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xalonelydreamerx · 1 year

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Heey!! Sorry to bother u, but I was rereading Lítost for maybe the sixth time and just wanted to ask if u could give us a little snippet of the next chapter?? Pls? I've read it for the first time soon after it was posted, and I just love how in-character all your characters are. Sending love!!

you've read it so many times? 🥺 I'm seriously not worthy of you. thank you so so much for your patience! I can imagine how frustrating it must be having waited that long and I'm so greatful that you and the people who have contacted me are so nice about it ♥

As for the snippet, chapter 2 opens with a (admittedly long) flashback that gives us an insight to the late dynamic Obi-Wan/Padme/Anakin had.

I went a bit back and forth whether the snippet should be from present moment but I think that part needs more editing so I hope you'll be happy with the opening flashback instead 🫶

Master Yoda truly knew how to deliver a punishment when he wanted to. Obi-Wan thought dryly as his eyes took in the people who were slowly arriving. The sounds of cheers, and claps and clicks could still be heard from the reporters outside, who were waiting like hawks did their pray to capture the perfect and the worst shots of the guests.

Master Yoda had had called it a simple request; “Fond of you are many Senators. With a familiar face content more they will feel.”

He had no choice but to accept and guard the multiple politicians that were to attend the gala and ensure their safety. Obi-Wan wasn’t a big fan of the unnecessary glamour or the spotlight. He was a Jedi, he didn’t belong here. There was next to nothing he could do however, especially after the stun Anakin had pulled.

Padme had been trying to comm him restlessly the past few days. To apologize, he presumed. Regardless of the inevitable talk they were bound to have eventually, he still felt hurt at her actions; for going behind his back, against her own word to tell Anakin of the secret mission the council had assigned him. What a fool he had been; to entrust her with his doubts, with his fears. Just because he had warmed their bed a couple of times, didn’t mean she would have his back. Padme and Anakin would always choose each other in the end and for the first time he wondered when he had stopped being an option for Anakin.

When had they stopped being a team?

A hand clasped his right shoulder firmly, “Where does your mind travelling, my friend?”

He sighed before he took another sip of the drink the senator had recommended him. He grimaced at the spicy flavour; he was more keen on the sugary side.

“To be frank, I’m just thinking how wasteful my presence is.”

Bail didn’t take his comment unkindly. He laughed easily and shook his head in a feign disappointment. “Wasteful? You already left quite a good impression on one of my friends.”

He raised his glass to toast at someone and Obi-Wan followed his gaze, which lead to Senator Danu. Yes, the Senator had an interesting viewpoint of the Kuat's shipyards, but seemed too concern about the guests who had yet to arrive. He, too, found a Jedi’s presence unnecessary - he was supposed to be fighting a war, not spend his night with the high social class of Coruscant but how could Obi-Wan explain that his attendance was more of a punishment than a service? “An interesting man indeed.”

“Your ability to blend among us must be a curse.” Bail teased him between his giggles and Obi-Wan wondered whether his had snatched an extra glass under his unsupervised eye.

“I wouldn’t call it a curse. More of an unwanted gift.”

“Ahhh, I’m certain you’ll endure.” He nodded, giving him another pat on his shoulder as his face brightened at the sight of another quest who entered. Obi-Wan couldn’t see him clearly as the people started filling in the room but Bail seemed to sober up rather quickly as he finished his remaining drink and left it on the table. “If you excuse me I have another friend to catch up. This is a night off for you Obi-Wan, try to relax.”

He watched silently as Bail walked across the room to greet an Ithorian Senator before they both made their way towards Senator Amedda who was conversing with Senator Taa. His eyes narrowed at their clumsily attempt to appear obscured as they tucked themselves in the other side of the roo,. He would have to ask Padme if there was something stirring within the Congress.

Speaking of whom, she was radiant tonight. He thought a little dazed. The multi-colored gown hugged her petite form elegantly and her bodice was studded with beads and pearls complimenting her low-cut neckline wonderfully. Delicate embroidery was stitched at the hems of her dress and her silky brown hair were pulled back a by a silver headpiece made of embossed pieces of metal connected by tiny silver shells, allowing her face to be unconcealed. The rest of the hair were wound into a large braided bun, with the remainder of two stray strands framing her face. Obi-Wan had to wonder how long she must have sat to allow her handmaids to create such an artwork. He looked up, meeting her kind amber brown eyes; warm and inviting. Obi-Wan could easily get lost in them. He had almost begun to return the smile she gave him before he caught a sight that immobilized him to the spot. Anakin was there He stood right there, in all his glory with arms crossed and an angry petulant grimace on his face. Rather clumsily, Obi-Wan put back the glass on the table; it clinked against the tray, disturbing his uneasy thoughts.

He was suddenly weary as they ambled through the crowd; it was almost poetically fitting; him against them – separated by a sea of people. But Padme was determined, even as she made small stops to chatter and greet the people who demanded her attention.

Her smile was tight, fake and by the way her fingers twitched he could tell she was getting impatient. Anakin wasn’t hard to figure out. He always wore his heart on his sleeve, something Obi-Wan had continued to chastise him for years. Anakin rolled his eyes quite rudely in his opinion as he nodded whatever the quest was telling them and tagged Padme away.

“Obi-Wan!” Padme cheerfully saluted him, pretending to have just spotted him now. As if no one had noticed the furtive looks she had been sending at his direction from the minute he walked in.

“Senator Amidala, Anakin…” He greeted them with a slight bow, hands crossed behind his back in a perfect pose as he eyed their intertwined fingers with distaste.

Padme took a notice of it and dropped Anakin’s hand quickly as if it burnt her. She scanned around the crowd, suddenly concerned if anyone noticed her impulsive behaviour. Good. He thought, she should be Anakin glared both of them, probably annoyed at their façades. “Hello, Master…” The way he dragged his title was enough to let Obi-Wan know of his mood. “None of that Obi” She told him gently, placing a soft hand on his forearm.

He tensed at the endearment and cleared his throat, gently shaking her hand off as he looked at his former padawan whose fists clenched at his side. “Did you at least have the consideration to require permission from the council for your attendance here or is it another thing I should report?”

Padme folded her arms under her chest, making it temporarily difficult to concentrate as she raised her chin slightly upwards in defiance. "I requested his presence from the council and they granted permission without any objection"

Because they'll question me later. He thought, suddenly exhausted. He would be the one to stand once more in front of the council and defend Anakin’s actions until he was out of breath. How someone as intelligent as Padme could be so thoughtless and impetuous with her secret marriage was beyond him. Did they really believe their pretence wasn’t obvious? “I see… Well then I wish you both to enjoy the rest of your night.” A resilient hold prevented him from moving and he was pulled back roughly only to meet Anakin’s furious stare. “This isn’t fair!” Padme tried to sooth Anakin but he shrugged of her hand, his attention sorely on him. “You were ready to lie, to deceive us! And you have the gall to pretend to be offended?"

Obi-Wan tried in vain to jerk away his arm but Anakin’s solid hold only tightened painfully around him. He glanced around; making sure no one was watching the display of disrespect.”Lie, deceive? I’m not the one who hid his secret marriage for years” He accused him coldly and Anakin had the audacity to look shocked.

He relished him at last from his iron hold and stumbled backwards as if he had been slapped. His gazed lowered for a moment as if considering his next words before they hardened. “I thought we had moved passed that”

Obi-Wan studied the two for a moment, contemplating how worthwhile the argument was. “Perhaps I haven’t.”

Padme’s brows furrowed in guarded curiosity, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Why indeed. How could he explain that he was in no rush to open old wounds? How every night they spent together, he had to wonder if it would be the last?

The air fell still between them and for once Obi-Wan was glad for the people who surrounded them; their mindless chattering was enough to fill the heavy silence. Despite the recently closed bond, he could sense the storm in his beloved eyes. Guilt sent little squirming feelings slithering through his belly at their suffering. He was hurting them for no reason. It wasn’t their fault they couldn’t understand. Their relationship was already so fragile and freshly new, it left him buffed on how to treat them and hesitant at the risk of destroying what they had built through their friendship

He thought of Siri, of how he had begged her to leave the Order with him, of how close he had been to convincing her to go. He thought of Cerasi; young, and passionate - his love for her had burnt brighter than any light. And then there was Satine; strong yet gentle, just as lovely as she was wise. She had seen the bigger picture, had known they wouldn’t be able to thrive together, not when their duties had become their priorities.

His love for these women had been selfish, and childish. His passion, naivety and yearning had been overwhelmingly consuming, a bubbling sensation slowly rising so close to the surface, he had been certain he would explode.

So far, he had been perfectly content with loving Padme and Anakin from afar. They had each other; he had to constantly remind himself every time the waves of envy and possessiveness made their way to his head.

His friendship with Padme had helped fill the gap between him and Anakin; the miscommunication that had existed between them for so long and yet…

Padme was never supposed to enjoy his company enough to want him to stick around and Anakin was never meant to dwell so deep into his heart. Somehow, the two had decided to cast aside logic and thought it was normal to start pursuing him

He refused to make the same mistakes again

He gave her a sidelong glance, opting to ignore their hurtful expressions, “This is neither the place nor the time for this.”

“When will it be then?” Anakin stepped forward, jaw clenched tightly as his eyes trailed his face as if searching for an answer. “When will it be when all you’ve done is shut us out?”

“What angered you most Anakin?” He turned facing him, a taunting tone painted in his voice. “That I was ready to accept the mission or that I chose Padme instead of you to know the truth?”

Padme could barely hide her mid surprise. Her eyes darted between them in uncertainty before she shook her head and claimed with confidence. “That’s not true, right Ani?”

Anakin did not respond.

#obianidala fanfic #litost #ask reply #the format is so weird on tumblr idk why. I swear it look more normal and decent in my doc #I hope this isn't too confusing to follow. I kinda wanna have gaps that the readers can fill/or that I can expand later on #I'd love to hear your thoughts on this 👉👈 but it's also totally fine if you don't feel like it. I only hope I didn't disappoint #thank you again for your kind words. you're the sweetest #my fanfic #my writing

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savevsfacemelt · 2 years

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Post-game Musings - Scum & Villainy

Hi, yes, I know it's been like a year since our last entry. Life is... complex these days. Nobody trusts anybody now, and we're all very tired.

But a lack of blog entries doesn't mean I haven't been running games; it just means I've stopped writing and reporting on session writeups that no-one bothered to read. It's a new paradigm, people - evolve or die.

And speaking of dying, let's look at the Scum & Villainy game I've been running all year! No-one died, that was a lie to support a segue, I have no regrets.

What's Scum & Villainy? It's a science-fiction game based on Blades in the Dark, in which the characters are freelance criminals (or at least crime-adjacent-independent-contractors) flying their spaceship around a setting that's a bit Star Wars, a bit Firefly, a bit many other media properties and doing heists & odd jobs.

What do I have to say about Scum & Villainy after 9 months of play? A few things, actually.

Scum & Villainy is a pretty good RPG. Not perfect, but pretty good! It takes the Blades in the Dark formula and mechanics and does a solid job of translating them to the sci-fi genre. The best bit of new design is adding a floating pool of extra dice ('gambits') for improving rolls, along with unique ways for different playbooks to use them. The weakest parts are that the spaceship-improvement minigame isn't as engaging or useful as the turf-claiming minigame in Blades, and that the Heat mechanic becomes a bit toothless when the party can just fly to another star system where they aren't wanted. But those qualms aside, the setting is fun and full of things to do, the rules work well and everyone had a good time.

It can take some getting used to, though. Some of my players weren't that conversant with non-D&D/trad-style games, and it took a little time to adjust to how S&V allocates narrative control vs mechanics. Downtime tends to be loose and narrative in trad games, but it's codified and mechanised in S&V; meanwhile, S&V uses equipment mostly as fictional positioning rather than giving it mechanical heft like in D&D. The biggest adjustment might be just the approach to dice-rolling & action, though. Modern D&D play tends to involve lots of low-stakes, low-impact dice rolls, little moments for players to grab attention when success and failure are both fun and largely meaningless. In S&V, almost every roll has the potential to break bad in some way, so you only want to roll when necessary, and to find those spotlight moments some other way. It's also an adjustment as a GM - learning when to call for a roll, rather than just say yes/no to things, is a key skill and one I'm still honing.

Pacing is as pacing does. Both Blades and S&V try to minimise player planning and push fast-paced play. My group would have none of it. They absolutely wanted to spend time (even complete sessions) talking about plans and contingencies, and to take their time before, after and during jobs. At first I felt the urge to push back against this, and ask them to keep things moving, but it was quickly obvious that they enjoyed the planning process, even if it wasn't really necessary, and preferred a slower pace overall. And that's fine! That's fun! That's a sign that the game needed to adapt to the players, not the other way around! So I leaned into it by fleshing out interactions with NPCs, and setting downtime scenes that moved slowly but had plenty of texture/flavour, and everyone seemed happy with that.

Telling smaller stories still takes work. I'm trying to move away from big campaign arcs (like in 13th Age) and towards more episodic, player-directed games and plots. S&V's play style promotes self-contained missions, and has tables for generating them, and those let me create multiple missions and let players choose between them. But these small stories sometimes needed more work to flesh out and bring to life than bigger stories, not despite but because of their self-contained nature. The prepared elements for a large arc (situations, NPCs, images etc.) can often be used multiple times as that arc returns to those points, while small stories each have their own bespoke set. A small story may only need half the elements of an arc - but if you run 5 of them, that's 2.5 the amount of overall prep needed for the big story! I could have made this easier by not doing things like finding images for all the factions, locations, spaceships I might potentially use, but of course I didn't do that. Maybe in the next game. (But probably not.)

I miss rolling dice. Like Monster of the Week before it, Scum & Villainy is a game where GMs use their own judgement within a structured framework to decide on outcomes and consequences. And that's good! That's fun! But after a couple of years of such play, I miss the unpredictability and mechanical engagement that comes from playing my own half of the game, you know? The messy uncertainty of mechanics can keep GMs invested in play outcomes in a way that clean-but-predictable diceless decision-making doesn't. Well, for me at least anyway. Time to try something different.

We wrapped up Scum & Villainy with what felt like a satisfying end to a season; we may come back to it later, we may not. Time will tell.

What's on the cards for 2023? Right now I'm trying to assemble a group to play Lancer, which has all the GM-facing-mechanical goodness I've been craving, and I'm also running a (slightly intermittent) game of Heart, which lets me put mechanical weight on GMing decisions even if I'm not the one engaging with them. Plus it's weird and ridiculous and I love it.

I've also been thinking of running some of the many quickstarts and game demos I've collected over the years. They'll certainly help with refocusing onto episodic play and smaller stories, if only due to changing story and game every couple of weeks.

Let's find out in 2023. Here's hoping we make it there.

#forged in the dark #scum & villainy

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the-baddest-of-batches · 1 year

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Dar'Aliit: Chapter Nineteen - The name of Peace (sneak peek)

4 BBY The Director's Office

"Well done, Commander."

I nod. "Sir."

Thrawn paces the room. He stares at the artifact I've brought him, his expression scrutinous and calculating. "Have you ever seen something this beautiful, Commander?"

"It's a work of art," I say simply.

"Do you know what it is?"

"A sarcophagus."

"Indeed. Something ancient. Something truly beautiful." Thrawn dips his head, his eyes following the intricate lines. If he can parse something from them, I'd be impressed. But I'm a soldier. I don't study art.

The Director clears his throat. "Your reputation precedes you in many ways. I think this will indeed be a good fit. Your next mission will be issued soon."

Thrawn straightens up. He says nothing more.

I merely nod.

"Dismissed."

Casually, I salute and step out of the stuffy room. I exhale and glance down at my helmet. At my side the light reflects the silver off an old and broken lightsaber hilt.

Today we prevented something deadly from falling into terrorist hands. I only wish we could've done so long ago, before the fate of the universe fell into them. I pull on my helmet and walk off, the broken lightsaber knocking against my thigh with every step.

You can't change the past. But you can stop it from repeating.

19 BBY the Drunken Dug Bar

Booze and the BO is about the strongest smell in here. I lean over a glass of beer. The uniform feels strange after so many months of being in and out of kit. I haven't felt the hard case of my armor in weeks.

It's been almost a whole month since we limped the Krayt back to Coruscant. Admiral Rent runs the show now. A lot has changed. We aren't the Republic but the Empire, and while all operations are still running but the world feels like it's hit a standstill.

I've been in and out of this bar almost everyday after patrol work. We're glorified police right now, trying to keep down the riots. People are angry. People are always angry.

I pick up my beer and chug it down before sliding in the glass for a refill from the droid. Cheering erupts from a corner. Bolo ball game is on. The bar I'm at is full of dead-eyed troopers in the same blue uniform and hat as me.

Someone sits down to my right. "Thought I'd find you here, sir."

I look right. "What're you doing here, Headshot? I thought you hated booze."

"Only all booze except beer." Headshot waves to the droid. He orders a round of beer for himself, looks at me, and orders another. That one he shoves my direction.

I won't turn down a good drink. "You on riot control too?" I don't know what to ask him, or what to talk about. We've all been split since we got back. Raf wasn't ever seen after the mission Nidor sent him on to Kashyyk. Booker is out there probably doing the same thing we are.

"Yep," Headshot pulls off his hat and shoves it in his pocket. "What fun have they got you doing?"

"More riot control."

Headshot laughs and downs a swig. "At least it's unhappy citizens and not a droid army."

What I wouldn't give to see a droid army. Citizens are people with lives and families. I can't take out my frustration on them. They're angry because they're not in the loop. Hell we're not even in the loop anymore. The senate just sits up there making decisions while we warm our butts on barstools.

I'd be angry too. I am angry. The war might be over from a certain standpoint but the Seps are still out there making their final stand. We've cut off the head, but the arms are still there.

I down the beer Heatshot bought me and slam the glass on the table. "Are you really content with that?" I ask him lowly.

I catch a few looks. None of us are content.

Headshot frowns. "Sir, the war's over. That's a fact."

"And we're wasting our talents sitting around here." I rub at the side of my face. "What did you want to do after the war Headshot? Any big plans?"

Headshot shrugs. "Thought about moving somewhere. Getting a family maybe. Quiet job."

I stare dull at my empty glass. I can't help but think that dream sounds dull, but I know he's not the only dreamer here. I can hear the Bolo Ball game.

I'll buy you a farm someday. I can hear them. Call me drunk, but I've always heard them, like a conscience in the back of my head.

"What about you, sir?" Headshot asks for another drink and kicks back. He's got a few more scars than when we met. We both do. I keep my gaze on the distorted world reflected in my empty beer glass. Did I have a plan for after the war?

I don't remember thinking I'd survive. I wanted to win, but did I believe we could?

The droid fills the glass and it turns amber and brown. The world gets a little less distorted. I pick up the beer and chug down a swig before setting it down. "I'm just a soldier," I tell Headshot. "Bred and born to fight a war. Nothing more."

"Then what are you going to do?"

An argument has broken out in the corner. I turn and frown at the alien who found himself in the unfortunate position of arguing with two drunk troopers. Someone's going to get clocked soon. We're a primed detonator just waiting to go off. Waiting for someone to hit the right button.

All those dreams of peace can't stop it. We are the GAR, not some droid army that the Empire can deactivate when they're done with us.

I'm tired of sitting on my shebs. If this Empire wants to keep the galaxy safe, I'll be their man. But I didn't come all these years, survive one war, just to get put down like some forgotten pet.

I finish off my beer and stand up. "Nice talk to you," I mutter at Headshot. "I hope you get your wish."

"Where are you going?" He asks, leaning back as I walk away.

I pull on my hat. "To find an empty spot on a front line somewhere."

#star wars #clone trooper oc #dar'aliit fanfic #fanfic #ao3 fic #writblr #chiss #grand admiral thrawn #clones #post order 66 #bad batch era #sneak peek #reblog is appreciated

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astorythatwritesitself · 2 years

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Shepard AMA Round 2

Rounds 1, 3, 4

... in retrospect I should have done these after I went through the series again, but apparently I'm doomed to work backwards. Odds are high I'll go back and edit the originals at some point, I'll probably reblog them with a notice or something instead of whole new posts? In the meantime, these have been delightful to rebuild my hype and at least set something like a direction I want to work towards, and now I'm a bit sad because they're done xD

As always, question sets by @spookyvalentine ! Hope y'all have enjoyed getting to know Adrian, and I hope to have so much more to share in the future, these have inspired so many little scene ideas!

1. Where would your Shepard go back to play tourist? Are they going alone, or bringing someone(s)? - She's actually made a few trips to Illium that were... on paper for 'necessary upgrades and supplies'. Not her fault if the crew get caught up sightseeing and decide it's easier to grab a meal at the lounge!

