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guess-my-next-obsession · 6 months

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Starlight — Prologue

pairing: fae!ezra x princess!oc (Marigold)

rating: M (first person POV, split second mention of death, strained paternal relationship, arranged marriage, fantasy elements, i literally created a world and lore for this so if none of it makes any sense that is why, this chapter is just meant to build the world—we meet Ezra in the next chapter)

wc: 1.2k

a/n: hi everybody!! i’m well aware this book will not be one of my more popular series, but i really just wanted to write something fantastical, and even if i’m the only soul who reads this, it’s fine! we love a bit of self indulgence every now and again! anyways, hope you guys like this little prologue. i’m hoping to have the next chapter out within the week 🤍

series masterlist

All I’ve ever known is summer.

In my world, Etos, there are five kingdoms: Heims, Oceanus, Florere, Ember, Nox, and Solis. Anywhere else is far too dangerous for a mortal to step foot into, even if they could manage crossing the sea that separates us from the Fae lands and beyond.

The furthest land from my own is Heims, a frosty wonderland full of people hardened by the perpetually cold weather. Most of our coal comes directly from Heims, as well as my father’s toughest soldiers. My eldest sister, Wilhelmina, or Mina, as far as our family is concerned, married the charming Prince of Heims, Kristofer, and currently resides in the castle made of crystal so clear it almost looked like ice, setting the standard for the rest of my sisters.

Oceanus, too, was an important ally to have—their land producing the entirety of our fish as well as guarding the coast from those who seek to take back Etos. My father knew this well, and soon arranged for my second eldest sister, Peregrine, or Peri, to be married off to the King’s highest ranking emissary, Lord Titus, assuring the alliance between our lands. Luckily for soft-natured Peri, Titus seemed to be a gentleman and truly in love with my sister. I would have never allowed my father to marry her off if he wasn’t. Her gentle and kind spirit was far too precious to me to allow some man to ruin it.

Ember, a land of constant autumn, was where the academics went to study the arts and the sciences. My sister, Wilhelmina, was the actually the very first woman to be admitted into the university. I always admired her tenacity in the face of adversity, but even in my admiration, I feared her intellect and drive, just as my father must have after breaking down and allowing her to leave Solis.

The softer lands—at least in the minds of the northerners—were Florere, a land of eternal spring, and Solis, my land, the eternal summer. Octavia, the sister closest in age to me and by far the only one I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy due to her mean-nature and competitiveness, had recently left Solis to be with her betrothed, the Prince of Florere, Ignacio. I didn’t bother to vet her partner, but from what I could see by his solid gold carriage and fine regalia, he seemed to be just as pretentious as she was. A perfect match as far as I was concerned.

Even in all the beauty of Etos, all the varying climates and scenes, I never wanted to live anywhere else but my home. Solis.

Here there was no reason to be cruel and cold. Here, we appreciated the arts, and believed that leisure itself was an artform. We worshipped the sun, we worshipped our gardens, and when it came to love, we worshipped one another.

My father, his mother, and her father before her all wore the golden crown of Solis. Warmth and sunlight was woven into my bones, tanned my skin, softened my heart. My mother once told me, long before she passed, that my sisters and I were all born beneath a blazing sun at her request. I suppose she believed a warm birth meant we’d all live warm lives and die warm deaths.

As I wandered through the garden contemplating my newly revealed fate, I couldn’t help but wonder if her efforts were in vain.

My father, a once-loving, soft man I cherished more than the sun itself, had changed since my mother’s shocking and violent death after she was mauled by an injured wolf while attempting to remove an arrow from its side in the very forest I now padded my feet into. He grew cruel and hateful towards me, his youngest of five girls. I suppose I understand why, if I truly think about it.

Unlike my four older sisters, I took after my mother so much that even I found myself shocked at the resemblance. And even if I didn’t have her shimmering, gold eyes, or her caramel-brown head of long curls, or the same dimple in my left cheek, I had her heart. Soft, curious, and empathetic. Everything my father once loved about my mother, he now hated about me.

Of course he found it hard to look at me, to talk to me. I was his grief personified.

But even in all his iciness and hatred, I never expected that he’d sign my life away to the coldest, darkest realm in the world. To Nox. To marry the infamously insufferable King Kaius and become the future queen of the starland.

Whether I wanted to or not.

It felt personal, his choice in my betrothed. A daughter of the sun being forced to never see it again. It almost felt like another death to endure. Everything I have ever known and loved gone overnight.

As I found my place underneath my favorite elm tree, the one me and my mother used to sneak off to with our stolen bundle of sweets from the kitchen, I couldn’t bring myself to loathe him the way I wanted to.

Perhaps the distance would chill the warmth I still held in my heart for him.

Perhaps then, I could hate him the way he deserves.

My sister, Cosabella—the most cautious and maternal out of the five of us, happily married to the head of our father’s King’s Guard—and my father stood in front of our palace, its white marble and green grass beckoning me to stay. To fight for my right to live here in the sun, just as my mother had. But one look at my father’s cold and emotionless face and I knew there was no point.

This was how he wanted it.

“Take care of yourself,” Cosabella warned, slipping me a golden dagger. “Do not trust anyone. Write when you can. I will see you…” She trailed off, but I knew why. She didn’t know when we’d see each other next, if at all. “Just…be careful. Remember that just because the sun is gone, does not mean mother isn’t right there with you. She lives in you, Mari—“

“Enough,” my father shouted, gesturing behind me at the carriage waiting with two footmen and two Kingsguards. “Off you go.”

“Yes, father,” I replied, my voice as small as a child as I gave Cosabella one final hug, memorizing the citrus of her perfume.

“Go on, now,” she smiled as she pulled away, wiping the tear from my cheek. “Go introduce Solis to Nox. Bring them a little light.”

“I love you,” I managed, nodding my head at her command. “I will see you.”

“I love you too.”

I knew she wouldn’t promise me anything she couldn’t assure, but it didn’t help my cracking heart as I climbed into the carriage, leaving everything I’d ever known behind.

I placed my hand upon the glass window and watched as she lifted her own, waving at me before resting it over her equally breaking heart.

“Make yourself comfortable, Princess,” the footman that I’d known since I was a child called back into the carriage. “It’s a long ride to Nox.”

To the eternal darkness.

I wasn’t sure how they managed any of it. How cold they must be, not only their bodies but their hearts and minds. I couldn’t imagine any beauty in a black sky.

I’d heard about stars in my astronomy courses, learned that the sun itself was a star, but it never seemed to make any sense to me to spend time contemplating a billion little specks of light when I could lay beneath the biggest. A light bright enough to shine over the entirety of the world—except for Nox.

My father had said it was cursed by the fae Kings and Queens who once ruled over these lands, a punishment for the mortal revolution. And based on the description he gave of his own visits, I was inclined to believe him then. But now…

Curse or no curse, this was my fate. I could either accept the cards dealt to me and make something of them, or I could fold.

My mother taught me to never fold.

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fluff #ezra prospect #ezra x oc #ezra x ofc #fantasy #starlight

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tessa-quayle · 1 year

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spotlight on the OFC

(fanfiction recommendations) :)

the reader insert, the second person, the y/l/n convention (which, for me, can disrupt the text and i haven’t gotten used to it - not criticizing those who do it - i'm the problem, it’s me 🤪) are all the rage in fanfiction. i get the immersive appeal, and many of the fics i love and enjoy employ the second person.

richly drawn original characters draw me in and capture my attention. I appreciate how creative folks get with their OFCs, the headcanons, and how they have fun showing off these OFC’s quirks and strengths and interior lives and histories. it’s a joy to read.

here are a few great OFCs in the Pedro Pascal Character universe. the stories are engaging and this is a fairly diverse list of OFCs (by that I mean race/ethnicity, life experience, nationality, disability). as always, each author issues their own warnings.

listed in alphabetical order by writer:

@iamskyereads - Ezra (Prospect) x OFC Beatrice

ongoing series (Compulsion). love the sci-fi world-building in the first chapter. Beatrice is a sharp and compelling protagonist who’s suffered a traumatic brain injury and has PTSD.

@intheorangebedroom - Frankie (Triple Frontier) x OFC Gabrielle

complete series (Pleased to Meet You). angsty intercontinental love story between everyone’s favorite pilot and a cool French woman. the descriptions of different cities are vivid.

@jazzelsaur - Frankie (Triple Frontier) x OFC Ellie

complete series (Between the Raindrops). the slow burn here is a smolder in the best sense. Elliot (Ellie) is a widow who lives next door to Frankie. the weight of grief and angst in this series is remarkable.

@jomiddlemarch - Joel (The Last of Us) x OFC Grace

loose-fit series (On Call for the Apocalypse). crossover with Ted Lasso. set in Jackson WY between seasons 1 and 2, Grace is a snarky doctor (scratch a cynic, find a romantic) hanging out with Joel and Ellie (format better on AO3)

@julesonrecord and @lunapascal ( @stardustandskycrystals) - Dieter (the Bubble) x OFC Andie

ongoing series (Curls). we’re rooting for Dieter and Andie amid all the drama and shenanigans surrounding a pregnancy and a wedding. this reads like a novel you finish in one sitting.

@ladamedusoif - Mr Ben (SNL) x OFC Lydia

ongoing series (Visiting). Lydia is a European art historian who goes to teach at an East Coast liberal arts college and meets the dashing Mr Ben. delightful and smart (and I'm not just describing Mr Ben).

@radiowallet - Marcus (We Can Be Heroes) x OFC Amy

ongoing series (Eyes Open). Single parents Marcus and Amy find love in the workplace, HR be damned. Amy contains multitudes and the portrait of her as a mother is especially real and sweet.

@whatsnewalycat - Din (Mandalorian) x OFC Charlie

ongoing series (Passenger). Gritty, dark, cool AU where Din Djarin is a trucker/bounty hunter and Charlie is making her way west. this fic has a lot of postmodern energy.

