#Time Skips

[wangxianficrecs]

An Unscheduled Stream by trippednfell

An Unscheduled Stream

by trippednfell (@trippednfell)

M, WIP, 29k, Wangxian

Summary: A viral video sweeps through the internet, which appears to show the 1st disciple of Yunmeng Jiang take on a full nest of evil beings in an attempt to protect five juniors from his sect. The unscheduled livestream captures everyone's attention, but there has to be more there than meets the eye. The Lan assign their own 1st disciple, Lan Wangji, to investigate. That investigation will take him years into the future and miles away from Gusu as he seeks to find the truth. When he does find it, it has a far greater impact on his life than he could ever imagine. Kay's comments: I just stumbled over this story and immediately binged it, because it ticked all the right boxes for me. The Wei-Wen found family vibes are impeccable and Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian just met in the most recent chapter after Lan Wangji has been obsessing over Wei Wuxian for the last years, so I'm really excited to see where the story goes next. Excerpt: The matter was closed. Lan Wangji had spent hours at his desk, typing and formatting the report for its inclusion in the Lan Archives. He needed to stretch, move his body, meditate and quiet his mind. But he hesitated, before shutting down his computer. The mystery of Wei Wuxian worried at him, pulling his focus. He navigated to the official cultivator rankings, and searched his name. There were zero hits. That was impossible. Every sect had to register their disciples, it was required. People who could wield power of any kind had to be identified and traced. He pulled up Yunmeng Jiang, and visually scanned through their listings. Jiang Wanyin was now listed as first disciple and heir in waiting, and Wei Wuxian’s name did not appear, not even in the “formerly affiliated” section. Yunmeng Jiang had erased any evidence of his existence. Lan Wangji then navigated to sites he typically avoided as much as possible. But needs must, and if all the official sites no longer contained any information on him, he would have to go to the fan sites. Immediately he found that he was not the only one looking into it. Yunmeng Jiang dominated the forums, with the number one thread being one titled: What the fuck happened with YMJ? Lan Wangji settled in to read.

pov alternating, canon divergence, modern setting, modern with magic, minor character death, rogue cultivator wei wuxian, demonic cultivator wei wuxian, bamf wei wuxian, lan wangji/wei wuxian get a happy ending, time skips, not yunmeng jiang sect friendly, families of choice, getting to know each other, developing relationship, slow burn

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[charlieeenby]

just close your eyes, you'll be alright

bruce and jason deal with jason's fear of rape

warnings and tags: abo, discussions of child rape, threats of rape, time skips

title from safe & sound by taylor swift

Jason wanted to cuddle with Alpha. He wanted Alpha to hold him and scent him. He wanted to be safe. He didn’t feel safe, he was just hot and sweaty.

It wasn’t fair. Nothing was fair.

Jason whined and buried himself further into his nest. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be in here, but it smelled like Alpha. It smelled safe.

A door opened somewhere and Jason flinched and whimpered. Alpha wasn’t here to keep him safe.

“Jason?” a voice said and Jason felt a tear run down his face. Where was Alpha? The bed shifted and the blanket that Jason had covered himself in was pulled away gently.

Then Jason could smell Alpha. He whined and looked up to see Alpha leaning over him.

“Alpha.” Jason lunged forward and into Alpha’s chest, whining.

“Pup, what’s the matter?” Alpha asked, hugging Jason.

Jason didn’t know. He just wanted Alpha.

“Puppy?”

Whining, Jason bared his throat to Alpha. Maybe if he was good and submitted to Alpha, then Alpha wouldn't leave him alone.

Alpha, shifted Jason and then laid down, curling around Jason. “Hush now, pup. You’re safe. You’re okay. I’m here, Jaylad.” a wrist brushed against Jason’s neck.

Jason sighed softly, relaxing against Alpha.

“There we go.” Alpha rumbled softly and then he started purring. Jason responded with his own puppy purr, though is sounded different now.

