a deliciously mulled flavour guaranteed to get even Grinches into the festive spirit.

The Noble Pig Brewhouse can be found on the Kamloops, Shuswap, Vernon & Merritt Ale Trail.

Twist and Stout: Century Grove Chocolate Orange Stout by Townsite Brewing Inc. (6% ABV | 28 IBU)

Smash that orange — this dessert stout from the popular Powell River destination wraps beer lovers in a warm, comfy and cozy brew blanket. It gives off hints of chocolate and blood orange used in the brewing process and evokes memories of the favourite stocking stuffer from Terry’s Chocolate Co.

Townsite Brewing Inc. can be found on the Sunshine Coast Ale Trail.

To see the full list of new beer releases and learn where to find them in your neighbourhood, visit the BC Ale Trail website today!

… –30–

About the BC Ale Trail The BC Ale Trail is brought to you in partnership by Destination British Columbia and the BC Craft Brewers Guild. A BC Ale Trail is a series of self-guided itineraries highlighting local craft brewery destinations and the super, natural landscapes that surround them. Explore more than 180 breweries across 23 Ale Trails in five regions around the province. New experiences are brewing nearby. For more information, visit https://bcaletrail.ca.

Travel safely and responsibly.

As parts of British Columbia have been impacted by heavy rain and flooding, drivers are being asked to avoid unnecessary travel given the multiple highway closures. Check @DriveBC on Twitter for the latest information on delays and road closures. Destination BC’s Know Before You Go page also includes key information resources for travelers and tourism businesses.

Masks are required in all public indoor settings for all people born in 2009 or earlier (12+). As of September 25 proof of double vaccination is required for those 12 and older to access certain social and recreational businesses including breweries, to help protect people from COVID-19. Learn more about BC’s travel restrictions.

from Northwest Beer Guide - News - The Northwest Beer Guide https://bit.ly/3ESMypR

#Beer #News #Brewery

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ofwrxth · 10 months

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+ TAMMIE / JONES CABIN / DEC. 1

It's been several days since the full moon, and then since the big fight that followed it but Nora still feels on edge. Ever since Kaslo. Since Adam's Lake. It feels like chaos is dogging at their heels. She'd rushes back with her sister when they were alerted on the full moon. Her thoughts had been on Eden. On Taylor. On everything that poor woman had gone through for her daughter to be safe. And she was, but the chaos of the night still hums in Nora. Like a bell echoing after it's rung, she still feels hyper aware of every sound in the night. It's why she picks up on the small restless sound coming from Eden in Tammie's room next door.

Opening her eyes, Nora clocks that it's still dark out, a bit of light streaming in from the waning moon. With a yawn, she slips out of bed, sock-clad feet hitting the wood floor as she pads out of her room and to the kitchen, fixing a bottle. Without a microwave, the only way to warm up milk is with hot water and with that in short supply, she puts on a pot. As she waits, Nora observes the dark outside the window, keen eyes picking out even the slightest movement of animals in trees, or the rustle of wind. And once the bottle's warmed enough, after what felt like an hour, she heads to Tammie's room in time to see her sister picking Eden up out of the bassinet.

It's a steady system they've got going through the night, though she suspects Ryan'll start to help if he stays over. She'd seen him leaving a few days before, Tammie's cheeks incriminatingly flushed and her clothes slightly askew. Nora had only given her sister a knowing look then and the following days hadn't found time to pry, though she's taken a few extra night shifts to give her sister...well privacy. And to protect her own sanity. "Here you go," Nora whispers, handing Tammie the bottle as she climbs onto her sister's bed. She rests her head on one of the pillows and watches her movements in the dark; the gentle way she holds Eden's head, the steady sway as she gives her the bottle. She's proud of her and is continuously reassured that Taylor picked the right sister for the job. @rviner

#nora.#nora x tammie 003.#timestamp 002.