She also would love to actually like- visit Earth for a decent while, and harbored a small dream of bringing Thane along and checking out the Outback. During the SR1 days, she and Ash also had vague plans of a world tour of famous battle sites for a while (and really considered asking if Wrex wanted in), but that uh. Didn't pan out.

2. Your Shepard is making a sandwich. What’s going in it? - Well average sandwiches usually are some combo of meat, vegetables or cheese & condiments, but that's not exciting, and she's a biotic. Who does heavy combat. Sometimes she hits the state of 'nothing matters but Calorie', and after an enormous amount of biotic heavy fighting on freezing ass Noveria, the crew were witness to a monstrosity of: roast beef, 4 day old pyjak chunks, the end dregs of 3 nut butters (one of which was mostly chocolate), some kind of stewed Tuchankan root vegetable, and blueberry jelly crammed between two hunks of bread.

(In fairness, half of it went to Wrex, and he thought it was great, so everyone else can shut up.)

3. What’s Shepard’s love language? What love languages do they respond best to? -

Ok they all kind of blend into each other, but ultimately: acts of service. On a wider context- Shepard is just... her default nature is a deep, immense love for life in all its myriad forms, even something like the Reapers- and she wants to help that life flourish and coexist as peacefully as possible. Whether it's making sure a beloved wife's body is returned to a grieving husband or working to undo the genophage, so very much of what makes her Shepard is simply a way of saying 'I love you' to all there is.

On a more personal level: Again, blend of all, but she puts in an effort to help her friends with whatever they need, even if it's. Like. -gestures at every loyalty mission-; and she tends to charge headfirst into battle and draw fire so they don't have to take it. (As for receptive to: words & quality time).

Interestingly, in a romantic context she winds up also leaning hard into touch, both giving and receiving. She had kind of withdrawn from much physical contact after Akuze- and it actually was a bit of an awkward dance with Thane (who I've always hc'd as being a very tactile sort) at first, but it worked out in the end; casual time together, they're almost always in some sort of contact. Not even entirely aware of it, either, and Joker decides it's absolutely worth tempting death to tease them about it.

4. What were Shepard’s opinions of Cerberus before waking up on their table? - Oh, absolute loathing, they're the essence of everything she hates about humanity's attitude towards galactic relations; and half her mission during the ME2 era was to try swinging the SR2 crew away.

5. Is your Shepard politically active? Do they stay on top of galactic comings and going’s - She does her best to stay on top of things, especially after becoming a Spectre. In a perfect world where the Reaper war ends and she lives, she'd probably swerve hard into politics, especially campaigning to restructure the council and get some new embassies set up.

6. What would they be doing, if Shepard never joined the alliance? - Diplomat/ambassador, probably; that or xeno-oceanography work. Anything that lets her travel and meet new people!

7. What’s Shepard’s favorite way to let loose? - Friendly combat competition, especially sniping practice, hand to hand, and biotic sparring.

8. Does your Shepard like to be alone? Are they prone to isolate? - She likes quiet time with other people around, but gets cagey when she's completely alone- it's why you'll find her doing most of her work in the mess hall. Even if everyone else is busy, she knows there's a bunch of folks nearby, and that's enough.

9. What does Shepard like to wear when they’re out of the armor? - OK I actually love the on-ship outfit in 1 Fairly comfortable but tries to keep smart when out and about. (Has been spotted wearing a Blasto tee on the ship though.

10. What does TIM think of Shepard at the start of me2? And at the end? - A necessary trouble in the beginning, hoped he could leverage some kind of gratitude debt. By the end? A goddamn pain in the ass, Miranda was right about the control chip. Shepard destroyed the Base, took his ship, and turned the Lazarus crew including the AI to her side. (And there is something extra insulting about the flagrant relationship with an alien, like no you're not using my recruitment suggestions as a dating service!)

11. What does Shepard think of TIM? - Despite everything in her life, Adrian is not a violent person. She would very much work to change hearts and minds through example and logic than at the end of a gun, and wants to preserve as many lives as possible. And still, even with this: she would happily strangle TIM with her bare hands if given the chance.

12. Who is Shepard’s favorite non-companion character? - Also knocking Chakwas, Joker, and Anderson since they've been mentioned a lot & are important lol. Possibly Aethyta!

13. What kind of roommate would Shepard be? - Polite, quiet, always makes sure the fridge is full and rent is on time, keeps the common areas tidy... but her bedroom is half taken up by an aquarium and every flat surface is covered with half-built models and she's up til 4am editing photos and eating Nutella out of the jar, so weigh all that as you will.

14. It’s takeout potluck night with the gang! What’s Shepard ordering, and from where? A krogan-worthy portion of fried meat, veg, and noodles from literally anywhere that puts that together. (It's a remarkably universal sort of dish, right up there with 'boiled grain')

15. If Shepard could have an extremely dangerous and illegal pet, what would it be? - Less one pet and more the aquarium from hell, any sort of pretty sea critter regardless of how toxic it is. (Blue ring octopi are top of the list, followed by a remarkably toxic eel from Kajhe. ... Her real answer is actually more 'I want to take a vessel down as far as is physically possible into Encompassing and keep the biggest thing I find')

16.. What does Aria think of Shepard? - Wary at first because no one can be that nice, and always kind of thinks Shepard’s a naive idiot... but she's a naive idiot who can get shit done, and Aria can kind of respect that.

17. Does your Shepard seek counseling/have a therapist? - The closest thing Adrian Shepard has ever had to a therapist was Kelly Chambers, interpret that as you will. (She kind of meant to find one once in was apparent the Akuze situation had impacted her long term... buuuut then she was assigned to this new experimental ship, lot of talk about important cooperation exercises with the turians, and then everything kind of snowballed and Therapy Doesn't Make For Good Spectre Optics...)

18. Obligatory gang beach episode! What’s Shepard doing? - She's in the water before the question's finished lol. Unless specifically requested somewhere else, she'll be swimming. Possibly even full diving if circumstances allow!

19. What was Shepard’s first interaction with an alien? - Very brief and barely remembered- due to her parents' participation in the First Contact War and subsequent involvement in peace talks, she wound up encountering some turians when she was very young & still not 100% comprehending what was going on, so she just thought they looked cool as hell. (First real interaction was when she was like 6 & wandered off on a small asari station they were visiting, and asking a very nice blue lady for help getting back.)

20. List five songs your Shepard is currently listening to

-Hand That Feeds

- Summer Nights

- To Hide To Seek (yeah in-game song but please imagine, first trip to Illium, Shep's going to the bar for info, and proceeds to drop everything to ask Aethyta 'hey what's playing right now I need this')

-The Stolen Child

-Undertow

21. What companion quest did shepard enjoy the most? What was the most difficult one for them to do? - All of the SR2 ones except Grunt's fucking wrecked her tbh.

The amount if them that came down to broken families hit hard, Jack and Tali's just straight up made her cry afterwards, Thane's was a very wild emotional soup because they were very much Dancing Around Their Emotions but she would later admit that last moment was like the first time she'd really felt anything resembling a parental instinct and dear lord that's a lot to unpack when neither of you have admitted that you're dating yet.

Mordin's just- gutted her. She loves Mordin, they had become pretty solid friends but then facing all that, especially considering her relationship with Wrex? Legion's and Samara's both actually wound up with her having a slight breakdown on the shuttle ride back because they were heavy as fuck... but the hardest one might have been Garrus'.

He was her constant companion in combat from the first run- once he was on the crew, he was always present. He's a dear friend and someone she worries about and wants to turn to a better path... and so torn up and lost that, for a very brief moment at the end-

She knows Garrus always has her back. But as much as she trusts his heart and soul... there was, for just a moment, a point where she didn't quite trust his body to follow suit, and very much accepted that he might take the shot, whoever was in the scope.

Grunt's was fucking great though. She got to see Wrex again, headbutt an asshole, fight a thresher maw, and solidly bring a new member into her growing krogan family. 10/10 no complaints why can't every problem be that easy.

22. Any guilty pleasures? - Old Earth sci-fi/horror, the cheesier and campier the better! (There was serious debate whether to ban her from movie night choices, but she also needs to turn her brain off sometimes and that's about the only time she's not overtly multitasking.)

23. What does Shepard think of Conrad Verner? How do they handle him? - Oh she was weirded the fuck out by even the autograph thing - like thankfully Eden Prime had just happened so she felt vaguely heroic this time (& tangent, she highkey wants to lose her shit on everyone who brings up Akuze because all she did was run away and not die, there wasn't anything commendable there), and just gets increasingly frustrated with the guy as things go on, and is pissed with his shit in Illium because sir, no, I did not give myself a roaring headache resisting the urge to scare you off just for you to claim I pulled a gun on you.

She does come to appreciate the Shepards foundation afterwards though and even offers some help and an official endorsement... after the few months and she's sure he's not coming back...

24. How does Shepard handle house arrest? How do they fill their time? - Oh she would handle it badly. She is good in ships, but very bad at being confined. She'd probably spend a lot of time trying to get messages out to her companions or see how they're doing and just... trying not to fall the fuck apart because now there's nothing to take her attention away from The Horrors, you know?

25. How does Shepard react to meeting Javik, a real life prothean? - Despite my pre-order, I never did redeem that, so she never did xD She'd think it was dope as fuck though, and really consider starting a tally of 'extinct species I've met'.

26. What is Shepard’s relationship with Joker? - BFFs! They crossed paths a lot as kids and kept in touch when they weren't in the same area. Adrian learned some important early lessons in how to work with other people, little Joker wasn't taking any sort of pity or over concern over his health, and she was one of the only kids who seemed to take him seriously. They mercilessly mock each other, and she values his opinion about the other crew members and missions- even if it's not always readily apparent to others.

27. What does your Shepard take pictures of? - She has a long-standing hobby of landscape photography! It started when she was a kid and wanted to get pictures of wherever her family went, and it just sort of persisted and advanced through most of her life; she loves how much opportunity she has to get some rare shots (aided very much by modifing her helmets). She also picked up a habit of getting pictures of her friends around the Normandy or on the Citadel, though these were less carefully taken. (Though she has also gotten at least one Dramatic Fancy shot of everyone over the years.)

28. Who is your voicecast for Shepard? Is it Jennifer Hale/Mark Meer? Do they have an accent? - Hale all the way even though, thinking about it.. iiit doesn't completely make sense xD Like, Adrian's voice was never a problem point for her but she started hormone tinkering early enough that it would've definitely had an effect. But, I can't think of anyone better or specific tones so Hale it is. She would also have some kind of accent for sure, but fuck if I can figure out what it'd be after another hundred or so years of language drift In Space xD

29. What is the perfect day for Shepard? - Beach day with her friends. She has a deep need to see who wins in an all out Normandy crew chicken fight (also 'can everyone together take down Wrex or Grunt'), some time soaking up the sun, looking for cool weird crap that's washed up, good food... just time at her favorite place with the people she loves, where nothing demands their time or blood, and they can just have fun.

(And in a really perfect world scenario, this also includes getting to share a decent dive, or at least swim, with Thane...)

30. What did Shepard think of the thorian? How did they feel about killing it? What did they decide for Shiala? - On the one hand: fucking Terrifying in the same visceral way the Reapers are. On the other: absolutely fucking fascinating and magnificent, and she deeply regrets having to kill it. Shiala lives, like- look, it wasn't her fault she got mind-zapped and eaten by a plant, she ought to get a chance.

31. How did Shepard feel, seeing Legion wearing their old armor? Does that change? - It was startling at first for sure, but she comes to find it kind of sweet.

32. Any vices? - Not really, she's kind of in that weird range of 'doesn't really do anything self destructive but also needs outside reminders for actual self care' xD

33. Is Shepard free with affection, or more reserved? - Oh extremely free- especially with the Normandy crew, she never hesitates with a kind word, gift, or joke for her friends. Good for morale, good for general mood... and you never know how long a crew will be together. The galaxy can always use a little more love.

34. Are there any people out there that betrayed Shepard? How do they handle it? - Liara (answered further below), otherwise I can't think of any particularly notable incidents. Honestly, she has a tendency to cause betrayals.

35. Is your Shepard a biter? (Interpret this as you will) - She prefers to fight fair, so no biting. and scales can be tough

(And no one can prove those things on her neck aren't general soldier's wear and tear, but if anyone wants to speculate about them they're welcome to bring it up while she's doing weapons maintenance yes this especially includes you, Mordin and Chakwas.)

36. What is their relationship with Wrex? - He's the big brother she never had. They butted heads a fair bit early on (literally in at least a couple instances), but she wasn't passing up the chance to spend time with an honest to god krogan battlemaster, and in time developed a great deal of respect for his wisdom and experience. Wrex was intrigued just on the basis of there being a human who would talk to him- and then this human turns out to be interested in galactic politics and is still sympathetic to the krogan? That's Different.

Both are damn near unyielding in their convictions, but respect each other enough to meet halfway. It's Wrex's friendship and history that so strongly spurs Adrian to prioritize the krogan even through everything else that's going on; it's Shepard’s unwavering choice to remain kind and merciful that help draw Wrex out of his rut and into trying to make some changes. By the end, they absolutely regard each other as family. (Wrex was actually my first recruit in my current play of ME1!)

37. Does Shepard have any friendships that surprise the rest of the crew? - See above lol, like- even Joker, knowing Adrian most of her life, was still a little surprised about Wrex. It also threw everyone for a bit of a loop with how chummy she got with Miranda in the end- Shepard and Miranda included.

(The reaction to Thane was actually split among the crew around the time- Garrus and Jacob were insistent she wasnt going to cozy up to an asassin; Grunt and Miranda just observed, Mordin observed with metaphorical popcorn, while Joker and Jack had a running bet on how long before Adrian made a move. They both lost to Kelly.)

38. If Shepard is dropped into the middle of the wilderness for a week, how do they handle it? - Depending on place & supplies she'd probably do okay? Honestly if she can set herself up okay she might just wave rescue off for another week.

39. Does Shepard have a will? What do they want done with their body after they’ve passed? - She has a standing situation of, should she be KIA without recoverable remains, to hold a memorial or celebration of life sort of service on the following April 11th, just anyone who wanted to get together and get whatever closure they can.

If remains: burial at sea. (Amended to cremation and scattering at sea as of ME2).

She didn't have much else until late into the ME2 timeline, where she puts in last minute stipulations of: belongings split among the surviving Normandy crews as they so desired, while any money goes to Kolyat.

40. How does your Shepard react, when Liara says she’s the one that handed their body over to Cerberus? - Coldly. She and Liara were never particularly close, but that's the end of any friendship they might have had. Shepard doesn't disagree about the necessity and benefit, she's not... ungrateful. But she holds Liara at a distance afterwards, even during the ME3 timeframe.

41. They’ve been caught in the rain! How does Shepard react? - Would barely notice or care tbh xD She's trained to endure most weather conditions- and on top of that, hey, rain's the next best thing to a swim!

42. How does Shepard handle the reporters? What are they like in an interview - Likes Emily well enough, politely indifferent to others- in fact, Emily's about the only interviewer who doesn't have to literally ambush Shepard for a talk. She was put off the whole interview scene after Akuze- everyone kept demanding attention when she just wanted to mourn.

Her interviews tend to be short and curt, between her discomfort with them and the knowledge of just how much weight her words can carry, she doesn't want to start an incident with a bad remark, y'know?

43. What was the clone’s fate? Do you think Shepard and their clone could coexist? - non-existence

And sadly I haven't looked into the whole plotline there enough to give much of a hypothetical answer xD

44. What’s the perfect date to sweep Shepard off their feet? - Honestly, giving her one on one attention and having an hour or two to not think about Everything is pretty good.

(OK though actual answer: dinner, drinks, and impromptu poetry recitations at Eternity.)

45. How many unread emails are in their inbox? - Oh they all get opened. Actually read.. ehhh, it varies and it's kind of random which non-vital ones get read. (She did read that one from one of the salarians stuck in Nassana's tower & still teases Thane about apparently causing some kind of sexual awakening for a salarian)

46. What does your Shepard get competitive over? - Endurance trials. Like, going back to before enlisting and working to hold her breath the longest & handle colder water- she's always had a mentality like this:

And that probably explains a lot about her.

47. What museum is your Shepard going to? natural history, science, art… the zoo, aquarium? - Oh lord that's many answers. Galleries are a favorite, and she's extremely intrigued by any sort of cultural heritage exhibit. But either make sure the day is clear or just accept you've lost her unless shooting breaks out if she gets into an aquarium, she will hang around for hours. (Incidentally, everyone on board the Normandy now knows a lot of fish facts, whether they wanted to or not.)

48. What kind of a sleeper is Shepard? Sprawl out, hog the covers, octopus…. How many hours do they normally sleep? - Curled up into a tight ball unless she has something or someone to hold onto (And usually in around 4-5 hour chunks. Also interesting note though: she can sleep damn near anywhere, and dozed off on a lot of quieter Mako missions once Tali took over driving.)

49. Do they have any morning or evening rituals? The fuck's a morning or evening?

For a while, not really- she'd be awake, catch up on things or join in morning exercises if that was a thing; evenings were pretty much hose off, fuck around with whatever still needed doing and sleep as she could.

SR2 era saw her start taking a solid bit of time at the end of the day in meditation or prayer. If nothing else, it was helpful to enforce some daily slots of quiet to better organize her mind; and it became vital in getting her biotic skill back up to speed- everything was rebuilt fine, but she was physically and mentally too fucking wound up for reliable use.

50. What scents in particular draw Shepard in? - Anything like saltwater ofc, but also things along the line of forest greenery or spicy will definitely get her attention.

+1 what, to your Shepard, is a good death - A peaceful passing in one's sleep at an old age after a long, full life. Barring that, so long as it's in the service of doing good, she'll be content.

#shep tag #mass effect #it's been so fun rebuilding her & coming back to this fandom 😭#i've been hesitating at it for a while now but the questions here were the final motivation xD

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starks-hero · 3 years

Text

Right a Wrong

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: You, Sam and Bucky get to work repairing Sam’s family boat. Turns out the boat isn’t the only thing in need of fixing. But with help from you and Sam, Bucky figures some stuff out.

Word Count: 3,745

Warnings: a bit of a make-out session but not enough to be classed as smut, tfatws spoilers! 1x05

a/n: This is a direct result of watching episode 5 too many times. Spoilers below!

|| Part Two ||

Small waves lapped gently against the dock and the afternoon sun warmed your back as you worked on the old boat.

You were standing side by side with Bucky, crowbar in hand as you attempted to pry off the old metal cleats from the boats side, whilst he expertly pulled rusted pipes apart and threw them into a pile. As if on queue, one of the pipes on the opposite side of the ship burst, hissing and spurting out white clouds of steam. You marvelled at how quickly Bucky reacted, quickly crossing the deck and sealing the leak with an abrupt upward turn of the pipe with his metal arm.

"Where did you learn so much about fixing boats?" You teased, motioning to the now fixed pipe with your crowbar. Bucky dusted off his hands.

"I used to work on the docks in Brooklyn before the war." He shrugged, rolling up his sleeves to the elbow and taking a seat on a crate next to you. "I picked up a few things."

He furthered his point by leaning over and pulling at the cleat you'd been grappling with. It came away from where it was attached to the boat's side with ease in Buckys iron grip. He smirked as he tossed the scrap aside and you rolled your eyes.

"Show off."

Bucky chuckled, sitting back as Sam stepped onto the boat. He was carrying a crate in one hand and shook his head when he noticed Bucky's smirk and your dismissive smile.

"Alright, you two." He placed the crate down and pulled out two green bottles, throwing one to Bucky and handing you the other. "Beer break."

Sam took a seat across from you both and you sighed as you opened your beer, raising it up to Bucky.

His annoyance was discredited by the fond smile that broke through his expression as he begrudgingly clinked his bottle with yours. You reached over and did the same with Sam as the three of you relaxed under the heat of the Louisiana sun.

"It's starting to look good," you noted as you glanced around the boat and Sam smiled.

"Yeah, it's coming together." He took a swig of his beer. "You know, Sarah and I were talking." He started and both you and Bucky glanced up at him. "And we could use the help. Don't suppose you two would consider staying around a while? Just till we get a lead on Karli."

The offer caused a noticeable smile to pull at your lips whilst Bucky shifted beside you at Sam's words. His agitation grew and he stood.

"I've got my plane to catch tomorrow, a hotel room for the night," he said, raising his bottle to his lips to hide his doubt. He really didn't have that much of a plan beyond that.

"You're just gonna set me up like that, huh?" Sam asked and Bucky shrugged.