Jason decided to worry about that later.

Bruce watched Jason sleep, worried sick about the pup that was curled up in his arms. Bruce has assumed that Jason would be an alpha, but the sweet, vanilla smell coming from him made Bruce sure he was wrong.

Jason was only 13 years old, he was presenting years too early, though Bruce had heard of pups presenting early if they felt it would keep them safe or secure their place in their pack.

He hoped Jason felt safe here, but the idea that Jason might have presented early because he didn’t feel secure in the pack worried Bruce.

Jason was his pup now, he’d pack claimed the pup a year ago and Jason had yelled at the social worker when he’d insinuated abuse. The courts couldn’t take him away from Bruce.

When Jason woke up, he panicked.

As he was scrambling out of the bed and away from the sleeping alpha, he got tangled in the blankets and ended up on the floor.

He heard Bruce move and he whimpered. The room smelled like omega heat and alpha. Jason didn’t like it and his panic spiked.

“Pup?” Bruce asked, coming around to kneel next to Jason.

Jason yelped and tried to get away, still tangled in the blankets. When he finally managed to get his legs untangled, he bolted, running out of the room and down the hall.

“ALFRED!” he yelled, knowing the old beta would help him. He heard Bruce call after him and he wanted to cry.

When he started running down the stairs, he called for Alfred again, still not hearing a response. Then he turned the corner into the kitchen, he slammed into someone.

“Hey, Jaybird! What are you yelling about?” Dick asked, smiling at Jason.

“Where’s Alfie?” Jason asked instead of answering.

“I am right here, Master Jason. Why on earth were you – oh!” Jason wrapped his arms around the man’s waist and pressed his face into his stomach. A hand rested on his hair for a moment before petting him softly. “Master Jason, what’s the matter?”

“I don’t – I didn’t -” Jason’s breath hitched and tears flowed freely down his cheeks, wetting the butler’s shirt.

“Jason? Where’d you, oh there you are.” Bruce sighed.

“Master Bruce, what has the pup so frightened?”

“Probably me.”

Alfred growled. He was a beta, but he was also in charge of Jason’s care and the idea that the young pup was scared of Bruce angered him.

“And why, pray tell, would he be afraid of you?” he asked calmly, hiding his rage.

“He presented last night. When I went to bed, he’d created a nest in my bed and wouldn’t let go of me. He woke up and panicked.”

Alfred hummed. Then he knelt down in front of Jason. “Master Jason, are you hurt?”

Jason shook his head no.

“Okay. Where you frightened when you woke up?”

Jason nodded.

“Alright. Can you tell me why?” Alfred asked gently.

“No.” Jason whispered.

“That’s alright, pup. Are you in any pain?”

“My head hurts. And everything smells really strong.”

Alfred nodded. “Pup, do you know what’s going on?”

“No. Woke up in Bruce’s bed. I don’t -” Jason hiccuped. “Don’t know how I got there.” his chest heaved as he tried not to cry.

“Pup, you presented as an omega last night.” Alfred spoke in a soft and quiet tone. “Master Bruce found you nesting in his bed and you wanted him near you.”

“But I don’t remember goin’ in there.” Jason said tearfully.

“That is unfortunately, quite common.”

Jason whimpered. “Don’t like it.”

“I know.” Alfred paused, trying to think of a way to soothe the pups fear. “Master Jason, would you like me to conduct a medical checkup? That way you would know for certain whether or not Master Bruce hurt you in any way?”

Jason nodded a little. “Yeah.”

Alfred smiled at the young boy, despite the pain in his heart due to the fact that Jason still didn’t trust Bruce enough to know he’d never lay a hand on him.

“Alright. Why don’t we go down to the cave and do that? Then we can have breakfast.”

Jason just nodded and pressed a little closer to Alfred.

Alfred scooped the pup up and tucked him under his chin. Then he stood and nodded once to Bruce and Dick. “I will prepare breakfast after I come back with Master Jason. You will both be staying up here until we return. Am I clear?”