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lalablue0 · 5 years

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The Way Back

Pairing: Ezra x OFC (sorta)

Warnings: some random smut sandwiched between a story

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3503

Authors Note: Unbeta’d. All mistakes are my own. Also, Tumblr formatting is weird. This started as something completely different. The main POV is of the OFC (name was randomly generated). I tried to write this as reader POV, but I couldn’t make some of the scenes work right, so I went back and changed things around. I was hoping this would turn into a series, but I no longer wish to write. Of course I could change my mind tomorrow. I love Ezra very much.

Also credit to @tarrevizslas for her wonderful fic The Albatross and it’s continued inspiration.

Constructive criticism appreciated. I know my writing is odd. I may not be as descriptive as I should on some aspects, but sometimes it’s just easier to just say what happened and leave the rest to imagination.

Part II

Part III

Or read all three parts (director’s cut of sorts with edits and extended scenes) on AO3

Summary: Ezra needs help.

The Way Back

Tragic lives, surrendered bliss.

Count the stars, lingering kiss.

Touch me deeply; hang on tight

Count the stars, wild nights.

Fall quickly, break easy.

Lose yourself in the moment

Fleeting as it may be

don't waste time on resentment

or trying to persuade me.

This is the inevitable end.

Of the sweet folly we enjoyed.

We didn't break or bend

we were just destroyed.

Nora had been on the Kaslo freighter for more than a year now. It had been one of the easiest contracts she had had since getting her medical license. Most injuries were related to harvesters accidentally stabbing themselves trying to get to the aurelac gems the green moon of Bakhroma was famous for. They had been orbiting the toxic moon for the last three months. A few cases of broken bones due to unforgiving terrain and a few overdoses of spice rounded out her experience. All in all, it was the best case scenario considering the abysmal medical bay she had to work with. Supplies were limited at the start. Much of the equipment didn't work or was so outdated it wasn't worth using. Even the lighting left much to be desired.

It was the easiest contract she ever had. Until...

She knew it was Ezra the moment she saw him. How could she miss that shock of platinum blonde hair at his right temple. The color, or lack thereof, was not a fashion choice. It was a birthmark, a white forelock, that didn't allow pigment to the hair that grew from it. It was the most visible of the three he had.

The second one was an almost perfect circle on the back of his left thigh. He hadn't known about it, till she pointed out one night. He had spun himself in circles trying to see it for himself. When he had finally fallen over dizzy on her bed, after the laughter died down, she produced a mirror for him.

“Well isn't that something,” he huffed when he saw the near spherical shape in the middle of his thigh. He studied the spot for a few moments before he handed her the mirror back, “Wonder what else I don't know about myself,” he questioned. They stayed up all night going over every inch of his body and cataloging every freckle and white hair.

The third birthmark cut a swath of stark white hair through the contrasting, near black pubic hair. It was a half inch wide and three inch long set of white curls that ran from the base of his penis out towards his left hip. She found that one before the one on his thigh. But since it was her favorite, she always saved, savored, it for last.

The sight of him brought back many memories. The sight of him unconscious and bloody snapped her back to reality.

She spent over three hours trying to get him stable enough for surgery. Ezra was a mess. Her brain was far too occupied with the fact that his right arm had been very recently amputated. When something goes missing, whether it is a memory or functionality, it's depressing. Not just for the patient, but for the people closest to them. She wondered if it had anything to do with the even more recent stab wound in the middle of his chest. He had lost a fair portion of his blood. The fine dust and spores of the green moon had seeped into the wounds. Infection already set in.

Nora cataloged the many silver scars that lined Ezra's body. Each one was a story and she wondered if she could keep him alive long enough for him to tell her about them.

Large headphones covered his young companions ears as she paced back and forth outside triage. She couldn't have been more than fifteen. Nora vaguely recalled seeing the girl on the Kaslo freighter in the last six months. She was with a different man then. One that had visited her med bay more than once for pain relief.

Nora couldn't begin to piece together what string of events united Ezra and the girl. But her face made it clear that she genuinely cared about what happened to the man on her table. Nora could only hope that she could keep Ezra alive.

–

When the surgery was over, she came to sit beside the girl, Cee. She looked scared.

“My father died on The Green. He is all I have left.”

Nora nodded gently as if it all made sense somehow. “How do you know Ezra?”

Cee pulled her knees closer to her chest. “He saved me.”