"Well, I don't want to make it weird for your family."

"Just stay here," Sam said and you couldn't help but nod subconsciously. The truth was you really didn't really want to leave. There was something about staying with the Wilson's and spending the day fixing up an old run-down family boat that made everything seem so normal. It gave you a sense of home, a sense of normality that you hadn't had in a long time. For a while, it even made you forget about the flag smashers, Walker, all of it. It was a much-needed break.

"The people in this town are the most welcoming in the world. They don't care if you wear small t-shirts or if you've got six toes or if your mom is your aunt-"

You laughed and Bucky barely hid a chuckle behind a huff of breath and a bright smile.

"Okay, I get it. The people are nice."

You placed your bottle aside and turned to Sam.

"You're sure Sarah doesn't mind?" you asked and Sam's smile only widened.

"She's the one that offered."

Grinning, you sat back and nodded. "Then I don't see why not."

"See?" Sam pointed to you and then Bucky. "Just stay, man."

Bucky shuffled his feet for a moment before finally answering with a begrudging, "Okay. Alright." He didn't say anything else as he turned and walked down the boat.

"He'll come around. He probably just wants his space." You said, picking up your beer. Sam nodded, taking a swig of his own drink.

"I hope you're right."

You woke up feeling more refreshed than you had in a while. Your hands and back hurt slightly from the tiring work on the boat, but it was a dull ache compared to the constant throbbing that came after a mission. Your cheeks were warm, surely as a result of the hours spent out in the sun the day before.

Both you and Bucky stayed the night. Sarah had offered you the spare room and after a solid fifteen minutes of bickering, you finally conceded to Bucky and agreed to sleep in the guest bed. He took the couch.

The sun was just beginning to rise up over the water when you and Bucky both headed back out to the boat. Sam joined you not long after. You worked until mid-afternoon, reluctantly taking short breaks. You fell into a quick rhythm as you worked around the boat. Surprisingly, the three of you seemed to make a pretty decent team off of the battlefield.

"Hey, can you pass me a 12-300?" Sam asked from under the boat's control panel. Bucky reached into the toolbox and placed the wrench in Sam's outstretched hand. A few seconds later Sam was rolling out from under the controls and glaring disapprovingly at Bucky.

"What?"

"I asked for a 12-300," Sam stated plainly. "This is a 10-250."

"No, it's not." Bucky bit back.

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not!"

"Hey, geniuses." You cut their bickering short as both men turned to look at you. You held up the grease-slick wrench that had been misplaced and tossed it to Sam. "You left it below deck when you were working on the engine."

Sam muttered a quiet 'thanks' as he got back to work. Silence settled over the three of you for a few minutes until Sam decided it was getting awkward.

"So, are you still planning on leaving tonight?" He asked from under the station and Bucky nodded, before realising Sam couldn't see him.

"Yeah," he said loud enough for Sam to hear. "I'll be out of your way soon."

You could hear Sam's sigh from beneath you as he clambered back to his feet and stood between you and the super-soldier leaning against the wall of the cabin.

"Well, there's no hurry."

Sam didn't say anything else as he cleaned the oil and grease from his hands with a cloth and stepped off the boat. Bucky sighed and let his head fall back behind him.

"Go," you ordered plainly and he looked up at you.

"What?"

"Go," you said again, nodding your head towards where Sam was walking away. "You both need to talk. Bucky, whatever you're not saying, it's getting to you. So go talk to him."

Bucky hesitated, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He glared at nothing in particular but his gaze softened when it found you and he muttered a quiet, 'fine.' You stepped aside as he made his way past you and stepped up onto the dock, heading after Sam.

"And don't be a smart ass!" You called after him. He didn't reply, but you could only hope that Sam and Bucky's conversation would be somewhat constructive.

"Nice shot!" You retrieved the football from the back of the goal as Cass, Sam's eldest nephew, celebrated his score.

Once Sam and Bucky had left the boat, you had headed back to the house, helping Sarah with any errands or chores, doing anything you could to help out. Sam and Bucky had been gone a little over an hour and you didn't know if that meant their talk was going very well or very not. You'd been sitting rather uselessly on the couch, waiting in anticipation, when Sam's nephews had invited you to play a game of football. And how could you refuse?

You tossed the ball back to the boys who eagerly pounced at it. You were stood in the small goal, allowing both boys to take as many shots as they wanted. AJ stepped forward and kicked the ball, groaning when it flew off to the left, a few meters away from where you were standing and missed the net entirely. He glanced down at the ground, disheartened.

“Hey, it's alright, AJ.” You smiled as you ran to grab the ball and passed it back to him. “Come on, try again.”

With encouragement from his brother, he took the shot and this time the ball planted itself in the top corner of the goal. Both boys cheered as they celebrated and you smiled. You dusted yourself off, your knees and hands covered in dust from the football game as you turned to head back inside the house. Both boys protested as you left but you promised them you'd be back. The more time you spent with AJ, Cass, Sam and Sarah, the more you didn't want to leave. There was something about staying with the Wilson's that made you feel content. It was homely and offered a sense of normality that the last few weeks had caused you to miss.

You entered the kitchen and poured yourself a glass of water. Sarah had told you over and over again to help yourself to anything in the kitchen. You leaned against the counter, glass in hand and just basked in the feeling of not having to worry about donning a suit and risking your life at a moments notice. It was something you could get used to.

“That was adorable.”

Your head snapped up at the sound of a voice and you found Bucky joining you in the kitchen. He was smirking fondly.

“You and the boys.”

You chuckled softly and shrugged. “They're sweet kids.”

Bucky nodded, pulling a glass of his own from the shelf and filling it with water from the tap. It furthered the sense of domesticity that you were really starting to love. He took a seat at the table across from you.

“So,” you started as you placed your own glass aside. “How did it go? You and Sam.”

Bucky chuckled and you couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or genuine, but something about the grin that lingered on his lips had you banking on the latter.

‘‘Not bad,” he admitted eventually with a shrug. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “We talked. He said if I'm going to fix anything, if I'm going to get what's left of him out of my mind.” Bucky subconsciously ran his hand across his temple. “I'm going to have to put in the work. Help the people I wronged instead of just saying sorry.”

You nodded, silently making a note to thank Sam later on. He always had a way with words, he could always get through to people. That's why he was given the shield.

“He's got a point.”

Bucky scoffed and hung his head at your words. “I should have known you'd be on his side.” There was no hostility in his words. He just sounded amused, and maybe a little tired.

“I don't think this comes down to whose side I'm on, Bucky. We both want what's best for you.” You answered honestly and Bucky glimpsed up at you. He anxiously toyed with his hands as you spoke, looking vulnerable, and slightly lost despite how hard he tried to hide it. You knew Sam had already spoken to him, but it couldn't hurt for you to say something as well.

“Look Bucky, telling yourself that you're okay and that everything that happened doesn't matter anymore because you've made 'amends' isn't going to help.”

He sighed, shuffling his feet against the tiles of the kitchen floor. “I know,” he admitted quietly.

“And I know you're probably tired of hearing this but, you're not him anymore, Bucky. You're not the winter soldier. Everything you did whilst you were him wasn't your choice. Just because you remember it doesn't mean that it was your fault. It's not your responsibility to fix it.”

Bucky sighed but didn't interrupt. He was listening. This wasn't like the therapist that he was forced to sit in front of and lie to every other week. This was someone he trusted, someone whose words he valued. Someone he honestly believed could help. He sighed but nodded to show that he was still listening.

“I think Sam’s right,” you said. “It might not be your responsibility to fix everything that went wrong but trying could help. It could give you that closure that you keep chasing after. You need to let go, Bucky. You need to forgive yourself. Maybe you just need the people who are hurting to forgive you first. Then you can learn how to do the same.”

Bucky's expression was unreadable. So many emotions flashed across his eyes you found it difficult to pinpoint just one.

“How do I start?” he asked quietly. It just seemed impossible. There were so many people he'd hurt, so many people he'd wronged. He'd left children as orphans, wives as widows and parents childless. How could he possibly start trying to fix or make all those people feel in any way better?

You smiled softly at his question. “Small. One at a time,” you said simply. “Then just keep putting one in front of the other.”

Bucky considered your words, glancing down at his hands as he thought. Before long, a small smirk pulled at his lips.

“I can't decide who'd make a better therapist. You or Sam,” he joked and you laughed, shaking your head dismissively.

“Well, Sam did council veterans so I think he takes that title.”

“I'd say it's pretty tied,” Bucky said, walking across the kitchen and standing next to you as he washed his glass, drying it off and placing it back on the shelf. The room fell into a comfortable silence.

“Thank you, Y/N.” He said after a moment, his tone sincere and his expression genuine as he looked at you. You nodded, gently placing your hand against his shoulder.

“Don't mention it. You know I'm always here if you need to talk.”

The sound of a football colliding with the wall dangerously close to the window followed by two voice's loudly shouting, 'sorry!' in unison drew a quaint laugh from you both.

“Duty calls.” You grinned, patting Bucky on the back as you passed him. “Team Wilson is missing its goalkeeper.”

Bucky chuckled, watching you go. You crossed the kitchen but his voice stopped you just as your hand reached the doors handle.

“Y/N?”

You turned back around to face him and couldn't help but notice that he seemed a little more apprehensive than he had before.

“Yeah?”

He exhaled slowly, willing himself to tell you what was on his mind.

“I was just thinking things over and you know, I’m leaving today,” he hesitated slightly before glancing up at you. “And I guess I was wondering if you’d come with me?”

Your hand slipped from where it was still holding the brass handle of the door. You tilted your head as your mind fully processed his question. The shock must have been evident in your expression as Bucky rushed to continue.

“I know you're planning on staying here and I get why.” He pulled a tattered red book from his pocket which you immediately recognized as Steve’s. He began absentmindedly turning the pages, running his fingers over the paper. “I want to try and start fixing things, making things right. But truth is I have no idea where to start. I thought that maybe you could help me with that?”

“I thought you wanted your space," you admitted after a moment.

“No.” He shook his head. “That's the last thing I want.”

You thought it over, resting your back against the door. Bucky trusted you, evidently a lot more than you thought he did. Not only was he comfortable enough telling you how he felt and admitting he didn't know what to do next. But he also wanted you with him. It was clear he was holding back, not wanting to overwhelm you by admitting just how badly he wanted you to go with him. But the way he eagerly watched you as he waited patiently for your answer was a dead give away.

You wanted to help Bucky, you wanted to be there for him. If that meant helping him right his wrongs and staying with him during that trying time, at least until Sam got a lead on Karli and the Flag Smashers, then you were more than happy to comply.

“You're sure about this?” you asked and Bucky pushed off the counter and crossed the room, stopping just in front of you.

“Absolutely.” His voice dropped down to a hushed whisper. “Come with me.” His hand gently caught your wrist, his fingers running up your arm. His face was inches from yours now, your breaths mingling. “Please?”

His lips pressed to yours before you could answer and you immediately kissed back. Your hand fell against his shoulder, the other laying gently against the nape of his neck. He groaned quietly against you, his arms finding your waist as he gently guided you backwards till your back met the wall. He pressed into you, his hands roaming up your body and you moaned as he deepened the kiss.

“Yes.” You answered when he pulled away slightly and he smiled against you, relieved. Neither of you said anything else as Bucky sighed and pulled you closer, his thigh slipping between your legs as he pinned you to the wall.

God, he'd wanted to do this for so long. Wanted to kiss you, to feel you against him. He wanted you. Your hand slipped into his hair and you pulled him closer, smirking against him. You'd wanted this just as bad. And you both only had your own stubbornness to blame for taking so damn long. It didn't matter now though. Not as he gently bit down on your lower lip and you slipped your hand under his shirt and felt up his chest. It all felt so natural, so right.

“Ten minutes.”

Both your eyes flew open at the all too familiar voice, Bucky pulling away from you so quickly he only barely avoided falling over a nearby chair.

“I left you two alone to talk for ten minutes,” Sam repeated from where he was standing on the other side of the room, his arms crossed. You tried to subtly smoothen out your clothes whilst Bucky ran his hand through his tangled hair.

“We were,” Bucky said, clearing his throat. “We were talking. We...talked.”

Sam nodded, entirely unconvinced, and smirked. He reclined against the counter, showing no sign of leaving anytime soon. A painfully awkward silence settled over the kitchen as Sam continued to shift his knowing stare from you to Bucky.

The humiliation of the entire situation seemed to get to Bucky first as he clasped his hands together after less than a minute.

“You know, what? I'm leaving in a few hours and I've got to pack so I better just go-” Bucky rambled as he shot you a subtle apologetic look before turning to Sam, who was nodding along in faux agreement to his pathetic attempt of an excuse.

Bucky quickly crossed the kitchen, Sam harshly patting him on the back as he passed him and left the room. Leaving just you and Sam alone. You turned to your friend and found that he was still grinning at you with that same mischievous look in his eyes. You felt like a deer in headlights. In an attempt to act as though Sam hadn't just walked in on you and Bucky making out, you tried making normal conversation.

“Sam, there was actually something I wanted to tell you. I know I said I was going to stay for a while but I guess there's been a change of plan. I-”

“I know.” He cut you off and his smile only widened when you looked at him in utter confusion. “You honestly think he would have asked you to go with him if I didn't tell him to get his shit together first?”

Your confusion slowly melted away and was replaced with a look of disbelief. You laughed despite yourself. You should have known Sam had something to do with it. ‘‘How long have you been playing cupid?” you asked jokingly and Sam chuckled.

“He needs you, Y/N. More than he wants to admit,” Sam said, tone now more serious than before. “Things will be fine here, I'll call you as soon as Torres finds us something to work with. But right now, he needs your help before that hole he's stuck in gets too deep for him to climb out of.”

You sighed as the weight of Sam's words set in. He was right, Bucky really did need you. That wasn't a responsibility you could afford to take lightly. Not that you planned to.

“Thanks, Sam,” you said genuinely and Sam smirked as he crossed the room and pulled you into a hug. He could tell you needed it.

“Anytime.” He pulled away and offered you a warning glare. “But I swear, if you two making out the minute I turn my back becomes a regular thing I'm going to kick both your asses.”

“Got it,” you nodded, barely stifling a laugh.

Sam's scowl melted into a smile and he motioned towards the stairs. “Go on, get your things together. You've got a plane to catch in a few hours.”

You smiled and headed upstairs after Bucky. Sam leaned against the counter with his arms crossed and a satisfied smile. Getting you two together had taken more work than he'd thought. But he knew it would be worth it, you both needed each other. Whether you were willing to admit it or not. And Sam was confident that if there was anyone that could help Bucky and offer him that sense of home and peace that he was so desperately craving, it was you.

tag list: @bakerstreethound @miraclesoflove @doozywoozy @kealohilani-tepise

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #bucky imagine #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #James Buchanan Bucky Barnes #Bucky Barnes #tfatws spoilers #tfaws #tfatws x reader #platonic!sam x reader #sebastian stan x reader #marvel imagine #marvel fic #marvel x reader #1k

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pentechnics · 3 years

Text

Part 1 of A Strange Duet

Assassin!Din x Princess!Reader

Rating: M

Summary: You are a princess, next in line for Sorgan’s throne, and an assassin is sent to kill you. Not just any assassin, though: a Mandalorian. The best of the best. They never miss a mark.

Especially not Din Djarin.

The job? Do away with you before your coronation takes place. Child’s play to someone of his experience. He masquerades as a worker in the castle to try and get to you.

But then the most unexpected development occurs. One that threatens his mission, his nation, and his life.

The one thing that an assassin is never meant to do.

He starts to fall in love with his target.

Series Content: medieval-ish AU, assassin!Din, princess!reader, fluff, slow burn, sexual tension, falling in love, angst, mentions of injuries/scars, depictions of violence, usage of weapons, Din's POV and reader's POV, side character death (of OCs; no SW characters will die)

Notes: I don't think I've ever been so impatient with myself. I have been DYING to post this; I had the idea a while back and actually sat down to write it recently, and my GOODNESS. All the usual things that happen with a new fic happened all at once and I had no idea what to do with myself: the onslaught of ideas, thinking through the order of events/plot shit, playlist creation, skipping ahead to write the scenes I couldn't stop thinking about -- it was so much at once!

With that in mind, this is going to differ from my other multi-chapter fics. It's gonna be less structured. So I'm sorry if it ends up being a bit messy/chapters end up being shorter because of that lol but I hope you'll read along and enjoy anyway! And as always this chapter's kinda all over because I wanted to get all the setup out of the way here so we can just jump in going forward! Please let me know if you have questions!

Let me know what you think/if you'd like to be tagged for future parts! Thank you all so much! ❤️

Chapter content: stabbing

~~~~

“She presents many challenges, Your Majesty. This must be taken care of before it causes the very downfall of Mandalore itself.”

The war room was dark, save for a single light above the large, oval table, its glow bouncing off the various figures surrounding it, each of them covered in armor from head to toe. The Queen’s best generals and admirals lined the seats leading to where she sat at the head.

“General Kryze,” she began, “I have no doubt that your intel is legitimate. What I need are answers. Solutions.”

Her tone was smooth and even, but urgent. The light bounced against her golden helmet as she moved her head. General Kryze turned to the war room’s door.

There stood two guardsmen to whom she nodded. One of them returned the gesture and left the room.

“Your Majesty, I present a plan that is sure to rid us of these concerns.”

A moment later the doors opened once more, the guardsman joined by another Mandalorian, fully clad in silver steel. Its brilliant sheen was blinding, almost an entire light source on its own.

The Queen sat up in her chair.

“Are you suggesting what I think, General?”

Kryze nodded.

“You did train him yourself, Your Majesty.”

The Queen looked back at the silver Mandalorian with a nod of her head.

“Have a seat, Din Djarin.”

~~~~

You sighed as you took a seat next to your mother, the Queen of Sorgan, after another long day.

Evening tea with her was your favorite time of day; it symbolized the end of social interaction and formalities, lengthy lectures from the Queen’s council, and other such preparations for the succession. You were no doubt ready to be Queen, more than happy to step up to the plate, but the work it took to get there was thorough and exhaustive.

Especially since the latest attempts on your life.

There had been several since you made your plans for the nation public. You had support from the majority of Sorgan’s citizens, yet many still were turned off by your ideas. Your approaches included increased rights for lower-class citizens, more equal wealth distribution, and more peaceful relations with other nations. Rich landlords were much too happy with how their lives currently proceeded, and you posed a threat to their privilege. And other nations feared an uprising among their own citizens to demand similar treatment.

“You would hope people were more considerate of each other,” you said as you stirred a couple sugar cubes into the amber liquid. Your mother sighed.

“Yes, my dear. While we have more courteous subjects than most, not everyone is open to such drastic change.”

The two of you carried on, discussing what the first steps of your new implementations might look like. But your mind wandered away from the topic.

“Ma,” you started, “you raised me to do this, and I’m honored and willing, but it upsets me to think of your reign ending.”

You looked into her eyes, a weight settling itself on your heart. Your mother was in perfect health, not an ounce of frailness to her regal figure. But even then she decided to pass the throne onto you early in order to help you through your first years, rather than waiting until she could no longer provide her support.

She had always seemed so untouchable, so invincible to you. She was the only Queen you’d known, and the people of Sorgan loved her. You had been ignoring every warning siren of changing times, each one falling on deaf senses until now. She put her warm hand over yours on the table.

“Sweetheart, don't you worry. It’s nothing more than a title change. I’ll still be here to help you. And I will always be on your side.”

“Just as you’ve always been,” you said with a smile.

“What concerns me is all these attacks,” she said, her tone becoming more serious. You nodded.

“There have already been three in the last two weeks! Even Sir Fett doesn’t know what to make of it.”

“It’s okay, Ma,” you said while squeezing her hand. “We expected this type of backlash from other nations.”

“Still,” she stared deep into your eyes. “It’s only a matter of time before Mandalore itself sends someone. We’ll need to be extra vigilant.”

You stayed silent. She had a point.

As of yet no one had sent a Mandalorian to try killing you. They were expensive, and in high demand all over the world. But with the growing animosity between yourself and some other world leaders, including the Queen of Mandalore, you would not be surprised if one of them worked up the nerve.

“You’re not still sneaking off at night, are you? It’s much too dangerous now.”

You hated lying to her. But you also hated that you had to sneak out in order to feel like a regular person. You never went far, just to an archery range set up for training in the nearby forest. And you never went alone: a trusted group, hand-picked by you, never left your side. And your personal guard, Dame Fennec Shand, was among them. Your mother and this group were the only ones that knew about your little habit.