@yespolkadotkitty - Pero (Great Wall) x OFC Jade

complete series (Fighting Blind). Fun, winsome adventure between a museum curator and our favorite Spanish warrior. Love the time-travel element, the nod to the Asian diaspora, and the rich world-building. This series is stay-up-past-your-bedtime reading.

feel free to share your fic recs and favorite OCs/OFCs (your own and/or others)! ❤️

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all-the-things-2020 · 6 months

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All Our Future Prospects Masterlist

Summary: A corporate scientist meets a one armed prospector named Ezra while fleeing a planet that will soon be too dangerous to stay on, and her life is changed forever. So is his.

Total Word Count: 55,250+

Rating: Mostly PG-13 (some mildly graphic sexual content, but those chapters will be noted)

Characters: Ezra, Cee, original female character (Claire)

Notes: My take on the world of Prospect is a somewhat dystopian version of the future. None of my three main characters has a last name, since Ezra and Cee do not have canon last names. Claire is vaguely described but does have hair long enough to fall into her face when it’s loose and she leans forward. Otherwise, she looks like you or anyone else you want her to.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight - contains sexual content

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

#ezra and cee #ezra fic #Ezra x ofc #prospect fanfiction #pedro pascal character fanfiction #ezra #ezra prospect

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artemiseamoon · 1 year

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Elysian

A prospect au fic

Status: complete

Summary: Chasing the biggest payday of her life, Kalei heads to the Green to dig the famous Queens Lair. Once they land, the plan goes to shit and she’s met with a shady yet attractive prospector who makes an offer.

Warnings: base material stuff like killing, theft, injury, sexual and lusty feelings and content. Ezra comes with his own warning. There is some reluctance and denial about the soulmate thing.

✨ previews on tumblr✨ read chapters in full on A03 only (artemiseamoon) ✨

Chapters

One: The bullseye - preview - A03

Two: Pegasus - preview - A03

Three: Anomaly - preview - A03

Four: Fate - preview - A03

Moodboards

My very first prospect fic here, this is my love, I want everyone to give it a chance and check it out 💕 Both ocs meet Ezra on the green but they are separate stories, in separate universes.

No tags | @artemiseamoon-updates | A03

#ezra prospect #prospect au #Ezra x ofc #soulmate au #fic: Elysian

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cinewhore · 1 year

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The Architecture of Murder - a prologue

pairing: Ezra x blackfem!OC Beatrice Chola (royal AU)

rating: T for Teen

word count: 712

warnings: royalty au, murder mystery au, familial angst.

a/n: well. I’ve been telling myself I’ve been wanting to rewrite this for the longest but instead of making a reader insert, I decided to write this as I always imagined it. I understand that reader inserts aren’t “popular” and I know that makes a reader who is explicitly black a target of sorts. I owe it to myself though. This was the first fully fledged piece of fictional work I put a lot of thought into. I hope y’all enjoy it. Credits to the gif maker.

Beatrice Chola spent her life learning to become a princess, not a murderer.

Tunes of nostalgia bounce off the walls as a rather content maid, Claire, walks briskly towards the princesses chambers. She possessed a few bundles of fresh linens, hoping to replace them as quickly as she could, as the cook was making a specialty soup Claire could not miss. Entering the room, Claire makes haste by throwing the pillows off and stripping the bed of the used sheets.

She ignores the crumpled form sprawled across the chaise, raising an eyebrow just a hair.

The form belonged to Beatrice, no doubt, dress wrinkled and hair messy. Her left hand draped across her forehead, right hand lightly gripping the knife wedged into her abdomen. Crimson stains pool around the wound, knife sticking out at an odd angle.

Claire continues her work, her humming remaining steady and upbeat. She finishes quickly, many years of tending to the Chola’s and cleaning up their messes being put to use. Claire gathers up the dirty linens from the floor, balling it together to make it easier to maneuver while walking, turning to Beatrice before departing.

“Your mother requests your presence. It seems that your sister has returned home. She will have a fit if you are not proper and late. I suggest you do us both a favor and use a sharper knife or prepare yourself, lest you want both of us to be under the guillotine.”

With that, Claire exits the chambers.

Beatrice brunches up her gown in her hands, sprinting as fast as her lanky legs would carry her. She dodges through the court, screaming apologies after bumping into a few of them. Beatrice finally approaches the drawing room, skirting to a stop just shy of the door, calming her breathing. Standing tall, Beatrice holds her head high and pushes the doors back to enter.

“You’re late.” The queen chides. Beatrice sighs heavily, being careful not to roll her eyes because she knew her mothers eyes were still trained on her figure. The young princess could barely turn her attention away from her mother before the shrill sound of a squeal causes her to grit her teeth. The second eldest of the Chola sisters, Millicent, all but leaps into Beatrice’s arms.

“Sister! It has been so long, have you gotten bigger?” Millie asks, eyes skimming Beatrice’s body from top to bottom.

“My tits have.” This earns Beatrice a snippy hiss from her mother and an arm slap from her sister.

“I have missed your jokes, I must admit. Time does make the heart grow fonder indeed.” Millie smiles at her youthful sister, a slight strain behind the glow of her eyes.

Beatrice could not lie, she missed her sister as well. Partly because she remained the buffer between her and the eldest child, Althea. Without Millie, the two would rip each other to shreds.

“Ah, so she returns! Millicent, my darling. I have missed you.” Althea embraces Millie tightly. “Where is that husband of yours? Is he well?”

Beatrice slinks back as her sisters greet each other, never sure on how to present herself whenever Althea was around. It seems like no matter what she did, Althea would never approve of her. Given the age difference between the two, it made sense that Millie and Althea were closer.

Demi throws a quick look at Millie upon hearing the mention of husband. Millicent avoids the gaze.

“Cal is wandering around somewhere, I am sure.”

“Hopefully I will run into him by the day’s end.” Althea replies. She barely turns her head towards Beatrice, name tumbling out of her mouth like poison. Beatrice only nods, any insults forming getting stuck in the back of her throat.

A knock sounds from the door before it opens, a footman staggering in. He assumes his position, announcing the guest who saunters in shortly behind.

“May I present to you, Sir Ezra, your majesty.”

Echoes of footsteps can be heard throughout the room as seemingly everyone holds their breath. There had been talk of a new court advisor floating about the halls, much of it you assumed to be rumors. People loved to talk.

Ezra was definitely going to give them something to talk about.

#ezra prospect #ezra x ofc #Ezra x blackfem!OC #fic: the architecture of murder #murder mystery #original fiction

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artemiseamoon-ficart · 9 months

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Queen of Poisons

Moodboards 3

Fic info

#ezra (prospect)#Ezra x ofc #werewolf Ezra

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imtryingmybeskar · 2 years

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Starman Chapter Seventeen.

This is it my loves. The end has arrived. Thank you all for reading and being on this journey with me. If anyone would ever like to drop into my asks with any further things they want me to write, please, please do. I love this little world.

Warnings for smut, consensual somnophilia, blowjobs, fingering, rough sex, spanking, anal play, mentions of war and violence, mentions of death, mentions of pregnancy.

Word count: 7.2k

Starman

Chapter Seventeen

Starman

Warm sunshine soaked into his very soul as Ezra turned his face upward, seeking the rays like a sunflower. He hummed pleasurably at the sensations of his body - the faint beading of sweat beginning to prick at his hairline, the warm, comforting echo of the womb behind his closed eyes, the heated, coarse, dry grains of sand against his palm as he stretched out and leant back on to it, the tang of salted air and vibrant life, the swish and swirl of the ocean as it came forth and receded. Again, again, again. His heart and his mind were at peace - he couldn't remember such tranquility within him before. He loved and was loved - dearly, closely, eternally.

As if she had heard his thoughts he felt her close - hair tickling his shoulder as she nestled against it, soft lips brushing the scruff at his jaw, a hand trailing down - past his chest, past his stomach, past decency of any kind. He gave a breathy little chuckle of amused anticipation.

"My love, what are you doing?"

"What I love to do," came her voice next to him.

"There are other people here," he reminded her.

"Are there?" she replied cheekily, and without further preamble he felt the wet heat of her tongue running twisting patterns down his torso, kisses interspersed with reckless abandon among the delicate dance. His breath felt forced from his lungs at her touch and he momentarily forgot he had only one arm, attempting to reach for her before he realised he could not without collapsing to the sand.

"You...you..." he breathed.

"Do you want me to stop?" came the soft enquiry. No. Never. He could never get enough of what she was willing to share with him. And they shared everything. He tried to answer, he really did. But now she was sucking soft marks at his hip and all he could manage was a needy whine. Her teeth were gentle upon his skin, but held a promise of more if he wanted. He did. He wanted her in every way - hard and soft and slow and frantic and- "Relax, Ezra," came her soothing tones. "I've got you, honey."

Honey. Her mouth was honey. Intense and sweet and slowly, oh so slowly-

He let out a moan, a hoarse, ragged thing full of desire and submission to her as she took him into her. Kevva, they were outside. Where anyone could walk by...His cock twitched and he truly didn't know if it was the proposition of being caught, or the delicious drag of her tongue. She hummed in appreciation right back at him, and he swore the vibrations reached all the way through to his spine. Soft, wet heat enveloped him, and he gave a stunted little thrust upward, chasing more sensation, more of her. Her hand squeezed his thigh and her nails raked him a little harder than necessary, making his leg quiver and his cock harden all the more. She pulled off him with a popping sound, planting a sloppy kiss on his tip.

"Greedy," she admonished, nothing but low burning want detectable in her tone.

