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miraculouscontent · 3 years

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"Please, get out of my room."

Marinette's hand shook, trying desperately to keep the doll house behind her together enough to protect the Miracle Box. Her gaze fixed on her friends standing there, Rose crouched down to the sad remains of the doll house's roof while the others were looking on in concerned confusion.

Alya stepped forward first, the request apparently denied. "It's nothing, Marinette. We'll help you fix it, don't worry."

Except it wasn't nothing, it was everything, and of course none of the girls could've known that it was everything but it was. She'd barely had the Miracle Box for any time at all and now she was about to be exposed, the doll house feeling like some sort of metaphor for her life.

Raising her voice, Marinette replied strictly, "It's not nothing! Now leave!"

Most of the girls just stared at her, standing awkwardly in place. She asked - no, told - them to leave, and they weren't leaving. Why weren't they leaving?

Her palms were sweaty, making the task of holding up the doll house's wall all the more anxiety-inducing.

Alya huffed, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. "Okay, there's obviously something up—" She crossed her arms. "—and we're not going anywhere until you tell us what it is."

Mylene offered a smile that she clearly thought was reassuring, then held up a bracelet made of yellow threads with five colored beads along them. "We've already given our secrets to this bracelet, so now it's your turn."

Marinette wracked her brain for any memory of said bracelet, wondering if there were a promise she'd forgotten about - wondering if it was an excuse for them showing up out of nowhere - but there was nothing. She didn't even recognize it. Even over the voicemail they'd sent, there was no mention of such a thing.

The wall under her palm wavered, and she had to adjust quickly to keep it in place. She couldn't tell if it was too light or too heavy at this point, but it was ultimately just another thing to worry about that she didn't need. Her gaze flickered to it briefly to make sure it was properly held up, then swiftly focused back on the girls so as to not seem suspicious.

They really weren't going to leave. They were going to force her secrets out of her; force Ladybug out of her, the Miracle Box, everything.

Her stress levels were rising. She was panicking. It was all too much, and she—she...

She snapped.

"I'll—I'll tell you what's wrong!" she began. "You all walking into my room without my permission!"

The girls' mouths all shut in unison, their shoulders tense as they seemed suddenly lost for an argument.

"I didn't want to talk to you, and I definitely don't now!" A particular memory of the voicemail resurfaced, and she was reminded of what they'd said. "I thought you told me that I could talk where and when I wanted to? I thought all of you told me that, and then you showed up anyway?! Why would you lie to me like that?"

The words were bitter, only serving to make her angrier; at them, at herself, and at the whole situation. She hated lying - hated liars - and there was a part of her that couldn't help feeling hypocritical when she had to lie constantly to keep her identity secret.

But another part of her was quick to point out: she lied because she had to. They were lying despite having the choice.

Alya's brows furrowed, and it was hard to tell if she felt genuinely guilty or if she was just trying to think of how save the situation. She glanced back and forth from Marinette to Mylene, then hurriedly took the bracelet and held it out, arguing, "But if we're friends, you have to tell us everything anyway!"

Rose nodded in agreement, fists drawn up to her chest. "And real friends never let each other down!"

Marinette sputtered at first in response, multiple rambling responses trying to come out at once, from reminding them of either their intrusion or their lying to say that they had very much let her down.

Finally, her mouth settled on, "Then I guess we're not friends after all, since I'm letting you down so much! You're always pushing me, and setting things up even when I told you not to, and when everything goes wrong, it's always me who takes the blame, and me who gets teased for it!"

Alix recoiled at the outburst, then averted her gaze, looking somewhere between put off and ashamed as she grumbled, "We were just trying to help."

"I don't want your help! I don't even want you here!"

Marinette breathed shakily, her chest heavily at the emotions building in her chest. She could barely process what was coming out of her mouth and could only wonder how long she'd felt that way. How long had she been holding this in? How much had she been holding in? How long had she thought she deserved to be treated a certain way and took everything like she was the one at fault even if she'd done nothing?

Mental clarity kicked in, Marinette glaring and resolve blazing in her eyes as she asked, "Do you know why I didn't tell you anything?"

They looked on in curious trepidation, obviously not knowing the answer. At first, maybe she hadn't either.

"Because I didn't want you to meddle! Everything just goes wrong and I wanted to just live without worrying about it! I didn't want to be teased, or talk about Adrien, or be ignored!"

"We don't ignore you!" Alya immediately interjected, taking on an offended tone. "That's why we're here!"

"Then why didn't you know?" Marinette challenged. "You noticed my crush on Adrien, but you didn't notice that I was dating Luka? When he was riding me home from school? When you took all those pictures of us together? I wanted to be left alone to be happy with him without anyone shouting at me about what to do and putting more pressure on me than I already have!"

Rose and Alya shifted in place, not making eye contact.

"You invaded my privacy, you broke my things, and you lied to me! If you're going to make me tell you everything, then—then—" She shook, the tornado of emotions hard to handle. "—then I don't want you as friends! Now get out!"

The girls collectively gaped at her, a few letting out audible gasps and Rose in particular covering her mouth with her hands. Everything went quiet, and Marinette's eyes must've been giving off fire with how any argument lingering on the girls' lips died before they could even come out.

Then, one by one, the girls began to turn and silently walk out of the room, some staying a second or two longer as if Marinette would change her mind if they held to the staring contest a bit longer. Alya was the last one out, her gaze darting up to Marinette one last time in vain.

Marinette just looked away, only reassured that the girls had left when she heard the click of the trap door. She exhaled, her arms stiff and her legs feeling like jelly as everything hit her at once. The gravity of the situation dragged her to the floor, the walls of the doll house falling apart to reveal the Miracle Box to no one but her and the kwami. She'd already cried too many times that day, but the tears were building up again. Anger, sadness, frustration...

Seeing Tikki hover close out of the corner of her eyes, Marinette lamented, "I didn't know what else to do. I didn't have a choice. I was just—and then—and they..."

"I know, Marinette," Tikki said quietly, though it was clear that she had very little comfort to add.

Marinette tried to steady her breathing, but she could see her tears falling onto the floor and knew that she'd lost control of her emotions. In a way, it almost felt relieving, like a weight off her chest that she didn't know had been there, but it didn't stop the terrible feelings from everything that happened that day, and the day before, and the day before that...

"We—" Marinette choked, realizing something and looking up with urgency. "Shadow Moth. He might come after me."

"Ah, but..." Tikki weakly tried to protest, watching as Marinette tried to force herself up.

"Gotta transform. Gotta be ready," Marinette murmured in a daze, her legs wobbling but managing to hold her up. Not letting Tikki get another word in, she hurried to command, "Tikki, spots on."

— — — — —

Marinette hugged her knees to her chest, back against the wall stretching upwards that helped make the bridge where she broke up with Luka. Part of her felt like coming here was some form of self-punishment - a reminder of what she'd lost and why she had to keep it that way - but another part just wanted to be here. It wasn't a good idea to be in her room where everything went down, or where her pictures were, or where the kwami would just remind her of all the things she didn't want to think about. It wasn't like her parents were going to check on her anyway, so she felt it best to be away from it all.

She tried to listen for the melody of the water that Luka had told her about, but every time she thought things were quiet enough to hear it, she would breathe in a little too hard, or Tikki would shuffle around in her purse at a loss for what to say. Marinette sighed in defeat, curling in on herself further and staring at the ground with her eyes half-lidded.

She wished she could go back; back to the day this whole mess started. Maybe she could've avoided Fu, Chloe, and maybe even Alya. She could've stayed in the background, unoffensive and just known as "the clumsy girl," one who didn't lie and leave class unexpectedly with the worse excuses possible. Avoiding Chloe would've meant avoiding her wrath, which meant that there would've been no misunderstanding with Adrien and no "spark" to ignite her crush underneath that umbrella.

Everything would've been so much easier. Maybe she would've met Luka sooner, bumping into him by accident one day and they'd drop all their things, her sketches mingling with his song sheets. They'd apologize and hurry to separate their stuff, then lock eyes and all would be well with the world. She'd stammer out her name when she introduced herself and he'd tease her affectionately, and it'd be okay because she wouldn't be busy being depressed over another guy.

They'd laugh, they'd get along, and there wouldn't be any drama in the way of them getting together. Without her having any responsibilities that would cause her to run off, they'd date, and they'd just... be happy.

Marinette closed her eyes, trying to let herself indulge in the fantasy even if only for a moment. The hold she had on her legs loosened, her hands sliding down until one of her hands brushed the opposite's wrist. She remembered Viperion - Luka - as the hero who thought first just like her and now could never be because of his identity being compromised, yet another by-product of her crush on Adrien in a way.

She exhaled, her thumb futilely brushing over her wrist; over a bangle that wasn't there.

Second Chance...

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, trying to live in fake memories, but when her eyes opened, she still found herself underneath the bridge in a life she didn't want. She stared blankly at the ground, the melody she'd desired still inaudible to her.

It took her a few seconds to realize that the view in front of her wasn't quite what it was before she closed her eyes, and it took a few more to notice the black distressed pants and the shoes splattered with varying random symbols at the corner of her vision. She blinked, unsure if she was seeing properly and wondering if she might be hallucinating after her fantasy, but a quick glance upward caused her eyes to meet Luka's, the brows above them furrowed with concern.

"A-ah," she let out involuntarily, straightening a little. Finally registering that he was there and very real, she inhaled sharply and stood, waving frantically at him as she stammered, "I-I'm so sorry! This is your spot, and I'm taking your spot, and I swear I didn't mean to—" She bent down and brushed her hands along the ground where she'd been sitting, as if she were cleaning it. "—I'll be gone soon, let me just—"

"It's okay," Luka assured while approaching her, his voice even softer than usual but with a tinge of sadness to it.

She stopped, hesitating, then looked back up at him in confusion. They hadn't talked since their break-up and she genuinely thought that he'd be upset with her.

"I'm glad," he said genuinely, "that you can find as much comfort in this place as I do. You don't have to go anywhere."

"...Oh," she uttered, her shoulders easing in mild relief. At least he didn't hate her, she supposed, though the awkwardness in the air was noticeable and she couldn't help noticing that he was keeping a minimum distance of three meters from her.

It hurt.

She fiddled with the strap of her purse, wondering why he was there and how she could've gotten so unlucky as to—well, that part was obvious actually, she'd been unlucky her whole life, but that didn't stop her from wondering what he was doing there. Was it something about his dad, or...?

Against her better judgment, she took a good look at his face, biting her bottom lip guiltily at the tired look in his eyes. He seemed as if he hadn't slept well in a few days, and she couldn't say that she was any different, which made the reason for his expression all the more obvious. It was a terrible feeling, already feeling bad that she made him feel bad and then feeling worse because there was a part of her that was a little glad to have meant so much to him that the break-up actually affected him. He'd made her feel noticed and seen, something that was rare even amongst her frie—

Ah. Right.

She fidgeted, her feet shifting nervously against the ground. Juleka had been amongst the friends that she'd called out and forced to leave. She wasn't sure how close Luka was with his sister, as most of the interactions she'd seen were when they were in a group, but she was still his family. Did he know?

As if able to sense what she was thinking, Luka spoke up. "Jule told me."

Marinette winced and looked down, ashamed and fully expecting to be reprimanded. She clasped her hands at her waist, trying to mentally prepare herself.

Then, he immediately followed with, "Well, she mumbled it, but I got what she said."

It wasn't quite a joke, but it wasn't anything critical either. Marinette peeked back up at him, her brows scrunched together in confusion. He was smiling sadly, either understanding her or trying to be the sympathetic empath she'd always admired him for.

She averted her gaze, not feeling worthy of making eye contact with him. Sinking back against the wall, she sunk down to her earlier position and muttered, "I-it was for the best. I'm just... better off alone." She flinched at the sting in her chest that the words caused, but continued, "I won't hurt anyone that way. They can't be disappointed in me if we're not friends."

There was a pause, at which point Luka took a few steps closer, still maintaining a distance between them but also closing the gap significantly. "Why do you think you'll hurt people?"

She almost scoffed at that. "You would know why more than anyone, Luka." Though she still avoided looking at his face, she could see his fingers twitch from the corner of her vision. "I lie. I'm a liar! I'm just—" She spread her arms wide. "—I'm going to lie for the rest of my life, and ditch everyone and make them sad and they'll never know why!"

She'd tried to say it in an exaggerated tone to keep things light, but the tears started up. She held them back as best as she could, determined not to cry again when she'd already cried so much.

She heard Luka take a few steps closer, and he observed quietly, "But you don't want to."

"Of course not! But it doesn't matter! I should've known from the start that making friends was a mistake but I did it anyway!" She covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "I can't keep friends! I can't keep a boyfriend! I can barely keep this secret a secret!"

She didn't have to see his face to know that he was processing that. "...You can't tell me."

It was a realization for him, a mix of emotions in his voice and none of which she could place. She imagined he'd thought that it was a secret she'd chosen not to share with him, but that wasn't true.

She lowered her hands from her face. "I can't. I mean, not like—physically can't—it's not like the world would end if I did—" She halted briefly, stiffening at an unwelcome memory of Paris destroyed and underwater. "—o-or, maybe it would! But, it was never about trust, Luka! I trust you, I trust you so much, and I want to tell you so bad but I can't! It hurts but I can't! No one's supposed to know!"

She clutched her head, realizing that the conversation was spiraling downwards fast. She was torn between thinking that she'd said too much and then regretting how little she'd said when she'd broken up with him.

Luka took the final steps to close the distance between then, kneeling down to be closer to her level. "Marinette, I—I can't imagine what your secret could be, but it hurts watching you tear yourself apart like this."

"Well maybe that's how it's supposed to be!" she declared as she met his gaze, his eyes going wide in a mixture of pain and shock. She blinked rapidly, trying to fight the tears. "Maybe I'm just supposed to stay sad and alone forever! I have to do it all myself because that's the rule and it's my burden to carry!"

His heart was clearly breaking for her and it just made everything worse. He reached out to her, hovering his hand over her shoulder as a test and then settling it down with a feather-light touch when she didn't pull away. "I won't force you to tell me, and it's hard to say anything when I don't know what you're going through, but..." He hesitated, clearly feeling like it wasn't his place to say but being unable to help himself. "Couffaines break rules when we want to - when we know we have to - and I don't want to see you break instead."

She raised a hand, tempted to pull his hand from her shoulder, but stopped herself. "I-I don't have a choice. It's too dangerous. I can't let people close to me; I didn't even want to break up with you. You're amazing and sweet and I feel like I can tell you anything, but..." She looked down, defeated. "...you deserve better than this..."

He squeezed her shoulder, though whether it was a mix of offense at the comment, an attempt to comfort her, or both, she wasn't sure. "I can only tell you that I'd never tell anyone if I knew." He paused, as if to consider something, then added, "Even if it wasn't me - if it was someone else you trusted - I just don't want you to carry this alone."

She glanced up at him without moving her head, her mouth moving to reply but she ended up choking, then coughing in response to the air she'd just lost. Luka's free hand found her other shoulder as he leaned towards her, all the concern and love she could ever ask for being offered in his eyes.

He seemed to want to continue their conversation, but found something else to prioritize instead. "Do you want anything? Have you drank any water lately?"

The question caught her off guard until she remembered her coughing and mentally acknowledged that she might've been neglecting herself far more than she should've. Luka's hearing was on point, and she figured he must've heard the dryness of her throat.

She let out a small noise instead of a reply, no words given but Luka understood anyway. He stood up, his hands lingering on her for as long as possible before he turned and began to head back to the Liberty.

She watched him go, an ache in her chest even if she knew he'd come back. It reminded her of the day in the TV station where he confessed and she hadn't given him an answer, or when he'd comforted her after the break-up and she'd just taken it without a word back. It was all left incomplete, with him merely giving her that respectful smile that told her that she only had to say what she was ready for.

But ready for what, exactly? Ready to talk? Ready for him?

Ready for herself?

"...I—" Her mouth moved on its own, her body leaning just slightly towards him as she said the words she'd always wanted to. "—I'm Ladybug."

It was practically a whisper - equivalent to a pin dropping - but Luka froze nonetheless, his foot mid-raise to take a step that never came. He'd heard her, and he finally moved as he turned to look at her, expression unreadable.

That's when the moment caught up with her, and the panic followed suit. "O-oh—oh no. Oh, I said it—you know—you—" She clutched at her capris, desperate to ground herself, but the hyperventilating was beginning to start, almost harmonizing with the sound of Luka's footsteps as he hurried over to her, closing the gap between them much faster than he had previously.

In an instant, he was on his knees in front of her, arms wrapped around her and lifting her slightly as he pulled her into a hug. She gasped in surprise, still blinking back tears as her senses registered that he was there: his body heat warming her, the fabric of his jacket against her face, the calming color combination of blues and blacks, and the faded scent of his body wash.

"L-luka," she whimpered, "I'm so sorry. Y-you're in danger—"

"It's okay," he assured softly, then again as if to be certain that she heard it, "It's okay."

She hesitated, her breathing still uneven, but she willed herself to release her capris - her fingers feeling stiff from how tightly she'd gripped them - so she could grab at his jacket instead. He responded in kind by hugging her tighter; too tight for a normal hug but just tight enough to bring her back down to reality.

"You're not alone anymore, Marinette," he whispered, "and I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

That did it, and the tears overflowed. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to however much fabric her hands could grasp as she buried her face into his shoulder. No matter how strongly she hugged him, he didn't complain, simply letting her take whatever she needed from him.

In the silence of the embrace, she could finally hear the river's melody.

— — — — —

Marinette clasped her hands together on the couch, her breathing starting to steady as she watched Luka pour her fourth cup of water since she'd gotten there, the first three of which she'd downed in mere seconds. It was just the two of them there, which was comforting, as Juleka had apparently gone to Rose's house for the rest of the day and Anarka was... well, Anarka, and wouldn't be back until who knew when.

Luka returned to Marinette with a smile, offering the full cup of water to her. She reached for it, then stopped as she noticed how badly her hand was shaking. Taking a few more controlled breaths, she offered him a smile and gently pushed the cup towards him.

At his confused look, she observed, "You haven't been taking care of yourself either."

He opened his mouth, possibly to argue, then looked away from her, his eyes darting around at nothing. She could see the internal conversation in his head, playing out a scenario where he would try to insist, she would insist back that three cups was more than enough for her and he'd also taken none himself, and they would go back and forth until he relented.

His gaze softened, the conclusion to the mental argument clearly reached as he took a few sips from the cup. Rather than sitting on the couch, he sat down on the wooden table in front of it - a typical Couffaine move - so he could face her. Then, offering her a grateful smile, he asked, "How are you feeling?"