Bruce just nodded and Alfred could see the pain in his eyes.

“Yeah, Alfred. We’ll stay up here.” Dick spoke very softly.

“You’re sure?” Jason asked, wide eyed.

“I’m sure, Master Jason. I would never protect Bruce if he had hurt you. If he had, I would shoot him in the genitals and then I would make sure he bled out from that.”

Jason giggled a little. “That’s not very nice, Alfie.” he whispered.

Alfred smiled. “Neither is hurting a pup.”

That made the boy frown. “But I’m not a pup anymore. I presented.”

“Master Jason, look at me.” the boy looked up. “You are 13 years old. Until you are 18, you will be a pup. Presented or not, you are still legally a pup. And in this house, in this pack, you are a pup until you are over 18 and no longer want to be a pup. If you don’t believe me, ask Master Dick.” Alfred spoke firmly, not leaving any room for doubt.

Jason leaned forward and hugged Alfred tightly.

Alfred wrapped his arms around him. “Oh, pup. It’s all right.”

“Te amo, Abuelito.”

Alfred had a tear in his eye. Jason didn’t speak Spanish often, but when he did, it always felt like a special occasion.

“I love you too, Jason.”

The pair stayed that way for a few minutes, interrupted by Jason’s stomach growling. The boy laughed.

Alfred smiled. “Why don’t we go upstairs and you can help me make breakfast.”

“Really? I thought I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen.”

“Master Dick and Master Bruce aren’t, but until you cause a disaster, you are welcome to assist me.”

“Sweet! Will you teach me how to cook? I always wanted to, but…” Jason trailed off.

“Of course, I’d be happy to teach you.”

Jason beamed. “Thank you!”

As Alfred led Jason back upstairs, he wondered if the boy would still fear Bruce. He hopped not, but none of them were sure what all Jason had experienced on the streets.

When they entered the kitchen, Bruce and Dick looked over at them.

“Is everything all good, little wing?” Dick asked Jason.

The pup nodded but stuck close to Alfred.

Dick smiled. “That’s good.”

“Master Jason is going to help me make breakfast.” Alfred announced. “Does anyone have any requests?”

“Oh, can we have waffles?” Dick asked excitedly.

Alfred nodded. “Master Bruce?”

“Waffles are fine.” he said softly, not looking at Alfred or Jason.

“Alright then. Master Jason, shall we get started?”

Jason nodded, and seemed to relax a little bit.

(“Dickie, can I ask you a question?”

Dick smiled at Jason. “Yeah, what’s up?”

Jason sat down next to Dick. “Are you still a pup? Cause Alfie said that I was pup until I was over 18 and said I wasn’t a pup no more.”

“I’m not legally a pup, but here at home, yeah, I’m still a pup. And so are you. Alfie’s right. You’re still a pup even though you presented.”)

“Hey! Let go of me!” Jason yelled, pulling away from the drunk alpha that had grabbed his wrist.

The alpha laughed and tugged Jason closer. “Oh, come on. We’ll have so much fun.”

Jason whimpered. The alpha stunk of alcohol and Jason knew what drunk alphas did to omegas and pups.

“I don’t what to. Let me go.” Jason was terrified and sure his scent betrayed that. “Please.”

“Like it when you beg.” the alpha sneered.

A hand landed on Jason’s waist and the fear turned to terror. “LET GO OF ME!” he shouted, tears rolling down his face. He knew he wasn’t supposed to yell, but he was so scared of what this alpha would do if he didn’t.

For a minute, Jason wasn’t sure anyone had hear him, or if they had, if they even cared. But then a hand came from behind him and grabbed the alpha’s wrist.

“Let go of my son.” Bruce hissed and Jason relaxed a fraction. “Now.” his voice wasn’t loud, but there was a threat behind his words.