Nora shut her eyes. She knew Ezra a long time past, but that didn't seem like something he would do. She didn't need to know details and Cee didn't offer any at that time.

Soon, however, rumor of the Queen's Lair spread like wildfire on the freighter. That the man in the medical bay knew where it was. The freighter conductor even delayed their departure from the Bakhroma Green in hopes of Ezra waking and revealing the location. Three more rotations for another chance at the slingback.

Cee had come to Nora and explained what happened on The Green. She knew where the Queens lair was. Cee was smart enough to know how the 'verse worked and she had nothing but Ezra and he had nothing.

Under the guise of returning to the surface to retrieve her father's body, Cee led Nora to the Queens Lair. With Nora's steady hands, they plundered the site. They hid the gems in Damon's body.

It was Cee's idea.

–

The freighter left orbit later when it became evident that the man might not survive his injuries. Nora placed Ezra in a coma in hopes of giving his body a chance to recover. The infection that resulted in his arm requiring removal had taken residence in his chest. She was critically low on antibiotics. They were weeks away from the nearest base.

Cee rarely left Ezra's side. She read out loud to him from a book she had handwritten. Nora recognized the story from her med school years. But Cee's was different. There were parts she didn't remember. She wasn't sure if it was Cee's own writing or maybe she had recalled it differently, but it didn't matter so much. Nora was glad that she didn't have to be alone with her thoughts. Alone with Ezra so broken.

“How long ago did you know him?” Cee asked her one day.

Nora tilted her head. “Was it that obvious?”

Cee sniffed. She looked down at her feet and played with the hole in her sock. “You asked how I knew Ezra, but I had never told you his name.”

Nora laughed. “Good catch. Last I saw him was years ago...” She exhaled deeply as she calculated the math in her head, “ten years ago, actually.”

Cee continued picking at her socks as she spoke. Nora was unsure if she didn't feel comfortable with the conversation. “Did you love him?” She inquired.

“With every ounce of my being.” Nora responded plainly before she even had a chance to stop herself. Truth, Nora found, came without hesitation.

“What happened?” She asked, finally looking at her.

–

It was a little apartment on the outskirts of Kybalta's capital city of Volsa. Completing her medical license meant a rotation on the underserved moon. Ezra had felt more at home in the tiny space than any other place they had been in their relationship. To help support Nora he took any job he could. They were young and the young could shoulder the physical labor that most companies were looking for.

Ezra worked as a miner in the black hills that bordered the northern edge of Volsa. The underground tunnels ran miles deep, digging for a rare ore that could be smelted to make radiation shielding. It was long hours and dirty work and Ezra loved every moment.

They both worked similar hours and spent any free time they had together. Lingering in bed, he placed soft kisses over her face and neck. His strong, calloused hands seemed to want to touch every part of her at once.

“My sweet tiger lily, I fear I had forgotten what you have felt like under my touch,” his slow drawl reverberated against her cheek, “I am so sorry it has been so long since I have given you the pleasure you so rightly deserve.”

“You've been busy.” she smirked as she rubbed her fingers up and down Ezra's biceps, “I get it. But we're together now.”

“That we are, my love.” Ezra continued kissing down the length of her neck to her bare chest. Kissing her right nipple then her left. A gentle suckle, ending with a nibble. His body shifted as he made his way down past her breasts and towards her navel.

With one hand he cupped her between her thighs and spread them open. He placed gentle kisses across her pelvic bone as he went further south still. His right hand dipped deeper between her legs spreading her lips apart. She inhaled and held her breath as he slipped two fingers into her.

“You're so wet,” Ezra smiled as her back arched off the bed.

“Just for you,” she purred.

Ezra set the pace as he fucked her with his right hand and stroked the hardness of his cock with his left. Nora's hips bucked against his hand. She reached down her torso and began to finger her clit with expertise.

“Oh yeah, rub your pussy.” he breathed out between strokes, “You're a masterpiece, my love.”

“Oh Ez. Fuck me, please. I want you so -,” Nora started before her body writhed as his fingers hit her sweet spot.