She smiled back at him, but it faltered as she stared at her lap, taking the time to legitimately think about the question. She ran her hands along her legs in a slow motion, hoping that it would stop any shakiness somehow.

"...Scared," she answered. "Nervous. Worried. Anxious." She pursed her lips as she realized that she was just listing off synonyms at that point.

Luka leaned towards her, resting his hand over one of the ones on her lap. "But, better than before?" he guessed.

Eyes half-lidded and fond, she nodded. "Yeah, and..." She turned the hand underneath his upwards so she could hold it. "I'm really glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too," he whispered, as if to make sure that this moment was only for the two of them.

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's presence. Marinette was a mess of emotions, but refused to let go of the hand he'd offered her, her thumb stroking along the back of it.

"...Luka," she said after a few seconds of contemplation.

He didn't respond verbally, but he'd also already given her his full attention, and she knew he was listening.

She continued, "You're the last person I'd ever want to lose. If Shadow Moth finds out that you know—"

"If," he gently interjected, though his eyes encouraged her to go on.

"He'll use you. He'll take advantage of you. I don't want anything to happen to you, but I don't want you to leave either, because I really like you and you make me happy and better and—" She huffed, frustrated by the conundrum. "It feels like it's my fault. If I was stronger, or I wasn't so emotional, I..."

"Marinette."

She looked up at the tenderness in his voice. He set his cup down on the table, then slowly pushed himself off, crouching down in front of her as if to make himself appear as small as possible. His other hand found her free one and he held it, making their hand holding perfectly mutual.

"Do you remember the day we met? When my mom got akumatized?"

She nodded. "Yeah, of course."

He nodded in return, going on to explain, "You needed me to hide you, and I needed you to go get—" He caught himself, half-chuckling as the identity revelation adjusted his memories of that day. "—be Ladybug."

Marinette managed a smile. "You were covering for me, even back then."

He smiled back, looking almost too proud of that fact. "And we needed each other. No one can do everything alone, Marinette, so don't say you're sorry for the feelings that made up the song that's been stuck in my head ever since that day."

She swallowed involuntarily at the reminder of his confession. Judging from his smile widening, he noticed it.

"It's hard learning an instrument all by yourself," he continued, "and sad not having anyone to play to."

"And you want to be the whole crowd?" she asked quietly, her gaze drawn to their joined hands.

"Yeah," he answered, not missing a beat.

She took a breath, knowing it was too late to change things but still wanting to acknowledge the decision anyway. "O...okay. Thank you, Luka."

They exchanged loving smiles, and Marinette could've sworn that the eye contact alone was keeping her heart rate down. The future was still nerve-wracking, but she'd been afraid of it even before she'd told Luka her secret, so at least now she had someone who understood her and who she could talk to about it.

The conversation mutually ended there, but then Luka - wholly unprompted - let out an exaggerated sigh and tilted his head back. Curious, Marinette asked, "What is it?"

He grinned at her, a glint in his eyes that made it clear that he was in a teasing mood now that the atmosphere had lightened. "Does this mean I have to watch Chat Noir flirt with my girlfriend?"

She snorted, opening her mouth to reply before stopping as the words behind the joke caught up to her. She leaned forward and squeezed his hand, eyes wide with hope. "Girlfriend?"

He nodded without hesitation. "You said you didn't want to break up with me, Marinette, and I didn't want to break up with you either."

"Y-yeah, but—" She frowned, conflicted. "I'll still have to leave? Nothing's changed except you knowing why."

"I didn't date you so that we could go on dates," he replied. When she tilted her head in confusion at him, he briefly averted his gaze, a hint of shyness appearing on his face before he steeled himself up and looked back at her, clarifying, "I just wanted to be your boyfriend, dates or no dates."

"Oh. O-oh." And that was all she had to say about that, any coherent words burned away from the blush forming on her face.

Luka smiled hopefully, and Marinette quickly decided that bashfulness looked good on him. "So, if you want to make this work with me, then—"

"Yes!" she replied immediately, untangling her hands from his so she could push herself off the couch.

His eyes lit up, his arms spreading wide as she dropped into his lap, and he didn't recoil when she arched up to kiss him, her movements quick to ensure that there would've been no chance for them to be interrupted. She wrapped her arms around him, neither caring about the awkward position on the floor due to being lost in each other's touch.

There was a soft click when the kiss broke, Marinette promptly pulling herself against him and nestling her face near his collarbone, now able to properly enjoy the scent she'd missed for all those dreadful days they'd been apart.

Following up on what he'd told her underneath the bridge, she tightened her hold and whispered, "I love you too, Luka."

Snuggled so close to him, she swore that his heartbeat picked up, though she didn't have to feel it to know that he was happy, what with the way his hands shook against her and how he placed an immediate kiss on the top of her head. She let herself get absorbed in the moment, allowing herself to smile and think only of Luka, the one who respected her choices and feelings from the day they met.

There was no one else she'd rather share her identity with.

#MC's Writing #writing: story #category: salt #episode: Gang of Secrets #other: ml spoilers #other: ask and answer #category: long post #word count: over 5000 #((Going to bed now 👍🏻))#((@ Zag ''stop making episodes awful enough that I have to keep fixing them'' challenge.))#((Also for the record))#((ideally I would have the girl squad slowly build their friendship back up with Marinette over time.))

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imtryingmybeskar · 3 years

Text

Part 14 of Fugitive. Quite a bit of deviance from what has gone before. Much plot, many darkness.

18+, 12k words.

"Cyar'ika...please..." A cruel smile curved your lips as you heard the Mandalorian's plaintive cries. They soothed your tormented soul like a balm after so many years of being denied. "You cannot do this. Please. Listen to me." The seemingly sourceless orange light splayed across his beskar like an oil slick fire.

You frowned and advanced on him, hissing. "I cannot? You do not tell me what I can and cannot do." As you reached him, he fell to his knees, the T shape of his visor fixed on your face.

"Please do not make me do this, cyar'ika," he begged as you heard the click of his blaster cocking.

"You think you'll...what? Shoot me? Kill me?" your words were icily mocking as you tore the blaster from his grasp and hurled it away without ever laying a finger on it. "You cannot kill me. You cannot harm me. As you say, I am your beloved. You love me." As you spoke you lifted the helmet from his head and dropped it on to the dusty black earth next to him as you looked down into his face. His nose and mouth were leaking blood and his lip was puffy and bruised. "As well you should," you added, bending down to stroke your hand through the hair at the back of his head and grabbing a fistful roughly. You planted a bruising kiss on his mouth and his lip split anew, the iron sweetness of him coating your own lips. His eyes were huge and staring, but his fear was being tempered with anger now. That too was as it should be.

"I love you. Not...this. Whatever this is. This is wrong." Bestowing another smile upon him, you released his hair and brought your hand around to cup his chin instead, speaking so softly and so, so dangerously.

"Wrong, Mand'alor? Are you quite sure about that?"

"I am not the-" But his denial of who he was drowned out by the gasp of pain he emitted as you flooded his mind with images. Of him sitting upon the throne in the royal palace of Mandalore, the Darksaber in one hand and his beskar spear in the other, the very picture of a warrior king. Of a war room filled with Jedi and Mandalorians alike, plotting and strategising their slaughter across the galaxy. Of legions upon legions of fanatical Mandalorians, loyal only to Din and cutting swathes through stormtroopers in a riotous orgy of blood and smoke...At this last you felt his mind rebel and struggle against yours, like a moth battering itself against a lamp. "No...," he managed to spit feebly.

"No?" you asked gently, your voice honeysweet and kindly as you withdrew from his mind and let him get his breath back. "But isn't it a glorious future? You and I working together to rid the galaxy of the vermin that plague it? I know you want to make them pay. For what they did to your child. For making you the Mand'alor in the first place. For Alzoc-" You knew what he was going to do before he did it. So predictable. His hand reached for your throat and closed around it as he stood, but you had already compensated your breathing and the gesture did little except excite you. His limbs were shaking with rage, as well as from his ordeal and you smiled sweetly at him. "You see?" you scraped out, "You do want this. We can set Mandalore aright again. Together. Husband of mine." His hand relaxed its grip a little, but his fingers were still around your neck. He swallowed as if something bitter were trying to force its way up his throat.

"The woman I married would never say such things, never force me to see such things. You are not my riduur." And suddenly his other blaster was in his left hand and pointing directly between your eyes.

You snarled at him, an animalistic noise of purest hatred, "You are weak, Mandalorian. You have betrayed your Creed countless times. And I know that you could never-" Suddenly the world went white, then dark, and you knew nothing more.

***

Seventy two hours earlier

***

"Din, you have to stop!" You were desperately trying not to giggle and encourage his behaviour. "I told you, either I do the ritual here or I go to my room in the Academy alone and do it."

"But mesh'la, how can I concentrate on anything else with you like this?" he said pleadingly as he gathered you into his arms.

"Like what?" you asked innocently, even though you knew perfectly well what. After you had taken shelter in the ship, you had set your robe and clothes to dry and sought out some fresh ones. Apparently you had gotten behind on laundry and had very little that was clean besides underwear, so had asked Din to borrow a spare undershirt and he had obliged. It wasn't often that you wore his clothes, but you loved having the scent of him so close to you all the time. The trouble was that you didn't have any clean spare trousers and now found yourself trying desperately to relax your mind and body when you could almost feel the heat of his gaze as he watched the bottom of his shirt grazing the tops of your thighs. "Would you prefer me naked?" That was the wrong thing to say. Or, possibly the right thing. Apparently the only thing more arousing to Din than you in his clothes was you out of them. He ground his erection against your stomach and kissed you.

"Always prefer you naked," he murmured against your lips.

"Are you going to make a liar out of me?" you asked, smiling. "I told Luke you made me a better Jedi. I also said we wouldn't be doing this here and yet..."

"And yet," he echoed, his nose stroking over your cheek. "Since you've already broken that promise once, would it be so terrible to do it again?"

"Absolutely," you answered. "But I can never resist you, Din Djarin. You know that."

Two hours later, you were finally sitting calmly and meditatively in front of a small bowl of water and a lit candle - the reflection of the candle upon the water helping to clear your mind and soothe your spirit. Recalling your meeting with Paz Vizsla, you went through each stage of what led to your anger at him, analysing and considering all possible angles to avoid a repeat of such behaviours in the future. At the core of it was your attachment to Din, your desire to never see him be hurt or damaged. You had to be mindful and better at managing your emotions surrounding him, else it would be increasingly easy to act that way again. The candle suddenly flickered although there was no draft that you could feel, and you could see a darkness swirl within the bowl. It...had to be a trick of the light. The bowl was white, there was nowhere that the darkness could be. Still, it was there and as you concentrated on it, you thought you heard a noise. A low level thrumming like machinery, but punctuated by the occasional voice calling, shouting in distress, screaming...

"Mesh'la?" Din's voice struck through your mind like an arrow, and his hand on your shoulder shook the dream from you instantly. "You fell asleep," he said needlessly, a smile playing about his lips. You looked down at the candle and bowl. The water was clear and ordinary, the candle not burned down by much. You couldn't have been asleep for more than twenty minutes. "Are you okay?" he asked when you didn't reply to him.

"Yes, fine. Just a strange dream. And apparently I'm more tired than I imagined." Din helped you to your feet. "Can we go back to the Academy? We need to speak with Luke again." His face took on a stony, annoyed countenance. "I know, I know. But we do have things to talk through. Not least the Council's discussion about you and I. Luke...he is a good man. Please trust me on this. And when you feel ready - if you feel ready - you can talk to me about whatever it is that has made you so...well you know." He nodded and looked into your eyes, his own softened and filling with love as he beheld your face.

"I do trust you. Of course I do. And I trust that what I need to tell you will not change us. Its just-" he swallowed thickly, "-its hard to say out loud after so long." Your arms came round his back to hold him close and you felt the understanding pass between you, strengthening you both individually and together.

Once your clothes had (mostly) dried, you got dressed and Din gave a low hum of approval when he saw that you were continuing to wear his undershirt. "You look far better in that than I do," he remarked and you kissed him happily before handing him his helmet. He held your hand on the approach back to the Academy, seeming to want to be as close to you as he could after your disagreement, even through his coverings. Just as you were about to enter through the main doors, Tolea came out to you.

"There you are," she smiled. "I've been looking all over. Luke said there is to be a "Council meeting" after the evening meal?" You could almost hear the quotation marks around 'Council Meeting'. "There's hardly a Council to speak of!" Her eyes fell to where yours and Din's hands met and she raised an eyebrow, more suggestive than questioning. You set about introducing your fiancé and your friend properly. He seemed inclined to trust her as when you gave his name as "Mando", he interjected with his real first name and held out his hand to clasp hers.

"So, a Mandalorian, hey?" she teased. "You always did have a thing for them!" Your eyes had gone wide at her words and you could feel the heat rise in your cheeks as you saw Din's helmet turn to face you in the periphery of your vision and heard what sounded like a laugh swiftly muffled by a cough.

"I did not have a "thing" for them," you spluttered indignantly. "I was just interested in the history of the Mandalorian Wars!"

"Yeah, yeah. But the armour helped, right?"

"Tolea!"

"Alright, I'll stop," she promised, her hand coming to pat your shoulder in a good-natured way. "I actually just wanted to see if you would come and spar with me? I'm a little rusty and it might be a good learning experience for the Padawans."

"I will, if you never mention the word 'Mandalorian' in front of me ever again," you joked. She bowed to you in a mockery of a solemn promise and turned away to walk you around the building to the outside exercise yard. Your cheeks were just beginning to cool when Din's faintly amused voice spoke softly to you.

"A "thing" hmmm?"

"Oh don't you start," you urged, holding up a warning finger toward him.

"Well....I can see it, that's all I'm saying." He paused briefly. "And there was that "thing" with Fett too." Apparently Tolea's hearing was excellent because at this she rounded on you, her face gleeful as you turned to Din, horrified.

"DIN!"

"Excuse me, what? Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter?! The one with the armour, yes? I just want to be clear!" Din's rumble of laughter at your face and Tolea's delight made your heart give a sudden squeeze. It had been so long since you had been with friends that you knew and trusted, and even though they were currently ribbing you mercilessly, you were so grateful to have them both in your life again. Your voice was teasing as you made your rejoinder.

"I'd be careful if I were you. You just asked me to spar and told me you were out of practice. Such a shame, what accidents can occur," you said breezily to Tolea. "As for you," you narrowed your eyes at Din and gently poked your finger at his breastplate, "Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?!" He laughed at your meaningless threats and caught your hands before pressing his helmet to your forehead for the briefest moment.

"I should not have taught you that one," he said softly. "I mean...I beg your pardon, verd." Tolea was looking between you both, a little bemused.

"I'm going to assume you said something disgustingly private and leave it at that," she ventured.

"Close. I was threatening to smack him in the face. That's kind of Mandalorian courting, isn't it?" you teased.

"Excuse me!" he exclaimed, ruffled. "I'll show you Mandalorian courting!....That...wasn't supposed to sound like that," he added in a slightly defeated tone as both you and Tolea roared with laughter. The good natured teasing between the three of you lasted until you were almost at the exercise ground.

"Okay," Tolea breathed. "We have to be calm and act like actual adults for the children now." She tried to make her face solemn, but giggled slightly when she caught your eye as you were trying to do the same thing. "I missed you," she said as she patted your shoulder again and the warmth of your friendship sloshed between you like a tropical ocean wave. You managed to collect yourselves enough to greet the children with a modicum of decorum. Din settled himself on the edges of the training ground, a little apart from the Padawans - you assumed so as not to distract them. It worked, for the most part, although eyes would occasionally stray to where he stood, monolith-like in his size and stillness.

"As some of you may know," Tolea began, gesturing at you, "we both trained together at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant before the Empire came. We have spent many years apart, but the bonds of kinship as Jedi remain strong, as well as the bonds of friendship." She smiled fondly at the Padawans in front of her. "We would often practice our Forms with each other and train together. Hopefully, our bonds will show through there as well, despite the time apart." She took up her initial stance opposite you, and you followed her lead. As she ignited her lightsaber, you blinked in surprise.

"Yellow? That's new." Tolea smiled.

"I lost my lightsaber that night but I rebuilt it when I came here. There is an ancient Temple not too far from here. I found an old and broken lightsaber within it and was able to rescue its crystal and purify it as my own. It felt like it was meant to be mine, even more than my old one, somehow."

"We shall see how it serves you," you replied with a smile. "I'll go easy on you and spare you the double blade, for now." Tolea tutted at you, but there was warmth in her eyes. You began by slowly demonstrating various aspects of the Forms and explaining how to incorporate Force abilities within some of these aspects, but after a while the joy of training with your friend again overtook the teaching somewhat. It was as if everything else fell away and for a brief time you were both ten years old again, with so few responsibilities, delighting in your new lightsabers and your abilities. Tolea was far less rusty than she had lead you to believe and before long the sweat was running down your back. When you came to a natural break, you begged a few minutes and she gladly acquiesced. It was at this point that you noticed that the number of people observing had swelled considerably. Master Kholi had come to join you with his group of students and was looking with approval at yourself and Tolea.

"This is good to see," he commented. "I myself was never very skilled with weapons. I was a Healer at the Temple and never had much time for them. I am glad the children can learn from such as yourselves." He glanced over to Din who was holding Grogu protectively, the child's back against his chest. "I see the Mandalorian seems more inclined to stay. This too is good. I will see you both at the meeting."

Tolea and yourself set to pairing the children up according to ability. There were practice sabers for the very youngest that were little more than padded sticks and these were distributed. With Din holding tight to Grogu there was an uneven number, so Tolea herself matched with Loro. As you approached Din and Grogu, you could hear his soft words spoken toward the child.

"...know everything about how to defend yourself. We will make sure of it. You will be a great warrior one day. Like your buir." With these last words, he raised his helmet to you, and you realised he wasn't talking about himself. A surge of pride and love roared through you and as you came to Grogu and kissed his head, he reached out to be held by you a while. You took him and cradled him in your arms, so that he could continue to observe the training going on around him and stepped backward a little so that your back was resting against the right side of Din's body. His hand came discreetly to the small of your back and stroked you softly. "You were amazing, cyar'ika," he said softy. "I pity the person who gets in your way."

You beamed at his praise. "Perhaps you could teach the children too. I don't think many of them know how to handle a blaster. I'll raise it at the meeting." You turned around to him and could see his helmet tipped questioningly at you. "I don't know what the others will say, but to me it seems silly to have an expert in weaponry here and not take advantage of it. Your lessons saved my life many a time."

"Teaching children? Do you really think I'm suitable for that?"

"Absolutely. Why wouldn't you be? I had never taught children before I came here. Just...be yourself." You looked across at the training yard at the students. "See, you already have a fan," you added, amused. Alikas was watching you and Din and when she saw you looking, she waved at you, the distraction causing her opponent to be able to knock her training saber out of her hand. She scowled at him, reached her hand out to raise it from the ground and retrieve it, and redoubled her efforts in sparring.