The alpha dropped his hands from Jason like he’d been burned. “We were just having some fun, man. Chill out.”

Bruce snarled and twisted the man’s arm until Jason heard a snap and the alpha screamed. Bruce let go and then pulled Jason to him, kneeling down in front of him.

“Can I see your wrist, pup?” he spoke gently.

Jason offered up his wrist. Bruce held it carefully, inspecting the red marks. “This will probably bruise. How much does it hurt?”

“Just a little bit.” Jason whispered, still shaken.

“Okay. I think we should find Dick and then go home.”

Jason hesitated.

“Pup?”

“Are you mad at me?”

Bruce looked confused, so Jason pushed forward.

“Are you mad that I yelled. You said I had to behave really well and yellin’ ain’t behavin’ well and I -” Jason began to hyperventilate.

Bruce shushed him gently, rubbing his hands up and down Jason’s arms. “Pup, listen to me. That alpha was going to hurt you. You were protecting yourself. Yes, I want you to be well behaved at these things, but not at the cost of your safety. Do you understand?”

Jason nodded and leaned into Bruce, crying.

“Oh, pup. You’re safe now. I promise.”

“Wanna go home.” Jason cried, and Bruce hugged him loosely. Jason wanted a real hug, wanted to feel safe. So he pressed himself closer to Bruce and buried his nose into the alpha’s neck.

For a moment, Bruce didn’t move and Jason started to worry he’d done something wrong. But then Bruce’s arms hugged him tightly and picked him up, standing and moving away from the alpha that was still wailing on the floor, keeping him tucked close.

He carried Jason over to where Dick was talking to a group of people. “Dick, it’s time to go.” there was no room for argument in his voice and when Dick saw Jason in Bruce’s arms, he didn’t even say goodbye, he just followed Bruce out.

Jason jerked awake, panting and afraid. A whimper escaped his throat as he threw the covers off and got out of bed.

Moving quietly, he crept out of his room and down the hall, stopping whenever he heard a noise. When he got to Bruce’s room, he hesitated.

Bruce had said that if he ever needed anything, he just had to ask. And right now, the only thing Jason wanted was to nest with his alpha.

Summoning all the courage he had, he knocked softly on the door.

A few seconds later, he heard Bruce’s feet hit the floor. A few seconds more, and the door opened. Bruce looked down at him, a little bleary eyed.

“Jason? What’s wrong?”

Jason shrugged.

Bruce let out a soft sigh. “Do you need something?”

Jason nodded.

“Okay. Is it something I can get you?”

“Kinda.” Jason whispered, staring at the floor.

Bruce hummed. “Is it something I can do?”

Jason nodded again.

“Okay. Are you worried I’ll be mad at you?”

“Not really.”

Bruce knelt down in front of Jason.

“Sweetheart, what’s going on?”

Jason hesitated, then said, “I had a nightmare.”

“Do you want to come sleep in my bed with me?”

“Yeah.”

Bruce smiled. “Okay. Dick’s in here with me. Is that okay?”

“Yeah. Can, um, can I sleep in between you guys?” Jason asked quietly.

“We’ll have to ask him, but probably.” Bruce said, then stepped to the side, letting Jason go into the room.

“B, what’s goin’ on?” Dick asked form the bed, voice soft and rough.

“Jason’s joining us. He wants to know if he can sleep in between us.”

“Course. Come here, lil’ wing.”

Jason crawled up onto the giant bed and tucked himself against Dick’s chest. Bruce waited until he was settled before crawling into bed behind him.

Moving slowly, he scooted closer to Jason until his chest was pressed against Jason’s back. Then he draped an arm across Jason and Dick, tugging them closer.

He sighed softly, relaxing now that he had his pups close by.

Jason did too, and it only took a few minutes for a soft purr to start echoing from his chest.

Dick and Bruce started purring as well.

“Little wing, wake up.”

Jason groaned and rolled over. Well, he tried, but something stopped him. He huffed.