"Yes," he hissed. "For you. All of you. Vive, my lo-ohhhhh." His words trailed away to another moan as she resumed her attentions, and his eyes snapped open, wanting to witness the beauty of her love. The blue sky he was met with was not the one he had been expecting - a tiny contained square of it within the ceiling, instead of the vast expanse outside. He had been dreaming, he realised. Dreaming of the beach and she had broken into his dreams with something far more wonderful, something-

A deep, rumbling groan was torn from his chest as she slid her mouth over him, covering him near-completely as she nuzzled her nose into the coarse hair at the base of his cock. His vision was slightly blurred through sleep, the rainbow rippling upon his arm catching his attention before he blinked rapidly and looked down to see her bobbing gently upon him, a delicate dance of wanting to take him all, but not trigger her gag reflex. He wanted to move so badly, wanted to chase down the sensations she was so expertly teasing. Slowly, firmly, she pulled back, her tongue trailing along his underside. When she was halfway her eyes flicked up and met his, her gaze bright and mischievous and loving and Kevva above he suddenly realised how close he was. She knew too - an impish smile gracing her beautiful lips before they wrapped around him again, one hand now pumping where her mouth had been, the other raking another path down his thigh. The sting added to his pleasure, hurtling it ever closer to completion. She always knew what he needed - whether it be softness or dominance or toys or teasing. They were in tune so often. And when they weren't, it was easily solved. Almost nothing turned him on more than for her to come to him, sit on his lap, whisper what it was she wanted most.

Right now he was still half asleep, his mind and body fuzzy with dreams and warmth. The heat that was slowly creeping through his veins now was of a different sort, replacing what had gone before with wakefulness and desire. Her nails served to bring that heat into focus more sharply - added a tinge of mild pain to proceedings and made his mind that much more alert so that when she ran a single finger downward, he didn't even need her to breach him fully before he was coming, head pressed back into the pillow and gasping for air as she swallowed all he had to give with a sighing purr of contentment. His hand skated over the sheets underneath him to come and cradle her jaw, his thumb running over her cheek as he looked lovingly down at her and she kissed over his cock again before nuzzling into his touch.

"Good morning," she smiled as she snaked up his body, coming to rest against his bicep and tracing over his nose with a delicate finger. He stretched his neck and kissed her palm, drawing her closer against his body with his arm, his hand stroking the soft skin at her hip and waist and belly.

"Good morning, you most divine of beings," he murmured in reply. "And what benevolence did I enact to be deserving of such a gorgeous wake up call?"

She grinned and half buried it against his chest, snuggling closer to him by placing her thigh over his and taking care not to trap his still erect cock under it. "Who says it was anything you did? Maybe I just want something in return," she teased.

He echoed her grin and placed a kiss to her forehead, his eyes darkening with desire as she batted her lashes coquettishly. "I know that look," he ventured before dropping his voice lower and whispering to her, his hand now wandering upward to cup her breast. "That look means you want me to lose myself. To take you like it was our last night under this sky together. I believe the word you used was...feral." On that last word he pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, perhaps more roughly than he would have ordinarily. The effect was true - her hips canted forward, seeking friction that was not yet there, and her hand came to press firmly against his chest as her lips crashed into his. He demanded she open herself and she did so willingly, the taste of him on her tongue awaking a raging fire in his veins.

Without another word he sat up, moved so he was kneeling. She leant back on her elbows to observe him, and the hunger in her eyes as her gaze raked his body was a balm to his soul - another piece of happiness and love that she bestowed and that added to the restoration of his confidence of self day by day. She gave a devilish smile as she allowed her legs to fall open, courting - no, actively encouraging - his most lustful thoughts. A raised eyebrow and a very specific look from him was all it took - she turned over, got on her knees and dropped down on to her elbows to present herself fully. He shivered at the sight of her, flesh goosepimpling at the thought of what was to come. She was so beautiful. So wet and inviting and-

He couldn't help himself, he shuffled up closer behind and pushed two of his fingers into her - strong and slow and deep. He usually opened her up with just one to begin with, but she wanted him to be a little rough with her today, wanted her own bite to her pleasure. The gasp he provoked brought forth a twitch of a smile to one side of his lips and he pumped into her at a steady pace, reaching deep within to find that spot that made her weak, made her thighs tremble and her head hang low between her shoulders. Bending over her back, he planted sweet, slightly sloppy kisses along her spine. What he was doing wasn't quite enough for her just yet, he knew that. But he loved having her like this, open and ready and all for him. She pushed back against his hand and he immediately straightened and withdrew, eliciting a whine from her.

"Ah, ah. You know the rules," he lectured before giving her thigh a slap. "Do you want me like this, or not?" he added, the question both a challenge to her playful side and seeking consent.

She nodded and looked at him over her shoulder. "You know I do," her voice was throaty and full and his cock was bobbing thick and heavy between his thighs, wet at the tip again, dripping with his own lubrication at the thought of sliding into her and fucking her mercilessly. Not yet...he wanted to make this last.

"Then you must behave," he commanded her, slapping her cheeks this time before breaching her with his fingers again, still at that maddeningly deliberate pace. She whined at the slap, groaned at the feeling of his fingers, became wetter around him. Her muscles rippled as she clenched, trying to force her body to tip over the edge. He knew that if he positioned his hand so he could rub her with his thumb, she would come within seconds. But he didn't want that and he knew she didn't either. They often indulged each other this way - teasing, pushing, stretching to their limits before they were begging for completion.

He began the slow build within, concentrating on how the electrical impulses crackling down his spine were coalescing to a simmering heat within his pelvis, how the undulations he could feel within his muscles and around his marks on his back travelled downward to push through the colours on his arms. He was still fascinated by them, as was she. In the time they had been together they had gone from strength to strength and he had often been complimented on his "tattoos" when he had been out. They were permanently colourful now, every hue gorgeously and vibrantly represented. And when he touched her, that was when they came truly alive - a shimmering, sparkling opalescence added to them as they glowed - the blazing sun through a stained glass window, the prismatic glory of a jewel butterfly's wings. Now as he focused, a vein of pure silver made its way gently through them. She could tell what he was doing, could feel the sensation building within him translating over to her.

"Fuck, yes. Yes, Ezra," she whispered, her voice hitching in her throat. He moved a little faster, touching her deeply, pressing upon those spots that she told him made her see stars. He loved making her come like this. Well, he loved making her come in every way he could, but when she had told him that it was a new sensation for her he had felt a pride that had a glow of possessiveness about it. This is something only I can do for her. The heat travelled through his wrist and hands and she cried his name aloud as it buzzed softly through his fingers and into her. She gushed around him, her arousal sliding over his hand and dripping down through her seam and over the coarse curls there to begin pooling on the sheets. He quickened his pace, and now he did twist his hand, turning it so he could glide his thumb over that part of her that had been so unfamiliar and now he knew so well. The noises she was making were heavenly to his ears - full, throaty moans, half gasps of his name, curses as he wrung another orgasm from her.

Her legs were trembling and a thin sheen of sweat coated her back. "Ezra," she groaned thickly as he worked her through her embers, withdrawing his fingers gently and licking them of her wetness.

"My love," he replied, and before she could move from her prone position he was behind her and caging her legs with his own, cock in hand, running the fat head of himself through the delicious mess she had made. She whimpered as he passed it over her clit, but her hips were gently bucking - an invitation for him to take her, to be inside of her. An invitation he had never yet refused. Her hands scrabbled at the pillow as he slowly pushed himself inside, and for a moment he forgot everything else in the world. There was only her, clutching so tightly around him - her slick heat encasing him, accepting him entirely. He didn't stop until he was sheathed to the hilt, as close to her as he could possibly be, and then he bent over her back, kissing over her shoulders, her neck. "I love you so much," he murmured.

"I...I love you too," she gasped out, her words staccato-ed as she adjusted to his girth. He began to move. Slowly, patiently, deliberately - wanting it to last forever but knowing that his end was speeding ever closer. Kevva, how was she so perfect? Everything she did, everything she was...all for him, all aligned to drive him wild in the most wonderful way. The noises she made, her smell, the taste of her skin - it all came together to heighten every pleasurable feeling. He straightened, ran his hand down her back, gripped her waist and snapped his hips more forcefully into her, making her writhe and groan beneath him. The slow burn of taut pleasure skittered along his spine and he knew that he had to be almost fully illuminated already. She was tensing again, around his cock pounding into her, sending her spiralling into bliss. He observed how one hand left the pillow to glide downward and he hadn't thought he could be more turned on but the thought of her playing with herself was doing just that. Her moans grew louder, the erotically obscene slick noise of their coupling too, and he knew exactly what she needed. He sucked on his little finger and very delicately brought it to the other hole she was presenting him with, softly pushing inside the strong ring of muscle, keeping time with his thrusts. She squeezed around him mercilessly and cursed loudly as she came, turning her head to the side and sobbing her pleasure so he could hear it all through the shuddering aftershocks of her body.

Having her so entirely at his mercy, being the origin of her ecstasy awoke something within him. Something which they both actively welcomed, even needed on occasion. He withdrew his hand and roughly hauled her up so her back was flush against his chest, his arm across her stomach and holding her to him. "Fuck, I want to see. I need-" His voice trailed away as he bit down softly over her shoulder and fucked up roughly into her. This was a new thing, a delight only discovered in the past few weeks and he couldn't get enough of it. His eyes were glued to the space above where her breasts bounced with every jab. Her skin dewy with sweat and darkened with the rush of blood from her orgasms was revealing another secret. Paler filaments slowly twined their way across, a reflection of the sinuous, twisting pattern of markings upon his arm, and his own legs trembled beneath him at the sight. So joined, so together, so loving, so eternal. The desperate sound that left his lips as he filled her came directly from his heart and he held her tight to him as he continued to gently thrust inside of her, never wanting to let go, never wanting the moment to end.

Her head rolled back to rest upon his shoulder and she looked with utter devotion into his eyes as she stroked over the scruff at his jaw. "Never let me go, Ezra," she murmured, echoing his own thoughts back to him as she so often did.

"Never, my love," he promised as he nuzzled against her fingers. "Never."

They lay there for a while, naked and basking in the company of the other and the golden afterglow of their joy - him with his arm around her and stroking her back softly, she nestled in the space between his shoulder and chest, her favourite place in the world by her own admission. He made some small joke and it got her - made her laugh far more than was warranted and in that moment where he observed the hundredth, the thousandth occurrence of how her eyes crinkled small and her smile grew wide he knew it was time. Kevva above but he loved her. Deeply and dearly and he wanted to make her his forever. They knew, they both knew they could never be with any other. But he had been researching their traditions of union - the legalities, the celebrations. They seemed fairly straightforward and he wanted to ask her if they could be joined, bound by the customs of her people. He had a plan. Nothing fancy but something he felt she would appreciate.