"That one reminds me of you," said Din, and you could hear the smile on his lips through the beskar. "Fierce and unafraid to speak her mind."

"And this one," you said, planting another kiss on Grogu's head, "Reminds me of you. Stubborn and very cute." He chuckled and reached out a finger for Grogu to grasp.

"Where do I sleep tonight?" he asked softly. "And where do you?"

"I think that will depend on what is discussed later. We will have the evening meal first, and then it will be the children's bedtime." At your words, Grogu turned his head toward you with a hopeful coo, and an image came unbidden to your mind. "I'm sure there will be eggs for you, little one," you assured him.

There were indeed eggs, along with fruit and meats and bread and vegetables and a type of savoury pastry you had never had before, but you took to well. The mood at the table was jovial and light, despite the fact that Luke was nowhere to be seen. Alikas displaced you by sitting next to Din before you could this time, and she and Grogu giggled happily together as they shared in their meal. Once Grogu had eaten his fill and was merely playing with his food, Din tasked her with watching him while he gathered a plate of his own to eat. The child nodded solemnly at the request and Tolea squeezed your arm in a silent promise that she would watch over both children. Just before he left, Din took a small silver ball out of a tiny pocket on his belt. Grogu babbled a long stream of happy nonsense and reached for it, using his power to take the ball from Din's hand. Din huffed a small laugh of contentment and stroked Grogu's head softly before picking up his plate. You led Din out of the dining hall and to the right, down one of the corridors of the quadrangle to one of the classrooms where he could eat his meal in peace. After removing his helmet and sitting down with his back to the door, he attacked the food with fervour, having had nothing since breakfast and once his immediate hunger was sated, he stared around at the pale blue walls surrounding him and the windows that looked over the grassy plains.

"Why do you have such a big space for so few?" he wondered aloud.

"Partly because we are hoping that we will not be so few in the near future," you smiled at him. "But also because this structure is part of something more ancient. Certain planets have more of a connection with the Force than others. Or at least, the Force flows more freely through them. This is such a place and is one of the reasons Luke chose to found the Academy here. Other Jedi came here before us and also settled. Some of their buildings survived and were in turn built upon. You paused, then said more softly, "I wish you could have seen the old Temple on Coruscant. It was a thousand times the size of this. The amount of times I got lost, even after having lived there for years...And it was so beautiful. Vaulted ceilings that were so high you could barely see them, or it felt that way. carvings and tapestries of Jedi past everywhere. And a serenity that permeated it. As soon as you walked in you felt more at peace with the galaxy." You only realised that you were staring out of the window, when Din took your hand. You had been looking at the plains but actually seeing the slanted sunbeams coming through the windows of the Temple and hitting the marble floors.

As you came back to yourself Din said softly, "It was your home. You've told me that it was before, but I've never really seen you speak of it as such until now. I'm sorry I cannot offer you a place like that to live."

"Don't. I just need you. The ship feels more like home with you in it than it ever did when I was alone." You stroked your hands over the stubble at his jaw as you spoke and he moved his cheek against your hand, almost burrowing into your touch. "I love you, Din. I don't tell you nearly enough." His eyes met yours and they were soft and warm with his matching adoration of you. You leaned forward to capture his lips with your own and as you did, heard a slightly embarrassed cough from the direction of the door. You raised your eyes to see Tolea standing there.

"Sorry," she grimaced. "Its just, the children are about to prepare for bed and I thought you might like to say goodnight." Din put his helmet back on and stood, gathering his plate and cutlery as he did so. "Here I'll take that," she offered. "You go."

Instead of sleeping in one room, the children were now divided into three dormitories, and Loro had his own little room to himself next door to the younglings. It was strange to see how much had changed in the relatively short time you had been away. Grogu shared a room with Alikas and a little boy called Dann. Even if Luke hadn't mentioned Tolea's biological children, you would have recognised those eyes anywhere. As you went to tuck the children in, Din hung back a little by the doorway, clearly still unsure as to whether he should be there. But when Grogu reached for him, he went immediately, stroking his fuzzy little head and covering him over with the blankets in his crib. "Goodnight, kid," he murmured. "Sweet dreams."

Din and you went your separate ways shortly afterward - he returned to the Haldon while you joined the other Jedi in Luke's study. Luke looked pensive and a little worried as you entered and he immediately asked you about the Mandalorian.

"He is troubled. Less by what we spoke of and more about something deeper, something from his past. He has not spoken to me about that yet, but he is also concerned about the alliance you spoke of. Din has no desire to be the Mand'alor. He obtained the Darksaber almost accidentally. He wishes a peaceful transition of power to the Mandalorian who does wish to rule." Tolea and Ka-Moon both looked a little confused about what you were saying, so you set to telling them an abridged version of what had befallen the day that Luke had taken Grogu. "We have plans to meet with Din's people. After that we will have a better idea of how to proceed. He does not want another civil war amongst the Mandalorians, especially since they are already so few. But the Mand'alor must be determined by combat. There seems to be no way to reconcile these things. An overt alliance with the Jedi at this time would muddy the political waters even further and bring undue attention upon us here," you concluded.

"I understand his reaction a little more now. And yet a reluctant ruler can sometimes be the better kind. He does not seek power for himself, or for its own sake. What about the one that wants the throne?"

"I know little about her, other than Din considers her honourable. I trust his judgement." Luke nodded, looking thoughtful again. Tolea piped up, a little hesitantly.

"I don't mean to detract from the seriousness of the situation, but if he did choose to take the throne does that mean you would be a...queen?" You smiled at her. It was a question that had passed through your mind but that you had paid little real attention to.

"I don't think it works that way. There is only one ruler of Mandalore. There are few shades of grey in their society. I think I would be viewed as his consort, but would wield no actual power. That's if we were married, of course." The unadorned mention of why you were here caused a slight tension in the room for a few seconds before it relaxed and released, the bubble burst by your simple words. No one seemed surprised by your declaration and your suspicion that the others had at least sensed the feelings between Din and yourself seemed to have been proven right. That was if Luke hadn't just told them both outright.

"I am personally unsure about the wisdom of doing away with such rules," Ka-Moon said, a little stiffly. "We all know where such attachment can lead."

"So much has changed," countered Tolea. "The dangers of allowing attachment to drive emotion are still present, but how can we be away from the rigours of Temple life for almost twenty years and then return to that life as if nothing were different?"

"We cannot," agreed Ka-Moon, "But nor should we let go of everything that made the Order what it was."

"I agree," Luke chimed in, "But we should find a new way forward. The Order fell in part because it was not responsive enough to change. I believe we need to be more flexible in how we operate, now that we are so few."

"Forgive me, but you were not there. I do not believe you have sufficient knowledge of how the Order used to be run to be able to criticise it in such a way."

"But we all were," you interjected, "And Yoda himself trained Luke, and I agree with him."

"You have a vested interest in this particular discussion," pointed out Ka-Moon gently. "I am not dismissing your view, only pointing out the circumstances surrounding it."

"Then I too must have a vested interest," said Tolea. "Since my children are here. Would you have us leave, Master Kholi? If we are adhering to the old ways, the children should not be in my presence." She sighed. "We cannot go back. We must build what we can."

"Bringing force sensitive younglings to be trained is far different than seeking marriage. The children are already here, we cannot deny them. We need to nurture them and their abilities. Ratifying marriage within the Order is new territory and possibly dangerous."

"The Mandalorian and I will continue to live as we have," you pointed out. "Whether we speak the words or not, he is my husband in my life, in my heart."

"So what difference does it make?" asked Ka-Moon.

"Precisely," you answered.

The debate stretched. Tea was made and drunk and made again. The light had almost totally failed and only a few streaks of pale green across the blue of the sky to the north showed where the sun had been by the time a decision was made. Ka-Moon was still not entirely happy, but had come around to the idea of forging a new path for the Jedi. Afterward he confessed that his own heart ached for a past love that he had been forced to give up in service of the Order and you understood his reluctance a little more. When you had suggested that he go and seek him, as you had Din, he gave a sad smile and shook his head. "He died fighting the Empire a long time ago. But I wish you and your Mandalorian much happiness in your life together." You were grateful for his kind words and told him as much.

"So...how do we go about this? I mean, can we do this here? Soon?"

Luke smiled a little at your eager impatience. "I don't see why not. If you can find somewhere you want to conduct the ceremony. What will the ceremony be, anyway?"

"I don't even know. There is a very brief Mandalorian ritual but as to what I am bringing, I just don't know. I would like to have you all there, though. My family in attendance and to witness." Tolea was overjoyed for you and hugged you close with tears starting in her eyes as she did so. As the meeting broke up, she caught your hand in her own.

"Come with me, I want to give you something." Curious, you followed her to her chambers - which were dark panelled but hung with beautifully woven and brightly coloured tapestries all over, giving the impression that you were walking into some sort of botanical garden. She rummaged around in a trunk at the end of her bed and finally emerged with a folded garment in her arms. "This was-" she began before her voice cracked. You stroked her shoulder, encouraging her to go on if she could. "This was the dress I was wearing when I met my husband. Well...he was never my husband under the law. He died before...But I was going to use it for my wedding dress as well. If you like it, I want you to wear it."

"Tolea I...that's so wonderful of you. Are you quite sure?" She nodded, sniffling a little.

"It was supposed to be a wedding dress. It should be a wedding dress," she said, simply. "Try it on, we'll see how it suits you and if we need to adjust it anywhere." You gently shook the dress out. It was long and flowing, made of some material that seemed to catch and hold the breeze within it, and a beautiful lavender colour that rippled as it undulated gently. Tolea helped you put it on and aside from some minor adjustments to the waist, and the sleeves being a little too long it fit almost perfectly. Her eyes welled up again a little as she took in the sight of you and you thanked her profusely as you embraced. "I can't believe I have my friend back and now you're getting married? It's so strange! Do you remember those nights we couldn't sleep and would talk about what it would be like to have a "normal" life? We never expected we would actually do it!"

"I remember both of us being giggly over Master Kenobi," you said, laughing. "We weren't exactly model Jedi, even back then!" Tolea laughed and rummaged in the trunk again, coming up with a small sewing kit.

"Let me just adjust this a little for you. It will be finished by tomorrow." She took her measurements and made her markings and you gave the dress back into her capable hands before putting on your usual clothes. "Go tell Din the good news," she smiled as she shooed you gently out of her room.

Even though the hour was late, Din had not closed up the ship, clearly expecting that you would indeed visit after your meeting. As you approached, you wondered why he had not come out to meet you, as the sensors in his helmet would have told him of your approach in good time. Reasoning that he had perhaps become weary of his beskar again and was hiding out in the ship, you all but ran up the incline of the entrance ramp, calling him as you did. He was not in the hold and there was no reply. You opened the door to the room you shared, but he was not there. You couldn't hear the shower running in the fresher either. The elation you had felt was souring to anxiety in your stomach as you climbed the ladder to the cockpit where you found Din's hulking form slouched in the pilot's chair, his helmet thrown carelessly to one side and his right arm dangling loosely over the armrest, the hilt of the Darksaber in his hand. He did not turn at the sound of your approach and a brief moment of terror seized your heart when you thought he might be unconscious, or worse.

"Din?" you called again as you came up to the back of the seat, and this time he stirred a little, though his eyes never left the view from the cockpit window. "Din, what's wrong?" you asked as you came to his side and touched his elbow. Finally, he dragged his gaze to you. His eyes were lit with the same wildness that you had seen when he had kissed you in the rain but it was wrong somehow, muted, dulled, and sickly. A thin trail of dark blood leaked from one nostril.

"I can hear it," he frowned, his words slightly slurred and coming slowly. "Is this what you hear? How can you bear it?"

"You can hear what, Din?" you asked, trying to keep your voice calm as you pressed the back of your hand to his head. His brow was both cold and slick with sweat.

"Everything," he panted. "Why can I hear it? I...I can feel it." His eyes grew suddenly wide and fearful, something you had never seen before and which chilled you to the bone.

"Din, you need to come with me," you said firmly. "You're unwell. Master Kholi will look over you and then you will be fine." This last part was more for your benefit than for his. There had only been one other time when he had acted in a similar way, long ago when you had first travelled with him, before you had ever known him fully. It had been such a silly mistake. As you had chased your quarry through a jungle landscape, he had tripped over a root and fallen headfirst into a bush. You had teased him mercilessly about it for the rest of the afternoon and all seemed well until the next morning. It transpired that as he had removed his beskar for the night, a thorn that had snagged on his clothing had scratched a jagged line onto his skin, its swift poison working its way through him as he slept. Even through his delirium he had managed to put his helmet back on before you found him. It had been his last rational thought for several days.

The beautiful depths of his eyes grew cloudy with confusion at your words. "But...you asked me. If I could feel it. And now I can."

"Its okay, kar'ta." you murmured soothingly to him. "Come with me, everything will be-" A thought struck you like a thunderbolt. "Din," you whispered haltingly, "Do you mean you can feel the Darksaber?" In reply he held the hilt limply up toward you, almost as an offering. It seemed to take all of his strength to make that simple movement. You gulped as you reached for it with trepidation, wanting to take the burden of it from Din, but not wanting you both to be afflicted with whatever it was that was happening. As your fingers closed around the hilt, a wave of sound and emotion hit you. Terror and abandonment and rage and screaming madness and the same thrumming that you had heard earlier as you had meditated, stronger this time and more defined as a heavy thumping the longer you held the hilt. As blackness crowded the edge of your vision, you dropped it to the floor of the ship. Din made tiny anguished noise at the sight and reached down weakly to grasp at it again. "No!" you exclaimed sharply as you pushed him gently but firmly back into his seat. "Leave it there!" You kicked the weapon away out of the reach of you both, the terrifying cacophony blasting through you for a second time as your boot connected with it. Din lay back into the pilot's chair, his chest rising and falling rapidly as if he couldn't quite get enough oxygen into him. Quickly, you used the communication array to contact Luke, silently offering a prayer of gratitude when he answered almost immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I sense-"

"Get Ka-Moon and come to the ship. Din is ill. Please hurry." Luke disconnected at once and you turned your attentions back to the man in front of you, kneeling down beside him and taking his gloved hand in yours while stroking the sweat soaked strands of his hair back from his forehead. "Kar'ta, they will be here soon and we will make you feel better, I promise. Can we take some of your beskar off? You might be more comfortable when they arrive." His attention seemed to have meandered back to the cockpit window. You stood and looked outside yourself, but could see only the darkness of the plains ahead. Only starlight existed out there to illuminate anything and it wasn't enough. Bending back to Din, you began to remove his pauldrons. He did nothing to stop you, but nor did he assist. You weren't entirely sure he was able to move to help, nor that he was even aware of what you were doing.

Your mind was turning furiously, trying to piece together what had happened. Clearly he had been well enough to get up the ladder to the cockpit in the first place, so this was a relatively new affliction. But you had been at the meeting for hours. Who knew how long he had been here in this state? The thought of him experiencing the torment you had heard and felt for that long made you choke back a sob that tried to make its way up your throat, and you forced your mind back to rationality with some difficulty. When you had been on Artorias and had begun teaching him about lightsaber forms, you had asked him if he could feel anything from the Darksaber, if the crystal within it spoke to him as your lightsaber crystal spoke to you. He had replied in the negative. What had changed? Location was the most obvious answer. This planet was strong with the Force. Was it possible that he had a degree of Force sensitivity but that it took a planet like this for it to be strong enough to be noticeable? Or was the Darksaber reacting differently and not Din himself? You had held the weapon previously and had felt nothing like what you had just experienced. As your mind whirred you were removing his thigh armour and this time he moved his legs up a little, you believed in an attempt to give you easier access to the fastenings. Your heart gave a hopeful leap at this and as you pulled the beskar away you cradled his face and looked into his eyes. They were still hazy, with pain or confusion you couldn't tell, but his attention was fixed on you now, and he held your gaze. Both of which you took to be good signs.

"Its okay Din, it will all be okay. I love you. I love you so much. We will make you better, I promise. I'm here with you and it will all be okay." You were babbling a stream of near-meaningless nonsense, for your own benefit as much as his. You heard Luke's voice and footsteps approach up the incline of the ramp and pressed your lips against Din's briefly, thinking (hoping?) you felt him try to reciprocate. You stroked his face softly before easing him forward from the headrest and placing his helmet back on his head, calling to the Jedi below as you did so.

The next couple of hours were a nightmare whirlwind for you. Ka-Moon made his basic assessments of Din, but was hampered by the fact that you refused to allow him to take his helmet off. You had no idea what choice Din would make in this situation, given that Luke had already seen his face, but you were determined to err on the side of caution and to retain his dignity for him as far as possible. Din seemed to be able to move a little more as the minutes ticked by and eventually could stand, aided by a person on either side of him, though he seemed to have lost the ability to speak when you took the Darksaber from him. Getting him down the ladder was problematic to say the least. While his hands were still able to grip the rungs sufficiently, you ended up helping to physically move his legs while Luke was on standby to catch him, with the Force if necessary. Mercifully, there was a floating stretcher waiting in the hold and as you helped Din to lie back on to it, he groped for your hand and squeezed it when you gave it to him. It was a pitiful fraction of his usual strength, but it bolstered your courage and gave you hope in your heart. You ached for him, that people were witnessing his physical weakness and for the first and only time you hoped that his wits hadn't entirely returned, to spare him his shame. As you had appraised Luke of what you had experienced, he had wrapped the Darksaber in a thick woollen blanket that you had provided, taking care to only touch it with his gloved mechanical hand and looking grimly thoughtful as he did. Tolea was there to greet you at the door of the Academy again and she accompanied you all to the medical bay. Ka-Moon swore that he would not remove Din's helmet but requested that he be allowed a degree of peace to run his tests. You knew it was the best thing to do, but were also having trouble leaving Din's side. Much as you trusted in Ka-Moon's healing capabilities, you couldn't help but feel that somehow this was your fault and that by leaving Din alone you were compounding your mistake. Only when Din managed to breathe a shaky "Mesh'la" to you before stroking his thumb clumsily over your cheek did you feel he was recovered enough for you to be just outside the room. You kissed the top of his helmet and pressed your forehead against it before you left, accompanied by Tolea and Luke.

"What's happening? Did you feel anything from the Darksaber? How can I help him? What can I do?" you fired these questions in quick succession at Luke, your voice breaking on the last one. Tolea came to you and hugged you close.

"I have a theory," Luke began haltingly, "But its not complete...Tolea, tell me again what you saw when you went to the Temple." Tolea let you go and turned to face Luke, but before she did you saw the look of trepidatious realisation on her face.