“Jason. Wake up.”

“Fuck off, Dickhead.” he mumbled, keeping his face pressed against his pillow.

“Jay, language.” Bruce’s voice rumbled softly from underneath him. Jason jumped, a whimper escaping him. “Sorry, pup. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Jason picked his head up and looked at Bruce, who had a soft smile on his face.

“Hey.” Bruce said gently. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Didn’t realize I was laying on top of you.”

Dick laughed, and Jason looked to his right to glare at Dick. “You didn’t want to share at all last night. I thought you’d cuddle with me, but no, you clung to B the whole night.”

“Which is fine, Jason. Dick just found it amusing.”

“You’re not angry?” Jason wasn’t sure who he was asking but they both said ‘no’ at the same time.

Dick spoke first. “Jay, I thought it was funny how cuddly you got with him in your sleep because you aren’t when you’re awake. I also thought the fact that Bruce refused to move in case he disturbed you very funny.”

“And I like cuddling with my pups, so no, I am not mad. I was a little surprised when I woke up to find you on top of me, but I was not, and am not upset.” Bruce said firmly, offering his wrist to scent Jason.

Jason tilted his head back and let Bruce scent him, a quiet purr emanating from his chest.

"Can we go see if Alfred's made breakfast yet? I'm hungry." Dick asked after a moment.

Bruce smiled and sat up, keeping Jason tucked to his chest. "Alright, let's go." he said. When he tried to set Jason down, the pup clung to him, his little face pressed against Bruce's neck.

"Jaylad, do you want me to carry you?"

"Please?"

Bruce hummed. "Of course." he stood up and Dick followed him out of the room, somehow full of energy and excited.

Tim sighed softly as he relaxed in Jason’s arms.

Jason had found the pup while on patrol, shivering and shaking in an alleyway and he hadn’t been able to leave him. So he’d scooped the pup up and brought him to the cave.

There, he had asked Tim for his name and his address. When Tim had told him, Jason asked if anyone would be looking for him.

The hesitation was enough for Jason to know that, no, there probably wasn’t anyone looking for sweet little Tim. Jason had hugged Tim and started purring.

Tim had frozen for a moment, then started crying, clinging to Jason.

When Jason asked what was wrong, Tim had told him that no one ever held him anymore. Jason asked if Tim wanted to stay here for a while.

It was then that Tim revealed that he knew everyone’s identities.

Despite his shock, Jason said the offer still stood, and Tim had excepted, though he seemed nervous about something.

Jason changed into his regular clothes then escorted Tim upstairs and asked Alfred if they could have hot chocolate.

Alfred had agreed and instructed them to sit in the living room. Now they were cuddled up in one of the giant arm chairs, waiting on the hot chocolate.

“Jason?” Bruce’s voice was loud and it startled both boys.

“Yeah?” Jason called out, scenting Tim to keep him calm.

Bruce came into the room, allowing Jason got a good whiff of his scent and Jason realized that Bruce was panicked.

“Jaylad, are you – who’s this?”

“This is Timmy. He’s mine now.” Jason said simply.

Bruce blinked. Then Alfred came in with the hot chocolate.

“Ah, Master Bruce, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Alfred. Um, what’s happening?”

Alfred hummed as he set down two mugs on the end table. “Master Jason and Master Tim are having hot chocolate because Master Tim was quite cold and I have found it to be one of the best ways to warm up cold pups.”

“Okay, and where did Tim come from?”

Jason answered. “I found him in an alleyway. His old pack wasn’t takin care of him, so we’re keepin ‘im.”

Bruce didn’t have a clue what he was supposed to do. The parenting books didn’t prepare him for his child adopting another child. Granted, Jason was almost 17, but he was still a puppy.

Before Bruce could say anything, Dick bounced into the room. “Jay!” he flipped over the couch, moving in to hug his little brother but froze when he saw a pup, half asleep on Jason. “Where did you get a puppy?”