Your mother had been on board when you began doing it as a teen, seeing as it was the only thing keeping you sane under your father’s domestic tyranny. But that was some time ago now. Since then the excursions slowly morphed into a reprieve from everyday stressors.

“Don’t worry, Ma. I am perfectly safe and well-protected. I don’t leave unless it’s necessary.”

Not a complete lie. Sometimes feeling free was necessary. She sighed, the worry lines on her forehead disappearing.

“It’s not even about the crown, dear, I just can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

“You won’t,” you said quickly. “I promise Ma, I’m going to be just fine. No one’s taking me down without a fight.”

She smiled.

“I’m glad we sent for more staff,” she said, “it’ll be nice to have some more friendly faces around.”

You nodded. Along with more guards, the Queen had recently hired more stable hands, artisans, and other essential staff that would help ensure the palace’s entourage was fully equipped for any major attacks. The idea was exciting given that your normal visits to the citizens of Sorgan were cut down in the name of your safety. You hadn’t spoken to anyone outside the palace in months.

Yet at the same time, the idea that this type of fortification was necessary to protect you and your mother was terrifying.

Your mother must’ve seen the shift in your energy. She cupped your cheek in her hand and tilted your face up to look at her.

“It’ll be alright, my flower. Don’t you worry.”

You smiled and pulled her into an embrace.

“I love you, Ma.”

~~~~

The familiar sensation of steel squelching around flesh flew through Din’s arm, the sound now an insignificant buzz in his ears.

“It’s nothing personal,” he breathed, voice low and neutral. “It’s just a job.”

He cradled the man’s body as he sputtered and struggled for breath, until he fell limp and slumped to the ground below. Din straightened up and cleaned the blood off his dagger before re-sheathing it, looking down at the victim below: a lowly blacksmith from the outskirts of Sorgan who’d accepted a job working with the Queen. A job Din had to take from him to achieve his goal.

He strode over to his horse and retrieved a thick fabric, taking care when wrapping the body up before concealing it underneath a nearby brush.

Din continued down the country road on his trusted steed, details of the job assigned to him days prior fresh in his mind.

Get in, kill the princess, get out.

His life had always been filled with similar vagueness and urgency. He’d been raised by other assassins much more skilled than himself, yet as he grew, his skills had bested them all. All except the Queen herself.

That’s what Mandalore was famous for, after all. Greatest, cleanest, quietest assassins of any nation. They were hired all across the world to deal with the unsavory desires of the wealthy and greedy.

Not that they always resorted to such methods to keep their own power; their military was a formidable force all its own that has won its share of fair fights.

But this was no fight. This was damage prevention.

This had to be discreet. Quiet. Unseen. Professional. Impersonal.

Just like Din.

The target was not an easy one. But according to General Kryze and the Queen herself, even at the behest of Commander Vizla, Din was the best of the best. If anyone could fulfill this task, it was him.

The coronation was set to take place in one year; because of past failures by other assassins, this would need to be a longer process. Din would use this time to settle in and lay low until he could do the deed, stick around just long enough to avoid suspicion, then disappear while everyone was distracted with the aftermath.

And so he rode on through the twilight, scheduled to arrive at the capital city by daybreak, and make quick work of the progressive princess.

~~~~

The following morning, the palace was bristling with kinetic energy. The arrival of new faces stirred up every working person under that roof, including you and your mother.

After every new arrival met you both as a group in the Queen’s chamber that morning, they were divided into their respectful designations and started getting familiar with the rest of the staff. Over the course of the week, you were to visit each area of the palace that they worked in and have a more personal introduction, ensuring you knew every single new face that would be in proximity to you and have a hand in your protection.

Not only was this a precaution to ensure that outsiders could not gain entry to the palace, but it also served as a show of gratitude and respect for the work each staff member did. Too long had they gone without recognition, you always thought. When your father was still around, he never believed in giving such dignity to the people who worked firsthand to uplift his nation.

That attitude disgusted you. With your mother’s support you wasted no time changing that dynamic when your father passed.

Between meetings with the council and other succession procedures, you made time to visit the stables, the kitchen, and the armed guard. Later on in the week, on a cloudy afternoon, you made your way to the structure that housed the artisans’ work area.

Only one new artisan joined the staff: a blacksmith, specializing in forging weapons out of steel. Such a skill was hard to come by outside of Coruscant or Mandalore; you were eager to meet them. Fennec accompanied you as you stepped into the building, where everyone halted their work and stood at attention.

“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” the head artisan, Kuiil, greeted.

“Please, as you were,” you said with a smile.

Kuiil was among your favorite people in the whole palace: always a joy to speak with, and always mindful of others’ well-being. And despite his small stature, he was capable of more than most hoped to be; he could weld, sew, and sculpt, among many other things. Much of Sorgan's more recent industrial success was owed to him.

After a brief catch-up with him, he brought you to the back of the main work room, where your new addition was already working on a project.

His back was turned to you as he shoveled coal into the fiery kiln, the tips of his brown hair damp with sweat, muscles straining against his efforts.

“Mr. Vaun,” Kuiil called, “Her Royal Highness has arrived.”

The man stilled and put down the shovel before turning to face you, his forearm coming up to wipe the sweat from his face.

Your brow rose as you took him in: pointed jaw and nose, silky brown skin, dark brown scruff that matched the short, curly mop on his head. Bushy eyebrows were slightly scrunched together. His breaths came in slow and deep, his chest puffing up with each one and stretching out the thin tunic he wore.

But what really caught your attention were his eyes. They were dark, hooded, yet shimmering with life. Like a stained-glass window that gave way for light, but partially shielded whatever lay on the other side.

They were beautiful. You cleared your throat as heat began to collect in your cheeks.

His gaze darted about before coming to rest on you, his expression tight.

“Your Highness,” he mumbled with a small bow of the head.

Making eye contact with him lit a fire in you. The hair on the back of your head stood, your heartbeat quickening. Something sparked in his eyes as well, something you couldn’t identify. You took a deep breath and gave him a small nod in return.

“This is Din Vaun,” Kuiil said, “he’ll be helping us create more steel weapons. And he’ll also be helping me with the construction of a new wagon I’ve designed.”

“That’s wonderful,” you said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vaun. Thank you so much for joining us.”

Mr. Vaun’s brow scrunched together for a moment before he nodded again.

“Thank you for-” he cleared his throat, “for the opportunity, Your Highness.”

~~~~

Din didn’t dare move a muscle until you and your guard had left the building. It was strange enough having anyone see his face after all these years, but to look directly into the eyes of his target…

That was new.

But there was no other way. In order to blend in, he couldn’t wear his Mandalorian uniform. While there were some citizens of Sorgan who came from Mandalore, the Queen knew them all and was known for screening them before granting them permission to stay.

It never would’ve worked for Din. He’d become a suspect right away once you were dead. He had to take every precaution to keep that from happening.

When Kuiil assured him that he was free to keep working, Din picked up his shovel and went back to tossing coal into the raging flame. Memories of the day before — killing off the unfortunate soul that was supposed to be here, then strategically hiding his Mandalorian gear before arriving — flashed in his mind.

Taking it off irritated every first instinct he held.

No one in Mandalore removed their helmets in front of people outside their families. Since Din did not have one, he did not remove it unless he was alone. That was the way. Only the Queen and some of his peers knew his face, and even they hadn’t seen it in decades. She had granted him a pardon for this job, but that did not erase Din’s guilt.

Even when he got here, he didn’t dare make eye contact with anyone.

But then you walked in. And for some reason he couldn’t help himself.

Din had never felt more naked, more vulnerable, than he did under your gaze. It was as if your bright eyes peered into his very soul. Goosebumps rose all over his skin. Some kind of spark was lit in the very pit of his stomach.

Was that normal?

Din sighed as he shoved one last pile of coal into the fire, staring into the flames to distract his mind. His jobs had never before required him to outfit an opposing army with some of the best craftsmanship in the world, but there was little he could do about that now. If success meant sacrificing a few swords and spears, so be it.

Plus, it gave him a small piece of familiarity to cling to.

~~~~

“Where is he from again?” you asked Fennec on your way back to the main palace.

“I’m afraid I don’t know, Your Highness. I’ll be sure to find out for you.”

“I’ve never seen eyes like his before,” you muttered to yourself.

And you really hadn’t. They had a certain fire to them, something alive and bursting with energy, unlike anything you could’ve imagined. The sight of them was eternally pinned to your mind’s eye, the moment you spent staring into them replaying any time you so much as blinked.

Your next activity for the day was a combat lesson. At your request, and despite the former King’s disapproval, you were being trained to fight. With any and all weapons, and with your own hands as well. After years of practice you were now a master archer and sword fighter, along with some other choice weapons. Your current lessons were in hand-to-hand combat as well as jousting lances.

But what you truly wanted to learn was something no one in the vicinity was able to teach you: spear fighting.

You weren’t sure why you were drawn to spears. Perhaps it was the wise tales your mother used to tell you as a child. Or the histories you used to read about that described how your ancestors used to use them. Regardless, every spear master in the Queen’s army was currently at Sorgan’s borders to screen any and all entries and exits, serving as the nation’s first line of defense.

You changed and spent an hour practicing hand-to-hand combat with Fennec in the palace’s sweatroom: an area your mother had converted solely for you. The former ballroom gained much more use with its revamp, now sporting various equipment and weapons in the corners and along the walls, cushioned mats all around, and a view of the courtyard below from the grand windows.

Guards were stationed outside the door and on the balcony that lined the room anytime you were inside. This way you were given privacy to train, but should you need them, every guard would be able to hear you from their post.

You were getting better at blocking Fennec’s hits and returning them with your own. As she swept in with her leg you jumped up to dodge and tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms on either side of her head.

“Well done, Princess. Nice dodge.”

You chuckled and caught your breath as you helped her up. Your favorite part about these lessons was having your instructors be less formal with you. You made it clear they could address you however they pleased in this room, that rank was no factor. It established their agency and built a sense of trust you otherwise wouldn’t have.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Your Highness, it’s time for the council meeting.”

You groaned.

“Why so glum?” Fennec asked.

“As interesting as these meetings are,” you started, wiping down your sweaty face with a cloth, “they are also incredibly long. My mind can only absorb so much at once.”

“Well, perhaps we can arrange something more relaxing for you this weekend. A treat for getting through them.”

She winked at you, and you grinned.

“Gather the gang, set a time.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

~~~~

At the end of that week, on Saturday morning, Din made his way into the palace with the rest of the artisans for breakfast. Apparently you let all the staff members eat in the palace’s dining hall and feast on food made by the royal chefs. This wasn’t the type of treatment Din expected. Given Mandalore’s customs, it was confusing.

He eyed the large dining area as he walked through. Up until then he just sat with Kuiil while he ate, but it was about time he started gathering information.

His intel told him that the golden pauldrons worn on the right shoulders of the armed guard soldiers meant they were Commanders. Two golden pauldrons signified Generals, and golden helmets signified Admirals. There were not many Generals or Admirals to be seen around the dining area, but Din spotted a couple Commanders.

In the far corner one sat alone. Perfect, Din thought. Surely this guard wouldn’t remember talking with a random staff member, and he may be able to learn a helpful thing or two.

Once Din received a tray of food, he pretended to search for a seat before making his way towards the guard.

“Pardon me, may I join you? I’m afraid the other tables are full.”

The guard nodded and waved him over. Din sat across from him.

“I don’t recognize you, are you new here?” he asked.

“Yes,” Din started, “just arrived a few days ago.”

The guard nodded and held out his hand.

“Cobb Vanth.”

“Din Vaun.”

It felt strange to use an alias. Another thing no past job required of him. Though it did provide a sense of security, like he was still able to hide a piece of himself from the world.

“Pleasure to meet you, Din,” Cobb said with a crooked grin. “Tell me, what do you do ‘round here?”

“I’m a blacksmith,” Din said in between bites of food. “I specialize in steel weapons.”

Cobb’s brow raised.

“That’s a pretty rare skill. Where you from where you could learn to weld like that?”

Din gulped and mentally began to scan a world map. There was only one other nation as well-known for its steelwork.

“Coruscant.”

“Ah, makes sense.”

“How about you?” Din asked, trying to steer the conversation away from himself.

“I’m from Tatooine. Tiny little district called Mos Pelgo that got taken over back in the Bandit days.”

Din nodded. The Bandit Days referred to the purging of most of Tatooine by foreign invaders. They’d since been run out, but the nation was left in ruins.

“Luckily I made it out before it got real bad. Found my way here, and the rest is history.”

“It’s interesting how this place operates,” Din said, “I didn’t expect to be treated this way by royalty.”

“They are made different here,” Cobb said with a nod. “Unlike most, the Princess and the Queen see us all as humans. And they treat us as such. Though the King wasn’t like that, the old bastard.”

“What do you mean?”

“The King was basically like any ol’ tyrant you could imagine. Always scowlin’, had to get his message across by yellin’. Made Her Majesty and Her Highness miserable.”

Cobb shook his head and bit into his food. Din scrunched his brow. This guy was talking about the royals as if they were his family.

“The Princess pushed for better treatment of palace staff while he was around, but he always ignored her. Didn’t stop her from sneakin’ around and doin’ it anyway.”

Din ate a mouthful of bread, unsure of what to do with this information.

“Now that the old creaton is gone she really stepped up and made sure we were taken care of. And so we do that in return when we can.”

Now that was interesting.

“How’s that?”

Cobb eyed Din with a brow raised.

“However she may need.”

He left it at that and revisited his meal. Din gave a small nod and did the same. These dynamics were going to make it difficult to learn anything useful.

“Room for one more?”

Din looked up to see a familiar woman in black armor settling into a seat at the small table.

“Ah, Miss Shand,” Cobb started, tone playful, “there will always be room for you.”

She waved him off and turned to Din.

“You're the new blacksmith, correct? Mr. Vaun?”

Din nodded as he finished chewing on his food. He cleared his throat and held out a tentative hand to her, hoping that mimicking Cobb's gesture would come off the right way.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Fennec Shand,” she said as she shook it with a grin.

“Can’t believe we got someone from Coruscant,” Cobb said, “Queen must be thrilled.”

“It is pretty lucky,” Fennec responded, “was there a reason you left Coruscant?”

She eyed Din with a certain level of skepticism, her eyes seemingly searching for some kind of clue. Din took a breath, trying to come up with an answer.

“I, um,” he started, “I left Coruscant not too long ago. Wanted to travel, explore new places.”

Even to Din it was a dumb answer. He inwardly cringed as he waited for Fennec and Cobb to react. They were silent, as if waiting for him to continue.

“My life there wasn’t much, I…” he paused and thought for a moment, thinking of how to expand. “I wanted to do something more with the skills I have. And the chance just wasn’t there in Coruscant.”

Fennec nodded.

“That’s very noble.”

The three of them made idle chit chat after that, talking about other new arrivals and telling anecdotes from various little moments around the palace. Din mostly listened, searching through their words for any information that may help with the job, and berating himself for how he handled what few questions he was asked.

No prior job had required this much talking.

Din finished up his meal and excused himself from the table, ears still listening in as he walked away.

“Oh, and Cobb-” Fennec said, “meet us for a session at the stables.”

Din's brows shot up; that was obvious code for something.

And he was going to find out what it was.

~~~~

That night, you were finishing the laces on your riding boots just as a soft knock sounded at your door.

“Come in,” you said.

Fennec came through with a grin.

“You ready, Princess?”

You returned her smile and nodded.

“Let’s do it.”

The two of you snuck through the dark and silent corridors of the palace, making your way down the grand staircase and through the foyer to reach the stables. Yellow candlelight bounced off the walls and along the surrounding surfaces. The faces of your ancestors that were immortalized in portraits partially came to life under their glow.

Awaiting you among the rows of horses were Cobb, Sir Fett, your seamstress, Omera, and Koska, another member of the guard. You and Fennec stepped through the hay-strewn cobblestone to reach them.

“Are we all set?” you asked Sir Fett.

“Ready when you are, my dear.” he said with a grin.

With that you led them out towards the exit, but stopped short when you spotted a new horse at the end of the row.

She was gorgeous; a grey coat with dark spots in some areas that seemed to shine against the dim yellow light, a mane blacker than the void itself. She was a decent specimen, nothing overly fancy. Yet something about her entranced you. Her head drooped as she slumbered. You resisted the urge to reach over the gate and pet her.

“Whose horse is this?”

“I believe it belongs to one of the new arrivals,” Sir Fett responded.

“She’s beautiful,” you whispered.

After another moment of admiring the steed, you pushed on. The group’s horses were already saddled and ready to ride just outside. You mounted yours and gently coaxed him forward down the dirt path that lined the outskirts of the palace. The cool air of the night ignited every goosebump in your arms with its bite; you shivered against it.

The world around you was almost pitch black, save for the soft moonlight that outlined each stone in the palace walls and each tree that protruded out of the ground. Fennec, Sir Fett, Cobb, and Omera were carrying lanterns that mixed their ochre hue into the night as well. The group soon headed off palace grounds and into the dark forest ahead. The smell of pine overwhelmed your senses.

Despite the increased danger that accompanied the night, you couldn’t help smiling as you took in its beauty.

Throughout every era of your life, you lived for the night. It was your friend, your confidante, your savior. It kept your stressors away, whisking you into its fantastical bliss whenever you so much as glanced into the starry sky above, or gazed at the ever-present moon. The night gave you freedom, gave you purchase to pursue the types of happiness that you didn’t have the time for otherwise.

A sudden rustling pulled you from your thoughts and had you halting your horse. Everyone else followed suit, slowly surrounding you.

“Which direction did it come from?” you whispered to Fennec.

“Behind us.”

Sir Fett turned his horse around.

“Stay put, Your Highness. Koska, with me.”

The two of them guided their horses down the way you all had come. You held your breath and waited, your hand gripping the handle on your sword.

“Show yourself,” Sir Fett called, “There’s no use running.”

Silence.

Then a sudden thud.

Every head turned in the direction of the noise.

In the path before you, a tree branch had fallen right where you would’ve passed through.

“Forgive me,”

You turned towards the voice to see Mr. Vaun standing before you all, hands raised in the air.

“I heard noises and wanted to investigate. When I noticed the weakening branch I wanted to distract you without frightening you. My apologies, Your Highness.”

His story sounded off in a way. You dismounted your horse and made your way towards him.

“Your Highness-”

You cut Sir Fett off with a hand in the air, your eyes not leaving Mr. Vaun’s.

“How did you notice the branch, Mr. Vaun?”

“I could hear it crackling,” he said, “It’s a very quiet sound but a trained ear can perceive it.”

“A trained ear?” you pressed.

“Yes.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. Why would a blacksmith have such training?

“Why did you investigate on your own?” you asked.

His eyes bore into yours. Even in the dark of night, their fiery brown irises inspired a flame of your own under your skin.

“I used to be a guard back home. It’s an instinct of mine.”

“You were a blacksmith and a guard?” you raised a brow.

“Yes,” he said, “that’s not uncommon in Coruscant.”

You raised your chin as you took in his words. Fennec had mentioned learning he was from Coruscant; it only increased the mystery around him.

Coruscant was very unlike Sorgan, but not in ways that were negative. Their customs and traditions were as unique to them as those of any nation, but things like this were a stark contrast to Sorgan, where guards and blacksmiths didn't have enough common training for one to easily become both.

That would at least explain how he heard the tree branch, you thought. You squeezed the handle on your sword.

“Tell me, Mr. Vaun, how good are you with a weapon?”

His lip twitched upward in what looked like amusement.

“Good enough, Your Highness.”

You narrowed your eyes. The air between you both was suddenly thicker. Even though there was a distance between you, it seemed as though his very eyes were feeling their way around your skin, dissecting your every move. You stepped closer to him until he was just a couple feet in front of you.

You had to look up to maintain eye contact as he towered over you. You tilted your head as you took in his features under the moonlight teasing through the trees; sharp contrasts outlined the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks, along with his chin and forehead. His eyes seemed to glow in the night, their warmth thawing out the darkness around them. His lips were in a firm line across his face, a slight plumpness visible among their shadows.

You smirked. Time to test his confidence.

In the blink of an eye you drew your sword and swung. He reacted with unexpected practice and ease, dodging your blow and moving behind you, grabbing your arm and positioning the sword at your neck, the other pinned behind your back.

Adrenaline surged through your veins. His breath tickled your ear, the warmth from his hands burning into your skin. You were amazed at how big they were; your own dwarfed in comparison. His heart thumped against your back. Even, but fast.

You turned your head to look at him. His face was just inches from your own. He returned your gaze, eyes darting down to your lips for a brief second.

You heard horses shuffling about behind you.

“It’s alright,” you called, unable to look away from him. “I’m fine.”