"The Temple where you got your crystal?" you asked, frantically.

Luke nodded. "I don't know if you remember but just before you left to find Din, I mentioned that I thought I had found reference to an ancient temple nearby. When Tolea arrived she volunteered to go and find it if she could."

"There was something...bizarre about the place," Tolea said, her eyes a little distant. "The further in I explored the more untouched it looked. As if one day everyone had just flown away and left. I found a few useful things scattered around - datapads and the like. The only ruination I could see had been caused by the weather and so was mainly on the outside. Until I reached what looked like the meditation room. There were...bones in there. A lot of them. All jumbled up. And scorch marks from weapons on the walls. Its where I found the lightsaber that I took my crystal from. There were a few of them scattered around, but I was drawn to that one in particular..."

"Did you feel anything from the Temple?" you pressed. "Anything that might explain-" you broke off and gestured helplessly at the room behind you.

Tolea shook her head. "You were always the more perceptive of us," she answered. "I felt nothing but the sadness and emptiness of yet more death around me."

"I need to go there," you said instantly. "If it might help-" Luke held up a warding hand.

"I know its not what you want to hear," he cautioned, "But you must be patient. Do not rush in until we have more information." He spoke more loudly over you as you began to protest, "I know you want to feel like you are doing something. But he needs you here. Once he is back on his feet, you know he will follow you wherever you may go. And without knowing more about what has happened here, you might just be leading him into more danger." He was right, you knew he was right.

"So what can I do?" you whispered miserably.

"You can help me with my research. The Darksaber is a unique weapon in the galaxy as far as we know. And so much of its history is lost. We will start with information on its creator, Tarre Vizsla, and then-"

"Vizsla," you murmured. Luke looked at you, puzzled. "Vizsla was the name of the Mandalorian I met. The one I...lost my control with." Had it really only been the previous night that you and Din had been wrapped around each other in the magnificence of that bed? It seemed like weeks ago. "I knew I recognised the name, but I couldn't think why. I have read about Tarre Vizsla before. Do you think it is relevant?"

"At this point, I don't want to rule anything out," Luke said grimly.

"Can you spare a datapad? I don't want to move too far from here."

Luke's eyes and voice softened a little as he replied. "Of course," he said. "I'll upload everything I have been able to find out about this planet and the Darksaber and I'll bring it to you." Tolea was the one who actually brought you the datapad. She came to you twenty minutes after Luke had departed and she also brought along water, some fruit and a couple of large colourful patchwork cushions that you recognised as having been on her bed earlier.

"In case you want to be a little more comfortable," she explained as you gratefully accepted them. There were no chairs in the corridor and the toll of the day had begun to make itself known to you. "No news?" she enquired, her eyes flicking toward the medbay door. You shook your head wordlessly, not trusting yourself to speak at that moment. She brought you in for a hug again. "Everything will be okay," she soothed as she stroked your hair. "He is strong. He will be just fine."

"What do I-" your voice broke and you stopped to take deep breaths before continuing. "How do I tell Grogu?" you whispered miserably. "He's only just got Din back and now..." Tolea took your face in her hands and looked into your eyes.

"You won't need to tell Grogu anything because Din will be fine," she insisted. You nodded sadly and Tolea sat you down on one of the cushions, positioning herself on the other opposite you. "Can I ask something?" she spoke hesitantly and you nodded for her to continue. "What did he say to you in there? That word that made you come away." You felt your eyes well up and had some difficulty controlling the spasms of grief that passed across your face. "I'm sorry," Tolea apologised hurriedly. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's ok," you said, your voice a little wobblier than you would have liked. "It's Mando'a. He called me 'Mesh'la'. Its his name for me, when we're together. I don't think he's ever said it quite that publicly before. It means 'beautiful'." And for some reason, that was the word that broke the through the dam you had tried so hard to keep strong. Tears flooded down your face in a silent stream as Tolea held you against her shoulder, stroking over your back through your shuddering breaths.

Once you were calm, you insisted Tolea go to get some rest. It would already be a challenge to focus on the datapad in front of you, when Din was so close and yet so out of reach. You didn't want to hurt Tolea's feelings, but you did not want an additional distraction to your task. She left, but only once she had extracted a promise from you that you would call her if you needed her for anything. Once you settled back down on the cushions and began to read, you realised that much of Luke's research was more of a reminder of what you had already known than anything new. Tarre Visla had been the first Mandalorian to train as a Jedi on the Temple on Coruscant. He had created the Darksaber as a way to marry his Mandalorian and Jedi identities and it had later become a symbol of power among Mandalorians, Vizsla himself using the weapon while he was the Mand'alor. After he had died, the Jedi had brought the Darksaber back to the Temple and it had been kept there until members of House Vizsla had taken it back and used it to unite the Mandalorian clans. That had been during the fall of the Old Republic, over a thousand years ago and its history was shrouded in mystery for many centuries thereafter.

More interesting was what he had been able to discover about the Temple that lay not far to the East. It had been a Jedi stronghold towards the end of the Jedi-Sith wars, around the same time that Vizsla was alive, and although it was small it was apparently of some strategic importance to both sides. There were reports of frequent Sith attacks, all of which seemed to be successfully repelled by the Jedi stationed there. However, the last report that Luke had been able to find had some interesting details that caught your eye. The Sith that had attacked on this occasion were bolstered by a cell of highly trained fighters that had managed to withstand the Jedi offensives, even though they themselves were not Force users. And there was a mention of a "Hunter" that stalked the plains, picking off any unwary Jedi that strayed too far from the confines of the Temple. The very last line of this account was a desperate plea to Coruscant for extraction, with a warning that the Temple was now unviable and a line that sent a chill down your spine; "They did not conquer, they did not have to. They were always here. They will always be here."

As you pondered the implications of those words, the door behind you opened and Ka-Moon's kindly face looked down at you. "Come in," he invited, and you scrambled to your feet to do just that. Din was sitting up on one of the beds, his back to the wall and with one leg on the bed and one on the floor, as if he were about to attempt to walk. His remaining beskar, cape and gloves were piled on a chair near to the bed, but his helmet was on. "Don't let him do too much," Ka-Moon was saying as you made your way across the floor to Din. "He needs rest. I will be back shortly." You thanked him a little distractedly as he withdrew from the room, and then turned your attention fully to Din. He moved to take the helmet from his head and you gladly assisted him. He looked exhausted, but much more himself and you couldn't stop the tears that spilled from your eyes as you bent and kissed his lips tenderly.

"Kar'ta," you whispered, as you gathered him to your chest and pressed him close. "I was so worried. I thought...I thought I had lost you."

"Never," he replied, his voice a little raspy. "It will require more than that to take me from you, cyar'ika." You took his face in your hands and scanned him, even as he wiped the tears from your cheeks. There was no evidence of physical hurt to him, even his nose had stopped bleeding. His eyes were his own again and that pleased you more than anything.

"What happened?" you asked as you sat yourself on the bed, holding his hands in your own. "What do you remember?" He was shaking his head at the questions.

"Ka-Moon asked me the same and I will tell you what I told him. I went back to the ship to attend to my weapons and beskar while you were in your meeting. I did so and took a shower afterward. That is all I remember." You frowned.

"You don't remember getting dressed? Putting your beskar back on? Going to the cockpit?" He shook his head at each question as you fired them. "When do your memories return?"

"I have flashes but I don't know if they are real memories or not. I remember taking my helmet off but I don't remember why. I remember a voice. Not yours. But a woman's. And...other noises." He visibly shuddered and then pulled himself together. "The sky. The sky was on fire. I remember your face. You took some of my armour off. And you held my hand. I remember reaching out to touch your face. Then everything seemed to settle in my head but you weren't there anymore. I've felt more like myself again for half an hour or so."

"Do you remember what this woman you heard said?" He frowned, his eyes focused on the floor but not really seeing it.

"She wanted something from me. I don't know what. I can't remember what she said, but I remember her hatred. Its still in my mind, like a bad taste I can't get rid of." He shook his head as if to dislodge what he was feeling.

"Are you in pain?" you asked him gently.

"My head hurt. He gave me something for it." He paused. "What happened to me?" You explained the situation from your point of view. When you came to talk about the Darksaber, Din almost absent-mindedly groped behind his back to feel for it and you gently took his hand in yours again.

"Luke has it. It seems to be connected with what happened but we aren't sure how yet." As you continued with your story, the crease between his eyes deepened until he was fully frowning at your words. You made sure to skate lightly over how much assistance he had required from the ship to the medbay and he didn't seem much inclined to ask. Your story ended with what you had read on the datapad and your own conclusion that you had drawn. "I have to go to the Temple, to investigate."

"Mesh'la-" he began, warningly.

"No, Din. I have to go. I need to stop this ever happening to you again, and for that I need information."

"Then I come with you." He made as if to heave himself off the bed, but you halted his progression gently with one hand.

"You need rest right now. I will not be going any time soon. I still need to see if Luke has discovered anything new." Din reluctantly settled himself back against the wall. When you spoke again, you did so hesitantly, not wanting to make him relive his traumatic experience quite so soon, but also needing answers only he could provide. "I know you say you remember nothing," you began, "but you said to me that you could hear the Darksaber, that you could feel it. Do you recall taking it out? Or using it? Or anything unusual about it from this evening?" Din frowned again in concentration and you squeezed his hand to remind him that you were there and he was safe. He spoke haltingly when he replied.

"When I cleaned my weapons, I held the Darksaber and switched it on to check it was all in order. But I remember that clearly, there was no voice then, nothing was wrong. It was all as it should be. I think...the Darksaber was the way that the woman could speak to me. But I don't know why I think that, I just have a feeling."

"Trust your feelings," you urged. "And let me know if anything else comes back to you. But for now, you must rest." You moved to the other side of the bed to settle next to him. "I am here, kar'ta," you murmured, as he lay down on his side and faced you. You kissed his forehead and held him close and within no time at all his breathing was deep and even as he fell into a deep sleep of exhaustion. After you had moved carefully and quietly back out of the room, you found Ka-Moon and informed him of Din's helmetless and sleeping state, promising him you would return shortly. Then you made your way to Luke's study where you were not surprised to find Tolea assisting in the research he had promised.

"I couldn't sleep," she confessed. "Not when everyone else was awake and doing something." You nodded and squeezed her hand gratefully before sitting in a chair next to her and putting forward the theory that had started to come together in your mind.

"I think that the Darksaber was here on this planet before, a thousand years ago. There is a mention of what sounds very much like a mercenary band of Mandalorians in that information you gave me, Luke. And a reference to a Hunter picking off Jedi, which may also have been one of their number. If Mandalorians and the Sith were working together here, is it not possible that the Darksaber was...infused? With some kind of memory perhaps. If one of the Sith were that strong, could they have done such a thing? And now that the weapon is back here, the echoes of it are strong enough to reach out and try to connect with us. If Din has any Force sensitivity it would explain why he was affected so badly. With no training to shield him, his mental defences would be minimal. I know its not a perfect explanation, but I think it fits a lot of the pieces together."

Luke seemed to ponder what you had proffered in silence for a time. "I have heard of artifacts and weapons retaining an essence of their owners, if their owners were sufficiently powerful in life," he mused. "I am troubled greatly by all of this. Not just because of what has happened to Din, but for the future of the Academy. I thought I felt a darkness...somewhere. I thought it was the remnant of what had happened between you and Vizsla, but now I begin to suspect it is something more. I have had dreams here and there ever since Tolea got back from her exploration, and I should have paid them more attention." He slapped his mechanical hand on the desk, and rose to pace the room.

"When you held the Darksaber, did you feel anything from it?" you enquired.

"No. And that troubles me too. How could someone who is not Force sensitive as far as we know hear it and I not? Unless..." he trailed off and turned to you. "Unless whatever was possessing it had got what it wanted. If possession is the right word. There's still so much we don't know."

"Which is why I need to go," you insisted.

"I will go myself," Luke said. "You are too close to this. If something is targeting you or Din, you need to stay far away from there. And I will not go until I am sure I have learned all I can about this situation." He spoke more softly toward you. "Go to him. Its the best thing you can do right now. And if you can, get some rest. We will resume tomorrow morning."

"The children-" you began.

"The children will be fine," Tolea interjected calmly. "And there is no sense in worrying about them or Grogu right now. Din may well be fully recovered tomorrow. Give it a night and see." You looked between she and Luke, feeling somehow that they were ganging up on you, even though what they were saying was perfectly logical and, you suspected, the right thing to do. You nodded and rose to leave the study.

"Before you go," Luke added, "Could you make out any words in what you were hearing when you held the Darksaber? Anything that might help?"

You shook your head slowly. "I don't think so. It was like a wall of sound. Of screaming in pain and anger and a weird thumping noise. But I should tell you something else that happened to me earlier." And you proceeded to inform him of your dream that you had had while meditating. "I don't know if its related, but the thumping kind of sounded the same and it seems like too much of a coincidence to not be linked."

"Agreed," Luke mused. "Go. I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

As you made your way back to the medbay, your mind was spinning once again. It was logical that Luke be the one to investigate the Temple, but something didn't sit entirely comfortably within you at that notion. You couldn't identify why, but you had a deep feeling that you should be the one to sort this mess out. Din was the most important part of your life and you wanted to be sure that proper justice would be done for the hurt he had suffered. Not that you didn't trust Luke, but you felt that with your additional investment in the situation, perhaps you would be more motivated to get answers. There was a part of you that wanted to just go, leave, fly off in the Haldon and fix it now, now, now. But you resisted the impulse. Din needed you and he came first. When you re-entered the room, Ka-Moon seemed to be running some tests, Din was sat up on the bed, his face covered once again.

"Well, the good news is that you are in wonderful physical shape," he was telling Din as he removed a sensor from the end of his finger. "And if you say you feel fine there isn't much more I can do for you at the moment. I would perhaps ask that you remain here overnight..." He trailed off as Din shook his head.

"I don't like hospitals," he grunted. "I won't get any rest."

"I'll be with him," you told Ka-Moon. "We'll go to my chamber here so we will be close by if anything happens." He inclined his head at you in acquiescence and moved off. Din reached for you as you approached and you took his hand and helped him to his feet. He was quite steady and apparently didn't need to lean on you. "Do you feel okay?" you asked. He nodded, but kept hold of your hand as he gathered his belongings from the chair.

Your chambers had remained almost untouched since your departure many months before. The droids had been in to clean and air the room and fresh bedding had been put on, so it wasn't dusty or dank, but it did have that sense of being unlived in that places get after a time with no one moving around in them. You lit the lamp by your bed and its soft yellow light permeated the room. Din shut the door behind him and deposited his clothes and armour on top of your dressing table, topping it with his helmet and then taking some time to look around him. The space was sparsely furnished and decorated. Everything that had meant the most to you, you had taken along with you upon your departure. Not that there was much, even then. The walls were dark panelled, similar to the room Tolea inhabited and this gave the room a cocoon-like quality. Strip lights were embedded in the walls, but you chose to leave them unlit - right now you wanted to make the room as conducive to sleep as possible. Some hangings in purple, pink and blue decorated the wall behind your bed. Their colours had reminded you of sunset on Naboo and you had bought them on impulse some years before. You had rescued Tolea's cushions from outside of the medbay and you stacked them neatly next to Din's armour before moving to the window and closing the curtains.

"Wait," Din instructed before you could block out the outside world entirely. He came up behind you, slid his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder, nuzzling his cheek against yours as he did and pulling you flush against his body. "I want to see the view."

"You can see much more of it when its not the middle of the night, Din," you smiled.

"Perhaps I meant the other view," he murmured as his finger snagged on the neckline of his undershirt, hanging so much more loosely than your usual garments and giving him an eyeful of your cleavage. You smiled fondly at his persistence and impetuosity.

"You just had quite an ordeal. Is this really the first thing you want to do?" you asked, half expecting it to be a rhetorical question. He held you even tighter to him and you were astonished to feel his breath hitch a little behind you. You tried to turn to him, to see his face and take him in your arms, but he held you firmly against him.

"I...just need you, cyar'ika. I do not know what happened today and that scares me. That is twice I have been afraid today, and twice I have told you so. What is happening to me? I do not think this place...I do not think it is for the likes of me. Perhaps there is a reason that there were no other Mandalorian Jedi. Maybe these worlds are not supposed to mix in this way." It shocked you, the uncertainty in his voice. It was so unlike Din to sound unsure. Even when he had no idea what he was doing, he would plough on ahead and try until he got the result he wanted through sheer force of will and bloody mindedness.

"You have me, Din. Always," you reassured him and all at once you remembered that amidst all of the worry and trauma of the afternoon, you had still not given him the good news. You squeezed his arms tighter around you and turned your face toward him, your lips brushing lightly over the tip of his nose as you added "If you still want me forever."

You heard the initial confusion in his voice as he said "Of course, why would I-" and the sudden joy that infused his words as he realised what you meant. "We will marry? You will not have to leave the Order?" He turned you to him as he spoke and held your upper arms. You smiled your answer at him and his lips crashed excitedly against yours. "Can we-I mean...I still don't know if you have a ritual to follow. But I want to do this. Now, if we can."

"Right now?" He nodded and cradled your face in one of his hands.

"I need you," he repeated.

"Don't we need someone to officiate? A witness?"

"Usually the head of the Clan is the one to hear the vows. I am the head of the Clan. I am...well, I am head of all the Clans..." he trailed off In a slightly embarrassed way and then continued swiftly as his eyes darted back to you. "We can reaffirm in front of the Tribe when we see them. We can do whatever ritual you wish in front of your Order. But I have been without you as my riduur for long enough. Besides, I wish to look upon you with my own eyes when we are joined."

"Yes," you whispered joyfully. "Let's do this." His smile was like the sunrise as he leaned forward to kiss you softly.

"I must teach you the words first," he smiled. He did and you spoke them slowly together, promising unity in all things, to share your lives in love forever and to raise Grogu and any other children you might have as warriors and looking with love and devotion upon the other as you did. He kissed you again afterward, the beautiful swell of his lips tenderly caressing over yours, the promises that had fallen from them captured between you in unbreakable bonds.

"My riduur," you murmured as you pressed your cheek against his chest, hearing the thunder of his heartbeat and his arms encircling you. "My love."

That night you held him. He lay on your bed with his back to you, looking out over the inky blackness of the planet's nightscape. One hand was around his stomach and curling up to his chest, stroking over his marred skin, and the other was softly stroking his curls while you placed occasional chaste kisses across the top of his back and shoulders, inhaling the heady masculinity of his scent as you did so. Your leg was hooked over his, resting against the sturdy muscle of his thigh and he stroked you there softly, seeming to just want the reassurance of your proximity. Long after he fell asleep you remained awake, your mind still unable to settle after the trauma of the day and the exhilaration of finally being joined with Din in all ways. He stirred a little, a small grunt emanating from him as he twitched in his sleep. Perhaps he too was reliving what had happened. You sent soothing, calm, loving feelings toward him and held him closer and he settled again, breathing a deep sigh and muttering nonsense to himself. Just before the dawn quite made itself known, when the sky was still blue enough to see the stars you succumbed to your weariness, slipping into a dreamless, formless unconsciousness but safe in the knowledge that Din was with you, now and always.