Ezra shifted once again between her thighs, positioning himself to tease his cock against her slick folds. “As you wish, my love”

He pressed the tip of his cock against her and slid himself inside. She exhaled against his chin as he placed kisses on her face. Their eyes locked and soon they fell into a familiar cyclicity. The sound of their heavy breathing and skin slapping together in a sloppy rhythm. They didn't need a lot of dirty talk. They had a shared experience and knew each other like the backs of their own hands. He knew that she occasionally liked a slap to the ass. She knew that he loved when she swallowed. Together they melded as one. A love felt so deeply, they never thought it could be undone.

It had been their last time together.

–

“What happened?” Cee questioned.

Nora exhaled, “He got lost.”

Cee considered her for a moment. She then nodded. She continued picking at her socks. “Do you still love him?”

Nora sat back against the wall across from Cee. She sighed and a sad smile passed her lips. “It's complicated.”

“No,” Cee said as she stood up and puttered over to Ezra, “It really isn't.”

Cee stroked Ezra's hair away from his face. His face was pale and covered in a layer of sweat. With his eyes closed, he looked so much younger than his actual years. The intubation had been required after Nora discovered the dust had settled into Ezra's lungs.

“I wish it wasn't complicated, but Cee, I haven't seen him in so long. I've changed. I'm sure that he has too.” Nora said as she came to stand next to Cee, “I can't even be sure he'd even remember me.”

“You'll find out when he wakes up,” Cee said with the confidence that only a child can possess.

It took everything in Nora's power to not follow with “if”.

It had been a long week. Every time it seemed like Ezra was making some progress, another complication seemed to bring him two steps back. She knew that the longer a coma lasted, the less favorable the outcome. Even medically induced comas. Being in a coma is traumatic. There are tubes coming out of every orifice to regulate heart rate, breathing, urine output and body temperature.

Coming out of a coma is equally traumatic. It's a slow process; trying to get from point A to point B. Some people just settle for point A.5; never fully recovering to their former selves.

Nora had said her goodbyes to Ezra while Cee had slept. She kissed his forehead and stroked his face. She cried her tears and mourned his loss for the second time in her life.

–

Kybalta was a political hotbed of activity. While the planet sat on the edge of the core, it was treated very much like a fringe planet. There was a large migrant population, come from all over the 'verse to work her mines and cater to the masses. But like other fringe planets, wages did not correspond to the labor output. The big companies that operated on Kybalta kept the profits for themselves and stuck it to the workers.

When the political climate seemed to reach its climax, there were resulting protests and riots almost daily. It kept Nora busy at the hospital. Ezra spent more time in the mines.

There was a line drawn in the sand. Cross it and face the consequence. There was always the question of What If. What if a particular event in your life went differently? What if you had said yes? What if you had turned left? What if you had never killed that man?

The cacophonous voices overwhelmed every other sound.

Time stood still for what seemed an extraordinary amount of time. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. It wasn't like he'd never seen death before. He knew death. All living things eventually died. From the majestic mountain ranges to the simplest single celled organism. The passage of time was just a perception.

Why would this death warrant his time? It was likely the portents of this death were broadcast in screaming chaotic chatter across the universe. The screaming faded to whimpering the moment the heart stopped beating. This death should not have been of any importance to Ezra.

The life that had been extinguished imbued such vehement loyalty and a fierce love of family. The life was generous and charming. The life had been greedy and received comeuppance at Ezra's hand.

Death was one of the first. Forever and infinity were just concepts that have yet to be experienced. Death that is neither good nor evil. It just is. Death that does not discriminate.

This is the Death that watches him now.

Their eyes were wide and unblinking. The fear that they had endured during their final moments was still evident on their face. Ezra's heart pounded in his chest, reminding him he was still alive and he needed to move.

He shifted through the onlookers. The thought occurred to him to hide his face, but walked with his head held high. No one took what was Ezra's. No one.

–

Nora had moved into the med bay with Ezra, staying in a cot by his bedside. She had given up her quarters in trade to a pair of floaters who had much needed antibiotics and some Saters juice. There was still another week before they reached the base. She had sent a communication to the best medical center on the Pug, but they made it clear they wouldn't even take Ezra without some assurances on payment. Cee offered all the aurelac if it meant Ezra would be treated. Nora, instead, offered her services. Licensed doctors were a rarity and they readily accepted.