You stayed in his grip for a prolonged moment before stepping away and sheathing your sword, his grip on you slipping and his warmth leaving with it. The air felt twice as cold as it did before.

“Had to see for myself, after all,” you said with a breathy laugh, despite your shaking nerves. “Talk is cheap around here when it comes to skill.”

Fennec shook her head with a chuckle.

Mr. Vaun looked between you and the group behind him, confusion etched all over his expression.

“Come with us,” you said with a smile. “You can ride with me.”

He seemed even more confused. You didn’t give him room to ask questions before ushering him towards your horse.

“I don’t know about this, Princess,” Sir Fett said, genuine concern coating his words. You smiled at him.

“I have some of the best warriors in Sorgan right here,” you started, turning around to face the group. “If he somehow fucks up, I trust he’ll be dead before any of you could take a breath.”

You looked back at Mr. Vaun.

“But I have a feeling he’s not going to…”

He gulped under your gaze. You smirked and raised a brow at him.

“Are you now, Mr. Vaun?”

His eyes betrayed a sense of foreboding that you couldn’t fathom. But there was a hint of admiration among them as well. He shook his head.

“Good.”

You walked ahead and mounted your horse, holding your hand out to him. He stared at it, then looked around to the rest of the group before taking it.

Electricity bloomed between your skin and his. It took everything you had not to flinch away. He hoisted himself up behind you, his chest pressed flush against your back, his thighs hugging yours. You took a deep breath and embraced the warmth he provided as you turned your horse and nudged him forward.

The ride to the archery range seemed longer than usual. Having Mr. Vaun pressed against you was doing something to your senses; you could only seem to focus on his presence. He was warm, still, heartbeat steady against your back once more. Part of you wanted to lean into his chest. Another part of you feared for your life as you replayed him disarming you with a scary type of precision. He had the blade of your sword pressed just above the skin of your neck before you could even register that he moved.

You had no reason to believe he would, but what was to stop him from dropping you where you stood?

And why was that so thrilling?

The group halted once the forest parted and gave way to the archery range: a vast rectangular clearing fenced by the trees of the surrounding forest, more than open enough for a team of archers to practice in peace. It was almost like its own field of reality, independent of the earth around it. Posts designed to hold arrows stood in a line close to you while targets were placed on the far end. You let Mr. Vaun dismount first before hopping off your horse and tying him to a nearby tree. The rest of the group followed suit and you all gathered in a circle in the grass.

“What’ll it be tonight, Princess?” Fennec asked. You stroked your chin in thought, taking in the group surrounding you.

Including yourself there were seven of you: one more than usual. You eyed Mr. Vaun as he looked down at the grass; he was broad, muscles smooth yet thick underneath his tunic. Tall, but not wonky. He should be able to keep up with our usual activities, you thought to yourself.

You channeled the events of the week through your mind, searching through them for the release you’d been lacking. Endless meetings, sitting down and listening to swarm after swarm of new information about other nations, other nobility, and changing political climates. You had been surrounded by conversations concerning potential battle, peace talk strategies, and overall fear and rigidity.

You smiled as you thought of the perfect activity.

“Let’s start with some good old-fashioned sparring,” you said, “then we’ll shoot some arrows.”

“I call Boba,” Koska called with a grin. “I’ve been waiting for an excuse to punch you in the lip, old man.”

Boba laughed and shoved her shoulder.

“Easy there, little one.”

They ran off to begin sparring while you eyed the rest of the group.

“I’ll take watch, Princess.” Cobb said as he raised his hand.

“You sure?”

He nodded.

“Better than getting my ass kicked by any of you lovely ladies.”

With a chuckle he ran off to remount his horse.

“Fennec, why don’t you spar with Omera tonight?”

“Sure,” Fennec gave Omera a nod. Her cheeks turned a rosy pink as she nodded in return and headed off.

You smiled at them before looking towards your remaining partner. He was still staring down at the ground.

“You seem uncomfortable, Mr. Vaun.”

He quirked his head before sighing.

“This is just a very different environment than I’m used to, Your Highness.”

“I understand,” you said with a nod. “I don’t expect that the royal family of Coruscant would do things like this.”

He nodded.

“But if you’re going to be part of this little group of mine, you'll need to be okay with being a little less formal. That’s the best part of these outings.”

He dragged his eyes up to meet yours.

“You only just got here, I understand that it’ll take time. For now let’s just spar.”

You stepped up to him, but he didn’t move from his position.

“Simple stuff,” you said with a shrug. “The goal is just to pin the other person down first. Don’t be fooled by Koska and Sir Fett, no brawl needs to be had.”

His lips twitched upward. You gave him a smile.

“What do you say?”

His eyes searched yours, curiosity dancing about in their brown glow. Your smile grew a bit as you waited for his response.

After a moment he nodded and stepped forward. You began to circle each other, gaze unbroken.

Neither of you said a word. You continued staring each other down for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually his eye darted behind you to the other two pairs going at it.

That’s when you charged.

You came at him with lightning-fast speed, aiming to tackle him down. He swerved around your arms and tripped you. You stumbled forward but found your footing just in time to pull the same trick on him. With a huff he fell to the ground; you pressed your heel to his neck.

“Nice try,” you said.

He looked dazed. Confused. It was your favorite look to get from an opponent who didn’t know your strength.

“Wait,” he breathed, “is the rule to get your opponent on the ground, or to pin them down?”

Your brow shot up. You tried to jerk your foot away, but it was too late.

He grabbed onto it and dragged you down with him, arms pressing onto your shoulders. You let out a laugh and rolled him over.

The two of you traveled through the grass, desperate to keep the other still. His touch was so warm and firm against your chill. Finally you were able to press your knees to his sides and your legs over his hips to keep him below you, your arms firmly planting his shoulders on the ground.

He looked even more confused than before, eyes wide and lips slightly parted as he caught his breath. You were catching yours as well; his arms were sprawled out on either side of his head, yet their firm grip was stained to your skin.

His chest heaved beneath yours. You couldn’t help matching his pattern. His eyes summoned that same flame deep within you from the day you met him, the one you didn't understand. What was it about him, you wondered. You tried to push the thought aside and regain your playful demeanor. You leaned in closer to him with a grin.

“Pin ‘em down,” you whispered, “Thanks for the reminder.”

~~~~

When the group returned to the stables, Fennec took your horse and returned him to his slumber. You stood outside with Mr. Vaun, the rest of the group loitering nearby.

“You know, I enjoyed having you along tonight.”

“Thank you.”

“You put up quite a fight,” you said with a chuckle. “It was refreshing.”

“How so?” he asked. You shrugged.

“I guess I just get the feeling that the others go easy on me. It might just be subconscious, but it’s there.” You gave him a smile. “It was nice to get a fairer fight.”

He gulped and gave you a nod, his energy becoming timid once more.

“I’d love for you to join us next time, if you’d like. As long as I can count on your discretion.”

“My discretion?”

You nodded, your tone becoming more serious.

“Very few know that I do this. And I technically shouldn’t be now, given recent events.” You stepped closer to him.

“If you’re to join us, this must be kept silent. Is that understood?”

He looked you up and down before nodding.

“Good,” you said with a smirk. You patted his chest with the back of your hand and turned to head in the stables.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Vaun.”

Fennec met up with you next to the stable that held your horse.

“Are you sure about this, Princess? We don’t know him yet.”

You shrugged and looked back the way you came.

“I’ve got a feeling about him. Like he might be hiding something, or that there’s just something more to him. I want to find out what it is.”

“Should you really be running towards unknowns right now?”

“I know,” you turned back to her. “I really shouldn’t. But I have you all to protect me. It’ll all be fine.”

You stopped there, but there were a million more thoughts in your head. You didn’t mention the mysterious heat that erupted in your gut whenever you looked at him, the tingling sensation left over from his touch, or the way his peculiarly strong fighting skills had you feeling a new type of thrill that you so desperately wanted to chase.

Or the amount of fascinating falsehoods that lurked within his words.

~~~~

As you and Fennec weaved your way through the palace, you replayed the look on Omera’s face when you paired them up.

“How was sparring with Omera?” you asked.

“Fine,” she said with a shrug. “She’s very capable.”

You smirked. Omera’s crush on Fennec was more obvious than the sun in the sky, yet somehow Fennec was clueless to it. You wondered how long Omera would wait before saying something.

When you got back to your room, Fennec bid you goodnight before taking her post outside your door.

You had multiple guards on most nights, but when you snuck out it was necessary for Fennec to take an extra shift. You felt guilty each time for depriving her of a couple hours of sleep that she definitely needed. But she never complained.

You were lucky to have her. Every day you were thankful for her, and for every other person that worked so hard to uphold the palace you called home.

As you got ready and settled into bed, you replayed the night’s events in your mind. The memory of Mr. Vaun’s body tangled with yours while you were rolling around, his large, calloused hands pressing your shoulders down, felt like a phantom floating above you. As if he were still right there, staring at you with those mysterious brown eyes.

You turned onto your side and nuzzled into your pillow.