#the mandalorian #din djarin #star wars #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian fanfiction #din djarin x you #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x reader #darksaber shit

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sunseteyes · 3 years

Text

FLUFFVEMBER DAY 03: KOUSHI SUGAWARA

prompt: first kiss (prompts are by @jojosmilktea)

word count: 1,179 words | theme/s: a little bit personal for me lmao but this is full of fluff

tags: @patricia-ceballos @giyuus-wife @animatedarchives (send a dm/ask to be added!)

rv: i certainly liked how this turned out so enjoy reading everyone!

✒︎ deserving

most people values who, how, and when they'd get their first kiss on the lips. for you, of course it was the same.

you never had anyone else before. as an only child, you pressured yourself into being the best student and daughter one could have, always landing on the top of the class lists or your batch. you were proud of how you gained success however, it didn't mean you had no sacrifices in order for those to happen.

it's not that no one showed interest in you, no. you tried dating a couple of times but as five first dates came by and they never came back, it didn't became a priority to you anymore.

the reason why second dates never happened to you were because it's either the guy was just overwhelmed at your standing at school or they felt like you couldn't focus on them just as much as you would to your education.

what's wrong with having a realistic mindset? you often questioned yourself. yet as your gaze drifts towards your friends or peers that eventually have partners of their own, of course you felt discouraged too.

after your fifth try, you promised yourself that you should not engage into anything romantic anymore until high school ends. after all, it would only take a few months before you all graduate and go to college. maybe by then, you'll get to find the person whom truly understands you and your priorities,

what you didn't know, is that he was approaching you already.

"are you perhaps (y/n) (l/n)?" his voice was not catchy, nor does he look any special at all. yet as you turned around to face the person who called your name, there was a tug by the pit of your stomach that told you something. good or bad, that you didn't know.

you became wary of koushi sugawara, the boy who called your attention to ask you to give your best friend, kiyoko, applicants of what seems to be from the volleyball club of your school, karasuno. it was not because you did not trust the boy or that you had a bad hunch about him. you couldn't point it out but, he was someone that you found sort of "memorable".

"we aren't really properly introduced, are we?" his face came in front of you again, a result of trying to visit kiyoko during one of the volleyball practices that she had to attend on. apparently, despite having months apart from your first meeting, sugawara seems to have never forgotten your merely-a-minute encounter.

"i'm koushi sugawara, it's nice to meet you!" he smiles, as bright as when someone eats something they like or when you were pleased of something you've accomplished or done. if you were to judge, he's like the icing on top of a cupcake, for some reason.

"i know." you say without thinking, pushing the thoughts of sugawara away from your mind as you proceeded to talk with kiyoko, blatantly ignoring the look that passed by the others' and sugawara's with your action.

"sugawara-san has been rejected!"

"no way! this is so funny!"

"but who are they? are they shimizu-san's friend?"

you could hear the other volleyball team members' whisper and mutter around you and you wanted to get out as soon as possible. but before you could even decide to follow your instincts, sugawara came. again.

"i'm afraid i didn't catch you name. is it.. (y/n)-san?" he inquires. and you could tell just by the look on his face and the tone on his voice that he was making up for the embarrassment he was caught on earlier.

"i never told you my name." you rebutted, smiling to kiyoko with a wave then.

"i need to go. see you tomorrow?" you say only to her, but as you turn around to walk away, sugawara's voice came singing behind you.

"it's nice to meet you, (y/n)-san! see you tomorrow!"

you bit your lower lip out of frustration, a low growl emitting inside of you as you turn your way outside of the gymnasium, saying goodbye to the hall as a way of promising to yourself never to step foot on its ground ever again.

ironically, you had to anyway.

"it's you again! hey there, (y/n)-san!" sugawara beams to your face once again when you barely had gotten inside of the gymnasium by the next day. apparently as a council member, you had to always monitor each of the clubs for their statuses, also as a way of helping each club adviser. unfortunately for you, you were assigned for that task and that you should do it every week—which meant you were going to see koushi sugawara once a week, the unexpected encounters by the halls doesn't even count.

you felt like the world had put a curse on you all of a sudden.

"why do you always show up in front of me, sugawara-san." you say all of a sudden, turning to face the boy with an annoyed look written all over your face, not even saying the words in a form of question as it should be.

he didn't back out, however, for a ghost of an amused smile passes by his lips before it suddenly curves into his usual one.

"you must be mistaken, (y/n)-san, i didn't mean to offend you. but i do admit you're cute when you're riled up."

the word "cute" echoed in your mind and you felt a rush of blood move up to your face, causing you to avert your eyes away and avoid eye contact. "c-cute? i-i'm not-i'm not cute." you stuttered, your feet begging you to run away right there and then.

"you are!" sugawara rebuts, "i was actually hoping i could take you out for a coffee, or in a meal, if you don't like coffee."

this time, you whip your gaze back, eyes wide open at his sudden offer. never in that moment have you expected the conversation to turn like that and it seems like sugawara had proven you wrong once again. however, instead of feeling annoyed by it, you felt a different kind of emotion that came out unexpectedly as well.

"y-yeah, i mean-sure. uh-when?"

"tomorrow morning. are you free?" he decides immediately, to which you could compare to your indecisiveness that made you agree to him eventually.

"don't worry, i'll make sure to be deserving of that first kiss!"

this caused you to stop on track and looked at the running form of sugawara incredulously, a smirk plastered on his normal but memorable face.

"kiyoko told you?!" you couldn't help but exclaim.

"not telling!" but you were only responded by such a vague answer with a laugh before he was gone. yet despite all of this, a smile slowly makes it way to your lips, curving up on the edges as a hopeful sighs escapes from your system, a flicker of positivity erupting inside.

it may just be wishful thinking, but you sure do hope he's the one too.

#koushi sugawara #kōshi sugawara x reader #sugawara x reader #haikyuu fluff #hq oneshots #haikyuu x reader #hq!!#haikyu!!#pretty setters x reader #sugawara fluff #fluffvember #fluffvember 2020 #roze.fluffvember #roze.hq #roze.daydream

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kotoplasm · 3 years

Text

𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲:. 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝗸𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂

synposis. boxer!bokuto wants to spend the holidays with you after promising you that he'd make it memorable, which you hadn't expected would end becoming so ironical.

warnings::..; fluff (as usual).

bokuto was watching as your hands worked on the thin sliver of vermillion, tapered ends pricking the soft flesh wrapped around his wrist.

you've been at it for a five minutes now, sat on his lap on the sofa, leaving his eyes to wander from the mantlepiece to a picture frame then to you again.

it was odd. he asked you again, "what are you doing?" but you never answered with a comprehensible answer. instead you either nodded, mumbled something incoherent or remained silent.

was it payback for yesterday?

he hadn't replied to your message after finishing his match so instead of coming home to your voice, he was met with your sleeping figure on the couch, the tv replaying the highlights of his fight with his recent opponent (you couldn't pronounce the name).

frankly he was glad that you weren't awake. the medics on sight hadn't been able to stitch him up properly like usual as his main objective was to get back to you as soon as possible as he knew you would've been worried.

"it's just a scratch don't worry about it," he told you with a grin that he knew was due to the adrenaline from the wound. applying a little pressure to it caused him to let out a slur of hisses and curses to which you frowned, now glaring at him.

"it's just a little scratch?"

"it'll heal in a few days."

"you said that last time, and that bruise is still on your back kou."

"but it's faded!" and then he shows you, lifting his sleeve up to reveal the bruise that was still indeed there, now shifting between pink and red.

you didn't speak properly for the rest of the day, only speaking briefly during meal times and during the night.

when morning came you were already gone, leaving a note on the fridge briefly mentioning how you left home early to study the cranium somewhere in the library.

guess she's still mad at me huh....?

he feels a final tug and you're done, tying a final loop to finish.

"are you finally ready to tell me what it is that you've tied on my wrist?" he murmurs. it's a slur of words but it's loud enough for you to understand. "maybe what's on your mind as well?"

the stitches were still there, poking in and out of his skin. was it painful? of course it was. or else he wouldn't wince everytime he stretched that particular muscle or when you hugged him a little too tightly.

"i used to watch my mum tie something similar around my dad's wrist. in her culture, it symbolises safety or rather reinforces it whenever he left the country," you mutter into his shoulder, slightly adjusting your arms around his neck.

he knew where you were going with the answer. afterall, you've already tried to convince him to change his career choice. you never were quite content with the idea of watching your boyfriend's jaw turning slack after a clean right hook or watching his body lurch forward after a hefty punch.

"we've had this conversation so many times y/n. nothing is going to happen to me. i can promise you that much," he tries reassuring you but his words fall short when he feels something wet against his clothing.

"you don't know what will happen."

"kou it's dangerous."

"and it always will be. but i can handle the pain!"

you shoot up immediately, glaring at him. almost instantly, you press his abdonem, watching as his face contorts into one of discomfort, pain, irritance.

"what if the marks you get become much worse than this one? what if you'll have to get surgery?!"

"y/n it wo—"

"but it could! kou if you didn't get up after that last match you had, what do you think would have happened? i can't even watch your matches properly because i'm too busy worrying whether you're going to come through that door without any fatal inflictions or not!"

"i mean i get it. it's your dream. and i want to support you. but if you didn't get up that last time, i-i don't know what i would've done. i honestly wouldn't."

you're shaking. he grabs your hands, spreading the tips of your fingers across his calloused palms.

"you know what i'm working towards," he says. you nod.

"i can just get another job. i'm already managing everything else." he shakes his head.

"no. you're in your final year of college and you're graduating in a few months. not to mention exams. having to balance another job is going to be nothing but counterproductive.... did i use that word correctly?"

"...yes..." you fail to stop the small smile gracing your features. "you did."

"i just want to get to a point where i can be home more and finally find a better appartment to rent, away from that landlord who doesn't know what privacy or personal space is."

"i know but," you drag on the last syllables of the sentence. "that still doesn't stray from the fact that you'll get hurt."

"don't forget about this!" and he draws your attention to the ribbon on his wrist, tied by yours truly. "as long as i have this, i'll always find my way back to you, regardless of whatever shape i'll be in."

"do you really believe in that?"

your foreheads connect, breaths entangled and lips just merely a few millimetres away.

"well your father's still in that old couch of his so what's the harm in believing?"

a small kiss goes a long way as he's leaning forward to connect them, taking in your sweet scent. his thumb massages circles into your cheeks, pulling you closer as minutes pass.

he never truly appreciates just how much he loves having you in his arms, skin to skin contact giving him a sense of security and domesticity.

bokuto wonders how long he'll have to wait. you were both pretty young, too young in fact to get married (that's what you told him when he asked you what your answer would be if he got down on one knee and proposed at that instant.

"so it's not a no?" he asks.

"it's a, 'i'll say yes when we get a little older and you're much more certain on the idea of marriage,' bokuto koutarou."

the kiss falls short when you pull away slowly, lips still savouring the taste in a fixed pucker.

"you'll be back before christmas won't you?"

"if there aren't any surprise matches then i think so. even if there are, i'll just refuse and tell them that i need to spend some time with my s/o for the holidays."

"you don't have t—"

"no i want to. i want to spend christmas with you, right on this couch, doing the festive stuff that couples do. i'm not going to let my dreams get in the way of something that i cherish just as much."

when he sees that you've cheered up a little, he finally crawls away from your lap, fixing himself up to embark on his journey to the west. the train would arrive at the station in just a few minutes if there were no delays.

he's grabbing his suitcase and just about in the corridor up until he's facing you, wrapped in one of the blankets that were usually lying around on the couches.

he just wanted to be in your arms one more time as soon as possible.

"i'll text you when i get on the train." you nod. "and i'll call you before the match." you nod again. "and if the landlord comes around again, tell him that he should pass anything through me. i don't like the idea of that guy being so close to you during checkups and—"

"okay kou! just get going before you're late!" you're laughing now, eyes strained with fatigue. another kiss is shared, just a quick one involving bokuto pressing your cheeks together to peck them one last time.

"you'll get some sleep as well won't you?"

"yeah i'll try." which wasn't going to happen of course. you couldn't rest without knowing the outcomes of his matches. "i love you."

"i love you too." a grin wider than most was the last thing you remember seeing before he disappeared, leaving you to watch the tv one last time, basking in the emptiness that came with living with a boxer partner.

it got lonely sometimes. but you remember the red ribbon and how it's served its function for the generations that have passed.

the tv rumbles after an hour. a couple of pillows are stacked to supply comfort; a few blankets are wrapped around your body for heat.

the announcer introduces his opponent, another light heavyweight with hair that spiked up precariously. kou appears soon after, his silver and black tips falling over his eyes.

before the match starts, he looks straight into the camera to raise his left hand, the ribbon you tied making an appearance. the camera zooms into it. you laugh.

the look he gives wasn't to any of his viewers or the headlines would have said something. he's telling you that he'll be fine. to trust that he will.

so you do. the pillow in your arms is clutched tighter as the match starts. you're on edge but you try and calm your nerves. he was a reigning champion afterall.

you had faith in him as he did in you.

and sometimes that was enough to put your mind at ease.

(+) 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

(+) 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵�� 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲

#🎁 madness #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu!!#haikyuu scenarios #myworks #bokuto scenario #bokuto headcanon #bokuto x you #bokuto hq #bokuto x reader #bokuto koutarou x reader #bokuto koutarou hcs #koutarou bokuto #bokuto koutaro #bokuto koutarou

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afk-libravee · 3 years

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╔∆∆∆═════════════════╗

Autumn Troupe as Fathers

╚═════════════════∆∆∆╝

Banri Settsu

Thoughts about having his own child would never cross Banri's mind, but when he found out that his wife is pregnant and when the baby is born, he can't explain just how happy he is.

Banri would then learn from his big sis on how to do the baby chores, Banri being on Super Ultra Easy Mode learns it in just a few minutes.

At dawn, he is the one who would usually wake up, however, no matter how much he loves his child, he would still wake his wife up "Hey, the baby is crying", watching, with a smirk, his wife get up and head to their baby.

He also learned to hold himself back from saying curses at random times

Juza Hyodo

Juza always wonder what it'll be to have a child, although he would have thoughts if he's suitable to be a father.

But when his baby is born he said "I guess... this is what Dad felt with me and Kumon" He said as he let the baby hold his finger.

Juza would learn a few on how to take care of a baby but he still wanted to learn so he asked his mother.

He would also promise to not raise his child to fight others, if anyone makes them cry, he'll be the one to protect them and fightnotliterally the enemies.

At dawn, he'd be woken by his wife, when it's his turn that night, if the baby is crying, he would immediately get up and head to his baby then.

Sakyo Furuichi

Sakyo, at first, was against having the child "Another brat to add to those brats?" but a few coaxing from his wife and mom is enough to make him agree.

When the baby is born, he was tongue-tied, knowing smirks on his wife and mom's faces.

He did took care of a toddler before but not a baby, so his mom taught him, teasing him from time to time.

He would also attempt to leave the Ginsenkai, scared it might affect his baby's future, but his wife said it's fine "Ginsenkai is also your family".

At dawn, he would be the one to wake up, but he'd also wake his wife up before heading to the baby.

Omi Fushimi

When the baby is born, he told his wife how one day he'll introduce his baby to Nachi.

Omi would learn by watching his wife take care of the baby, he would also prepare healthy baby food by himself for the child.

Omi would be scared to be a father as he doesn't know if he'll be suitable. But with some reassurance from his wife, he calmed down and prepared himself for the future.

He would also reprimand his siblings and father who nearly visits everyday for the baby, him complaining "You didn't visit me this often when I was at mankai" earning a chuckle the reason that the baby is cuter than Omi.

At night, Omi would wake up first and take care of the baby, his wife watching sleepily from the bed, a small complaint in her heart that her husband is more the wife than her.

Taichi Nanao

Taichi would always use as a reason that guys who carries their babies around are popular. His wife knows he just can't help but want to be popular so when he found out that she's pregnant, he told it to the whole neighborhood.

Taichi would learn hard on how to take care of the baby by watching his wife and also receiving lessons from her, although still not on par, it is acceptable.

When the baby is born, Taichi smiled as bright as he did so in their wedding and said "I'll teach our child that being popular isn't what matters most but rather the right people around him~!" Taichi said which left his wife staring at him amazed.

At night, his wife is who will wake up between them, Taichi would wake up as she gets off the bed though, so they both will go to their baby.

Azami Izumida

If asked, Azami would say he'd like a child and show to his father and Sakyo how to properly raise a child.

But when the child is born, he pursed his lips and said "No... I don't want to prove it to them. I want to prove to myself that I will be a great father" He said while hugging his wife and child, subtly pointing out how he'll have to make sure she'll regain her healthy hue again.

At night, it is his wife who'll go to their baby to feed or lull it back to sleep, while he will wait for her and pamper her, wanting her to still be at her best despite them waking up for their baby.

Azami, although embarrassed, would ask Sakyo on what to do for the baby, so he will listen intently to his wife and Sakyo, he will understand and be able to do them well.

The spring, summer, and winter versions

#a3!#a3! act! addict! actors!#banri settsu #settsu banri #juza hyodo #hyodo juza #sakyo furuichi #furuichi sakyo #omi fushimi #fushimi omi #taichi nanao #nanao taichi #azami izumida #izumida azami #akigumi #autumn troupe

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fczco · 3 years

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tea party mademoiselle, JJ Maybank

masterlist in bio

a.n: i posted this a few months back so if you think it's familiar that's probably why :) english is not my first language so i apologize in advance for any mistake.

words count: 2,1k

warnings: maybe a little cursing??? but i think not.

(not my gif if it's yours please tell me so i can give you credits)

You woke up by someone jumping in your bed and instantly remembered the promised you had made the night before your mum about taking care of your little sister that day. She had to do double shifts at work, meaning she would be out from seven a.m until around nine p.m.

"Lena stop" you told the five years old girl and she obeyed to your order, sitting next to you where you were laying.

After looking at your phone and noticing it was almost nine a.m you asked her if she wanted to have breakfast, to what she replied with a yes, filled with excitement because she loved your french toasts.

While you two were enjoying the flavorsome food you had prepare, your phone started buzzing and the name of JJ appeared on the screen, you answered the call.

"pretty girl" your friend said through the speaker.