“I found him. He’s mine now.”

Dick tilted his head, glanced at Bruce, then Alfred, then back to Jason. “Do I get to cuddle with him?”

Jason looked at Dick and let out a soft snarl. Bruce was ready to intervene, but Dick just moved on.

“Okay. What’s his name?”

“Tim.”

Dick smiled. “That’s a nice name.”

Jason purred, nuzzling against Tim’s head.

Alfred cleared his throat and Jason looked up at him. “Hot chocolate, young sirs.”

Smiling, Jason said, “Thank you.”

Bruce gave up. It was official. He gave up, he didn’t care anymore.

With Tim, Bruce had understood Jason’s need to take to pup in. But now, he didn’t.

Steph was never adopted, but she was around enough that she may as well be. Cass, despite being older than Jason, had been adopted. Duke wasn’t adopted at first, but then his parents had died, so Bruce had claimed him.

Now, Jason was sitting in the cave, cradling an infant pup. Full on baby. Bruce had no idea where Jason had even gotten the pup and he wasn’t sure he even wanted to know.

But he was going to have to do something about it. Because he was the one adopting all of the pups Jason found and brought home.

Bruce let out a long sigh, then stood and made his way over to Jason.

“Jaylad. Who’s this?”

Jason didn’t look up at him. “He doesn’t have a name.”

“Okay. Where did you get him from?”

Oddly, Jason flinched.

Bruce knelt down so he could see Jason’s face.

“Sweetheart, what’s the matter?”

“I don’t want to give him up.”

Bruce frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I wanna keep him.”

“Jay, if he needs a home, then we can give him a home.”

“I know. But I want him to be mine.”

Bruce had no idea what was going on, but clearly Jason was upset. “Jason, I don’t understand.”

Jason let out a shaky sigh. “You know how when I brought Tim home, you adopted him?”

“I do.”

“I wanted to.”

“You wanted to adopt him?”

Jason nodded. “And I know I was still a pup and they wouldn’t have let me adopt Cass or Duke, but…” his breath hitched.

“But you’d probably be able to adopt this pup.”

“Yeah.”

“Jay, I’m not gonna tell you no, and I’m not going to try to stop you, but the courts will want you to have a stable job and a home. I can and will help you, if that’s what you want.”

Jason looked at Bruce with wet eyes and tear tracks on his cheeks. “Really?”

“Sweetheart, of course. I want you to be happy. If you want to adopt this pup, then I will do everything I can to make that happen for you.”

Jason whimpered and Bruce reached our and wiped away the tears, then pulled Jason into a hug, careful not to squish the baby in between them.

Damian was the sweetest pup Bruce had ever met.

Jason was letting him watch the puppy while he interviewed for a job, and Bruce was captivated. Damian’s bright green eyes seemed to take in everything, and he was so quiet, even when he needed something.

The front door opened and Bruce heard Jason growing softly to himself and the scent of upset omega drifted in.

A moment later, Jason came in, flopped onto the couch next to Bruce and leaned against the alpha, cheek squished on his shoulder.

“Hey, sweetheart. How’d it go?”

“They don’t hire nursing omegas.” Jason’s voice threatened to crack.

Bruce sighed, annoyed for his son.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Jason hummed then spoke. “Are you still willing to get me a job?”

“Of course.”

“Does Wayne Enterprises hire nursing omegas?”

Bruce snorted. “Yes, we do. I’d be slaughtered if I tried to say no for that reason.”

“Good. Got any mechanic jobs open?”

“Not sure. I can look later, see what we have. I’ll email you the positions. I assume you want to do as much of it without my help as possible?”

“Yeah.”

Bruce hummed, then shifted so he could wrap his arm around Jason. “Love you, Jaylad.”

“Love you too, B.” Jason yawned and tucked his feet up, relaxing against Bruce. It only took a few minutes for him to doze off, Damian following suit not long after.