Having new people in the castle was a good change of pace, but this was a much more drastic shift.

~~~~

This was the polar opposite of laying low.

The events of the night before replayed in Din’s head while he poured the liquid steel into its mold.

He only meant to follow you to see if he could learn your routine, to see if he could sneak up on you when the time came.

He hadn’t expected a brigade of Sorgan’s best to be taking you for a joyride.

And he certainly hadn’t expected to join in.

Damn that tree branch. He could’ve let it crush you, but then he wouldn’t get paid. The only way to prevent that was to reveal himself to you. But the resulting outcome complicated everything.

His job required that his presence be quiet, that he keep his head down and blend in. But he failed, and now you had a new expectation for him. And if his interactions up to now said anything about you, this meant all of Sorgan’s highest ranking personnel would notice if he were to suddenly vanish after your death. He had to rethink his timing.

Yet on the other hand, that excursion taught him things about you he would not have otherwise known. He may have held back during your wrestling match, but not by much. Your strength was impeccable; it impressed him. You were much more than the frail royal he assumed you were. Watching you shoot bullseye after bullseye was also eye-opening; who knew a Princess would be a master archer as well?

His mind continued to wander, moving back to the moment you tested him. He had to hold himself back from accidentally cutting you down with your own sword, and the look in your eyes was still stuck in his mind. You looked frightful, yes, but something else was flirting with it. Something he couldn’t identify.

Something he wanted to see more of.

Seeing your eyes so filled with light and life, something he could never see through his helmet, sent a shiver down his spine.

You were something else. It wouldn’t be as easy to kill you as he initially thought. His whole plan needed rethinking.

The skin of his shoulders began to tingle, right where you'd touched him. Every inch of him was burning when he got back to bed that night, and he laid awake with the phantoms of your arms and legs pinning him down; when was the last time anyone had laid their hands so close to his skin? He couldn't recall.

He took a deep breath. It was too much.

First your eyes, now your touch.

All too quickly you were exposing him to aspects of life that never occurred in Mandalore. And he wasn't sure what to do about it. Every alarm began screaming in his head.

This was not the way.

So why was he so intrigued by it?

****

ASD taglist: @fisforfulcrum

perm taglist: @booksarekindaneat @bluemacaron @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @whataenginerd @christina-loves @literallydontlook @the-little-ewok @salome-c

#the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin x reader #assassin!au #new fic #assassin!din #princess!reader #a strange duet #my writing #i must've proofread this thing a billion times #but i may have still missed something so #just letting you all know lol #i was just too damn excited for this #originally i planned to have vamp!Din done before this but whoops

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bestruction · 3 years

Text

Falling in love with a marleyan pt.2

N/A: It was really hard to write for Eren because of all of his background. That’s why I’m insecure about this one. I hope you can enjoy

You can read the part 1 here

- Eren Jaeger

After the war that started in Marley because of the failure of the founding titan's mission, the government sent marleyan nurses to the hospital of the Liberio District. Since many people had died on the battlefield, it would take some time for the eldian medical unit to fully recover.

You were one of them.

It wasn't your first time taking care of war survivors, but putting your feet inside the district's central hospital and seeing all those poor souls made your heart sink in your chest. The atmosphere was heavy, especially since the other nurses who were with you saw no reason to care for and treat eldians.

What was the purpose of the war? This? More blood and hatred?

You were in charge of caring for the patients in ward B. After a long day cleaning your patients' psychological and physical wounds, you felt relief when you reached the last one.

"Mr. Kruger" was what the chart said and notes below about his amnesia, left eye, and leg.

"Good night, Mr. Kruger"

"Good night, nurse"

"You can call me by my name," You said, pointing to the badge on your chest. "We're going to see each other a lot from now on"

He looked at your face and then at your arm, noticing the lack of the armband.

"You are marleyan" he stated

"Yes, I am" You pulled up a stool to sit "Have you had any pain in your left eye or in your leg?"

"No, nurs-" he interrupted himself and looked at your badge before completing the sentence with your name.

"That's good. Please look at my index finger"

You moved your finger from side to side to test his reflexes.

“I'll need to change the bandages on your leg to make sure it is healing well, and the next week, we will look at your eye ”

He nodded, and you bent down to undo the bandages wrapped around the man's leg. To your surprise, there were no scars or even stitch marks.

"You must have an incredible body, Mr. Kruger" you exclaimed, touching his knee looking for any signs of injury "It's almost as if it's regenerating"

"It would be incredible if that were possible"

"Yes of course! It's just my imagination"

Carefully, you bandaged his leg again. Since he said that he would feel better even if he didn't need to. Of all your patients that day, the man with the long brown hair seemed to have something different about him. He was not in paranoia or outlined any kind of stress, but probably thanks to his amnesia.

You helped him sit down, undress for the bath, sit in the wheelchair, and waited at the door until he was finished to help him get dressed again.

That was your first night with Eren Kruger, one very similar to that of the other patients.

The week dragged on at the Central Hospital of Liberio. In the afternoon, it was time to take the most mentally stable patients for a walk around, and as the days passed and repeated, the more you watched Kruger.

Even during the afternoon hours, he did not walk around like the rest. Unlike other patients with amnesia, he didn't even try to search for a loved one or recover some memory. He was unusual, and you were curious.

Every day, you went to his room to perform the same procedure.

"Good night, Mr. Kruger" You greeted him after entering his room, and he responded by saying your name.

"You look tired"

"Is that your way of telling me that I've been prettier?"

You placed his dinner tray on the small, simple table there and sat next to him on the bed.

"No, just tired, but still beautiful"

You smiled at him more than you would like.

"I will test your reflexes as usual and then I will assist you in the shower as usual"

He was always your last patience. He was the best in health and with whom you talked the most.

"Aren't you going to let me see your eye yet?" You asked, helping him to take off his coat.

"You said it wasn’t necessary since I didn’t feel pain"

You shrugged. He probably didn't want to show it because of vanity.

"It is a pity. I really like the color ”

"Why you say that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm an eldian, but unlike other nurses, you don't seem to be disgusted by your work"

"Why would I, Mr. Kruger?" You asked, unbuttoning the last button on his shirt "I'm sure the blood runs here" You said, placing a hand on his chest "It's the same one that runs here" and completed placing his hand on your chest "We are the same ”

You didn't notice, but Eren Kruger frowned before pulling your hand away abruptly. At that moment, you thought you were over the line. A silence fell over the two of you after such a simple sentence. That was how the night ended, with you two in silence.

Honestly, Eren Kruger had not been offended by your words but intimidated. The last thing he expected to hear from a marleyan was something like that. Eren was intimidated by your kindness.

Kruger was not just your patient. After that few months, he was your friend as well. It was not easy for you to establish a relationship with the other nurses. The marleyan who came with you avoided you because they saw the way you treated the eldians. The eldian nurses did not know what to expect from you, so they kept their distance. He was the only person you could talk to. After what happened, you were afraid that you had ruined things between you. So in an attempt to apologize, the next day, you took a chessboard to entertain him. It was a simple thing, but it was what the hospital protocol allowed.

When Eren saw you enter the bedroom door carrying the dinner as usual and a box, he thanked you for the poor lighting, or maybe you'd have noticed the blush that appeared on his cheeks when he heard you saying "Good night"

He answered you, but he did not look you in the eye. You left the tray of food on the bed and dragged the wooden table in the room to the front of him.

"I thought we could play a little bit" You suggested showing the box.

"It would be a great idea"

You set up the board on the table after dinner, and in silence, you started playing. You were surprised at how strategist the man in front of you proved to be and even more when he won the game.

“I bet you were a great soldier in the war. Why no one comes after you?"

He remained silent, and you sighed.

“I know I made you uncomfortable yesterday, but it was not my intention, Mr. Kruger. I hope you can forgive me ”

Eren looked at you and blinked a few times.

"You didn't ... You didn't do anything wrong" He ran a hand through his hair "I didn't expect to find someone like you in a place like this"

"Well, I didn't expect to find someone like you either"

The silence fell over you two again, but this time in a cozy way.

"Let me prepare you for your bath"

You took off his coat, unbuttoned his shirt, helped him remove his pants, and sit in the wheelchair before taking you to the bathroom.

Everything as on other days, just like with the other patients. So why did your heartbeat so fast against your chest?

"Good night, Mr. Kruger," You said about to leave the room.

"Eren"

"Hm?"

"Please call me Eren"

"Yes...Good night, Eren"

Your foolish heart was beating so fast that you could barely sleep through the night. The blood hit the walls, reverberating his name in your head, and the same happened with the eldian lying in his bed meters from you.

Time passed quietly, with the two of you talking during the afternoon outings and his daily checks. Eren loved those moments. Being with you brought back a part of him that he thought he lost some time ago.

You made that place without colors, the closest thing he could call home.

You liked how things were between you, but you were afraid.

Nothing good would come from a relationship that shouldn't exist, and you would be sent back to your city soon. So there was nothing to do about it. You thought Eren Kruger would become a good memory, and maybe he would have if you hadn't noticed him handing a letter to Falco.

The moment you saw him hand the paper over to the boy, it all made sense. So he didn't try to find out who he was because he already knew, but why stay in the hospital? Why pretend amnesia? Why send a letter if he didn't seem to want to come back?

When you went to take his dinner that night, you were nervous. How to start a conversation like this? Should you even bring it up?

"Are you okay?" He asked, taking you out of your daydreams

"Yes, just thinking about something"

"About what?" He asked, taking a tablespoon to his mouth

You swallowed hard and, without further ado, asked:

"You don't really have amnesia, do you?" Eren stopped the spoon in his mouth and waited for you to continue. “I saw you handing a letter to that boy, Falco. You wouldn’t send letters if you didn’t remember who you are ”

He put the silverware on a plate and stared at you.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"What I'm going to do…? What do you think I'm going to do? Tell the hospital board? ” You sat next to him “It hurts me that you lose faith in our friendship for so little. I would never do that, Eren. If you don't want to go back… ”You took his hand in yours“ You must have your reasons. I just don't want you to have to lie to me ”

"I wish I didn't have to lie to you, too"

He intertwined your fingers with his own and patted the back of your hand briefly. You were close enough for your legs to touch each other.

Eren raised his free hand to your chin and lifted it towards his face. The months of tension between the two of you succumbed to a calm, slow, almost frightened kiss.

"Sorry. I shouldn't… ”

Eren stumbled over the words. He didn't want to force himself on you.

You knew how wrong it was. Ethically and logically, but none of that seemed to matter. So, you kissed him back.

"I want to kiss you too, Eren" You whispered between the kiss

Eren smiled without breaking the contact. How long had he been since he smiled like that?

The kiss started a spark that turned into a fire of desire. None of you dared to stop or even wanted to. Eren kissed you as if it were the first and last time as if he was afraid to let you go. His hands went down to your back, undoing the apron knot, and yours did the same with the shirt buttons. You removed the usual coat he was wearing and right after the shirt. He pulled you into his lap, squeezing your waist. You had to hold back a groan as you felt his erection against your clothed core.

Eren put his hands on the front buttons of your dress and looked at your eyes carefully. Those jade eyes were looking for your permission. You kissed him again, touched by his concern, and got up from his lap.

You undid the buttons on your dress and took off your underwear, leaving you naked. That was the consent he was looking for.

"You're..." He searched for words looking at your face, at your body "Beautiful"

This time, you saw him blush. Eren had never seen a naked woman, more than that, he was sure he had never met a woman like you.

He undid his belt, and you helped him take off his pants before accepting the invitation to return to his lap. To be honest, he didn't quite know what to do, and if you think he was flushed before, you should have seen his face lying on your shoulder when he said:

"I don't know what to do exactly ..."

So you took one of his hands and guided it to the middle of your legs.

"Here" He pressed his finger above your clit "Move your finger in circles"

He did as you said, and he had to restrain himself not to cum at the exact moment you moaned.

"Keep...Agh...Doing it, Eren"

Eren felt an adrenaline rush up his spine and his cock throb when he heard you say his name like that. He wanted more. See more, learn your reactions, and listen to you say his name like this more often.

That night left a mark on you two forever. There was no turning back. Not because of sex, but because you fell in love with Eren, and he fell in love with you long before that.

Thinking about the afterward was something you avoided, but when your period didn't come a second time. You knew it was necessary.

You planned to apply for permanent leave to work as a nurse in the Liberio District and somehow get Eren out of the hospital. You could live in a more remote part of the district without attracting attention and, if necessary, would use one of the eldian armbands. That way, you would only be more of a couple among many. After all, the government would not bother to investigate the life of a nurse.

You were happy despite everything, but that was until you told him.

"Are you ... What?"

"I’m pregnant"

"Is it mine?"

You opened your eyes wide when you heard the question.

"Excuse me? What are you trying to say? ” You controlled yourself not to raise the voice “Of course it’s yours” You completed feeling a lump forming in your throat.

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” He said more to himself than you“You were not part of the plan” Eren rested his hands on his knees and lowered his head.

You wanted to cry. Not for him, but for trusting him, for making plans for the two of you.

“So this is how it will be? God ... I'm such an idiot ”

Eren looked at your figure with slumped shoulders and closed countenance. He hated himself for causing your smile to end. He hated himself for being not the man you deserved and needed, but he wouldn't leave you by yourself.

Even though he couldn't be that man.

"Don’t go out of hospital tonight" He said breaking the silence. "Under no circumstances go to the speech today"

"What? Why?"

"Promise me you won't, please"

"Eren, you are not making sense"

"Please" He begged you seriously

"Okay"

He told you to wait on the hospital terrace. He would come to pick you up, and once again, you trusted him.

It was difficult to watch the confusion that happened in the hospital. Countless wounded and killed. You never forgot the horror stuck in those people's eyes, and doing nothing to help make you feel guilty.

Is that why he told you not to go? If so, how did he know what was going to happen? Why did he know?

You were about to come down to help when a short-haired woman appeared on the terrace saying your name. If you were confused before by not knowing what was going on, now even more.

"Who are you?"

"Eren asked me to pick you up"

"He told me he would come"

She held out her hand with a tender face that you couldn't decipher.

“You will understand everything. Now come on, we don’t have much time to reach others ”

The wind was blowing hard on the terrace. You thought about refusing, going down, and helping the patients. At that time, you were no longer sure if you knew who Eren Kruger, the father of your child, was. You wouldn't know if it was for fear of what could happen if you stayed or for the love you felt for Eren, but you accepted her hand.

You climbed on the airship with that woman. The pairs of eyes there were looking at you with as much curiosity as you to them. You hated the feeling of being the only one in the dark, the only one not knowing what was going on.

"We'd better keep an eye on her"

"She doesn't know anything" You heard Eren say without looking at you "She wasn't part of the plan"

"No? So why did you ask to pick her up? ” Asked the man without taking his eyes off you

"She’s pregnant with my child"

All the heads in the room turned to you.

"It seems that conspiring was not the only thing he did during that time"

You had so many questions, but there was no time for any of them right now.

Finding out that Eren Kruger was actually Eren Jaeger was like a punch in the gut. The army agreed to accommodate you, and in return, Eren would be imprisoned since he could leave if he wanted to. The woman who came to pick you up on the terrace answered all your questions and explained the current situation. You didn't know what to say, just that you needed to talk to him.

It took a while, but after so much insisting, the survey corps commander agreed to let the two of you talk under her supervision.

Eren was sitting on the bed when you stopped in front of the cell with Hange at your side. He didn't look at you, and he didn't think he could do it too.

"Eren?" You called him, putting your face between the bars "What does all this mean?" You asked even though he knew the answer "You lied to me"

You didn't want to cry, but how could you not? Especially being more sensitive because of the pregnancy.

"Eren ... why?" A sob cut you off “Now I don't know who you are, I can't go home, and is that all you have to say? Nothing? Eren! ” You hit the bars causing a loud bang.

“Try to stay calm. You can't be exasperated because of the baby, ”said Hange, touching your shoulder.

Eren got up from the bed and went to you. You looked deep into his green eyes, now understanding why he never let you take off the bandages, why he didn't have scars.

“I didn't lie about everything” He rested his forehead over yours on the bars “I know this is hard to believe right now, but I'm not going to leave you by yourself. That’s why I asked Mikasa to pick you up ”

For an instant, you saw the Eren who spent his days in the hospital there in front of you. He wiped away your tears and whispered an apology accompanied by your name before kissing your forehead and apologizing again.

It was unfair how your heart sped at the mere touch of him. Foolish heart.

Falling in love and having a child never crossed Eren's mind when he went to Marley. He didn't feel like he deserved you and even less your love. Several times he wanted to tell you everything, but how?

Hange looked at her watch and said that the time was over. Eren took your cheeks in his hands and whispered looking into your eyes.

“I wasn't lying when I said I loved you. I love you"

Hange took you back to your room and asked if you would accept that she questioned you about your time with Eren. She had waited until the moment she judged it right due to your pregnancy. As a way to repay all her kindness you accepted.

Eren could have said he wouldn't leave you alone, but while you were telling what happened during that time in a country you didn't know, in a room that wasn't yours and pregnant with a man you weren't sure you knew more about, you felt more alone than ever.

#Eren Yaegar #eren x reader #eren jaeger x reader #eren yaeger x reader #eren yaeger imagine #eren x y/n #reiner x reader #reiner braun x reader #reiner x y/n #reiner imagine #reiner headcanons #eren headcanons #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyojin x reader #aot x reader #aot x you #aot imagines

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melissa-kenobi · 3 years

Text

Paperwork

[ARC Trooper Fives x Reader]

A/N: i was missing Fives so here's some fluff with him 🥰

Summary: Fives is forced to catch up on his paperwork whether he likes it or not.

Word Count: 2.1k

You were exhausted to say the least, your muscles screaming for a rest, for you to stop and take a break, whether it be 5 minutes or an hour, but you couldn't. Not when there was a war raging on and you need to be there. Waving to Anakin as you passed his tent, you saw your commander sat beside some of your men, he looked exhausted. Eyes filled with the same exhaustion you felt, as he spoke tirelessly with your men.

"General!" Kiri replied as he saw you approach him, immediately standing up and saluting you.

"Stand down Kiri, how many times have I told you?" You laughed as you gently pushed him down to sit once more.

"Sorry General." He smiled bashfully.

"I need to find Captain Rex? Some of his troopers haven't filed their reports and the Admiral needs them in by eight hundred hours today." You asked Kiri, who let out a small yawn before shaking himself and replying.

"I'm not too sure General. Rex did mention having to chase Fives and Echo for their paperwork in the 501st barracks." You smiled in response as you stood up, hand situated on Kiri's shoulder as you guided him up.

"Thank you Kiri. Walk with me." You asked, more like ordered politely.

"But... General!... th-" You cut Kiri off with a stern look before taking off, your commander following behind you as he picked up his helmet.

"Kiri, I'm concerned for your health." You looked at him as you approached the barracks for the 265th. "You haven't been yourself lately, I've seen your performance drop slightly."

You watched as Kiri's eyes widened in shock. That was the last thing he expected to be told by you. "General, no. I e-"

"Kiri, you're not in trouble. I'm just worried about you." Kiri nodded in agreement.

"General if I might?" You nodded for him to continue. "You haven't been yourself either, I see you looking exhausted and on the brink of death sometimes."

Your eyes downcast as you took in what Kiri said, immediately ready to deny everything, but your commander had a way of seeing past you. He smiled as he placed a soft hand on your shoulder, ready to speak but was interrupted by someone.

"Y/N! Ahh, help me General!!!"

The voice of ARC Trooper Fives ran behind you, hands on your hips, ducking down as he tried his best to hide from someone. You ultimately guessed it was Rex, most probably wanting Fives to get his paperwork done instead of heading to 79s.

"Fives!" You yelped, abruptly turning around. Your face softened as you watched him, his eyes focused on yours as he grinned cheekily, hands on your hips as he blinked innocently at you.

"Yes General?" He teased but was soon cut short by the booming tone of Captain Rex.

"FIVES!"

You raised an eyebrow at Fives who only shrugged in response before turning to Kiri who seemed amused at the situation. "Kiri, what I was saying before was that..."

Captain Rex had stormed up to you, eyes furious as you face turned from Kiri to face Rex. "Rex, what's happened?"

"What's happened General? I'll tell you what happened, your little boyfriend here hasn't done his paperwork since 7 months ago!" Your eyes widened in shock before glaring at Fives who cowered under your glare. "Cody's on my case about it because General Kenobi needs the reports from a mission Fives took and they're not there, because someone decided partying at 79s was more important!"

"FIVES!" You yelled, after hearing Rex's confession, suddenly shocked that Fives had left it for so long.

"Yes honey?" Fives tried, pulling lovey eyes on you, but it didn't work.

"Go with Rex and bring your paperwork to my tent. Be there in 5." You commanded him as he let go of you and make a sad cute face, trying his best to appeal to your softer side.

It didn't work.

"Captain, I'll make sure he gets all of it done tonight." Rex nodded as he tugged Fives along with him. Kiri on the other hand was just about to slip away before you grabbed his arm and tugged him into the 265th barracks.

"Now you!" You pointed at Kiri, whose eyes were wide with shock. "Get some rest Kiri. If I find you out there, you'll be in deep trouble." You warned as you left the tent.

"Sir yes sir." You heard Kiri whispered as you imagined he got ready to finally get some godammned rest.

***

Fives had dragged himself to your tent, his eyes wide with deception as you stood by your desk, the chair already pulled out, your arms crossed as you waited for him to take a seat. Fives may have gotten the wrong idea when you said you were going to make sure he got his paperwork done, it would seem that you actually meant business.

"But cyare, I can't do all of it now!" Fives protested as he took his seat, looking up at you, his eyes trying thier hardest to convince you.

"No Fives. If you don't finish every single piece of paperwork, you'll be put on leave till you finish it. No matter how long it takes." You threatened, it was an empty threat you knew, but it was what got Fives started on his reports as he racked his brains for whatever had happened in those missions.

After 3 long excruciatingly long hours, Fives was at least a third of the way through his paperwork. You looked up from your seat opposite him only to find him staring right back at you with tired eyes and a yawn before he gave you a little chuckle.

"Are you not going to help me honey?" He asked ever so sweetly that you would have caved if you didn't see the stack of paper on the left that you had to do yourself.

"Nope. Sorry Fives, no can do." You smiled as you patted his hand as he slumped to the table in exhaustion. "Got my own work to do." You yawned and rubbed your eyes causing Fives to look at you in concern.

"Hey, cyar'ika, are you alright?" Fives asked gently when he saw you yawn 4 times in the span of a minute. His eyes turning from tired to genuine concern for you.

"You're still not getting out this Fives." You tried to joke but ended up yawning as you slumped in your seat. Fives immediately concerned for your health jumped out of his seat and picked you up from yours, his hands wrapping around your waist and legs, lifting you bridal style as he walked towards the bunks in your tent.

"Fives!" You yelped after he had placed you down on the bed. Confused you rapidly got up out of bed and headed towards your desk before Fives pushed you back down and collapsed onto you.

"No. Cyar'ika, I know you're tired and you haven't been sleeping." Your mouth opened to deny what he was saying but he only gave you a look. "Kiri told me. Don't try it."

"Traitor..." You whispered under your breath, you were certainly going to have some words with Kiri about privacy. Fives pressed you into the mattress as you wiggled around trying to get out.

"Hey! You can't do that! I'm the General!" You weakly protested, trying to shove Fives off you.

"When it comes to your health, I outrank you honey." Fives smiled softly as he trailed a finger down your cheek, your eyes closing shut at the warm gesture as your leaned into his touch.

"But my paperwork... I can't, I hav-"

Fives was about to cut you off but you managed to do it yourself with a deep yawn as you blinked rapidly to keep your eyes awake. The warmth of your bed and Fives was proving to be a good combination as it was slowly lulling you to sleep. Fives gently pulled himself off you, tucking you into bed, wrapping the duvet around your body as he slid in beside you.

Still awake, you mumbled. "Don't forget your paperwork and wake me up in 30 mins." Your left hand going out to bring Fives' paperwork so he could work on them as you cuddled into his side.