"how you doing gorgeous?" you decided to follow his little game that after all the years of friendship was a completely normal thing between you two, flirting all the time was like the signature of your personal bond, making everyone think JJ and you were involved in something more personal and intimate; which was not close at all from reality.

"our plans for today still on your agenda?" JJ asked, you could tell he was eating due to the weird way he was talking and also your friends had this bad habit of chewing really loud and it made you go insane, but it didn't matter when you recalled on how you were supposed to pick him up and spend the day at the beach together.

"oh shit-" you started but he interrupted you.

"i knew you would forget traitor ass bitch" he didn't sound mad, in fact he was laughing.

"i'm so so sorry Jay" you began talking with your hand on your forehead while the little monster in front of you was watching you, "my mom is doing double shift at work today and i promised to take care of Lena, i'm so so sorry".

"wait, you are with Lena right now?"

"yes, she is looking at me right now, in a malicious way, sometimes she scares the hell out of me" JJ laughed at what you said.

"put me on speaker i wanna talk to her" you could feel how he was smiling on the other line, JJ loved Lena and she loved him, your sister even told you once how she had a crush on him, even though she pissed you off most of the time, it was adorable.

"k", you pulled the phone away from your ear and pressed the button, "someone wants to talk to you" you said to her and then placed the electronic gadget between you two so both could hear him.

"hi princess!" your friend greeted Lena and you saw how her were flooded with joy when she distinguished JJ's voice, "you ok over there?" he asked after a few seconds without any answer, your little sister was shocked.

"Lena! say something to him!" you laughed at her priceless reaction.

"i can't, i'm nervous" she 'whispered' but you knew very well that he had heard her.

"why?" you asked Lena just to mess with the poor little girl.

"he is too cute! you know i like him" her face was close to be red as a tomato, "you talk to him! he is your boyfriend!".

"you know he is not my boyfriend silly kid!" she looked at you deadly in the eyes, "fine fine, i'll talk to him" you brought your phone closer to you but the speaker was still on, "Lena can't talk right now JJ" you glanced at her, she was pointing at the bathroom, "She's on the bathroom right now" with a smile on her face she pulled her thumbs up, indicating you were doing alright.

How the fuck a five years old can be like that?

"oow, that's too bad! i wanted to ask her if she would like that i come over and play with you guys!" JJ and you knew exactly what you were doing, and both loved it.

"shit man" your sister opened her eyes wide open and started moving her head up and down very fast and drastically, "but, i'm sure she would love that you came" you said after getting her message.

" i don't know, i think she hates me-" JJ couldn't finish talking 'cause Lena yelled.

"NO JJ I LOVE YOU PLEASE COME TO MY HOUSE" you held back a laugh.

"oh Lena, there you are!" she was sitting on the floor with her hands over her mouth, not believing what she had just screamed, drama queen just like you, "if you ask me like that i can't say no, i'll be there by midday with food to eat".

"see you Jay"

"see you girls" he hang up and you smiled at your sister who's mouth was wide open.

Waiting for JJ was life-threatening when Lena didn't stop running around the house while howling around the house "JJ is coming here! JJ is going to play with me!", at the beginning was funny and sweet, but after almost two hours of hearing it you wanted to kill her cold-blooded style.

The knock on your door sounded like angels melody entering your ears, your little sister ran towards the door and when you arrived there she had already opened it and let JJ get inside.

"Lena! what if it was a murderer?" you complained for her actions, but she just ignored you and turned to face JJ.

"JJ you have to promise me one thing" she spoke as one of her fingers got close to JJ's face, "you will play with me and not just kiss my sister!" she said extremely serious about it.

"it will be hard not to 'cause she looks beautiful today but i promise you i will not" the blonde expressed as he handed you a greasy brown bag, which you assumed contained the food he said he was going to bring, and winked at you, making you roll your eyes,

"i knew it! JJ is your boyfriend! you were lying to my Y/N!" your dramatic and innocent sister yelled at you.

"No kid, he is messing with you, we are just friends" you replied to her laughing it off.

"I WANT JJ TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND!" Lena started crying an ran to her room.

"five years old and she's already a drama queen just like her big sis" your best friend scoffed.

"go after her you blondie king" you ordered while setting the table to eat.

"why me? she's your sister" JJ complained

"because she loves YOU way more than she loves ME, besides, you started this, you fix it" you said as placing glasses for the three of you.

JJ used his beauty features to persuade Lena to eat.

Lunch went by fast, lots of laughs and jokes included. The golden boy and you love to mess with your little sister.

You were playing UNO in the living when suddenly the tiny monster stood up full of excitement.

"I have an idea!" she happily said.

"what is it princess?" JJ asked, his angelic blue eyes were focused on the cards held by his hands, thinking about which one throw and deciding over a plus two, thing that made you lift your middle finger and picked up two from the little mountain over the table.

"we're going to bake cookies!" the boy and you looked up to her with a frown on your faces.

"why?" you asked.

"why not?" JJ replied, it was pretty obvious he just wanted to piss you off.

The three of you followed an easy recipe your mom always made on weekends. When you finally introduced the tray filled with the raw cookies the kitchen was a mess, flour everywhere and some cookie dough was sprayed all over the mount kitchen from when JJ picked you up and spun you around.

Five minutes before they were done you told them to go and play or something like that, giving you time to make some coffee and clean a little bit.

You walked into the living room and what you found was the most amazingly cute thing you had seen in your short life. JJ and Lena were sitting in the floor around the little table you were playing cards, unless that now it was filled with plastic mugs and plates. Your little sister had her Rapunzel dress on and the blonde boy was wearing a silver crown with fake amethysts on it and around his neck a pink and purple boa. You decided to appreciate the scenario for a few more seconds, JJ was faking drinking from his cup and Lena was saying something to him that you couldn't hear because you were to immersed into how great your best friends was with kids.

"what are you two beautiful kids doing?" you asked while walking towards them.

"it's a tea party mademoiselle you have to talk properly" JJ scold you.

"oh! i'm so sorry! it was very inconsiderate of me! i brought some tasty cookies to share with you" Your sister gave you a similar boa to the one that JJ was wearing but yours was electric blue and your crown was actually a flowers one.

It was almost seven p.m and after lots of begs and promises you gave up and let Lena and JJ do your make up.

The little girl went running to her bedroom to find her 'products' as she called them and you took advantage of being alone with JJ and told him what you had thought about earlier.

"JJ" you called him and he looked at you, "you are great with kids, you will be an awesome dad" on his face appeared the biggest smile of them all, you knew how much what you were saying meant to him due to everything he had gone through with his dad. He told you multiple times before how he was afraid of ending up being like his dad, but after today you were sure there was no way the pretty boy that was in front of you ended up that way.

"Thank you Y/N it means that you think of me that way" you smiled to him, almost letting an i love you slip from your mouth.

"WHO'S READY FOR THIS?!" Lena screamed.

"Let's get to it" you said, still looking at JJ.

"And JJ" he turned his head, now facing the girl, "i'm doing your make up too"

"Of course you are princess! i want to be as beautiful as Y/N is!"

The whole day was just perfect, you had no words to describe how happy and delighted you felt.

When your mum arrived JJ left. Lena told her everything and she was amazed with the boy, it was a side of him that no one, not even you had seen before and it was a lovely one.

You were turning off the lights of your room when someone entered your room, your mom.

"i do not really know what is happening between you and JJ but, from what you guys told me he was the best today" she smiled at you "so i would reconsider the 'no pogue on pogue macking' rule you told me about and finally leave the just friends aside, it's pretty obvious you two like and love each other in other ways than that" she closed the door without giving you the chance to answer.

The screen of your phone lighted up when you got a text from the boy.

- i was thinking about what you said about me being a good dad, you will be an awesome mom too, but i don't want to have kids if it's not with you, whatcha say?

You were shocked by what he was saying.

- i'm pretty sure that for that to happen there are lots of steps ahead ;)

- like what?

- idk, asking me out first? a kiss?

- my precious Y/N would you do me the honor of going tea partying again? this time just the two of us.

- i'll be delighted JJ Maybank

- and what about letting me kiss you at that tea party?

-it'd be a little inappropriate but i might give in

-god you have no idea of how happy you make me pretty girl.

- you too golden boy

#jj imagine #jj outer banks #jj maybank #jj x y/n #obx x reader #obx jj #obx fanfiction #jj mayback x reader

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toomanyfandoms02 · 4 years

Text

Family Reunion // Luke Alvez x Reader

Blurb request for @hotchocolateandpillowforts but turned into a long one.

Summary - Reader is so tired of her family patronizing her for not having a boyfriend. So she begs her best friend Luke Alvez to fake date her for a day at her family reunion.

Word Count - 2.6k

Prompt - "These heels are peeling off my **skin**. But yes, keep complaing about your tie you whine ass."

Luke and I did everything together, this included shopping, like we were doing right now.

"What do you need a dress for anyway? Don't you have enough dresses." Lyke commented, sitting out in the sitting area of the changing rooms.

"I have a family reunion tomorrow, and since we always go to my rich aunts lake house, I have to have something extra nice. I would look dumb if I wore the same dress." My voice bounced back at me in the small fitting room. I cringed at the sound of it.

"Is it like some chardonnay party?" He questioned.

"Is that even a thing?" I stepped out, adjusting the dress in the full size mirror.

"It looks great on you." Luke pointed to the flowery and poofy dress.

"I would agree, if I was going to prom." I sighed. "But alas, my teen days are over." I made a fake swoon, causing him to laugh. "I have one more to try on, and if it doesn't work out, I'm not going." I stated, dramatically walking back into the small space. I began to slip on the last dress.

This dress was a light tan color. It was short and poofed out towards the bottom. Dark blue embroidered flowers bloomed every which way starting at the middle. I waltzed out again, not having to adjust anything on the mirror this time.

"Now *that* one is smokin'." Luke looked me up and down, causing my cheeks to heat up and an undeniable smile to appear on my face. Just as he said that, a younger girl, I would assume a teen, came from the room adjacent to mine.

"You guys are such a cute couple!" She gushed. "I need to find me a man who compliments like you do." She said, pointing to Luke.

"We actually-" we said at the same time.

"We aren't-" We were now pointing at eachother decoded to give in.

"Thank you!" I smiled at her, smoothing the dress down.

"Of course!" She left the area with a few dresses in hand, leaving us alone.

"I don't want to go to this party anyway." I let out a groan, remembering my hardass family.

"Why not? Don't like your family or something?"

"They are always passive aggressively calling me a prude for not having a boyfriend. They think I'm incapable of holding a relationship and constantly patronize me for it. It's complete bullshit!" I threw my hands in the air in frustration. "Now the worst part is, I've been lying and telling my mom that I have a boyfriend for like 2 months now. I figured 'how hard could it be to fund a temporary boyfriend in two months?' Prettt damn hard for me apperantly." I vented, now sitting next to him on the small leather couch.

"How about I help you out. I'll be your fake boyfriend for your little reunion." I looke dup at him with what I could only assume was puppy dog eyes.

"You would do that for me?" I was silently cursing myself for how desperate I was sounding. But I really needed this to be completely honest.

"Yeah of course!" His hand sat between my shoulder blades. "I have one question though. This isn't a dealbreaker, but I really want it."

"Oh no." I chucked.

"Would I be able to bring Roxy? Lately she's been having separation anxiety." This wa absolutely perfect.

"Actually that is probably doable. My whole family brings their dogs to these things. My aunt may be rich and kind of a snob, but *boy* does she love dogs. I'll text her right now." I pulled my phone out, feeling excitement bubble up inside me. Finally, my family will shut the hell up about my relationship life, and it was going ti feel so good.

Even if it was fake.

*Hey Auntie! I'm bringing my boyfriend tomorrow and he wanted to know if he could bring his dog? Shes a well trained German Shepard, Roxy.* I eagerly awaited a reply, surprised to see her immediate text back.

**You're bringing a boyfriend this year! Hell, he could bring an elephant and I wouldn't say no to a boyfriend! Absolutely. Bring 10 dogs!** I could feel her enthusiasm through the phone, she was a very excitable lady.

"Alright, Roxy is all clear for entry. And if you have 9 more dogs on hand, you can bring those too... Apperantly." I shook my head ta my phone. Luke looked at me quizzically and I shook him off too. "Okay first of all, I'm buying this dress." I stood swiftly, gesturing to the beautiful piece of clothing. "Second of all, after we check out, I need to tell you about my family so you don't walk into the line of fire blindly!" I changed from the dress into my regular shirt and pants again. I slung it over my arm and headed back out to Luke.

I paid for my dress, heading out to his car.

"So, first things first, auntie Jess, the womans house we are going to, has been waiting for me to have a boyfriend for quite a while now." He nodded with an amused smile. "My mom can be a little overbearing, but I'm sure she will love you so don't stress. Bring a bathing suit with you just in case my family so graciously suggests that we play a giant game of Marco Polo. I think that's it!"

"I'm honestly excited." He rubbed his hands together mischievously. "What should I wear?"

"Kind of specific, but can you just wear a white button up with rolled sleeves, a blue tie to match my dress. I know you have one. And just some slacks. Don't forget to wear your swim trunks under it though!"

"I dig these specifics. I'm gonna live *completely* up to your fantasy." He winked. I rolled my eyes at the silly man.

"Thanks Luke. You're sure you're okay with acting like my boyfriend? We have to be all lovey, and believable." His hand was placed on my shoulder.

"Of course, anything to get your family off your back. I get it." I'm so thankful for this man.

I fluffed my dress at the end, twirling around in the mirror. My hair was tied up in a simple ponytail that continued to bounce as I spun around the room. I didn't bother putting on any makeup because I knew we would be swimming today. I ran down the stairs at the sound of a knock on my door.

The other side showed Luke. He was pulling at his rolled sleeves to perfect them. He came looking just as ai imagined, we were truly going to look like a power couple.

"Alright, let's go." He looped his arm through mine and led us to his car. He opened the passenger door for me once we got there.

"Keep acting like such a gentleman and my moms probably gonna like you more than I do." I snickered as he started the car.

"I'm just playing the part!" He grinned. I turned to the back of the car, petting Roxys head as she panted.

"Are you excited to see other dogs prettt girl!" She made a soft bark in response. I I forward and kissed her snout, then sitting properly and buckling up.

It was a short drive from my house to the lake house, once we got there we sat for a minute.

"I'm a little nervous." Luke confessed, facing me with a concerned look.

"I would comfort you, but I'm nervous too." I patted his arm and exited the vehicle, looking back to see Luke giving me an 'unbelievable' look. My hand pulled open the back door to let Roxy out.

"Roxy come." I pointed to my side. She lightly hopped out and placed herself beside me. As Luke came from the other side of the car, he held his hand out to me. I grabbed it and headed into the house.

"Should we bring Roxy with?" He asked.

"Absolutely."

Right as we came in the door, my auntie saw us.

"Hi sweetie! How are you?" She peered down at our joined hands.

"I'm good. This is Luke." I looked over at him, he was giving a charming smile.

"You must be the man she keeps talling about!" She was practically bouncing with excitement at the mention of me having a boyfriend. She was quick to crouch down to a lower level. "And you must be Roxy!" She was using her typical baby voice. Roxy sat quietly by Luke's side. "You are quite obedient."

"She's a trained military dog." He commented, petting her ears.

"How cool!" Jess stood from her previous position and began walking farther into the house. "Come meet the rest if the family Luke."

We were dragged into the livingrook as he gave me a worried look. Before I could comfort him slightly, we were already standing in front of my family. I started introducing everyone.

"That's my mom, uncle Jeff, my brother Mike, and my cousin Nick. These are the only people I will know here." I laughed, pointing to the large amount of people that were outside. "I will not know anyone outside. So we will be experiencing the same thing." This earned a chuckle from everyone.

"It's nice to finally meet you Luke." My mom came up and hugged him. He accepted and hugged back tightly. Everyone else just sat and waved and I could feel an awkward silence coming on so I interjected.

"Luke and I are gonna head outside with Roxy so she can meet the other dogs." I rushed us out the door and huffed. "I don't know if I can do this." A sigh slipped from my lips.

"What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?" He looked like a sad puppy, one that had just chewed up a pillow.

"No! No, I don't know, I feel bad that you have to lie."

"I really don't mind, I promise hermosa." He used the Spanish word for me a few times. *Beautiful*.

His hand grabbed mine and dragged us into the yard.

"Let's get Roxy to meet some new pups." As we entered the yard, I could see 2 dalmatians, 1 chihuahua, 1 pitbull, 2 Rottweilers , and a Husky. Roxy calmly walked to the other dogs, soon prancing around them. I looked over at Luke to see him pulling at his tie.

"This tie is tight."

"These heels are peeling off my **skin**. But yes, keep complaing about your tie you whine ass." I giggled, reaching up and loosening it for him. Time to go into a swarm of people I don't recognize.

I guess I was wrong, I *did* recognize some of these people. One of which was my distant great aunt who was a little nosy but meant well. We had all been talking for a few minutes before she dropped a question that Luke and I had not prepared for.

"How did you two meet?" My face paled, I sure as hell was not going to tell her the truth, which was that we met on a crime scene when my college roommate was murdered. I squeezed his hand, signaling that I would answer this. I'm going to have to wing it.

"I was dog sitting actually. When I was taking the girls dog for a walk, I stumbled upon a dog park and she got really excited. She ran straight into Roxy." I pointed to the happy German Shepard who was laying in the grass next to the other dogs. "They tumbled over eachother and I came over to apologize to him, and her."

"I saw her and I thought, 'wow, beautiful and a dog lover? Sounds like an angel to me.'" He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, kissing my forehead.

"How sweet!" She squealed. "I'm so happy for you dear. He's a keeper." She whispered loudly to me, walking towards her husband now. I elbowed his arm and gave him a playful smile.

"Well aren't you a master improviser!"

"*And* I'm a keeper." He teased, pulling me towards Roxy. Then we heard shouting.

"Alright everyone! If youbroght your swimsuits you are legally obligated to do the annual giant game of Marco Polo!" My mom shouted from the porch. I bounced a bit while dragging Luke to the lake.

"Take off your clothes!" I egged him on.

"This isnt the circumstance that I thought I would hear you saying that in." He replied, pulling his tie off. The tips of my ears were burning at this.

"Was there a circumstance that you imagined me asking you to take off your clothes." I wiggled my eyebrows at him and he just rolled his eyes.

"The world may never know." He was rid of his shirt now. His toned chest shone in the sun.

*Damn he is actually ripped.*

I could feel myself ogling but I couldn't stop myself. I was still fully clothed.

"Why do I have on less clothing than you." He complained. "Turn around." He commanded, I did so with confusion. He pulled the zipper of my dress down and pulled at the straps. Now I was the one thinking not-so-clean things.