Bruce was out seconds after Damian.

As Alfred stepped into the den, wondering were Jason and Bruce where. He hadn’t seen them since Jason had left for an interview, and no one else had seen them since.

Flipping on the light, Alfred relaxed, a smile on his face.

Bruce was on the couch, Damian in one of his arms, Jason tucked against his side with the other. His head was tilted back, mouth open and soft snores coming from him.

[mejcinta]

Things the major time skip in season 1 robbed us of:

Viserys inviting Otto back to court and Rhaenyra resisting it

Harwin and Rhaenyra's affair

Alicent sending Daeron off to Oldtown

Aegon and Helaena's wedding + the birth of their twins

Aemond adapting to his disability

Criston fostering Alicent's kids and basically becoming their dad.

Jace and Daeron's beef

How Aegon begun his night life

Laena and Daemon's forbidden marriage taking shape

Viserys' relationship with Aegon, Aemond and Helaena.

[xx-thedarklord-xx]

Secrets Undone (the Lightning Order)

It started out as a secret. Their love was hidden just between the two of them until it became a revolution. One where Harry and Draco would change the world. He just had to pass his O.W.L examinations first.

Some Tags: Secret Relationship, Sirius Black Lives, Harry and Dobby Friendship, Harry Leaves the Order, Draco and Weasley Twin Friendship

Ao3

[steddieas-shegoes]

Hiiiiiiiii hdisjxksjdj I have 2 ideas for the fic writing request! Feel free to choose whichever one you'd like to do or both! 💝💝💝 love youuu

1: Steve's parents meet his new friends and are shocked at how happy he is. + they see that Steve and his friends all wear a similar-style friendship bracelet made by the kids.

2: platonic stobin with the song lyric (brother by Kodaline: I took out the chorus bc it doesn't match here):

When we were young we were the ones

The kings and queens oh yeah, we ruled the world

We smoked cigarettes, man, no regrets

Wish I could relive every single word

We've taken different paths

And travelled different roads

I know we'll always end up on the same one when we're old

And when you're in the trenches

And you're under fire I will cover you

If I was dying on my knees

You would be the one to rescue me

And if you were drowned at sea

I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe

we'll go deeper than the ink

Beneath the skin of our tattoos

Though we don't share the same blood

You're my brother and I love you that's the truth

We're living different lives

Heaven only knows

If we'll make it back with all our fingers and our toes

Five years, twenty years, come back

It will always be the same

ANOTHA ONE (BUT ACTUALLY TWO)! This first one for some reason got me fucked up. I wrote so much, then 75% of the way through, I hated it and deleted it and started over. The second one was a lot easier, but I did get a little carried away (could have gotten MORE carried away if I didn't have a tiny bit of self control left). ANYWAYS YAY FOR FINISHING ONE OF MY CLASSES WITH A 94 AND BEING ABLE TO POST THESE! LOTS OF LOVE BABEYYYY - Mickala ❤️

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

PROMPT 1

“Where is it?”

Steve was panicking.

Okay, panicking might be dramatic.

It was just a bracelet.

But it wasn’t just a bracelet, actually.

El made them for everyone. They all matched, but she’d added everyone’s initials to theirs so it was still special for each of them.

When she gave Steve his, he hid in the bathroom and cried.

Despite being the King for years, he’d never had any friends like the kids and Robin.

Eddie either, but he’d already passed the line of “friends” into “love of his life”, so he didn’t count.

So when he looked down while he was cooking and realized it wasn’t wrapped around his wrist the way it had been for months, he started to worry.

When he couldn’t find it in the kitchen or the path from the kitchen to the car or the car itself or his bedroom or his bathroom, he started to feel a weight settle in his chest.

He wouldn’t give up yet though. He’d gone outside to check the chemicals in the pool this morning, maybe it had fallen off there.

Just when he was about to go look, he heard a car door slam. Then another one. Then keys at the front door.