"Go to sleep cyar'ika, I'll wake you." Fives smiled as he ran a hand through your hair, softly massaging your head to sleep. He leaned down to press a sweet kiss to your forehead as your arms tightened around his waist.

"Mmmhh... love you Fives."

"Love you too cyar'ika."

***

"Oh maker... is that the General?"

"What are they doing?"

"Is she.... sleeping?"

Whispers scurried around your ears as you blinked your eyes awake, suddenly taking in your surroundings, only to find some of your squadron peeking through.

"Oh kriff! She's awake!" You quickly got up only to be blocked by a heavy arm on your stomach, weighing you down. Kriff, you'd overslept, but maker did that feel good. As you cast your eyes down, you found Fives sleeping soundly besides you as he lightly snored. You lifted his hand gently off you as you placed a kiss on his temple where his tattoo lay. His face smushed into the pillow as slept soundly.

"Fives... honey....sweetie..." You tried, calling him pet names till he arose from his sleep. You traced a finger down the side of his face, hoping that would trigger some sort of reaction for him to wake.

"Cyar'ika... c'mon Fives..." When he didn't, you decided you would use a slight more aggressive tactic, you placed your hands on his shoulders, slowly shaking him awake.

"Fives!" You whispered harshly. Fives only snuggled into your further, small moans leaving him mouth as he continues sleeping.

You could sense General Kenobi and Commander Cody was near and you needed to get up. Kriff you thought. Did we even finish the paperwork from yesterday? Now becoming more worried you pulled the duvet off Fives before pushing him roughly off the bed, resulting in him falling to the cold ground with a heavy thump and a string of curses.

"Well that worked." You smiled as you leaned over the bed to see Fives on the floor, groaning in slight pain. "You've been through worse honey, now ge-"

All of a sudden Fives leapt up from the ground, onto the bed rolling you over onto your back, his hands holding your wrists above your head as he snuggled into your neck, leaving small kisses as you writhed under him.

"Fives!! What are you doing?"

"Getting revenge." He mumbled as he slowly traced his way down your body, kisses being left down your neckline, towards your collarbone and to your breasts, while his left hand that was free crept down to your lower regions, teasing you slowly. You let out a small moan of pleasure before your hips automatically thrusted against his hand. Fives being the cheeky shit he was, pulled away, letting go of your hands and crawling off the bed, offering a hand to you.

"C'mon, General Kenobi will be here soon. He's waiting for us." Fives winked at you as he pulled on his armour, your eyes wide as you scurried out of bed, your lust for Fives forgotten as you quickly got ready.

"Fives?" You panicked. "We didn't finish the paperwork. I'm so sorry, I'll have to come up with an excuse for Obi-Wan."

Fives didn't reply, only walked to the entrance to let Kenobi and Cody in. "Morning General, Cody."

"Good morning Fives. Where is General L/N?" Obi-Wan asked as you came out the door, greeting them.

"Brilliant, now that you're here, do you have the paperwork and reports?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes soft and gentle. You opened your mouth to explain but Fives beat you to it. Pulling out his stack of paperwork he handed it to Obi-Wan, who quickly assessed it with a critical eye before nodding.

"And here's General L/N's." Fives handed Obi-Wan your stack of paperwork, all completed as you struggle to keep your eyes and mouth void of shock.

"Well done Fives. Although I would appreciate it if you did your paperwork on time. I don't want to have Rex or Anakin bothering me about it." Obi-Wan spoke good naturedly before heading off with Cody.

"Fives..."

Fives only smiled in response.

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He took your hand in his as he pulled you closer to him. "You needed the break."

"Thank you." You smiled reaching up to kiss him. You really did have the best boyfriend ever.

"I think you deserve a reward cyare." You dragged him back inside the tent, laughing with glee as he picked you bridal style.

"I love you Fives."

"I love you too Y/N."

***

Taglist: @tobitofunction @pinkiemme @lysawayne @shadowfoxey

#arc trooper fives x reader #fives x reader #arc trooper fives #star wars #obi wan kenobi #commander cody #commander kiri #star wars prequels #clones x reader #the clone wars #arc trooper fives x you

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agentlemuse · 3 years

Note

Dea!!! I am so in love with your Buddie the old guard fic I've read it so many times now I LOVE IT could you maybe write a little sequel to it with Eddie whitnessing Buck dying and coming back to life for the first time! No pressure obvs but you'd make me super happy! thanks again for writing the buddie old guard au fic ITS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

Hayley I am so sorry for making you wait!

Also on AO3

“How much are you willing to wager,” Hen challenges, her own stack of bills being dropped on the table like a declaration of war.

Chim eyes everyone carefully, emptying out all the money in his wallet with a confident pop of his gum. “I’m all in. Buck?”

“All in. Eddie?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on! It’s tradition,” Buck begs, practically pouting as he tries to get Eddie to join in on the bet. He refuses every time and every time Buck acts surprised.

“Pretty sure the only tradition here is them getting all of your money,” Eddie points out with a smirk, earning a sharp laugh from Athena.

“You are too young to be this lame,” Buck sighs dramatically as Eddie rolls his eyes. He might be lame, but at least he will keep his money.

Just like that Hen is crowing as Buck laments his defeat. He looks to him with wide eyes in hopes of sympathy but all Eddie can do is laugh. He did warn him.

Athena and Bobby were chuckling fondly from their spot in the corner, speaking to each other without saying a word as they do often do. After one night of partaking in too much of Hen’s sangria he asked Buck if they had developed telepathic powers and Buck laughed so hard he snorted red wine out his nose. Considering their immortal status he didn’t think it was quite that funny, but Buck disagreed.

Looking at them now he still says it was a valid question.

“Okay everyone listen up,” Athena announces, drawing the attention of everyone with the simple command. “We have some news.”

“New job,” Buck asks eagerly, already wanting to speed ahead.

Bobby and Athena share a sad look and for the first time since Eddie has known them they look like they’re struggling to find the words to say. Athena stands, picking at a scab on her arm.

A scab.

She shouldn’t have a—

“I’m mortal.”

It’s funny how you can live for a millennia and a single moment can still knock you to your knees.

Athena could still have three, maybe even four, decades with them, but suddenly each moment is finite. He knew this was possible, Buck had told him about Abby, but it wasn’t real until now.

He may not know her as well as the others; hasn’t watched dynasties rise and fall with her, but she’s his family now. He foolishly thought he’d have more time before saying goodbye to family again.

But it’s not about him. It’s about Athena. It’s about the people who have loved her for centuries trying to wrap their minds around life without her.

Eddie doesn’t know much about Buck’s parents, partly because there isn’t much worth remembering from the way Buck tells it, but Athena is his mother for all intents and purposes. Now that she’s - not vulnerable (she’d stab him for even thinking it) - mortal, Buck has been like an overprotective mother hen. Athena has looked ready to strangle him on more than one occasion and he’s pretty sure the fussing is more likely to take years off her life than anything else.

And it’s sweet. Funny even, how Athena looks at him with such exasperated fondness.

Only that overprotectiveness makes a reckless Buck even more reckless.

Which, fine, Buck’s immortal. For now. Because that’s the thing, isn’t it? The idea that immortality just ends was hypothetical before now.

And Buck is—

Buck is—

Buck is his family. His person. The only reason he doesn’t spend this eternity of his lamenting every new day.

Buck has been on this earth for nearly a millennia without him, but Eddie doesn’t want to live without him. Not for a thousand years or a thousand days or even a thousand minutes. Not because he needs Buck, but because he wants him. He wants his kind eyes and infectious laughter beside his side. He wants the feel of his breath on the back of his neck as he lays curled in behind him. He’s not sure he can go back to sleeping alone.

A shame he’ll need roughly a thousand years to figure out a way to finally tell him, which is not going to happen with Buck being so eager to get himself killed.

Buck insists on throwing himself into danger, which means Eddie has to throw himself further. He’s younger, newer, he can take more hits. He knows logically that Buck must have died hundreds of times before him, but he hasn’t died since Eddie killed him. Maybe he can’t keep him alive forever, but he can certainly try.

Bobby catches on first.

“Nasty hit you took today.”

“I’ve had worse,” Eddie says nonchalantly, fingers flexing against a phantom wound long since healed. Buck stormed out earlier, pissed he jumped in front of a bullet for him only to bleed out slowly. Tonight Buck will hold him closer, making sure he’s still in one piece; a bittersweet ritual they’ve formed together. He’ll take the anger if it keeps Buck safe.

“You’ve been taking a lot of hits lately.”

“Saying I should work on my ducking skills?”

“Saying you can’t take them all,” Bobby replies, cutting off whatever comment he might be opening his mouth to say with a look. “When is the last time Buck died?”

“You should ask—“

“When?”

“When I shot him,” Eddie admits, jaw clenching.

“He’s had a good run, but good runs end. He knows what’s at stake just like everyone else. We can’t outrun the inevitable. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you try,” Bobby says softly, an unspoken pain behind his eyes. “Don’t miss out on the good worrying about the bad.”

“Wouldn’t have to if he wasn’t so eager to put himself in harm’s way,” Eddie deflects, no real malice in his words.

“Funny, that’s what Buck said about Athena.”

That was hardly the same. Buck is being reckless, Eddie is just—

Well it’s not like he can take care of him through his cooking, now can he?

The next few months they take it easy on the missions, focusing on time together as a family. It’s good, great even, but it’s only a matter of time before the world has a need for their set of skills.

Which is how they find themselves in this dimly lit warehouse in what is clearly a trap.

He and Buck have taken the front, trying to clear a path to the escape route so they can’t get pinned in. The sharp pops of bullets flood his ears, a fog of plaster dust filling the air as bullets lodge in walls instead of bone.

There are too many blind spots and not enough cover.

There’s shouting, cries of pain, but none of them familiar. They’re gaining ground, they’re getting out, they’re—

The sick sound of a bullet striking flesh, muscle, bone enters his ear. A spray of blood hits his cheek.

Eddie turns to see Buck crumple against the ground.

Suddenly there is no noise, no friends or foes. There was only Buck lifeless on the floor, his head a gaping wound of brain matter and skull.

He falls to his knees beside him, blood soaking his trousers as he reaches out to help him. Only, he doesn’t know how to fix this.

“Buck, wake up. Buck. Buck.” He doesn’t recognize his voice, doesn’t recognize the frantic panic of this strange sound coming out of his mouth.

He thinks of all those zombie movies he used to watch with his sisters when he was young. The only way to kill them was to take out the brain. They couldn’t come back from that. Buck couldn’t—

Eddie shot him in the head once, but this was different. There hadn’t been this hole. There hadn’t been brain matter scattered across the floor. Buck hadn’t taken this long to wake up.

He can’t do this without him. He doesn’t want to do this without him.

“Wake up, wake up, you have to wake up,” Eddie demands, then begs.

“Eddie, we have to keep going,” Chim says from across the room, providing cover from enemies he couldn’t care less about. “He’ll catch up.”

He ignores him. Of course he ignores him. He can’t leave Buck. He’s going to wake up, he has to, so why is it taking so long?

The team moves on, because there is no other choice if they want to get out of here, but Eddie doesn’t move. He waits for a sign of life, anything, but Buck stays perfectly still. He should be healing already, blue eyes fluttering and a smile on his lips. He shouldn’t be so still and pale under the stark stream of red.

He’s so lost waiting for puffs of air that aren’t coming he misses the footsteps behind him. It’s not until he feels rough hands grabbing at him that he remembers the fight. He feels a knife slide through his ribs as they try to drag him back. He thrashes wildly, scrambling for any weakness he can exploit. They’re not going to take him away from Buck. He’s not leaving him alone. He’s not—

A single shot rings out and the man Eddie was fighting falls.

Eddie turns back to Buck who is sitting up with a gun in hand.

Eddie scrambles over to him, pulling him close, feeling the side of his head to make sure he’s whole.

“Eddie, we need to catch up with the others,” Buck urges, already back in the game. How can he be so calm? How can he be so steady? “Eddie. Eddie.”

“Your birthmark grew back.”

Buck’s face grows soft for a moment, letting out a puff of breath like it was punched out of him. Eddie can feel the wound on his side healing, but he ignores it, busy feeling the pulse of Buck’s heartbeat where his hand rests on Buck’s neck.

“Eddie, we have to keep going.”

“You weren’t waking up. You took so long to wake up.”

“I’m here, Eddie,” Buck insists, resting his forehead warm and whole against Eddie’s. “I’m here. I’m not leaving you, okay? I won’t leave you. Now let’s go.”

Eddie goes with him because there is no other option. He doesn’t want to be anywhere without him.

It doesn’t doesn’t get any easier to watch him die, but Buck always comes back to him. He has to believe he always will.

#9-1-1 #buddie #evan buckley #Eddie Diaz #old guard AU #Cw: gun violence #Cw: gore #Cw: death (brief)#my stuff #for Hayley who has been waiting forever #happy Valentine’s have AU nonsense

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mdccanon · 3 years

Text

Does anyone know a good fanfic where Leia wanted Ben to infiltrate the First Order as a Jedi betrayer? I just... it's the only acceptable reason for me for Kylo Ren to exist. I am just not capable of finding any simp-athy for "My life was hard because my dad is Harrison Ford" Kylo that so many fanfics write. And the movie's explanation that he was tricked because someone was imitating Annie's voice in his mind would hold weight if we saw that, even once. I just can't vibe with any reason for Ben Solo to hate his family so much except that they asked him to do this and that trauma keeps him resenting them while trying to fulfill his mission of tearing the First Order apart from the inside, out.

I just hate stories where the good guys are so Good that the story refuses to let them make a decision knowing it would hurt others but accepting that, so all the conflict is built on unintended consequences, miscommunications, misunderstandings, sensitive feelings, and the other party just being SO EVIL that they can't understand good intentions when they see them.

Also, any fic recs that honestly just remove Snoke from the scenario altogether? He's functionally useless in the story.

Since the Empire has always been a secular organization, I've just always liked the idea of First Order simply rising without a Force-sensitive leader, as an oligarchy of 4-6 choice families/groups, and them actually have anti-Force technology enough that if a 18-22-year-old Ben Solo showed up, slapped his big lightsaber on the table, they'd actually have the ability to restrain and question him. He'd insist that he fought his uncle in a duel, he was bullied by Grogu, he hates the Light, and he's there to take his rightful place as their ruler.

Naturally, since the fascists are tired of being told that they are helpless without a big, strong, magician to lead them, they politely tell Ben to fuck off. BUT, since Hux and his father are pushing to consolidate all power under their banner, anti-Hux parties are willing to entertain Ben Solo's demand for sovereignty just long enough to dilute Hux's influence before they can kill them both. Too bad Ben has actually backers like General Pryde.

Five years later, the First Order is the middle of a civil cold war, with Hux and Kylo Ren racing to deliver the deciding victory first and two factions splitting up their resources, time, and energy.

Annn~d one of Hux's Stormtroopers just defected. HA! Stupid Hux.

And he took Kylo Ren's prized prisoner with him.

Well, fuck.

#star wars sequels #star wars fic rec #kylo fanfic #kylo ren #kylo redemption #general hux #armitage hux

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jennsmischievousmind · 4 years

Text

Fucks not Found

Ghosts

Summary: You hack, that's what you do. Dying to do so freely, wasn't what you had expected. Meeting the weirdest fucking squad; losing the best part of you; falling for a thief : was not planned.

Pairing : Four/Billy (Ben Hardy) - You

A/N: The story goes through the all movie, so I suggest you watch it before reading.

I don't own any characters other than Eight.

English is not my native language, I'm trying to get better at it, please be indulgent.

Tried my best to match Ryan Reynold's level of sass aha

This is how you die.

"So you're the one who hacked the wrong guy" You swiftly turn around gasping at the sudden voice in your apartment

"Depends, you’re his hitman?" You were ready to run even if it means jumping by the window.

"Nooo, I'm an angel.” You snort at his sarcasm, unknown to you at this moment that he was full of it.

"Wanna disappear?" he asked taking a seat at the kitchen table eyeing your bags at the door.

"In a body bag? Slowly you make your way to the knives, just in case.

"You are a funny one, aren't you? I know the man you stole from, you won't get far until he got you. But, he emphasized, if you’re willing to do what's right.."

"I've already done my part for the flag." Assuming he was American by the way he talked.

"I'm not talking about shitty drug dealers. But evil war-lovers, genocide perpetrators, that kind of shitty so-called human. Those ones that are above the laws with governments' balls in their hands, ready to squish them.”

"That's gross" your brother appeared from the adjacent room. You let your mind consider the stranger’s offer as soon as you look at your confused brother, knowing he was in danger because of you.

“You two look at lot alike.” The guy leaned in, screwing his eyes at you both.

“We’re twin dumbass” your brother answered glancing at you wondering.

“What’s the deal?” you asked considering the offer

The guy smirked, “Well, to be short you die, and then you take down evil motherfuckers without governments’ backlash on you.” He tapped his fingers against the Formica table.

It took 5 minutes.

"One condition, my brother comes to!"

"What's he good at?" he crossed his arms.

"I can drive…Hold on what? Die? Who the fuck are you!?”

"Already too many questions” he rolled his eyes

"He's a hell of a driver, it got him under surveillance when he got chased by 6 police cars after an illegal race back in the States."

"So they caught up Muttley” the guy clucked his tongue

“Hey!”

"No, you interfered almost ashamed, I told him to stop the car...I got motion sickness."

The guy erupted in laughter, you two watching him unamused.

“I’m more like Peter Perfect.” Your brother mumbled as the guy left.

You look by the window discreetly, catching a glimpse of the guy mingling in the crowd. “You’re Muttley bro.”

A week later you got a text. The guy who called himself One had planned your fake death. A random trek in Italy’s mountains, an assumed fatal fall, no bodies recovered.

It was never supposed to be your life. But we all know nothing happens as it should.

Papà went to fight a war and disappeared, you were forced to move in America when you were 6.

Mammà never cope the loss of her motherland and husband. She died of a belated broken heart syndrome when you were 16.

Both you and your brother were placed in a host family. It wasn’t a crappy family like it’s always the case in some tv show, they were nice and wealthy. The father was a tech engineer, somehow you took interest in his work and start learning to code, soon reading about hackers: white hats; black hats; “We are Legion”, you were hooked and skilled in a matter of time.

When you turned major though, things turned difficult, the host family had to let you go and Internal Affairs of your state caught you looking in their network. Which led to you working as a C.I for them, it was that or prison. Not thrilled by the idea but obliged to cooperate was your new motto.

Your brother had some job here and there but nothing steady, so money from the IA was welcome.

After a year and a half, I.A ditched you, it was rather good news in a way, they’ve erased your past mistakes but said they’d keep a distant eye on you.

So you moved on from your shithole that was the 1 bedroom apartment you and your brother shared and went to your parents’ hometown in Italy. Your brother was reluctant at first as he couldn’t even say hello in Italian, you taught him as your mamma had done it with you but he wasn’t that interested.

Working with people was not your forte, you were too bossy, so you got fired ... plenty of times: from a coffee shop, a rental bike shop and a tourist city tour bus thingy. So you started doing what you were good at, hacking for money, it went well for a few years, never being too greedy - until you hacked the wrong person and got in trouble.

That's how you became a Ghost and ended up in the middle of the California Desert.

One had built a squad. No names, only numbers to identify each other. Not calling your brother by his name was a challenge, same for him.

There were 7 of you.

One, the “boss”, a mysterious sassy billionaire who decided to fund his own strike team.

Two, a French blonde woman, pretty cold, a spy apparently

Three, a crazy hitman who couldn’t shut up

Four, a young parkour master and reformed thief

Five, a Doctor, but you heard she was actually working at a Dentist

Six, your brother, the annoying driver.

And then Eight, you, the Black Hat somehow becoming a hacktivist.

Why not Seven? Long story short, it was one more condition you’d submitted to One.

_SICILY

"Your focus determines your reality.”

“Oh for fuck's sake One, quit your Jedi bullshit!” you loosed your temper typing on your keyboard angrily. An entire week, an ENTIRE WEEK quoting Star Wars!

Four and Five laughed in the comm. One braced himself on the other end of the line. Three cut the heavy silence.

“Eight, Chiquita please stop yelling”

“I’m not a Chiquita stop saying that!”

“Ok ok chi…Eight, damn you’re stressful”

“God, why do I have to team you up!!” One facepalm

“Now what?” Five asked

Radio silence

“Oh so now no one’s talking! What are you, 4?” One angrily called out to you 2.

“Yeah, uh high, literally.” Four answered One, you snorted.

“No .. damn not you!”

“You called me Mate!” Four said offended

“No, shush – Eight are you done with the system?” he was about to lose it.

“I’ve been done with it the second Three called me Chiquita!” you crossed your arms in front of your laptop.

“Hey ..” “We’re not talking about that again!” One cut Three

“Can we get going now?” Two interfered, you heard her bike roaring.

“Finally, some sensed words.” One said wrapping it up.

Four entered the place you’d hacked the system of. Six and Two were not far in case of trouble.

“Four, the hard drive is in the main office. Second floor.” One enunciated, you followed Fours progression with the security cameras.

It was enlivening, stressful, but oh so exciting. When you worked with I.A you were never there when they’d go down in action, it was nothing but boring data researched and dealer’s MacBook.

“Freeze Four, guards coming east.” Switching cams you gave him a safe path.

“Ok, you’re clear. Now to your left, third door then turn right.”

Four got his hands on the hard drive containing all you needed to know about the next target.

“Well done.” One congratulated the team

“Thanks, thanks, It helps to have a sexy voice guiding you” Four chuckled, you blushed, sexy voice? is that even possible?

“Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.”

You rolled your eyes at the endless use of Star Wars' quotes.

“Hum that’s my sister, remember?” Six growled tightening the wheel

“Luke grab Solo, meet up in 15minutes at the hotel. Everyone move!” One instructed you smiled at the thought of being Leïa. Gosh, you were as much of a nerd as One.

Climbing down the jeep Three had rented, you laughed seeing your brother holding Four in an arm lock for a few seconds anyway, Four reversed the lock, pining your brother’s arms behind himself.

You passed by them “Easy with my twin please.” Four wasn’t releasing his hold so you stopped, turning back you lift an eyebrow at Four insisting he let him go.

“Oh!” he lifted his hands in defence taking a step back.

Grabbing your brother by the sleeves as he was about to jump on Four “Come on piccino” you made your way in the hotel laughing.

Your first big mission started a few weeks after, everyone gathered in The Haunted House as One called it, an old bunker, cheesy name for an HQ.

“You don’t get it, I need a CAR!”

“That’s a car, Six.” Three argued back.

“No that’s a heap, that thing won’t get us through the paved road of Italy, believe me.”

Four and Five were amused by the situation, Three had rent a truck and an old Volvo for this mission.

“Alright, shut up, we’ll get another car!” One declared, Six flicked to Three.

One resumed the mission’s details. Giving everyone their own missions. A simple mission, retrieve a lawyer’s smartphone.

In the midst of it, your hand flew to your brother’s head next to you. The smacked resonating between the walls of the unfinished bunker.

“Why ..why’d you hit him?” One asked confused, your brother was rubbing the back of his head frowning at you.

“Cain’s instinct.” You replied wriggling your fingers for him to continue. Four snorted, Six nudged him in the ribs.

In a few months, you had learned a lot from this weird squad. Learning to shoot was an obligation, Three was insane but a good teacher.

You’d asked Four to teach you some parkour in case of a chase. Six and Four became close friends in a matter of time. Five was nice, but you were never one to be good at making friends. Two was not a big talker and frankly, she scared you a little.

So you spend your free time hacking and reading, on the hammock installed between a dismantle plane and a dead tree. Not far from there you could hear Four skating in the empty pool and three at the makeshift shooting range.

Suddenly,

“EIGHT!”

Groaning you closed your book “WHAT!?

Your voice boomed against the caravan and lost itself in the desert, but you still hoped Four had heard. It was his thing, screaming your name instead of coming to you directly. At his silence, you wriggle out the hammock and strode to the pool.

“What’d you want skater boy?”

He was lying in the pool his board by his side. “Four?” you made your way to the ladder, “hey” you gently nudge him with your foot but he didn’t move.

“Four? you called out worried, “shit” knees hitting the vinyl liner checking if he was breathing, he wasn’t.

“Hey wake up, seriously dude don’t make me do CPR on you, I suck at it!” suddenly laughter erupted in your ears. Six appearing on the edge, Four chucked on the floor.

“Pranking you..he tried to breathe in, is always the best sis!” Six laughed even harder at your confused face. Still kneeling at Four’s side, he was looking at you laughing, until he wasn’t, catching a glimpse of worry melting with anger in your eyes.

Punching his left shoulder, you hurried out the pool. He stayed on the floor watching you go.

“Don’t make me do CPR I suck at it!” your brother was still laughing his brain's out.

“What was that?”

Four leaned on the dead tree near your head, his shadow offering some shade.

“A real bad joke?”

“No I mean, why’d you hit me?”

Sighing you clasped your book closed for the second time today “you really got me worried, happy?”

“No, you propped up on your elbow at his answer craning your head to him, I didn’t mean to scare you.” His warm hand slide in your hair at the base of your neck, he leaned in, letting you enough time to push him away if you wanted.

"Sorry" he whispered, his lips pressing in your temple gently, warmly for a few seconds. Catching yourself leaning in you almost fell off the swinging' hammock as he released his hold, he grinned and left not saying anything more.

"What the hell Four!!" you yelled at him, an ounce of laughter in your voice, a blush creeping into your cheeks, his own laughter filling the desert's silence.

FLORENCE

A/N: don't forget to double tap if you liked it. 🙏

#billy x reader #four x reader #6 underground imagine #four imagine #Ben Hardy #6 underground Four x reader #Fucks not Found

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i-write-sometimes-blog · 4 years