The Saters juice had a very positive effect on Ezra. Nora was able to take him off the ventilator as he began to breath on his own. He was still battling an infection, but both Nora and Cee took this as a win.

Nora showed Cee how to take Ezra's vitals, how to read the monitors and how to administer the antibiotics so she could get some much needed rest. They took shifts looking after him so they were not so stretched thin. The toll of round the clock care was starting to weigh on them both. Nora was the only one who worked the med bay. The help that Cee provided was invaluable to Nora.

They had gotten to know each other fairly well over the past two weeks. Cee had spent more time with Nora than she had with Ezra. Nora had revealed more of herself to Cee than she had to anyone else since Ezra.

Ezra's eyes wrinkled when he smiled. His face was carved deep with laugh lines from too many good times to count. His laugh was infectious. He created an air of confidence and cockiness around him. When she was with him, it was almost guaranteed she would have a smile pasted on her face. He worshiped at her altar.

Rarely did anyone get to see the real him. The frightened child afraid of losing the woman he loved. The angry man who despised what he had become. The restless lover unable to find pleasure with the person he most desired.

The bruises were dark and angry. They appeared very quickly after the fight. They didn't speak for days, trying to pretend what happened never happened. That Ezra hadn't killed a man for taking his ore. That he hadn't roughly grabbed and hit Nora when she tried to leave to clear her head. It was a mistake and he apologized after. He was still running high on adrenaline, she had kept telling herself. She knew he could be aggressive with the love making on occasion, but she didn’t know how bad of a temper he could possess.

“My beloved, please, will you look at me?” Ezra asked as he sat on the edge of the bed at Nora's back, “I will spend my life making up for my misdeeds, but I do think I can atone for laying hands on you. I will try to, if you let me.”

Nora still would not look toward Ezra. He reached out to place a hand on her hip, when she jumped off the other side of the bed. Ezra closed his eyes. “You are frightened of me. I cannot believe that I have tarnished our shine. I am a fool. I can only offer you my sincerest apologies. I know that is not enough. Not in the least.”

Nora stood facing the wall and listened as Ezra's footfall retreated out of the bedroom and finally out of the front door. It was only after the door closed that Nora allowed herself to breath again.

–

Nora had reduced the medications that kept Ezra in a coma. However his persistent fever meant that he wasn't quite ready to wake. Random eye opening, mumbling, and limb movement at least gave Nora hope that maybe he would indeed recover.

Nora gave Cee several books that she had tucked away. Nora thought that Cee would just read to herself, but instead she read out loud to Ezra. She enjoyed reading to Ezra.

“--The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.” Cee read from the well worn heavy hard covered book entitled The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

“...Not what we ought...”

Both Cee and Nora looked to the bed. Fevered eyes were open but clearly unfocused. Ezra smiled into the ether and closed his eyes again.

“Ezra?” Cee questioned softly. She stood slowly and hovered over the bed. Nora moved to the other side of the bed.

Nora noted the numbers on the monitors. Nothing had really changed, but for the briefest of moments Ezra stirred. His eyes opened again and they immediately landed on Cee.

“Little bird,” Ezra smiled again. His eyes were glassy but he held her stare.

Cee's grin split her face. She took Ezra's hand and clenched it tight in hers.

“I must say that this heaven is most unexpected,” Ezra spoke clearly and succinctly.

Nora inhaled deeply. Her mind experienced so many thoughts at once.

Ezra turned his head towards Nora and shook it, blinking slowly. A flash of recognition crossed his face. “Now I know I am truly departed.”

“See, I told you he'd remember you,” Cee reminded Nora.

“I've missed you, wife” Ezra stated as he pulled his hand from Cee's to reach out to Nora.

“Wife?” Cee questioned, raised eyebrow.

Nora's face twisted with the guilt of having kept such important information from Cee. “I may have left out a very critical detail.”

Part II

#ezra prospect #prospect 2018 #fanfic #pedro pascal #noraverse

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