"Come on," he urged. "Let's take Dog down to the beach for a last walk." She smiled, nodded and he saw the many days of his future stretch into blissful domesticity with her. He couldn't help but return her grin.

Dog ran ahead as he always did, his joyful little barks as he was let loose upon the sand almost lost in the strength of the breeze coming from the ocean. The sun was setting, one side of the sky still aflame with apricot and cerise and gold, the other fading into deepest blues and darkest purples. She loved it here - here at this time and this place. She loved to watch the ocean cycle from turquoise to lilac as the light changed, watch the birds chase the fading day across the sky, see the first intrepid bats flit from their roosts and begin their hunting, and he never tired of watching her take her quiet and unceasing joy from her surroundings. He sat on their preferred rock, which was reasonably flat and handily positioned for optimum viewing of the giant expanse of sky and sea, and he motioned for her to sit between his legs. Instead she stood facing him, her eyes revealing that her love was very much as profound for him as it was for the scene around them. She smiled down at him and ran her hands through his hair, causing him to close his eyes and hum in pleasure at her touch.

"I'm still confused about what happened here," she remarked as she twisted his curls around her fingers. "I love it though." He himself wasn't sure. He guessed that the stress of his fragile form travelling through the phenomenon that had brought him to this place had prompted changes to his body, the most obvious of which had occurred when his hair turned shockingly white. But perhaps even more bizarrely it had since grown out, his dark roots beginning to reappear one day a few months later. Except for one patch - a small part at his hairline on the right hand side. She bent down and he smiled, anticipating her kiss. But it never came. He opened his eyes to see her own gaze fixed with curious wonder at his brow.

"What bothers you my love?" he queried.

"I just had a thought," she began, before leaning forward to plant the awaited kiss at his white patch of hair. "That first day I found you, when you lay down to sleep on the sofa. I kissed you then. For the first time. I tried to kiss your forehead but you moved in your sleep and I kissed right here." She kissed him again, at the exact same spot. "Maybe that's why it stayed that colour."

"Maybe so," he agreed. "Who can tell these things? Such wonders are wrought between us every day, dearest one. Such mysteries exist between us and-" Ezra took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I wish to explore these very mysteries with you by my side. Eternally." He stood and reached into his pocket, and pulled from it the okralt kooka cat ring that he had kept - the one part of his history that he had never quite been able to part with and that had successfully bridged the gap between that world and this. He hadn't known why he had felt that way about this particular piece, why he had wanted to keep it safe. It was beautiful, yes, and somewhat valuable, at least where he came from. But as he brought it into the light and watched the elation dawn upon her face he believed it was for this time, this place. Somehow this very moment had called to him throughout everything, drawing him along the path of pain and loss to her, so he could experience joy again, more deeply than he ever had before. He slipped it on to her finger and it fit as if it had been made especially for her. She looked up at him, the fiercest love brimming in her eyes. "You know why I call you Vive," he said, a statement rather than a question but she nodded anyway. "You know it means "life" in my tongue and that is what you are. My life. My whole life. But it has nuances. It means life, yes. But it also means life giving. And life eternal. And resurrection. You are all of these to me and more. And I can think of no greater life than being with you forever."

She reached for him and pulled his face down to meet hers, murmuring her joyful assent again and again between kisses, the golden heat of the setting sun warming their skin as their devotion warmed their hearts.

*** *** ***

He awoke with a jolt in the night, his brain trying to make sense of his now-familiar surroundings. Something. Something had woken him. Was it her? Was it Dog? Were they okay? He sat up to check, noting with sleepy relief that she was still next to him, that Dog was quietly observing him from his bed in the corner.

"Mmmm, wasswrong?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Nothing my love," he replied softly. "I just woke and-"

This time the noise reached her as well, and she sat up next to him and looked at him in puzzlement. "Was that-?"

"It sounded like it," he confirmed. "Now where on Kevva's moonlit mountains did we put the damn thing?"

The translator had done its job admirably. Her suspicion that his language shared some roots with French had been validated, and once it had been completely uploaded to its database communication became much easier. After French, they had uploaded German and then Latin, and the Aegish basics that his aural translator had originally latched on to began to expand, to find paths back to the languages she was more familiar with, even if she didn't speak them. It was slightly baffling, but he reasoned that since their basic physiognomy was the same, perhaps their languages had evolved along similar paths too - after all there were only so many movements their tongues or larynxes could make. With a combination of coaching and the help of his aural translator, Ezra learned English at a rate she had called "remarkable". The various "rewards" for progression that she had teased him with had also definitely helped spur him on. As he became more proficient, they found that they needed the screen less and less and eventually he co-opted it into the project he had spoken to her about before - a new kind of communication device.

"I have not the faintest notion if Cee received my message, nor if she could find a way to respond even if she had," he had said. "But I will attempt to rig something that could possibly be receptive to that kind of long distance communique." He had grinned then, kissed her nose. "Thank you for indulging me in this, my love. I know it may seem an exercise in futility but...well..." He hadn't needed to finish, he could tell that she understood. The possibility of never receiving a message from Cee was far better than not having the ability to receive it at all. She assisted him with tools and parts, and he taught her what little he knew of electronics, though they seemed quite different to what she was accustomed to.

Weeks turned into months turned into a year and still nothing. Not a peep. He had stopped checking it frequently by this point, only when fleeting memories of his past stumbled through his mind did he think to seek it. But now...now it was beeping. A low, quiet sound presenting itself every thirty seconds or so. He jumped out of bed and followed the noise, though he should have just trusted Dog, who was standing beside the door of a particular wardrobe and looking upward. The noise was emanating from the top cupboard, and after he had felt around behind a box and a few piled books and trinkets he pulled it out with a flourish. He got back into bed and Dog followed too, settling himself between them and sighing with contentment when she absentmindedly stroked his ears.

If he had any doubts that a message had been received, the glowing red light that pulsated in time to the beeps dispelled them. He looked down at it, suddenly uncertain about what to do for the best.

"Hey," she called, and he drew his attention to her. "You don't have to look at it if you don't want to," she reminded him softly. "Whatever that message says won't change anything here - for good or bad. Whatever she says you can't help her, you can't fix it if there's something wrong. But you might also get closure. If that's what you want."

"I'm...not entirely sure what I want," Ezra confessed. "I have you. I have Dog. I have this life, this beautiful second chance that was gifted to me and all I could ever need or want is here. Would it not seem...ungrateful? Or ungracious? To delve back into my past now? When we are beginning to form our future together?"

"I don't think so," she replied. "Wanting to know what happened is not rejecting what you have now. You didn't leave that place of your own free will. Of course there will be some unanswered questions. If you get the chance to have them answered, then why not? At the very least, you will know Cee is safe." She shuffled closer, wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "You won't lose this, us, here whatever you decide. I hope you know that." The ring he had gifted her gleamed under the light of the half moon peeking through the window above them, and seeing it visible on her finger, feeling her arms around him made him feel stronger.

He turned and kissed her forehead. "My life. My love. Thank you."

She nodded. "Do you want to be alone for this?"

He shook his head immediately. "Please stay. I will happily translate afterward if you want to know what was said. No secrets between us, you know that." She smiled softly and held him a little tighter as he fiddled with the controls. A short time later, a voice came from the device - strong and knowing and young sounding, yet weary. Ezra gave his own soft smile as the sound of Cee filled the room.

"Your greatest escapade yet, Ezra? They all think you're dead you know. I did too until I got your message, short though it was.

There was a very pregnant pause, then it was as if a dam burst and the words torrented from her.

How in Kevva's name could you leave me with THEM, Ezra? Oh I heard the words from your sentencing, I know you think you did it all for me. So I could have a better life, a chance. You stupid-" And here Ezra heard the gulp of tears behind her fury and it near broke his heart. "...you stupid, stupid man. I wanted to stay with you because you made me safe. I could be myself with you, without fear of judgement or ridicule or blowback. And you forcibly took me against my will and DROPPED me into that world that you yourself fought so hard to escape from. Hypocrite! Deceiver! I...I-"

Her words trailed off into snuffling but when she spoke again her voice was more contained, a little more cold. "I loved you Ezra. Strange as our path together was, I loved you like a father and a brother and all the family I never knew. Ironic, really." Ezra's brows knitted into a frown at her words. "And I suppose you're sitting there all pouting and puzzled about what that could possibly mean. I've started to think that somehow, on some level you did know and that's why you did it." Cee sighed, and Ezra could almost see her steeling herself for her next words. "Your phony story about me being your bastard daughter didn't fly too far. Especially when I kept insisting I already had a deadbeat dad that you yourself had so kindly rid me of. I insisted your parents test my genetics to prove it. They refused. Too concerned about their lineage, although by this time the inheritance that came with the titles and the house seemed to be shrinking by the day, all of it transferred into the pockets of that uncle of yours. I scraped through that finishing school they sent me to. Barely. And I want you to know that I did it for you, not them. So I could...well so your supposed death wasn't entirely frivolous. So I could take what I was able to and run. Just like we always did."

Ezra heard the smile and its sincerity shine through the last sentence and he couldn't help but grin in return, memories of their heists and tricks and capers whirling through him at the sound of her voice after so long. "But after I came home that summer and then I came of age, I had myself tested. A hair from your mother's brush, a clipping from your father's moustache and my own sample and what grotesque joke was revealed? That somehow, albeit across a vast distance, we are indeed related." Ezra's mouth fell open at the news and he racked his brains for the how and the why. His family tree had been held up as a shining example of purity and maintaining standards. How, and more importantly, who might have been responsible for Damon and Cee being a distant offshoot? Thr child had never known her mother...perhaps the truth lay with her, he mused.

Ezra came back to himself as he realised the recording had stopped. He blinked rapidly and looked down at her next to him, still holding him tight.

"Are you okay?" she asked, simply. The words took a while to drip down into his mind and be understood, given that he had been so immersed in his own language for the first time in a very long time, but when they did he nodded at her.