*What did you get yourself into Y/n?*

I let the dress slide from my shoulders to show my bikini. It had a yellow sunflower top and plain white bottoms.

"No way." He deadpanned, not hiding how he was looking at my body.

"What?" He pulled his pants down to show sunflower swim trunks with a white background.

"Oh my god we look like a cringy couple." I held my hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh like an insane person. Sooner we were in the cold lake, beginning the game.

"Alright, newest family member is it." Jess pointed to Luke and I shrugged. Everyone shifted around the area and the game began.

"Marco!" He shouted. A chorus of voices responded with Polo. "Oh God." I could hear him mutter with a snicker.

I swam silently beside him, hoping he wouldn't yell Marco.

But we know what kind of luck I have.

"Marco!"

"Shit." I whispered right next to him, attempting to go under to avoid being tagged. But his reflexes were too fast. He grabbed me with both arms, pulling me to him and opening his eyes.

"You're it." That's when I felt it, I knew I would remember this feeling for a long time.

The spark.

And before I knew it, he kissed my lips quickly. He pulled away and let go of me.

"Don't cheat! Close your eyes." He left me completely in the dark on the situation that just ensued.

I'm gonna kill this man.

The game ended after 45 minutes. I was it twice because I'm kind of a slow swimmer.

I jogged up to Luke, who was coming out of the lake. I pulled him aside, bringing him down to my level.

"What was that." I whispered exasperatedly.

"Well you said you felt bad that I had to fake this. To be truthful, not much of this is faking for me. Is it for you? Do you wanna keep this a fake thing?" His finger gestured between us. My brows furrowed at the question.

*Of course not.*

"Are you sure?"

"How many times are you gonna ask me that." He laughed, bringing me into another kiss.

*This is going to be quite the story to tell people.*

#luke alvez #luke alvez x reader #criminal minds cast #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fic #criminal minds #spencer reid

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fantasykidofkpop · 3 years

Text

My Super Girlfriend pt 1

Nct Taeil x reader (ft. Johnny)

Nerd! Artist!Taeil x Super!reader

Superhero au Strong Woman Do Bongsoon au

Description: Every superhero saves the day and rescues a girl. But what if a girl with super inhuman abilities, saves the day and rescues her nerdy lover.

Quote: With great power, comes great responsibility

Taeil asks himself everyday whenever he comes home from his date

"How did I, a low life, an outcast, a nerd, get the most adorable and the most beautiful girl in all of Seoul."

Taeil and Y/N were together ever since senior year of High School

You been together for 3 years and Taeil could have been any happier with his lovely girl

But was he didn't know.... that his girlfriend has a secret

3 years ago, senior year, in high school

Taeil was always getting picked on and was always the bully's target

Especially, for Johnny Seo, the school's heartthrob, captain of the basket ball team

Johnny and some of his team members (Taeyong, Jaehyun and Ten) would always pick on Taeil and sometimes beat the crap out of him if he didn't or refuses to do their assignments

Taeil sometimes come home with bruises, a black eye and a busted lip

Whenever his parents ask about his wounds, he would lie by saying

"Oh, I bumped into a lamp post" "I tripped on the side walk" etc

Taeil knew if he told his parents, they would have move and transfer him to a different school

He wanted to stay, only to study Art

Sometimes, at night, he lays on his bed, stares at the ceiling, and wishes for tomorrow to be better day

"Please, let tomorrow be a brand new day"

The moment he fell into deep slumber

His wish came true

The next day, this morning was the same

Taeil walked to his locker, when he opened it, fake spiders came out of his locker

Even though they're fake, but he has a phobia of spiders

Taeil shrieks

Loud laughter came from behind

Johnny and friends were laughing really hard

Everyone laughed with them

"Same old scared little Taeil" Johnny says

"Oh wait, he's still little!" Ten shouts

Everyone laughs while Taeil looks at his feet in embarrasment

"See you later Short Stack!" Johnny yells and high fives his friends and leaves

I knew it, he thought

"Hey bro, you okay?" His bestfriend Mark asks while helping him

Him and Mark have been best friends since the were in middle school

"Yeah, I'm fine" he says

They both walk to their first period class

"Hey I heard there is a new student coming to our school" Mark points out

"Oh really?" Taeil asks

"Yeah, they say the new student is a girl, but I havent seen her yet"

"Oh okay" he says a little nervously

"I hope she'll treat you right" Mark reasures

They both entered the class and sat down in their assigned seats

While everyone was waiting for the teacher, Taeil kept thinking about what the new student would be like

His thoughts were interrupted by the teacher mr. Choi (SuJu Choi Siwon)

"Good morning class, before we begin our lesson, we have a new student joining us today, she new around her, make her feel welcome." He say while pointing at all of us

Mr.Choi gestures the new student to come in

The moment she walked in, Taeil's world stopped

His eyes widen and mouth parted in awe

Everything was in slow motion

Your hair flow a little behind and the sun reflected your soft hair

There stood before him, was a smiling beauty

You looked ethereal to him, like aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty

Taeil's heart beated fast like it was going to burst out of his chest by now

Mr.Choi gestures you to introduce herself

"Annyonghasaeyo, my name is Dong Y/n, im from Shanghai, China, please take care of me." You smile brightly showing your pearly whites

Your voice, was so beautiful, sounded like an angel's voice and it felt smooth like whipped cream

All of the guys were swoon by your smile

While some of the girls were jealous of your beauty and your figure

Taeil was lost in his thoughts that he didn't noticed that he called by the teacher

He got startled by his yell

"I said, Taeil raise your hand" Mr.Choi says sternly

He shakely raise his hand

When your meet his, you gave him another beautiful smile

His heart was beating at a fast rate when you came towards him

When you sat down next to him, Taeil was freaking out on the inside

"Hello, Taeil" you smiled at him and took your hand for him to shake

He froze again and came back to reality when you greeted him

"H-h-hi" he says while timidly taking his hand out to shake your hand

"H-how do you know my name?" He says shyly and awkwardly

His heart flutterd when he heard your giggle

"The teacher called on you, silly" you said while giggling

His cheeks started to heat up and looked away in embarassment

Through out the class period, Taeil could hardly pay attention to the lesson

He couldn't help but stare at your face

You have flawless skin, cute button nose, soft rosy cheeks, pink plump lips

And MOST of all, your big bright blue eyes

Honestly for Taeil, he's never seen anyone with bright blue eyes before

Blue is actually his favorite color

He uses blue colors for when he's painting the ocean or a lake

Yours eyes were like the color of the ocean

They reminded him of his paintings of the ocean

He was so lost in your beauty, that the bell rang, ending first period

"Dude, class ended, didn't you hear the bell?" Mark calls out

Taeil came back to reality "h-huh what?"

"Are you okay, your face is really red and are you sweating?" Mark asks

He checks himself, and starts feeling embarased

"It's just so hot in this room" he lies

"You sure it was from Y/N?" Mark says with a smirk

"I don't know what you mean, lets go!" He says quickly

And speed walks out of the classroom

2nd period, Taeil's scariest period

Exercising is not the problem

His worst nightmare has the same class with him

JOHNNY SUH

Its scary when Mark doesn't have 2nd period with Taeil

Everyone was already dressed in their gym wear and so is Taeil

While everyone was stretching and waiting for the teacher

The girl's dressing room door opens

Taeil looks up and his eyes widens and his jaw drops in awe

You looked so stunning in your black sports bra and sweats

You such an amazing hourglass body

All of the boys were drooling, especially Johnny and his friends

Taeil couldn't look away, its like he was hypnotized by your body

When your eyes meet his, you smiled sweetly and started walking towards him

The way your ponytail bounced

The way your hips swayed

It was driving him crazy

Taeil suddenly felt himself being pushed to the ground

"Out of my way!" Johnny yells

Yup, he pushed him 😑

"Hey, beautiful, we haven't been properly introduced, the names Johnny" he says with a flirty smile and kisses your hand

Taeil felt anger and jealousy rushing through his body

"Nice to meet you too, Johnny" you said in a gentle voice ignoring his flirting

"What should I call you, Im guessing your name is gorgeous goddess?" He flirts again

"Thanks for the compliment, the names Y/N Dong Y/N"

"Wait, Dong Y/N, like as in, Dong Sicheng?" Johnny asks in a surprised voice

"Yes, he's my little brother" you said with a small smile

Everyone especially Taeil were shocked

Nobody knew that Dong Sicheng

A.K.A. Winwin, Student Council President

Has an older sister

"Anyway, there are a bunch of nut jobs in this school, especially him" he points at Taeil

"But don't worry, I'll always be there to protect you, sweet heart" he winks

He looks down and waits for you to laugh at Johnny's insult

"I don't think so, he seems sweet" you said the honest truth

That made Taeil go red as a tomato

Jaehyun, Taeyong and Ten snickered

Johnny scoffs

"Yeah, right. Well anyway, beautiful, if you want or need after school physical education, come to me. I promise to keep that gorgeous body in shape" he says by using his hands to motion your body

"Ok, I'll think about it" you said with a gentle smile

Before Johnny could speak, PE teacher mr.Lee (Lee Dong-hae SuJu) came in and blew his whistle

"Alright everyone, today is Friday, I have a surprise in store for you guys" he smirks

Taeil was not liking this feeling

"Today, were doing, drum roll please" he points at Ten

Ten pats the bleacher to resemble a drum

"Wrestling!" He shouts

Everybody were shouting in excitement, especially Johnny and his friends

Taeil felt he's going to pee himself any second now

"Alright, who wants to go?" He's says in anticipation

"Me mr.Lee!" Johnny shouts

"Yes, my tall handsome star student, get up here!" He smiles

He runs up to the center onto the gymnastic matt

"Pick your opponent"

He playfully looks around and spots Taeil

Johnny evilly smirks and points at him

"Moon Taeil !"

Taeil was beyond mortified

Everyone ooohed and silently laughs, except you

He shakely stands up and walks to the center

"You can do this Taeil !" You shouted

Taeil felt his fear wash away from your cheers

Until

Whistle blows

Taeil gets punched in the stomach

"One point to Johnny!" Mr.Lee shouts

Everyone except you claps

"Round 2!"

Taeil tries to push Johnny down, but he wasn't strong enough

Johnny and the students started laughing at his lack of strength

You, on the other hand, were cheering for Taeil

"Come on Taeil, you can do it!"

Taeil was suddenly punched in the face and got kneed in the stomach

He fell to the ground, breathing heavily

"Winner! Johnny" mr.Lee shouts and raises Johnny's arm

Everyone claps and chants out Johnny's name

You ran to Taeil and helped him up

"Are you okay?" You asked softly

He looks up and sees your beautiful face

"Am I in Heaven?" He asks almost in a conscious state

"No, your on the floor, lets get you back on the bleachers, silly" you said while giggling

You helped him back on the bleachers

"Who wants to go up against, Johnny?" Mr.Lee asks in anticipation

Nobody answers until...

"I will !" You shouted and raised your hand

Everyone, including the coach, Johnny and Taeil gasped

"W-w-well a-are you sure?" Coach asks

You nodded while gently smiling

You walk up to the center and stood 2 feet in front of Johnny

Taeil was really worried, if you get hurt, it felt like it be his fault for putting yourself on his spot

"Ready!" Blows the whistle

"I'll take it easy on you, beautiful" he says with a flirty smile and winks

Before he finish his sentence

In a blink of an eye

You got him in a choke hold and took him down with a loud thud

Everyone was shooked, including Taeil and coach

"How did she do that!" He thought

"Uh-uh one point to Y/N" coach stutters

Before Taeil could process anything, he saw something really strange

Your eyes

They were blue earlier, but when you took down Johnny, your eye color turned RED

And he had no idea that a sweet and innocent girl like you

Be that strong to take down a 6 foot tall basket ball player

"Final round!" Blows whistle

Johnny strikes a punch

But, you dodged his punch and swiftly flipped over Johnny

Everyone's jaws dropped and eyes widened

Nobody has ever beaten Johnny at wrestling

Not even his team mates

Nobody, except Taeil, notice your eyes change back to their original color

"What is she?!" He screams internally

You looked at everyone with an innocent look

"Um, did I go too far?" You asked in a small gentle voice

Everyone jumps out of there seats and claps while cheering you

Taeil, couldn't process what just happened and just stared at you in amazement

Johnny, on the other hand, couldn't believe what just happened

He sits up looks at you in shock

A girl, a beautiful, innocent girl, just took down a 9 time basket ball champion

His teams mates helped him up

"Bro, that was INSANE!" Ten exclaims

"She must've worked a lot" Jaehyun guesses

"Yeah, but I gotta admit, that's MY kind of woman" Johnny looks at you with a smirk while wipping the sweat off him

You thanked everyone for giving you compliments, then coach blew his and told everyone sit back down

Everyone had 10 minutes left of class, so coach Lee let everyone have free time

Taeil calms himself down and drinks his bottle of water

"Taeil !" You called him

He looks up and sees you jogging up to him with a gentle smile

He was infactuated by you

They way your hair moves when you jog

Sweat dripping

Then his eyes accidentally when down your chest

The way your breast bounce lightly

To be honest, for Taeil, you breast were like the perfect size

Like they were sculpted, like the greek goddesses

He hasn't realize that you're in front of him and he's beet red

"Hey Taeil, are you alright ?" You asked worriedly

"I think I'm in love" he says faintly

"What?" You asked

He broke out of his thoughts, and looks at you and starts stuttering

"Oh uh, I mean that, I think I'm in love with your fighting techniques?" He lies

You giggled

"Thank you," you said with a smile

"How did you do that, no one has ever beaten Johnny at wrestling" he asks in astonishment

"Oh, my father taught me some of his greatest martial art skills" you said

"That's amazing, I'd like to meet him one day" he says in excitement

Then, you looked down in sadness

"Actually, my father passed away when I was 8" you said sadly

Taeil felt guilty for asking that question

"Don't be, its alright" you said gently

"Oh oka-" before he finishes his sentence

How did you know he was feeling guilty

"How did you know that I felt guilty?" He asks supiciously To be continued

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lonely-teddy-bear · 4 years

Text

The King’s Mate➳ h.s. au

word count: 2.04k

It’s here and its Harry’s point of view! I promise it’s not boring, you get to know a little of what goes on in his little pretty head. Hope you enjoy!

---------------------------

Chapter Eight

*Harry's pov*

She doesn't want us. She never wanted us. Why wouldn't she just reject us instead of just leading us on? Why!

I rubbed my temples trying to reduce the headache I was getting from my wolf talking nonstop. He just can't stop talking for a minute so I could at least think, to at least say something.

You think she wanted someone else? Oh how I now want to kill that other boy.

My eyes widened at Rox's thought.

Rox stop. You better calm down before I calm you down. I hated talking to him. He was a control freak and so possessive of Valentina. I don't like it when he takes over part of my body because I know he would say something that will hurt her and the one to deal with the consequences will be me, not him.

Oh what are you going to do? Block me out? You can try but I'll push hard enough till I'm taking over your body and then maybe I will mark her and make her mine like we should have done the first night she slept in our home. I felt my hand turn into a fist and I just wanted to punch someone. He pisses me off. I hate how he just talks about her as if she was a possession, an item to just own. She was more than that, she was my mate, the one I will grow old with, the one I will have a family with. She was going to be queen and rule next to me. Now that I thought about that, I hadn't thought about the ceremony. The ceremony the king has to do to introduce his mate and the soon to be queen. Not only I had to deal with my wolf, Rox, but I had to deal with the ceremony and start planning it. I let out a sigh and leaned my head down on my hands. I was currently in my office, hiding from Valentina. I just didn't want to answer any questions she would have because I know she would have questions and I didn't want to be around her for the moment until my mind was clear and Rox was calm and wouldn't be able to do anything stupid.

Before I went to sleep I finished up some work that was left behind and made sure I had everything I would need to the meeting I had the next day.

***********

I came out of my bedroom fixing up the sleeves and the ring I had in my hand when I saw Valentina for the first time since last night before I hid in my office.

"Hey," I didn't say anything, I instead just stared at her. She had a wrist brace and when I saw it I looked away quickly knowing I was the reason she was in pain, hurt.

"Where were you last night?" she spoke in a whisper, as if she was scared to speak up. "You didn't have dinner and you weren't in your bedroom, so where were you?" I looked at her taken back.

"You came into my bedroom? For what?" She looked away and I could tell she was embarrassed.

"I wanted to sleep with you in you bed last night but you weren't there so I figured you must have been out or something," she shrugged her shoulders as if shrugging it off. I cocked my head to the side so I could see her face properly, "I slept in the office, I had to finish some work for today. Did you have trouble sleeping last night or something?" I couldn't think of another reason on why she would want to go sleep with me in my bedroom, i'm usually the one to go to her bedroom to sleep with her.

"My arm started hurting but I wanted to have you next to me," she finally looked up at me and looked at me up and down, presuming she was looking at my clothes and not just checking me out. "Going somewhere?" I looked down at my suit I was wearing for today's meeting, it was one of the suits that were meant to make me look like a king and make me look like I had all the power, sort of because the suit had prints on it. The suit was black but with gold prints on them, they seem to be faces, I liked wearing this types of suits but sometimes the servants would give me clothes that were too much but I had to wear them because they know how to style and I wasn't going to argue with them.

"I actually am. I have a meeting with all the alphas, from U.K and from America. I'll probably be out all day today so Christina will come over and take you over to Christian's place so you can spend the day with Kayla since she will also be alone all day." She gave me a nod and kept staring at me and my suit.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I gave her a small smile. She looked like she had a lot in mind and I really wanted to know what was going on in her mind all the time.

"You look good in that suit, but I thing you look better in casual clothes," by the look of her face I could tell she was blushing, she has this color on her face that made her look reddish but because of her skin tone it was hard to tell but her heart was saying she was in fact blushing.

"Well, I'll try to be as casual as I can be but since I am the king and the alpha, I have to wear decent clothing. You will soon be wearing non-casual clothing so don't get too comfortable with your clothes." I threw her a smirk and made my way down to my office to grab the papers I would need. I could hear Valentina following me but pretended as if I couldn't hear her.

"What you mean?"

I went inside my office and went around my desk to collect all the papers I would need for the meeting. Without looking at Valentina I answered her question, "well you will have to dress your part as a queen, you will have dresses bought and made just for you. You will have nice shoes to go with you dresses and," I looked up and gave her a smirk, "you will have different types of crowns for you to wear." She looked me as if I had grown two heads. Why was she not excited about this? Don't girls want to be dressed and be treated like a queen?