Text

Cold Eyes (Dark Rey x Reader) [Part 12]

Summary: After Rey opened up with you she is still conflicted with your words and you discover an even softer yet passionate side of her.

Words: 3, 250

Warning: slight smut, not descriptive. And not really good to be honest. awful to be honest

A/N: why did this take me so long? And why is it easier to write smut without fearing screwing the plot? Idk but enjoy. Please pretend you didn't know this was coming.

No nightmares. For the first time in a very long time there were no terrifying images hunting you in your sleep, no painful screams rumbling in your ears, no the dreadful pain that came after. The nightmares were gone, all thanked to the woman who originally caused and starred them. Instead of hurt you like it always happened in your dreams she held your body in a delicate and protective way that allowed you to have some rest, real rest in months.

But now her warmth was gone, leaving you alone under the cold sheets. Half asleep you searched for her on the other side of the bed finding only the memories of the previous night. It was still hard to believe she was there talking with you just like the old times and it made a warm sensation filled your body.

“I see you’re already awake.” you heard Rey said while you were finishing getting ready for a new day in Mustafar. She was on the doorway with a soft smile on her lips.

“Sorry, I know we had training this morning” you told her “Won’t happen again.”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry” she said “I had some… work to do anyways.” she said as her eyes darted at her hands, you didn't need to ask what she was talking about you knew what she did. “I have a tactical meeting, can you come with me?” she asked.

“I’m not sure your generals want me there.” you said to her “Specially Hux.”

“I don’t care if they don’t want you, I want you. And you’re my apprentice, therefore they should respect you as much as me.” she told you and you smiled for a moment “I’m going to make sure they understand that. Now, come on.” she told you offering you a hand and after a brief moment you took it.

"Okay" you murmured.

How strange was it to hold her hand as you walked through the dark hallways of the fortress. It seemed so childish in this time of war, and yet it was a really simple action that denoted such affection, you liked it.

Eventually you made it to the meeting room where at least a dozen of generals and commanders waited patiently for their leader, some of them shivered in fear when they saw her stepping into the room. She let go of you to take her place in the head of the table but pointed one of the chairs for you to use.

“Shall we begin?” she said rather serious, a woman stood on her feet and activated the hologram table that revealed a system, some planets had the First Order’s on them, their conquest probably.

Across the table you felt an intense glance laying on you. General Hux stayed focused on you, watching your every move, his green stare letting you know how much he distrusted you. When he noticed your the killer stare you gave him back he grinned at you before he turned his attention back to the matters the meeting was discussing.

****

It was already night when you headed to your room, hoping to have a rest after the long and tedious day, already wondering if Rey would come this time just like she did the day before but probably not, you haven’t seen her after the meeting, she was out on a mission or so she told you moments before you saw her disappearing into a dark ship.

As you approached to your room you noticed a couple of stormtroopers waiting for you outside the door. They rose their weapons as a greeting, the same way they greet a general or even the Supreme Leader herself when they saw you. One of them spoke before you could asked them something.

“Supreme Leader asked us to take you to your new quarters, Miss.” the female voice under the helmet. It was still very strange for you to be treated as a superior, specially by the troopers that you used to fight.

“Why’s that?” you asked perplexed.

“We don’t know, Miss. Just following orders.” the other trooper, a voice that sound rather like a teenage boy told you.

“Lead the way.” you said to him and both of them started to march guiding you to your new room, why? You expected a cell, you’ve been in one before and you stayed there for a quite amount of time but there was a reason way. Now, now was different, you didn't know why would she wanted to change your room or where. This was nothing compared with what you expected as the troopers stopped in front of Rey’s personal chambers.

The soldiers gave you a small bow with their heads before leaving you in front of the big heavy metal hatch that opened slowly before you.

“Y/N” you heard Rey inside the room “Come in, please.” she said and you stepped inside. The room was incredibly big and yet so empty, a big bed was pretty much what was there. Rey was watching outside a big window that revealed the dangerous landscape of the planet.

“You’re back.” you said.

“Easy target,“ she told you “didn’t like the planet, a desert.” you nodded understanding why she came back so soon but didn’t realized how much of an effect it had on her until now. She was quiet, distant, lost on her thoughts as she kept staring at the big window. Rey looked at your for a moment, you were still standing close to the door that closed immediately after you were inside.

“Your room was so small” she told you changing the subject, answering a question that never left your lips. “I thought you’d be better here, with me.” she said returning her sight to the window, she looked beyond affected by this mission.

“Thanks” you said and she nodded slowly, her eyes never meeting yours, you felt the need to make sure everything was right with her even if she was the big bad woman you still hated to see her upset. “Something’s bothering you, Rey. What is it?” you asked softly. You noticed her jaw clenching as she swallowed uneasily.

"I've been thinking" she said looking at the vast darkness in front of her, the red of the lava seemed to trace deadly figures on the ground. "in what you said. I can't stop thinking about those questions, I don't know why, they just keep repeating I'm my head" she told you.

"What do you mean?" You asked confused, many things had happened recently and so quickly.

"A few days ago, you asked me if I regret my actions. Never really answered you."

You remembered the fight that day after the training, you asked her if she felt any remorse of what she had done, that time seemed to be a very long time ago in way different circumstances.

"I do" she continued "I regret a lot of it, but there was not other way."

"There's always another way, Rey" you murmured glancing at her.

She gave you a humorless laugh and then she looked outside the big window again. "You know what's funny? I never considered Jakku my home, it was just sand everywhere and bad people doing whatever it took to survive another day… and maybe it's what I regret the most."

You observed her, the way she was struggling with her words and she kept admiring the dark sky full of stars.

"It was a horrible place, but it was the only home I ever knew" she said, you caught a single tear running down her face that she rushed to clean away. "Sometimes I watch at the sky and imagine it's still there but I know it's not" she gulped trying to contain the lump in her throat "I destroyed it" she looked at you then as a new tear watered her cheek "and I destroyed yours too, Y/N"

Quietly you moved next to her, you felt her eyes laying on you as you were standing next to her. You glanced outside for a moment, to the sky and the void where you supposed your home planet used to be and sighed.

“Feels so strange to watch at the stars knowing it’s no longer there.” you told her as you keep staring at the emptiness of the space.

“Did you had family there?” she asked doubting a bit though she already knew the answer. You gave her a tiny nod and swallowed hard before you rose your voice again.

“My father was a mechanic, he taught me everything I know” you spoke as slowly and calm as your body allowed you. “And mom was a pilot, one of the best I’ve ever know” you told her trying to remember their faces, but you had left them a very long time ago and the memories were blurred.

“And I killed them.” Rey said as she silently cried, her voice was serious and yet there was pain in her too as if every one of your words felt like a dagger on her chest. You had the only thing she ever wished for and she took it away from you. A family. “You have all the rights to hate me after everything I’ve taken from you, I understand it now, Y/N” she told you.

“I don’t hate you” you told her, Rey turned her head in surprise but it was you who was more surprised by your own words. She gave you a bittersweet look.

“I’m in a war with your friends, who used to be mine too.” she added “I held you as a prisoner and I killed not only your family but the whole planet” she said as the tears pooled on her eyes “Why wouldn’t you hate me?”

That was a big question, one you haven’t really ask yourself until this moment. You didn’t need her to remind you the terrible things she had done, you’d probably never forget them and still you didn’t hate her, you couldn’t, not even after all you’ve been through, you were still seeing her as the girl who stole your heart a long time ago in a planet very different from this.

You couldn’t deny the dreadful things her actions caused, not even tried to justify them or thought on forget them, you knew sometimes she looked like a whole different person rather like a monster but deep down she was the same scared girl from Jakku and right now she was next to you sobbing slightly.

“I thought it was clear.” you looked back at this journey and it wasn’t nor an easy one nor short either, felt like years had passed and not even that could erase the feelings for her that were buried deep inside you, covered by the fear and the pain. “You mean so much to me, Rey.” you confessed “I’m in love with you, since the first day you came into my life.” the words left your mouth with honesty and yet your were surprised to admitted it, the first time you confessed your feeling for her was in this same fortress a long time ago.

“The Rey you fell in love is gone, Y/N.” she told you. Carefully you cupped the side of her face, softly cleaning the tears off her face with your thumb.

“No, she is still here and I’m looking at her right now.” you murmured as her hazel eyes admired you for a moment, filled with a mix of emotions that made your heartbeat race a little. Hesitating you leaned closer to her, lips closer to hers for a few seconds before capturing her lips carefully, you kissed her sweetly almost shyly for a moment.

Then you broke away just enough to see her reaction, she kept her eyes closed enjoying the ghost of your lips on hers. When she opened them again you saw astonishment over them as well as tenderness and even for a moment you thought it was love what made her eyes shimmer softly.

She couldn't find proper words to express how much your action meant to her, what it made her feel. She didn't know who to trust in a world of liars and yet your kiss felt real, authentic.

She leaned to brush your lips again, long and delicately while her arms slowly wrapped around your waist pulling you close to her body making you smile between kisses, you enjoyed her closeness, her warmth against your body. A warm shiver ran down your spine when her lips traveled to your jaw and then to you neck, leaving subtle kisses there as well that made you softly gasp.

“Rey” you softly whimpered as she found that sweet spot in the side of her neck and you could feel her smirking against your skin, delighted with the way her name sounded in your lips. But still she stopped her work on you for a moment, a bit of shyness in her voice.

"Sorry" she said "we can just leave this here, if you want"

"No" you mumbled with a smile "I want this." You assured her and gently guided her lips back to your own kissing them passionately as every cell of your body started to urge to meet more of this woman.

You felt your body warming up with every move of her lips on your skin, feeling the need in you growing with each passing moment that seemed like a dream for you.

Kisses became deeper, faster, filled with desire. The gently touches became more intense, eagerly pulling each other’s bodies close until you couldn’t resist more the growing need inside you and the heat between your thighs, a longing to meet her skin, never really realize how touch starved you both were until this moment. You wanted her and you wanted her now. You guided her towards the big bed on the other side of the room, and she seemed so surprised with the unspoken invitation you gave her.

“Are you sure?” she murmured inches away from your lips.

“More than sure.” you told her and a big lustful grin curved her lips and suddenly she didn't seemed shy anymore but way more passionate.

"As you wish, then" she said, a big smirk on her face as her hands roamed gently over your body, tracing figures as they traveled down your back fastly working on your clothes and moments later they laid messily across the floor.

You wanted to help her out, take her out of the long dress she that covered her body, clumsy hands wandered over her back searching for a way to free her body. Rey gave you a small laugh, you were sure she enjoyed the way you were looking so desperately for her.

The moment later the black dress fell to the ground gracefully pooling around her feet leaving her vulnerable and defenseless in front of you, you admired her slim figure covered only by a few pieces of cloth that you were already yearning to take off too.

She crawled on top of your and she gave you a glance full of love before her eyes scanned your exposed body her features filled with desire as she that only made your cheeks flushed red

“You're beautiful, Y/N” she murmured staring down at you before she captured your lips once again hungrily making small whimpers leave your lips.

“And so you are.” you mumbled between kissed,

“But I’m going to make you feel way more beautiful” she told you with a smirk darkened with lust she started to make her way down you body taking her time to leave little pink marks all over your body, from your neck to your breast where she sucked gently and careful on them making you gasp and moan before she keep her way to the middle of your body.

Her hot breath in the lower of your abs made you shiver as her hand went teasingly over your heated core massaging in circles carefully torturing. She stared at you as with such intensity that ignited every hidden passion in you as your chest rose and fell each time faster.

“Rey!” you breathed out as your hips bucked up urging for her touch.

Skilled fingers moved gently in you already heated core as she traced delicate figures in an intoxicating rhythm that poisoned your body with a new wave of pleasure with each stroke and every caress and eventually turned you into a whining mess. She kept you steady into the mattress, hearts thundering, breathe quickening a your combined moans and groans filled the big room completely with the sounds of the lover’s ballad.

A few weeks, even a few days ago the simple idea of this would have seen rather crazy for you, blinded for your pain and fear you wanted to be as far from this woman as possible but now you yearned to feel her closer. Now things had changed, after she opened up with you you couldn’t see her as an enemy but as the woman you once fell in love with. This girl who were taking you closer and closer to your high. Having her between your thighs was the most beautiful image you’ve ever seen and it pleased your senses more than you've ever felt before.

Your high took the breath from your lungs, you could hear yourself calling out her name as your fingers grasp into her hair as the waves of pleasures spreaded all over your body in an euphoric moment.

Slowly she kissed her way up your still shaking body taking care of the sensitive spots on your thighs, your belly and your neck until she finally met your lips again and let you taste yourself before she smiled down at you, with her messy hair and panting on top of you as she admired you with such tenderness in her eyes that made you fall once again for her.

****

Calmed down and with your heartbeat and breath finally coming back down to normal, you laid just a little later huddled up to Rey’s side beneath the dark blankets, you looked at her with a content smile as you softly ran your hand through her soft hair.

"Y/N" she muttered.

"Mm?" You hummed.

"I know this isn't enough and it may mean nothing but… I'm sorry, really" she said looking uneasily at you.

"About…"

"Everything" she cut you off "all the terrible things I've done to you, I'm sorry." She murmured.

She was right, apologizing wouldn't solve anything, nor bring back all those people back to life. The things she did you knew you could never forget or at least it would take time. But it was a start.

You gave her a tiny nod accepting her words.

"The other day in the battlefield I made you a promise, Y/N" she muttered laying a hand on your cheek.

"Yeah, I remember" you told her and you did remember the day she saved you from those troopers.

"I mean it" she said caressing your face "I won't let anyone hurt you again." She told you sincerely. For a moment you just stared at her as a warm sensation grew in your chest. You closed the distance between you to pull her into a sweet delicate kiss before you shifted a little closer to her feeling how your tired body started to melt in her arms and soon you were asleep.

Tagging: @cpt-bolter , @elvencantation , @jay-birf03 , @x-a-gay-disaster-x , @redleysjazz , @hstoria , @iamafangirl-fightme , @leilei-draws , @hayley-the-comet , @snoot-snoot-toot , @1-800-depressedlesbian , @empresspalpatinee , @xgaygremlinx

(In case you want to be tagged for specific things or everything I write, just let me know)

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one-spidey-boii · 4 years

Text

BUMMER SUMMER || peter parker; ch four

read ch three here

masterlist

an; i hope everyone out there is staying safe and sound. also, feel free to give feedback! i love to hear from you guys.

warnings; mentions of battle wounds (i.e. blood/scars/etc), future smut, mature language, fluff, angst, both peter and oc are 18+!!

word count; 2.1k+

edie's pov

"give up now, parker. i can do this all day." i say with a heavy breath as i hold peter in a headlock between my legs. we've been messing around with each other, showing off what we're capable of. somehow that led us to this moment.

he's struggling to break away from my hold. using all his strength to squirm away, he lets out grunts that eventually end with a big sigh as he gives up. only to try all over again a few seconds later.

"god it's like your legs are made of steel, this is inhumane." he puffs out, finally accepting defeat.

"oh. oh! my eyes! what is going on in here?" a voice booms throughout the room.

both our heads snap to the sound at the doorway to see happy standing there with his hands over his eyes. tony's voice can be heard in the hallway.

"what? why are you doing that, happy? oh lord! jesus children, it's only the first day." he shouts as he shields his eyes away from our general direction. i scramble away from peter and we each end up on either side of the blue mat that covers half of the room. both of our faces are flustered and shaded a guilty hue of red even though we weren't doing anything worthy of that feeling.

tony saunters over to a table on the side of the room and motions for us to join him. i hop up off of the ground, brushing myself off and moving my hair out of my face. i take my place next to mr. stark and peter follows in suit on the opposite side of him.

"okay so as you know- peter, take your mask off. what is this a kid's costume party?" tony pokes fun at peter who rushes to take the mask off and holds it down by his side. i can't help but let out a muffled laugh at the embarrassed boy. he meets my eyes with no readable expression, only holding it for a moment before focusing back on mr. stark.

he continues on, "alright. now that that’s handled... let's get some ground rules on the table." he looks at both of us in the eyes before talking again.

"rule number one, you must always be on alert. you'll be the only ones here for the most part, aside from the occasional visits from happy or myself.

number two, one of you must be here at all times. you can take turns going out and helping old ladies cross the street, or whatever it is that you guys do. hey, hey, i'm kidding don't give me that look, peter.

number three, i expect weekly updates from you. edie, you'll probably want to handle that.

and lastly rule number four, i just added this one because i didn't think it would be a problem, but who am i kidding? no hanky panky in my compound. got it?"

i snap out of my focused state at that last part. my mouth bobs open and closed like a fish as i search for something to say. never in a million years would i think about doing things with peter. just the thought of it made me shiver.

"hello? i need an answer." tony says as he looks between the both of us. it's then that i notice peter- again- is flustered beyond belief.

peter's pov

"you got it mr. stark." i blurt out. he gives one last glance between us and nods his head in satisfaction.

"good. i'll see you two crazy kids later." he responds with a wink as he walks backwards towards the door, giving us laser fingers before he turns and is gone from the room. i move my attention to happy who was trailing behind him.

"don't make me come back here more than i have to." he says with a fake smile and wave before disappearing as well.

i turn to the only other person left in the room. the said person who suddenly makes the butterflies in my stomach turn on each other to form an all-out war. the scary part about this feeling is...i have no idea why i feel it. and it's sprung up on me out of nowhere. all i know is that as of late, being around her makes me nervous, and sweaty.

"i'm gonna go...take a shower," i say pitifully. i internally scold myself for being so weird all of a sudden, but without waiting for an answer i bolt out of the room and make my way to my own space i’ll be staying in this summer. during my escape, i hear the faintest 'bye' coming from edie's direction.

finally in my room, i press the button that releases my suit from my body and shimmy out of it, starting to feel claustrophobic beneath its tight hold. while showering was just the first thing i could think of for an excuse, the idea doesn't sound so bad. i scramble through my suitcase and find all of the things necessary to take a shower. i carry it all to the bathroom and turn on the water.

while waiting for it to warm up, i stare at myself in the mirror. my hair is damp from the sweat that always comes when i wear my mask. i just look rough. my cheeks are red and flustered- an emotion i find myself feeling a lot lately- and the only reason as to why, is the reminiscent feeling of edie's thighs wrapped around my head. a combat move that is a bitch to be stuck in is now sending shivers down my spine in the strangest way. the feeling of her soft, yet durable suit against my cheeks is fresh in my mind. part of me wants to feel her actual skin caressing my face. just the palm of her hand. or maybe even her lips.

the scandalous thought hits me in the face when i remember who it is i'm thinking about. no no no. i'm just a horny boy who is thinking with the wrong part of his body. there is no way i can be thinking these things about edie. not my best friend, that would be so weird.

right?

it's nearing dinner time the next day after mr. stark and happy left to meet up with the others. i've done my best to stay in my room, but the nagging feeling in my stomach craved for any food other than the peanut butter crackers i smuggled in the middle of the night.

with a groan, i peel back my sheets and crawl out of bed. i walk over to my door and pull it open, checking both ways to see if it was clear. i sigh with relief as i see no signs of edie and step out into the hall.

it's not that i don't want to see her, but...i kinda don't want to see her. i took the time to myself to think of my messed up feelings. i haven't always felt this way. edie has always been my best friend, and that's all i saw her as. but when i realized i wouldn't see her for three months, my heart hurt and my stomach twisted. now that it's just the two of us, those feelings are magnified and blaring and overwhelming.

halfway to the kitchen i hear footsteps bounding down the hallway behind me. i whip around just to be tackled to the ground by an alarmingly strong body.

"where ya been, pete? i've tried to get you out of your room all day. by the way, i like the shirtless look." edie pants from above me with a cheeky wink. i feel myself melt at her words. she wanted to see me. who am i kidding? of course she did, i'm the only other one in the compound and she’s probably bored. i'm dragged out of my thoughts when the rest of her sentence hits me.

looking down i do realize i have no shirt on, only a pair of sweatpants that are now sitting a little too far down on my hips due to the way edie is sitting on me. i scramble out from underneath of her, keeping hold on the band of my pants to ensure no more embarrassment. my movements send her flying on her butt a few feet away.

"oof, okay. my bad." she says awkwardly, but continues, "hey i was thinking of going out tonight? kicking a little ass and whatnot. wanna be my guy in the chair?" she asks from the ground as i stand to fix my pants. i curse my cheeks as i feel them redden.

jumping at an idea, i suggest something else, "actually i-i'll go out. don't worry about me though, i've got karen. wouldn't wanna make her jealous." i say, trying to joke. her face drops slightly before covering it up with her bright smile. i wonder how many times she's done that without me noticing.

"right. spider boy doesn't need little ole me. i'll be here when you get back." she chirps as she hops up from the floor, "at least keep me in mind when you're out there. i'll be right here." she taps her ear and i notice the tiny piece of metal made to fit her ear perfectly. it's her comm that tony gave us to ensure we're always sure of each other's safety. mine is sitting in my room, untouched.

"okay, e. i better get r-ready to go." i stammer out and turn back to my room.

"aren't you gonna eat?" she calls from behind me as i make my retreat.

my mission to get food was unsuccessful.

edie's pov.

i watch peter stumble back down the hall, seemingly eager to be anywhere i'm not. i brush the thought away and cop it up to nerves. we're officially here by ourselves, i'm nervous too.

i turn on my heel and head to the kitchen, where i begin making mac and cheese. it's one of my favorite things to eat, so i double the portions for later. or maybe i'll be generous and share some with peter.

my ear piece makes a short static noise and soon peter's voice is flooding through my head, "i'm heading out now, edie. uh, i guess let me know if there's an emergency or something. but other than that i'll be offline." he says, immediately doing so before i can respond.

i huff and plop myself down on a stool, waiting for my water to boil on the stove. my heart begins to sink. if peter is going to be acting this way the whole time we're here, i don't know if i'm so excited anymore. sure, i know this is a huge responsibility on our shoulders but we can still have fun, right?

"a watched pot never boils." i whisper to myself as i let my head fall into my hands. soon after that i feel my mind start to slip into a calmer state, easing me into a sleepy trance. i try my best to fight the feeling, but as soon as my eyes slide shut, i'm done for.

"edie? e? what's going on over there? there's an alarm going off, edie. edie!"

my head snaps up off of the marble kitchen island as i take in the room around me. the pot of water is definitely boiling now. so much so that the smoke detectors have started going off.

"edie!"

i stand up, still trying to gather myself and run over to the stove.

"pete? gosh, sorry. it's nothing i'm fine, i was just- FUCK. oh ouch ouch ouch." i put my thumb in my mouth and begin to suck on it, apparently i'm not awake enough to realize the pot is hot as hell before i tried to move it from the burner.

"e? are you okay? i'm coming back, hold on." peter says, worry lacing through his words. i hop up and down silently, holding my hand to my chest.

"no, no. i'm okay, just a little accident in the kitchen, i'll live." i reply, doing my best to not worry the boy protecting the city.

"oh my god, you cut off a finger, didn't you? i thought knives were your thing! i'm almost there."

"no! gosh, peter, i'm fine. finish your patrol. i'll see you later." i rush out, now at the sink, running cold water over my burn.

"too late i'm already here." he says. there’s some rustling coming through the comm, and he lets out a faint curse, "the doors aren't opening. what the hell?"

there's a silence.

"mr. stark never logged my finger print." he says, defeated. i can't help but laugh at his misfortune.

"don't worry, peter i'm coming to save you." i say with a coy smile, glad he can't see how much i'm enjoying this moment.

"totally unfair," he mutters, "i was supposed to come save you. but then again, what ever would i do without you, wolfie?"

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