"She blames me for leaving her," he replied. "I did not expect otherwise. But...let me finish. Then I shall share it all with you." She nodded and pressed the pause button again, causing Cee's voice to fill the home that was so very far away from her life once more.

"So...I had a legitimate claim to what was rightfully yours after all. Barely. It was enough for them, though. Wills and deeds and all sorts of fastidious and tedious legal papers were brought to me. Sadly, the education they had paid for had taught me that I should read everything thoroughly. And so I did. And everything they wanted to give to me was of course dependent upon me marrying some dour old dustbag and being pregnant for as long as my body could stand it. So I put what I learned into practice. What I learned from you, that is. I took them for all I could and I ran away. I ran as fast and as far as I was able and I did not look back. I began to live, to truly live and love and believe in things again. I found a group. They took me in and they nurtured me in a way that only you had ever done before. And they let me in on their secrets...the whispers around the fire at night. That's how I found my way to it - the insurrection. The first wave had done surface damage but had been smashed by fists of authority and those with the wealth to bribe people away from their morals. But it lingered on...the tension of it, the undercurrents. The thoughts and the feelings and the sense of righteous anger at the injustices that we all saw and yet passed by. I joined with them, gave what I could monetarily and with what skills and knowledge I possess. And that's when I found out...you're a hero, Ezra. A martyr to this cause. Not the first, certainly not the last. But the most famous. The figurehead, if you will."

Ezra could feel his mouth hanging open in shock but could not even find it in himself to try to close it. The uprising had survived? Continued? He gave a delighted and triumphant "Ha!" at the revelation, and Dog, who had just been falling back to sleep on the bed, gave a jump and looked up at him with a wounded expression. Ezra soothed him with pats and soft hushings and apologies.

"The story of the higher born who wanted to do better for everybody's benefit and died so that his daughter might live," Cee's voice continued. "You have to admit, it does make a good legend. No matter that its only partly true, its what everybody believes now. Rien saw to that." Ezra made a noise like he had been punched in the gut and tears sprang to his eyes. He didn't even realise he had leapt from the bed and covered his face with his hands until he heard Dog's indignant barking, followed swiftly by her shushing him. Rien. But his uncle had said...his uncle...His uncle the liar he realised. The only time his uncle had ever told him the truth was when it was to his own benefit, or when he could use it to wound Ezra. Of course he would want him to think that Rien had come to harm - to help break Ezra's spirit completely. After all, if the only person who had ever loved him for who he was was gone, what would be the good in fighting for anything any longer?

When he looked down again he saw she was stroking over Dog's ears, but with a slightly frantic edge to the movements. "What's wrong?" she asked urgently. "I heard...I mean I thought I heard-"

"Rien," he nodded. "Its...well I don't know. I need to play it back a little."

He fiddled with the device as she brought Dog on to her lap and cooed soft words to him. "It's okay Ben. He just got a little excited. Its okay. We're all okay. You go to sleep. Good boy. Good boy." Dog shot Ezra as close to a baleful glance as he had ever seen, and then curled up as instructed, sighing heavily as he did so. He was getting old. And a little grumpy with it, though in this incidence Ezra absolutely could not blame him. He patted his head too before starting up the recording again.

"-partly true, its what everybody believes now. Rien saw to that. I met him a few years back during a campaign. He's the top guy now, leader of...well, pretty much everything. I heard him talking about what had happened to you at your sentencing at a rally. He was really inflating the story, making it seem like your life was forfeit as a direct consequence of the initial rebellion. I managed to corner him at the end and ask him if he believed what he was saying. And that's how we got to talking about you. He um...he never forgave himself you know. For walking out like that. He didn't tell me that he wanted you to know that, but I think he wanted you to know that. I played him the message I received from you and he cried a little, though he denied it afterward. I think he's just thankful that you're alive. He would have recorded something for you himself, but he's away at the moment. Organising some big push. We're so close. So nearly there. I think that you always understood that anything that was able to be shaken so mightily by the gentlest of breezes could be nothing other than weak at its foundations. Those gentle breezes that you and Rien fanned have grown into something so much more...I don't want to be more specific in case this gets intercepted. Though I don't even know if this will ever reach you. Or if you'll still be alive when it does....it's already been so long since I've seen you. I can't believe you've been gone for..." Cee's voice trailed off, but when it returned it was full of strength and confidence again. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how long you've been gone. You live on here Ezra, and you are doing such incredible work. Even if we do have to bend the truth a little. And when did we ever not?!" She laughed, and it was a lovely, warming thing to fill the room. "I miss you, my friend," she said, quietly. "I hope you have found your happiness. Whatever that place is that you washed up. I hope to hear from you again someday. And I'll always remember you as my brother, my protector, my family. Goodbye, birdie. Fly free."

No matter how much Ezra brushed the tears from his cheeks, more fell until he let them, let them sink into the bedclothes and then into her hair and skin as she held him close. "I've got you, my love. I've got you." Ezra felt the relief and love and gratitude flow from him as he let go and allowed himself to break.

*** *** ***

"What are you thinking?"

"Mmmm?" she asked, her voice thick and hazy with post orgasmic sleepiness. " 'm not really thinking anything. You've successfully driven pretty much every thought out of my mind! Except...I love it when you're on top and I can see your beautiful patterns on my ceiling. I don't know how or why, but it adds something to the experience.

He smiled and nuzzled closer on her chest, delighting in how the coolness of his breath continued to pebble the nipple furthest from him, and reveling in the sensation of her burying her nose into his hair and breathing him in. "I love how your own marks are coming along," he confessed. "You are the person most close to me in all the universe. In every conceivable way. And yet, I too feel that seeing a reflection of me upon you adds a something as you say."

"Maybe we'll always have a new something to discover," she ventured, mumbling the words against his head.

"If anyone can find a new joy everyday, its we two," he replied, running his hand softly over the hair at her mound. She squirmed a little at his tickling and giggled softly.

Then - "Up," she commanded, patting him gently on the bicep. "I have to go to the loo."

"...just got comfy," he grumbled as he moved gracefully out of her way and settled into the blankets more closely.

"Now you know how Ben feels when you disturb his naps," she rejoined with a smile as she disappeared into the bathroom. Ezra smiled to himself as he lay face down on the bed, head half buried in the soft pillow. A few years ago he never would have thought it possible. Soft bedding under him. A full stomach every day. Love. A life. A home. His true mate. He didn't know what he had done to be quite so blessed, but he was grateful every single day. He needed nothing more, wanted nothing more, and the feeling of utter contentment was as addictive as it was alien. But he trusted the feeling, unknown as it was. He trusted it because he trusted her. More than anything he had ever known before, he trusted her. He inhaled deeply, taking the scent of her hair into his lungs and holding his breath around it, holding it close to his heart.

"Ezra?" Her voice snapped him out of the half-doze he had been in. She sounded...odd. As if she were both fearful and tentatively excited. He was instantly alert, sitting up and stretching his hand out to her where she stood in the door of the bathroom.

"What is it, my most precious gem?" he murmured, and as she came to stand before him and he locked his arm around the small of her back he noticed that she had something in her hand. It looked a little like...but no. Surely, it couldn't be. She gave him the stick of plastic and he stared down at it, comprehension there but not quite attainable in the face of his shock. Her hand came to cradle the scruff at his jaw and she gently forced his head up to look at her, where he was met with her eyes of deepest devotion, unyielding love.

"Ezra," she said again, and this time he heard his future in her tone, stretching away into an everlasting path of jubilation and joy.

#ezra starman #ezra soulmate au #ezra x ofc #ezra prospect x ofc #ezra prospect fluff #ezra prospect angst #ezra prospecy smut #ezra prospect fanfiction #ezra prospect fanfic

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nerdieforpedro · 3 months

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The Lake Between Us - Part Two

The Solitary Captain’s Circumstances

Ezra AU x plus size OFC (Nickname Moonbeam - has a name in later parts)

This fic is for those 18+ MDNI

Word Count: 945

Warnings: crime, heist, police involved shooting, death, Ezra being cute also disturbed, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol, fire, nightmares, voyeurism,

Notes: We’re continuing to introduce our lovely pair. It’s Ezra side of things. How he got to where he is now and what he may be dealing with. My bad Ezra, he is a very haunted pookie. I left him his other arm so something had to go. 👀 I might be a tad deranged.

Main Masterlist/ Ezra Masterlist/ The Lake Between Us Series

Ezra used to be able to sleep anywhere. It was a necessity of maybe having a life that was outside of the conventions of society. He needed adequate rest to be able to plan, scheme and think. That period of his life is over, he’s had his large paydays and invested the money in his home, his airboat which he does some tours occasionally and in his charge Cee. She was an unforeseen variable at the end of a heist fifteen years ago with her father Damon. The dim-witted sod hadn’t fully grasped the escape plan that was gone over thrice in detail leading to him being on the wrong end of the police’s overzealous shooting. The man’s light was snuffed out in a violent instant.

His death allowed for the crew’s escape and for them to sort out which of their band of scoundrels would care for a wee human of four years old. Arguments ensued so Ezra suggested a completely diplomatic and fair way would be to draw straws. “The smallest straw gets the short stack.” He recalled stating. He always overestimated his luck in these situations and had the shortest straw. Since he had proposed the idea, he couldn’t back out. Thus began his journey with the child Cee.

Things were tenuous at first but they worked out she’s to call him ‘Uncle’ or Mr. Ezra. It worked better in social situations and she became his little ‘Birdie.’ Scaling down the jobs he took on to mitigate risk was a challenge and were worth less but he had to live not only for himself now. The pair moved around some before he enrolled her in school in Louisiana but ensured that he taught her when she came home in the evenings and on the weekends. The child hated the extra lesions, but it enabled her to be leagues ahead of her peers as far as studies went. Ezra was determined not to suffer another fool and would do what he could so that Cee wouldn’t follow in her father’s steps of idiocy. The results of his care, diligence and support was realized at both her high school graduation which he had never imagined attending anyone’s graduation except his own and to travel with his charge to see the college she’d chosen.