"You want me to change my wardrobe and the way I dress?" I places the papers I had in my hand back on the desk and leaned on my desk. "I don't want you to change, you will only wear dresses and your crown when we go out. Like me, I have this suit and many like this that have to be worn so I could be respected and be treated like the king that I am. I don't want you to change who you are, I would never to that. You just have to play the role, that's all and after that you can wear your sweatpants or jeans okay?" She stared at me for a moment, she just looked at me and didn't say anything until she sat down in front of my desk.

"Okay that's fine. Wait and don't you have to like crown me or something like that? You know in order for me to be queen?" And there's the question. I sat down on my chair behind the desk and rested my hands on the desk. I looked at her and cleared my throat before I started explaining to her about what was going to happen in order for her to become queen.

"Yes I do have to crown you. There will be a ceremony where alphas from other packs come and my pack joins as well. You will have a big dress made for you and you will have people helping you get ready. It is tradition so don't bother protesting this." I gave her a pointing look knowing she was about to say something about her being able to do it on her own.

" There's one thing you have to know about this ceremony, this day you become queen," I took a deep breath before speaking. "That day, the queen and king are supposed to sleep together." I stare at Valentina to see what she would say. She didn't say anything but stare.

"We already do that." I took a deep breath knowing I will have to explain.

"What I mean we have to sleep together. As in have sex. I have to mark you and mate with you. It's part of the ceremony, if we don't do it you won't be connected to me and my wolf, and you won't be connected to my pack. You won't be able to have control of the wolves if you aren't marked on that night." She had a shocked face and she looked like she wanted to get out of the room. I knew this would be too much and I didn't want to tell her all this today but she asked about the coronation and I had to be honest with her.

"Okay." I was taken back by her response. "Okay? What do you mean?"

She looked up to look at me in the eyes, " I mean okay as in I'm fine with it. At some point we have to mate right? And when will this ceremony be?" I cleared my throat after her mentioning about us sleeping together intimately.

"The coronation will be on the next full moon, which is in like two or three weeks. I actually have a meeting with alphas from UK and the rest of America in which we will talk about this. I will be discussing the date of the coronation and other things." I looked down at the folder in front of me, I looked at the watch I had in my wrist and saw I had to leave soon. Grabbing the folder I got up from my seat and looked at Valentina.

"Okay well Christina will come by and take you to spend the day with Kayla since Christian will be going with me. I'll be calling you throughout the day to check up on you okay?" She nodded before furrowing her brows in questioning, "how are you going to check on me when there's no signal here?" Oh right.

"Right, I'll go buy a phone and have people come add some lines in here so I can check up on you. Christina is able to communicate with me so if you need anything from outside of here just let her know and I'll bring it for you okay?"

"Wait your not going to be in here? You are going out as in like to my town?" I nodded at her and waited for her to continue talking. "Do you think you can go over to my dorm and collect my stuff? I have important stuff from back home and I would really want to have them with me." I nodded quickly, not even having to think about it.

"Anything for you. Would that be all or do you want something else? Anything you need from town?" She shook her head and stood up from her chair. I went around my desk and stood in front of her. I looked at her in her eyes, in her dark brown eyes, I placed my hand in her cheek and moved my thumb to feel her skin. To anyone she wouldn't seem perfect but to me she was all I needed and that's all that mattered to me. I didn't care that she had insecurities, I will love her along with all her flaws. Oh and how much I wanted to kiss her lips but I will wait until the night of the coronation. I just hope that day comes as fast as it can.

-------------------------------

*internally screaming* I don't know but I'm just falling in love with Harry more after I reread this chapter. Chapter 9 is already on the making 😌

*This is the outfit that he used in the chapter okay.

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burntchickennuggetskrrt · 4 years

Text

A Twist in my Story

you just went out of the broadcasting room when you saw jisung and chenle walking towards you. you smiled and waved at them, but instead of waving back they ran towards you and immediately covered your eyes with a blindfold.

"what the hell, chenle? jisung?" you tried removing the blindfold but one of the two kids is holding both your hands.

"i'm sorry noona, just doing our job." it was chenle who said sorry but you're pretty sure he's just smiling right now, not feeling any remorse at all.

"someone paid to date you, noona. wonder who." jisung chimed in with his fake seriousness.

"idiots. i need to talk to jaemin though."

"jaemin hyung can wait for you noona, don't worry."

"how much do i need to pay you both so that you can let me go?"

"100,000 won."

"Excuse my french, but what the fuck? Why do I need to pay 100,000 won for a fake date? Are y'all nuts?" What the hell is a blind date that costs 100,000 won?

"Well, not really noona. You see our normal charge is only 10,000 won. But you see, the person who paid for your blind date gave us 50,000 won just so you can't say no. We made a policy that anyone who refuses the blind date needs to pay twice the amount originally paid, so you know we can still earn for the services we provided, we're just doing business here, definitely nothing personal." you would've been proud of chenle if it wasn't at your expense. you heard the two kids you're fond of laughing not so subtely and they also did a high-five.

who would've paid for that amount? you wondered to yourself, but you really can't say no now, 100,000 is a lot already.

"whatever. it won't last long right?"

"30 minutes."

"oh hell, that's a lot of minutes."

"we planned it well, noona."

after what seems like forever, you've arrived at the location of the blind date activity.

"noona, it'll be your choice if you want to remove your blind fold or nah, but head's up, your date is already here and he already removed his blindfold and grossly staring at you." you heard chenle say "ow" after he said what he said, like he was smack or something.

"bye noona, we'll go now. 30 mins." jisung said before you heard footsteps walking away.

you felt nervous all of a sudden by the fact that you are in a small space with someone you cannot see and you're still not sure if you want to see. who would want to date me? of course it's a dumb question because obviously someone has taken a chance on you. you decided it's only fair to remove your blindfold and talk to them properly like a normal person. you can do that, right?

you slowly removed your blindfolds whilst hearing the loud beating of your heart. hopefully it's not loud enough for the other person to hear, because that would be so dumb, you thought again.

after the blindfold has been taken off, your eyes immediately landed on a familiar pair of eyes; because you've known it for forever. it's the same eyes you've been dreaming about for a long time.

"hi." it was a simple greeting but you felt all those cheesy shite in your stomach. remember those movies and books that said that there are butterflies on their tummies? well, guess what, it's what's in yours too.

"jaemin, hi." you smiled suddenly shy at the presence of your bestfriend.

"you're blushing, baby." okay first of all, what the fuck was that? baby?

"shut up, idiot. don't call me baby." you smacked his arms playfully to which the boy only replied with a smile, still looking at you straight in the eyes.

"so did you pay for this?" jaemin asked to which you replied with a faux-shock look on your face.

"nope! chenle said this "date" was like 50,000 won. i'm too broke for that. i can just talk to you without paying, right?"

"of course, yn. but i didn't pay for this either, but at least we can talk here, right? not going to lie, i haven't seen this part of the room. jisung and chenle must've worked hard in decorating, because this looks... dope" jaemin almost said romantic but of course he can't just say it without context, he doesn't want to send shock to his bestfriend.

"agreed. so you said you wanted to talk about something? what's this about?" you tried not to be nervous; because nervous yn is a wreck. you're still gathering the energy to confess to this perfect human being in front of you, and you almost feel cold feet whilst looking at him.

"well, just promise me you won't leave me or say anything until i'm over. deal?" jaemin extended his hand towards you to seal the deal and you accepted and shook it.

"okay, hit me with this. it seems serious. i'll zip my mouth." you made a motion that looks like you're zipping your mouth, jaemin smiled at the action and breathed deep before he started speaking.

"okay, i can do this. so you know that i've known you since forever. you're like home to me, no matter where i'll end up to, i will always long to go back to you because you give me that sense of comfort. you're also my lighthouse, because when i find myself lost and in some dark place, i look for you because i know you can guide me home. knowing you for a long time is a bliss to me. sometimes, i look at you and a sudden thought would come to my mind, "i could spend my whole life with this girl." but just like all those cliché coming of age movies, i was scared of going over the line because what if it will go wrong, what if i fuck up and i'll end up losing you, i can't do that, losing you would mean losing my home. so i stayed back, and i was happy since nobody was there to call you theirs, i mean it's selfish but i was happy. and then someone came in the picture, fucking Mark Lee who's nothing but perfect. Of course he'd come to like you, who wouldn't? and then one day, you suddenly introduced him as your boyfriend and i've never felt more devastated, damn i've never even known that word before. but it's the only thing that described what i've felt then. you were happy and even if it sucks it's in someone else's arms, i've come to accept it, just as long as you are happy. i tried moving on too, because i don't want you to worry about me. and lia was there, she said she likes me, i was honest with her from the very beginning and she agreed. and i actually find myself liking her, then loving her, but not as intense as it was with you. but i tried really hard, you know? because lia deserved that, but it was becoming so hard; especially after fucking mark left. i find myself wanting to stay with you, comfort you. sometimes it comes to a point where it becomes the reason why lia and i would fought. and before it could get worse, i've decided to break up with her. i don't want do something stupid, i don't want to recover my feelings for you when lia is still in the picture. she doesn't deserve that. so i told her we need to, because i'm starting to think of someone else more than i should. i don't know if she knew it was you. but you know lia, she's an angel, she agreed, but she asked for space. and i gave that to her. it's almost 4 months since the break up and i think it's enough time and i can finally be honest with you." jaemin suddenly took your hands and you let him because you're still agape at the words that are coming out of his mouth.

"and i just want to tell you that i love you, yn. not just in a way a bestfriend would love his bestfriend, but in a way a person loves his lover. the kind of love you say to the person you want to kiss or to the person you want to spend a long period of time with; and you know act like those old married couples. i mean we're still young, so i can only hope. but i love you with all my heart, it's not much but i just want you to know. i think i've waited long enough, i want to say that to you no matter what the repercussion will be. but maybe don't cut me off your life, please, if you know, if you'll say no and all. i mean i love you, but i still want to be your friend... and lover. i'm blabbing, but i love you, been loving you since before i've gotten to know what love is about. yeah, i think that's all, i mean i messed up my speech but that's what most part of my speech so, yeah, i love you, park yn." jaemin is shaking as he held your hands, it felt sweaty but you didn't mind. how can you? when the person you've been loving since forever is also in love with you?

"you can say something now, yn" jaemin said while fidgeting his hands which is still holding yours.

"oh, yeah, okay. i could do that. say something." jaemin laughed and ruffled your hair.

"you really do know how to make me smile and calm."

"well, you're not making me calm right now, nana." you said with a pout, not intentionally though, but Jaemin still smiled because he finds it endearing.

"you really didn't know that i like you?"

"nope, i had zero clues. every time hyuck or yeji says something about you liking me i would automatically refute it as defense mechanism, i guess. i mean why would you like me? i'm me, nothing special about me."

"okay first of all, that's no way to talk about yourself or to the girl i love. second, you're beautiful inside and out, and i would still say this if i'm not your bestfriend or admirer. you're kind, you're friendly with people, and you've always been patient and forgiving, even to those who don't deserve it. you're amazing, yn; if i could let you borrow my eyes so that you could see yourself on my end, you'd see how awesome you are." jaemin said with eyes full of intensity, wanting to make sure it'll be absorbed by your system, and surprisingly it did, not because you fully believe it, but because it was jaemin. jaemin could be a lot of things, but never a liar.

"well, geez nana. you're making me blush! i never knew today is yn's appreciation day. but before i reply to your grand speech, i also need to say something to you. so i'd appreciate it if you'd listen to me first before saying anything. is that cool?"

"okay? you're making me nervous. but of course i'd keep my mouth shut until you're done." jaemin gave you a reassuring nod signalling for you to go ahead; you took a deep breath and collected your thoughts before starting. here goes nothing.

"na jaemin, you might not know this, but you are an idiot. but worry not, because guess what, i am too! after your confession, i've finally realised we've become best friends because damn, we are both fucking clowns. i don't know if you know this, but i like you a lot! i've always liked you since when we were younger, of course no one would put colours to it because we were so young then. but i've always preferred to be with you than hyuck, like in games and stuff. i thought maybe it was just because me and hyuck are really competitive with each other, and yeji would ask me to let her be paired with hyuck, i didn't mind of course, after all that means i'll get to be with you. i don't know if it was the last year of middle school or early freshmen when i realised that i really like you, not just the like you have for your friends, but a different type of like where i also wanted for you to like me back. but again, we've already established that we are idiots, but now i guess we can also establish that we are both huge fucking cowards. on my end, i was insecure, i didn't think much of myself; and you were already gorgeous when we started highschool, i was like, "damn where did that ugly nana go?" but of course, that's just me clowning myself, you've always been handsome in my eyes, even when at times hyuck would really say you're ugly. i guess when they said that, "love is not blind, but it doesn't mind", i find myself agreeing to it. so now we can fast forward to the time i realised i will never have a chance with you. i was too afraid to confess or risk our friendship, so i decided to take a chance on mark. i mean, who doesn't like mark? when mark lee gives you attention, how do you turn that down? i was in bliss when he told me he likes me, enough to momentarily forget about you. and of course, it worked. mark was almost perfect... but just as things are finally going well, of course, fate decides to fuck it up, you know? because damn, we broke up just few days after he started Uni. you were there again, even if you and lia are still already together. but believe me when i say this nana, i was happy for you and lia when you got together. i realised that maybe, we're not made for each other, at least not in the way i used to hope. but then you also broke up, and that's when i started panicking. because what if i'd end up liking you again, because sure i was able to bury my feelings for you before, because mark was there, but this time he's not. and then i saw myself go thru that process again, liking you secretly... but this time never pining for us to be together; because we now have lia in the picture and she's my bestfriend." you gave out a sad smile which jaemin notices so he held your hand tighter.

"and frankly, i never wanted to confess. i thought, it'd just die down or something. i only have to wait until we start uni. but a twist happened, a variable i never expected to show up. somebody found out about my feelings for you, somebody i don't know, and surely i can't trust. i thought it was just hyuck pranking me, but hyuck would never play me like that, he knew about my feelings for you the longest just like how i knew about his feelings for yeji. this stalker told me i need to confess to you and to lia that i like you or he would post that wish i hang in the wish tree downtown every christmas. it was me, uhh... wishing for the one i love to be happy, and i wrote your name. they took a pic of it apparently, and you'd know my handwriting, lia would know too. so i told him, i'd do it, but only during the festival. and a lot has happened before this day nana, it was like almost two months that i experienced scenarios that would only pass my mind at like 3 am, i never thought those type of scenarios would happen to me." and that's when you thought of jeno, jeno who was never part of your life two months ago, and now he has occupied a huge chunk in your mind, especially after that kiss.

"and this people, do they go by the name of jeno?"

you nodded.

"i still like you a lot, nana. i guess, i'll always do. but, it'll be unfair to you if i just say yes to whatever you're proposinh when i'm thinking of other people."

"i want you to be girlfriend, yn. but seeing that you are still trying to figure out your feelings, i'll wait; this time i will patiently wait until you make your decision. it might take a long time, you might end up not choosing me, but i'll wait. don't get stress over this though. you already made me happy by telling me you like me, i mean not as full as it was before, but i still have a chance, and i'll work hard to deserve your feelings."

"i'm sorry. i don't know yet what my feelings are for jeno, but he, i don't know, crawled his way into my mind. i used to hate him, but when i've gotten to know him, he's actually not bad. he's a big idiot too, and maybe i like his presence because just like mark, he makes me not think of you. i was so keen on forgetting my feelings for you that i didn't imagine this moment would even come. if i have known in my first year of highschool that a na jaemin would confess to me in my last year in highschool during the school's festival, i think would've waited. but at the same, i really don't regret the things that happened when we decided to look at other people, nana. i hope you don't too. i've met mark, you've met lia; and yet we're still bestfriends, that's how strong our relationship is. i'm not sure what you're asking of me, but i don't think i'd offer you a half full cup, you deserve more than that."

jaemin is smiling at you patiently but you can't help but notice the sudden gloom in his eyes.

"jaemin, i love you, a lot. as a bestfriend and as a person in general. but i don't want to hurt you."

"love will hurt anyway, remember how john green said something about you don't have a choice if you get hurt in this world, but you have a choice on who can hurt you. and my choice is you, yn. whether, you choose me or someone else, i'd still be your bestfriend. all i ask is a chance to prove myself to you. just a little chance, yn, and i'll be the happiest man in the world."

you stared at your bestfriend who's looking at you with his big puppy eyes; you still can't believe that this person loves you. how many nights did you spend dreaming about this day to come?

"okay."

"what do you mean okay, yn? okay you're giving me a chance? okay, you're fine if we'd still be bestfriends no matter what your choice may be?" jaemin is now standing up looking at you with a glint of hope.

"to everything you said, nana. i'll give you a chance, i don't know what the coming days hold, but let's see. but i also have to tell jeno of my idk, feelings, just so i can fully start being honest with myself and to you."

"that's fine by me. as long as you're honest, as long as you're happy, i will be too, no matter what."

"thanks for understanding me, nana. this would've been easier if we're not a bunch of insensitive cowards."

"true, but at least now we've become aware that it was the two of us." you both end up laughing thinking about it when jaemin stopped and suddenly become serious.

"is it okay if we hug? i just feel a strong urge to hug you right now."

you didn't trust your voice to reply, because you might end up crying. so you nodded your head before jaemin pulled you and enveloped you in a warm hug.

"i know you're overwhelmed right now, baby. you're probably having a rush of different realisation right now. but it'll get better, take all the time you need, i'll still be in the end of tunnel holding a lamp for you. you're yn, and yn always strive against adversity in the end."

you didn't realise you were sobbing in jaemin's chest until you had to laugh at his speech and your snot almost come out.

"you'd make a good leader nana, i didn't even know you know the word adversity. but still, thank you. you're still my main bitch, hyuck will always be a side hoe."

"i don't know if i should be honored to be called bitch, but i guess thank you for making me that bitch."

you smiled in nana's chest because he just gave you the assurance you needed; that whatever happens, you'd still be friends.

you looked at jaemin and he nodded.

you're still hugging each other when you heard familiar voices not so far away from your area.

it was jeno, and lia.

a twist in my story | part xl

~~wherein a text message from an unknown number became the twist in your story~~

[an: sorry for grammar errors, spellings, and other mistakes you might have seen along the way // but i believe in you, you'll get it 😉❤️ thank you ]

an: hello!! sorry if it turns to be a written update 😥 i was having second thoughts on updating it this way but i went thru with it, because if i didn't it'll be like a three-part update. hope you understand! 😔 (next update will be on sunday)

SEND ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!! ASK IS OPEN 💕 which i'll prolly reply tmr ^^ thank u for reading!!! all love, 고양이 🐈

#nct #nct dream #nct fake texts #nct dream fake texts #nct social media au #nct dream social media au #nct scenario #nct dream scenario #nct imagine #nct dream imagine #jeno #jaemin #haechan #donghyuk #renjun #chenle #jisung #a twist in my story

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