Cee was away studying at Columbia University as she’d gotten a full scholarship with room and board on her own merits. Ezra did not have much to hang any pride on as he viewed it a way to a quick death but he couldn’t help but feel well pleased that he’d had some part in her success.

His charge would write and call, which he’d accept, not letting on how happy he was that she’d call. On the last break, Cee visited with her girlfriend Zora and they stayed at his home. The young woman he’d raised expressed concern about the circles under his eyes and his unfocused eyes. Ezra denied her claims stating, “I am fine my sweet Bird. It’s something you’ll encounter when you reach the privilege of middle age Birdie. This weariness of life. I will find my way through it and gallop to the other side.” She shook her head and laughed him off as the three spent time together and Ezra drove them to the airport. It was rare that they embraced but it felt appropriate as he knew it would be a while yet before he saw his little Bird again.

It was roughly a month ago that he first saw the striking vision that was across his lake.

He’s come out to his porch after spraying on some bug repellent. He brought out his whiskey and glass. He had closed his eyes and was confronted with the scars that remained on his soul. He’d long thought that he rationalized them away. It was part of the life he once lived but not now. The still eyes and distorted features that he saw through the fire… “Dammit to hell. The shit’s still there. It was for a reason, there were reasons behind all of it, why must I recall that now?” His fingers massaged his temple as he poured his first glass of the night. He quickly swallowed the alcoholic elixir and peered up at the moon. It was full tonight and dancing across the small waves on the lake’s surface.

A moonbeam. It’s the first thing he thought of when he saw her. She was wearing a white nightgown - if he had to guess cotton with a thin robe about her shoulders that she decided to slip off. That’s a good choice, it’s a bit warm out tonight. Her hair is under a purple bonnet which she removes as well and sets it on top of the robe, both are on the back of her rocking chair. Black voluminous hair fell around her shoulders, it looked pillowy to the touch like the rest of its owner. Her substantial legs carried her to a small table beside her where she lit a candle. The minimal light makes her face glow. He can make out full lips, round cheeks and bright eyes behind her glasses. She eases down into her rocking chair and pours herself a brown liquid that looks similar to his and orange juice maybe? Well she could be one for mixed drinks. He wonders why she would be up at this ungodly hour drinking? She couldn’t have similar demons to him could she? Maybe some unknown or known fears? Could she be separating herself from someone inside the home?

Ezra is left with many questions and no answers. This does not please him.

Part One Part Three

Taste-testers of Ezra’s gumbo 🍤: @rav3n-pascal22 @maggiemayhemnj @morallyinept @survivingandenduring @bonezone44 @magpiepillsjunior @yorksgirl @gemmahale @missredherring @missladym1981 @alltheglitterandtheroar @megamindsecretlair @readingiskeepingmegoing @pedroshotwifey @tinytinymenace @inept-the-magnificent @vivian-pascal

#pedro pascal characters #fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #ezra prospect #ezra #prospect #the lake between us #Ezra x plus size ofc #ezra x ofc #A Nerdie fic

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morallyinept · 9 months

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A list of all my favourite EZRA Fic Recs, with the writers tagged. Includes fics I am currently reading/want to read.

PART 4

Please show some love to the writers by re-blogging and commenting on their work. 🖤

⚠️ Please ensure you check the triggers/warnings etc... on the stories themselves as some of them may not be suitable to your own particular tastes.

Aurelac Angel - @pedrito-friskito

Are You Sure You're Ready For This? - @missredherring

Kinktober 22 Oct 30th - @absurdthirst

Helping You Shine - @palioom

A Medic & His Patient - @traningdummy M!Reader

Lucky Stars - @brandyllyn GN!Reader

Miles & Time - @never--doubt

I Forget About Time & Space - @psychedelic-ink

No Longer A Dove - @elvinaa Priest!Ezra Dark!Ezra Innocent!Reader

Ezra Request - @pedgito Sex Pollen

The Way I'm Holding You - @fromthedeskoftheraven

The Act Of Control Among Other Things - @vanillafrog Featuring Din Djarin

Well F**k! - @fave-fanfic-for-now Sex Pollen

I Want To Try Something - @fave-fanfic-for-now

Run - @flightlessangelwings GN!Reader

Shiver - @acrossthesestars

In So Many Words - @alwaysbethewest

Belong - @arduadastra Modern!Ezra

Sleepy Sex With Ezra - @autumnleaves1991-blog

Porcelain & Starlight - @auty-ren AFAB!Reader

Looks - @babydarkstar

Ezra Masterlist - @blueeyesatnight

What Do They Fantasize About? - @criticallyacclaimedstranger

Collaring - @cyantomatos

Coming Home - @danniburgh

Fairy Dust - @di-kut

Needy - @disgruntledspacedad

Flora & Fawning - @fic-appointment

A Walk On The Wild Side - @fleetwoodmactshirt

Kinktober Day 24 Outdoor Sex - @flightlessangelwings

Heating Goes Out - @forever-rogue

Staring At Bakhroma - @generalfoolish

The Sweater - @heavenseed76

Deeds of Green Thrilling Light - @highsviolets GN!Reader

Kinktober Day 15 - @in-for-a-pennyx SoftDom!Ezra

Elegy To The Void - @jangofctts

Lustful Submission - @kingofthebeskargoats GN!Reader

Caught Within Your Stare - @lady-of-glass-and-bone GN!Reader

Kinktober Day 21 - @lilkermit14

The Mirror - @littleferal

Important Negotiation - @lucy-sky

Overstimulation Kink - @magpie-to-the-morning

Obey Me - @mandoalorian Dark!Ezra

Little Dove - @mellowswriting

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thequeenofcarvenstone · 2 years

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Space Girl, I saw a lunar eclipse

Looked like how I feel 'bout your lips

Space Girl, the only way that we'd end

Was if you were sucked into a black hole

Anyway, I did it, I commissioned the amazing @miranhas-art for a silly, extremely self indulgent piece of Ezra from Prospect (2018) and my oc, Eden. And honestly, this is just above and beyond my expections and wants, it's so lovely and Mari did such a good job. I've always loved the way she draws bodies and captures emotion and I'm just literally so happy.

And. . . Yes technically there is a fic with Ezra and Eden in it but. . . Unfortunately it's all inside my head so oop.

Anyway literally commission Mari, she's wonderful to work with and creates amazing art

#im literally still so in love #its so good #me look at the art like 🤩#big artist crush on miranhas-art #ezra #ezra (prospect)#prospect #prospect 2018 #pedro pascal #ezra x ofc

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whoreforthemandalor · 2 years

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the waves clasp one another (chapter four)

Pairing: Ezra x afab!reader (no physical descriptions, no y/n)

Series Rating: M for now, will be updated to E in later chapters and will be tagged as such

Chapter Rating: T,, but this blog is 18+ so MINORS SCRAM

Tags/Content Warnings for Series: SLOW BURN!!; adventure; peril; discussions of disease; canon typical violence; friends to lovers; thalassophobia tw; Ezra is his own warning; Smut (eventually!)

Tags/Content Warnings for Chapter: rehashing of traumatic incidents; vague mentions of sex work; harassment.

Series Summary: When Cee is required to complete an internship to graduate from The Euphrate, Ezra insists on accompanying her off-world. You are a conservationist with a vested interest in preventing a mass outbreak of a transmissible brain disease, and your new intern has brought along a companion. When things suddenly go sideways, will all three of you make it out alive?

Chapter Summary: You learn the backstory of Cee and Ezra's strange partnership. Ezra is impressed by you. Ezra POV.

Word Count: just shy of 2k

A/N: Thank you to my beloveds @imtryingmybeskar @darkstarcomics and @ejacutastic for reading this over for me and being so lovely and encouraging <3 y'all are the real MVPs!!

*****

Chapter Four:

Ezra is having a difficult time keeping his eyes off of the doctor.

You are far more fascinating than the brief bio and blurry headshot on the placement program website had led him to believe, and as far as Ezra can reconcile, Cee had almost certainly minimized the exchanges between the two of you before their arrival on Chelroth. Dedicated and competent were the two words Cee had used most often to describe you whenever he had prodded Cee about your qualifications during their planning sessions at his apartment.

“Ezra, she has doctorates in biology and infectious disease control. She graduated from The Conservatory at sixteen and on top of all that, she’s been working on this specific rehabilitation project for more than a decade. She’s more than capable of keeping me safe from that horrible illness…that wasting disease.”

“The technical name for it is a prion disease, Birdie. It was one of the many things that caused Terra to become uninhabitable in the last thousand years before our xeno’s escape out into the greater galaxies. It’s an illness so misunderstood and quietly nefarious that it caused our star-chasers to work even more expeditiously on a way off of the only home our xeno ever knew, especially compared to the sluggish way they dealt with the impending heat death of the habitable zone on Terra.” Ezra glared at the pattern on the rug between his feet as he sat on the couch in his cramped apartment, listening to Cee’s restless pacing and biting his tongue as she tried to come up with yet another angle to support her desire to not be coddled while they were off world. He gritted his teeth before continuing, “It’s not just the wasting disease that I’m concerned with, but if you think that the good doctor knows best, then I will defer to your judgment.”

Ezra thinks back on that conversation now, his apprehension and wariness for someone he had never met weighing heavily on his conscience at the time. But now… The mood around the small table has shifted in the last few hours.

As he and Cee had traded off on recounting the tale, your eyes had shone bright with tears on multiple occasions. The two times they had fallen were terribly injurious to Ezra’s heart, for reasons he couldn’t quite fathom.

“Oh Cee, you must have been horribly afraid after your father died.” Damon had been less like a father and more like a slavedriver to Cee, and she had quickly disabused your notions, and given a short explanation about the stark difference between Damon and Ezra. “Doc, Ezra could have killed me at any time and commandeered my ship to safety, but he…didn’t. He decided to save a little girl on the Green Moon. Ezra’s been more of a father to me than Damon ever was. Damon never cared about anything other than points, and the fastest way to get them. I never have to worry about my safety when Ezra’s around.”

Then a bit later, learning about the act that had truly intertwined Cee and Ezra’s fates had prompted you to gasp so loudly it was almost a shriek, causing more than one table full of scruffy looking patrons to look in your direction.

“Kevva Above, Ezra! I can hardly believe you were able to stay stoic while Cee performed your amputation! And Cee, where in the world did you learn how to do that?!” It had then been Ezra’s turn to elaborate.

“Cee was as thorough and expedient as any surgeon in the galaxy, doctor. I’d have been in dire straits without her. She was able to cut quickly enough that the whole horrible ordeal is but a distant memory, and besides all that, she had done similar jobs before, not on humans of course but instead while clearing out the cavernous remains of the Jhata Balu.”

You now knew their history as thoroughly as they did.

How Damon had tricked Cee into taking one last job to raise enough money to get out of prospecting. How the two of them crash-landed on Bahkroma’s Green Moon to chase a legend. How Damon had failed Cee one last time, and the hand Ezra had played in it, even in an act of mercy. How Cee had been absolutely desperate to find a way off of that cursed place. How Ezra had come to be injured by Cee’s hand, and the reluctant partnership that they’d been forced into for survival. How a failed negotiation with a camp of zealots had swiftly crushed that partnership, and how Cee had run, and run, and run, while Ezra licked his wounds and limped to the safety of his tent to slowly die, alone and forgotten.

How Cee had stumbled across him just mere hours away from being taken by the poison that she had inadvertently introduced into his system, and then how she had brutally saved his life by removing his arm. How Cee had turned back to save him from ruthless mercs at the last possible second, after Ezra had sacrificed himself to give her a chance to catch the last slingback away from that horrible place. How they had struggled and scraped to make a new life for themselves on The Ephrate, far away from that nightmarish landscape.

Now you have heard the whole ugly truth of his meeting with Cee.

*****

Cee chats with you about the upcoming trip, the two of you falling into an easy camaraderie, and Ezra allows his gaze to wander over the rest of the dining room of The Blind Shark. A watering hole-cum-staging location for similar groups of fishers and dockworkers, it was clear that you had been here many times before and had a certain level of familiarity with the staff based on the friendly smiles you exchanged with them as they came to check on the quiet corner the three of you were occupying. He relaxes back into his seat, knowing that at least for the moment his charge is safe.

From the few hours of conversation that the three of you had exchanged, you frankly didn’t seem like the type to take anyone’s shit, well meaning or not, and he is drawn to the way your eyes sparkle when you speak about the critters that you had apparently dedicated quite a lot of your life to. His eyes are periodically fixed on your hands as you speak; they are calloused and smaller than his own, and he briefly wonders what it would be like to hold a hand like that in his remaining one. His thoughts are interrupted by a low noise of discomfort from Cee when a man plops down, hard, in the seat between him and Cee. The man’s back is turned towards Ezra and his greasy smile is directed at you and Cee, and the audacity makes Ezra’s insides shrivel with unbridled rage.

“What’re a couple’a girls like you doing in a shitty place like this?” The man inquires with a slurring, hoarse voice that he probably thinks is seductive rather than repulsive. Cee flushes and freezes in her seat, and Ezra’s vision clouds with streaks of crimson. He’s not a man prone to unnecessary violence anymore, but his hand curls into a fist, ready to suckerpunch this interloper into the next week. He suddenly notices the warmth of your hand clutching tightly around his own, and through the haze of his rage he at least has the wherewithal to recognize it’s not his moment to shine.

“Pardon me, you pathetic excuse for a slug, but what in Kevva’s name gave you the idea that you could even breathe in the proximity of my charge? Leave now, cretin, before I forcibly remove you.”

There’s a venomous acidity in the condescending tone of your voice, and your eyes are fiery, sending the interloper a look that would cut anyone’s ego to complete shreds. The interloper blinks awkwardly a few times, maybe trying to decide if you're serious. You make it abundantly clear that you are, in fact, deadly serious by employing a half-dozen rude hand gestures to let the man know he needed to leave, like, yesterday. The pathetic sod stammers out a half-apology and hurriedly gets up to join another group of men who all look like life has kicked them right in the gems, and the furtive look the interloper sends back towards your group doesn’t escape Ezra.

“Thank Kevva, doc, you made that look so easy.” Cee’s eyes are round with awe as she calms down a bit and turns to face you again. “Can you teach me how to be that intimidating? I hate when people think that just because I’m young, they can make me uncomfortable for no reason.”

Your soft, melodious laugh cuts through the surrounding din, and your muttered reply to Cee of “just gotta be hard on those thick-skull types” pulls a smile out of Ezra that he hadn’t been expecting, one that dimples his cheek and draws your eyes back to him. You return the smile, almost matching the playfulness in his eyes, but there’s an apprehension in your voice when you speak loud enough for him to catch your next full sentence.

“To be frank, Chelroth is almost entirely male-xeno dominated because of the types of work available here. Not a lot of female xenos come here for that reason, and the ones who do…” you trail off at this point, and Ezra thinks he’s never been so quiet and focused on someone else speaking in his entire life. “Well there are those who really work for the money, and then there are the ones you see toiling out on the docks, fishing boats, farms, and market shops.”

Cee’s bright peal of laughter once again draws the eyes of several tables worth of tired looking laborers.

“Ahh, so what you’re saying is that you and I are an anomaly, huh?” Cee’s chuckles are completely infectious to you, and you both break off into giggles that devolve into clutching each other, gasping for breath as you both struggle to overcome the inherent awkwardness of the topic.

“What I’m trying to say is that, as far as companions outside of our little group goes, the grand majority are going to ask for some sort of compensation for their time or services with you. So you’d best get a move on if you have any extra business to attend to, because for the next six weeks, we will be adrift at sea and modern…conveniences will be hard to come by.” The doctor gives Ezra a pointed look.

Ezra’s face is warm as well with the knowlege that almost every female xeno within a hundred clicks is either a sex worker, a laborer or…you. He skims his finger along the rim off his glass, wishing that the bar staff would come around again so he could order another drink. He almost never indulges in any kind of mind altering substances, especially after learning Cee’s feelings on such coping mechanisms, but the way that you are laughing and gasping for breath has him thinking that perhaps something to dull his racing thoughts isn’t such a terrible idea.

“I’m sure I will be able to cope, doctor,” Ezra shoots back slyly, even through the heat of mild embarrassment.

You give him a challenging look, raising your eyebrow and your glass in a facsimile of a toast.

“To new and abiding friends,” you murmur, eyes locked on Ezra.

He hears his voice harmonize with Cee’s as they both say, “To new and abiding friends.”

*****

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know if you would like to be tagged for future chapters, or come yell in my inbox <3

#ezra x you #ezra prospect fanfic #ezra x reader #pedro pascal character fanfic #twcoa #ezra x female reader #ezra prospect #cee prospect #ezra x ofc #pedro pascal smut #my writing

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pebblesmustard · 11 months

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WIP Wednesday

Thank you for tagging me darling @radiowallet 💛

I haven't done much writing lately but here is one of the excerpts I wrote looong ago for my Ezra WIP "As It Was" that is still mostly made up of no context scenes, inspo pics, and a playlist 😂

The ease with which she had found herself tangled all around him had scared her at first. Maude was never concerned with the feelings of it all. Sometimes a nightly affair was just that. An exchange of good feelings. A "scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours and we’ll see if we’re having enough fun to do it five more times" type of thing. And then came Ezra. As small as a storm, as quiet as a hurricane, he had caught her in the air, never allowing her to be sucked into the eye of the storm, grip loose enough to make sure she enjoyed the ride, firm enough to remind her that he had her. He had had her. Until his hands left her so quickly, she wondered if she ever had them around her at all.

Tagging whoever wants to play and YOU reading this!

#tag game #wip wednesday #as it was snippet #ezra x ofc #fic: as it was #one day i'll properly write this story...one day #also let's ignore that it's technically thursday 😂

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all-the-things-2020 · 6 months

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All Our Future Prospects -Chapter Two

Summary: Claire and Ezra settle in on the transport and she learns a bit about his past.

Rating: PG

Claire woke up to the sound of Ezra tripping over a loose cable on his way to the lavatory. He mumbled a few choice curse words before shutting the lav door as quietly as he could.

“I’m awake,” she said when he emerged a few minutes later. “You don’t need to try to be quiet.”

“Sorry for waking you, birdie,” he said, his voice rough with sleep. “Should have cleared the path to the lav before we bunked down.”

Now her own bladder was clamoring for attention, and she folded back her blanket, bracing for the chill across her shoulders as she sat up. “It’s okay,” she said. “Probably would have woken up soon anyway.”

Ezra had kicked the cable out of the way, so she had no problem navigating the short walk to the lav, even in the dim light. On her way back to bed, she glanced at the chronometer on the computer panel.

“Five hours,” she yawned. “I need at least eight.”

Ezra chuckled from beneath his blanket. “Five hours is a pleasant night when you’re out prospecting,” he said. “I’ve managed on less, although I agree that eight is much more satisfying.” He let out a long, contented sigh. “I must say, at least we’ll be assured of getting all the rest we need. No shipboard duties, no tools to clean, nothing to repair … just a comfortable bunk and plenty of time to dream.”

She snuggled back under her blanket. “Nice if it was a little warmer, though,” she said. It wasn’t exactly cold in the capsule, but it was chilly.

“We could always share our warmth, if you’re amenable to that,” Ezra said hesitantly.

“Let’s keep that option in reserve, shall we?,” she replied, her heart pounding. “I’m not in the habit of … sharing warmth … with people I’ve just met.”

“Fair enough,” Ezra said. “Sweet dreams, little owl.”

And just like that, he dropped the subject. In the silence that enveloped them, Claire concentrated on calming her breath. Ezra’s rather polite proposal had put her on alert, her body coursing with adrenaline. The problem was, she didn’t know if it was from fear or excitement. And she was even less sure if she was grateful or disappointed that he’d let the matter go so easily.

It was ridiculous to think about sharing a bed with a man she barely knew. If they’d been in danger of hyperthermia, of course, it would be a matter of survival, but they were perfectly safe. There was no need to share the blankets or anything else. Still, as she began to relax, she wondered how effectively Ezra was able to hold someone close with only one fully functioning arm. Her mind was still mulling over the details when she drifted back to sleep.

************************************************************

Other than eating and sleeping (and the daily radio check from the transport crew), there wasn’t much to do in the capsule. Ezra filled the hours with his stories. Some were from his own rather eventful life; others were things he’d heard second or third hand from those he’d encountered during his travels. Listening to him was soothing at first, since he didn’t expect any response from her. With Lillian, she had always had to be alert, scrabbling in her mind for an answer to a question or a lie to cover up the fact that she had no answer.

After a while, though, Claire started to feel guilty about letting Ezra do all the talking. She wanted to contribute to the conversation, but her life, in comparison to his, had been narrow and boring.

“You don’t have to keep me entertained, you know,” she said one day.

“I’m entertaining myself as well,” he replied. “Although, I wouldn’t mind a story or two from you, if you’re so inclined.”

She snorted. “I don’t have any stories. Unless you want to hear about the time I had to take an exam with a fever of 38 degrees and my parents were more upset about the 75 percent I scored than anything else.” She bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to blurt that out.

“Not all stories have to be exciting,” Ezra said. “Some of the best stories are about small things, the inner workings of the human psyche, the relationships between people, the quiet battles fought within ourselves. Take great literature, for example. When we think of Hamlet, we think first of his great soliloquy, not the sword fight at the end. It was not the clash of armies that won the day in The Lord of the Rings, but the humble friendship of two hobbits who put one foot in front of the other, and the madness of a third, who ended Sauron’s ambitions.”

“Those are still more exciting than my life,” Claire said. “I went to school, got into university, signed a contract with FlanCorps. That’s it.” She paused. “As far as my parents are concerned, I’m a success. I’ve achieved far more than they ever did, and that makes them happy.”

“But you aren’t happy,” Ezra said.

“No,” she admitted. “But I’m safe, and that counts for a lot, don’t you think?” How many times had she heard of childhood friends who had thrown caution to the wind, followed their whims and dreams, only to end up living paycheck to paycheck, never knowing how long a given job would last, without the safety net a corporation contract provided? She remembered days when one of her parents would come home to announce they had lost their job, the lean and hungry days that followed while they searched for a newone, anything that would bring in a bit of money. For a while, her mother worked three jobs, sleeping only four hours a night, while her father worked a day here, a day there. And all the while, she herself was studying as hard as she could, until her back ached from hours in the uncomfortable wooden chair, her eyes exhausted from reading in dim light on a cracked old tablet.

“I’m sorry, what?,” she said, realizing Ezra had said something while she was lost in her ruminations.

“I said, safety isn’t everything, little owl,” he repeated. “Some of the best days of my life were also the most dangerous.” He chuckled. “They certainly have given me my best stories. Which reminds me ….” He launched into a story involving a jealous husband hunting down a business associate who had been using Ezra’s name, but Claire only half paid attention. Ezra might have better stories than she did, but she wouldn’t trade her safety for anything. Her life might be dull in comparison to his, but it was hers and she’d earned it through years of study and mental hard work. Better the predictability of a corp job than the uncertainty and risk of an uncontracted life.

**********************************

Claire was running. It was dark and her footsteps echoed weirdly. Sometimes it felt like she was in an immense chamber; at other times, if felt like she was in a narrow tunnel. Something was behind her, she could feel it, but she couldn’t hear it. Her heart was pounding, her lungs burned and her muscles screamed at her to stop but if she did, it would get her.

Suddenly, she tripped over something hidden in the darkness and fell full length onto the ground, which felt like roughly carved stone, sharp and pointy and decidedly unfriendly. She felt the hot breath of her pursuer on the back of her neck and she tried to scream, but her throat was frozen. No sound came out. Then a hand (or paw) fell heavily on her shoulder. She screamed again and flailed out with both arms.

“Holy moly, little owl,” Ezra said, rubbing his jaw. “You pack a hefty punch for a scientist.”

Claire sat up, her heart still pounding. It had been a dream. The hand had been Ezra’s.

“I’m sorry,” she babbled. “I’m so, so sorry. I was having a nightmare … I thought you were … I don’t know what it was but …”

Ezra laid his hand on her shoulder again, very gently. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I should have known better than to grab hold of you while you were in the throes of such terror. I should have shaken your foot or something.” He lifted his hand and rubbed his chin again. “I forgot that owls have talons.”

At the word “talon,” a shiver went down her spine. Whatever it was she’d dreamed about, it had claws.

Ezra sat beside her and pulled her fallen blanket back up around her shoulders. “It’s okay,” he said. “You’re safe now.”

As his arm hesitantly settled around her, she felt tears sting her eyes and she let her head fall onto his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “For waking you up. And for hitting you.”

Ezra chuckled. “I said it’s okay. We cannot control our unconscious mind and in the depths of the night, our psyche can create some truly frightening and irrational things.” He rubbed his hand gently up and down on her upper arm. “Are you good to go back to sleep, or do we need to sit up for a bit?”

She almost lied and told him to go back to sleep, but it was nice to be able to relax, just for a moment. “Can we stay up a little while?”

He nodded. “Of course, little owl.” He scooted back on the mattress so his back was against the bulkhead and tucked her closer under his arm. “Let’s get comfy and I’ll tell you a nice bedtime story.” He’d had to let go of her to adjust his position, hampered by the lack of his right arm.

“Can I ask you a question?,” she asked. “You can say no if you don’t want to answer, I completely understand,” she added quickly.

“Ask away,” Ezra said. “I will only answer that which I feel comfortable sharing, you know that.”

She nodded. “How … how did you lose your arm?”

He sighed. “That is … an interesting story,” he said slowly. “I would be willing to share it with you if you tell me what you were dreaming about that made you clock me like that.”

She recounted her dream. When she finished, she felt Ezra nod, his chin tapping lightly against the top of her head. “A worthy reason for striking out at me,” he said. “I forgive you completely. Instincts are a powerful force, and yours work admirably well. Fight or flight; those are the choices when confronted by a terror like that. You tried flight and when that failed, resorted to fight mode.”

“I know, but I’m still sorry for hitting you,” she said. She felt more than heard his chuckle in reply.

“Water under the bridge, birdie, water under the bridge. Now, you inquired about the loss of my arm.” He stiffened just a bit, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

“You don’t have to,” she offered, but he shook his head.

“No, I said I would share if you did, and you bared the inner workings of your unconscious mind. This is nothing more than plain facts.” He launched into the tale, but with none of his usual colorful asides and flourishes of phrase.

He had been prospecting in the Green. His associate was killed in an encounter with another prospector, who was unfortunately wounded and exposed to the spores that filled the atmosphere. Ezra performed a mercy killing, unaware that the man’s young daughter was nearby. Both now alone, Ezra convinced the girl that they needed to work together to get off the moon before the last run of the shuttle service. But Ezra suffered a wound to his arm that was infected with the spores. He needed medicine from the inhabitants of the moon, but they were unwilling to trade. He and the girl managed to get off the moon, but Ezra’s arm had to be amputated.

“And there you have it,” he said. “I lost an arm, but I saved a child, so in the end, the balance sheet came out even.”

“What happened to her?” Claire asked carefully.

“Well, no one questions much out in the edges of space,” he said. “People go missing all the time. The government doesn’t care, and neither do the corps. We could have reported her father’s death, and she could have been put into the care system, but we didn’t, and she wasn’t, and everyone assumed we belonged together, so we carried on. I found a nice residential school on Galadon and we had a bit of aurelac we’d managed to scavenge on our way, so she’s there, living the life a teenaged girl should be living. And I’m out here, trying to earn enough money to keep her there.”

Claire bit her lip. She sensed there was more than Ezra wasn’t telling her, but she didn’t want to press him further. “Thank you,” she said. “For telling me about it. You didn’t have to.”

He shrugged. “It was bound to come up sooner or later,” he said. “Even I’m going to run out of stories at this rate. Are you good to go back to sleep, or do you need to sit up a bit longer?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “I’m sure you want to get back to sleep.”

“Don’t lie to me, birdie,” he said firmly. “I’m not going back to my bunk until I know you’re good.”

It wasn’t very comfortable, propped up against the bulkhead, but Ezra was warm and his arm around her felt safe. “Maybe a little longer,” she admitted.

“A little longer it is,” he replied.

They sat in silence, until Claire felt her eyes begin to droop. Her head fell against his chest, and she fell asleep to the slow, steady beat of his heart.

******************************************************

She woke to find herself tucked back in her blankets. Ezra was in his own bunk again, snoring lightly. How he’d managed to extricate himself from her and get her under the blanket without waking her — and with only one arm — she couldn’t fathom. She was a fairly light sleeper, always the first one to wake up when there was a weird noise in the dorm room at university or when one of her roommates was sneaking back in long after curfew.

She curled up on her side, facing away from the bulkhead so she could see the shadowy form of Ezra in his bunk. She trusted him, though she didn’t know why. All his wild stories framed him as a bit of a scoundrel, and he played the part well, but knowing that he had taken in an orphaned girl and was out there risking his life prospecting with a missing limb just to pay for her schooling convinced Claire that deep down he was a good person.

Back in university, there had been many discussions about what qualities constituted a “Good Man.” A lot of the girls put money at the top of their list, of course, but kindness, intelligence, and a sense of humor were always up there as well. Ezra certainly didn’t have any money, but he ticked the rest of the boxes. He even ticked the “nice body” box, which made her face hot. She hadn’t seen much of his body, hidden away in a bulky landing suit, but he was handsome in a rugged sort of way and that little patch of blond hair …

Get a hold of yourself, Claire, she thought firmly. He’s a nice guy, but this is only temporary. He’ll be gone soon, off to find another way to make money, and you’ll be sent off to your next assignment. You’ll never see him again. And you’ve only known him a few days anyway. You’ll forget easily enough.

She hoped she was telling herself the truth.

#ezra and cee #ezra fic #ezra #ezra prospect #Ezra x ofc #prospect fanfiction

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