Of all the times for his parents to decide they live here, they choose now? When he’d abandoned the casserole he was making on the counter and turned most of the place upside down in the last hour looking for his bracelet?

He took a deep breath, ready to try to brush aside the panic to make sure they didn’t find his behavior unacceptable or suspicious.

“Oh good. You’re home.”

Anne Harrington’s voice used to make Steve relax. She wasn’t ever a great mother, but she was at least here until he hit middle school. Her presence, her voice usually made his dad remain calm.

But when she started going away with his dad, her voice became a dreaded sound.

Instead of it easing the tension he held in his back and jaw, it caused the tension to arrive faster.

Richard Harrington was the root cause of all of that tension, though.

“What’s going on in here?”

Steve tried to make himself appear smaller, that’s what his dad liked from him, and that’s what kept him safe.

“You caught me as I was making dinner. I haven’t been able to clean up yet.”

“Is that a casserole?”

Anne was walking up to the counter, peering down at the casserole dish as she spoke.

“Yes. I’m having friends over later.”

He was at least. Before his parents made a surprise visit.

Just as he checked the clock to see if he had time to call everyone to cancel, he heard more car doors.

Fuck, how late was it?

6:30. Shit.

Of course the one time Eddie gets everyone here on time is the one time his parents decide to show up.

El had joined this campaign at the insistence of Eddie and Will, so he knew she’d notice his bracelet was missing.

He couldn’t let her close enough to see.

No hug hello. No sitting in the room while they played. No hugging goodbye.

He could do that.

El barged in the house first, excitement palpable before she even made it into the kitchen.

“Who the hell is this?”

The voices of the others could be heard walking through the door as El froze with wide eyes.

“Mom, Dad, this is El. She’s Chief Hopper’s daughter? I babysat her.”

They looked at him like he’d grown three heads.

“Steve! Tell Dustin that I’m supposed to be the fun parent!”

Steve’s face paled. Eddie.

Every possible reaction his parents could have ran through Steve’s mind as he actually did start to panic.

Suddenly, everyone from Hellfire was standing in his kitchen. With his parents.

And an uncooked casserole.

He reached for the bracelet on his wrist, then remembered he lost it, and then he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. He couldn’t cry in front of his parents.

He walked out of the room, ignoring the confused stares and murmurs from everyone, including his mother.

He walked up the stairs, to his bedroom, then fell on his bed.

No tears fell, but they were there, waiting. For what, he didn’t know.

He could hear footsteps outside of his room. A pause. A gentle knock.

“Steve?”

His mother.

She opened the door slowly, probably just as nervous as he suddenly was.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure,” he managed to choke out.

His mom sat on the edge of the bed, leaving enough space between them that he couldn’t feel any warmth from her, which is how it’s always been.

“We probably should have called.”

It wasn’t an apology, just a statement. More for her than him since she was feeling just as awkward about this as he was.

“Those kids are the ones you babysat?”

“Yeah.”

“They’ve gotten quite big, haven’t they?”

Steve had no idea what she was doing, but he could answer her questions.

“Yeah. Don’t really need me anymore.”

“They’re here, though.”

“I’ll send them home,” Steve started to get up, but his mom’s hand on his shoulder kept him from standing.

“Don’t. We just dropped by to grab a few things. We have a flight in a few hours.”

Ah. So they weren’t staying. If he hadn’t been home when they got here, he probably never would have even known they were here.

For some reason, that hurt. Even after all these years, all these times being left alone.

“They must really love you.”

Her voice sounded different, shaky. Like she was actually trying to show an emotion other than passiveness or disappointment.

She was holding something, he could see her rubbing her fingers along whatever it was.

And then he caught the bright pink.

His bracelet.

“Where did you find that?”

“It was on the ground by the front door. Your father didn’t see it, but I picked it up. Thought it may have belonged to a girl you brought home. Then I saw what all those kids were wearing and saw your initials on it.” She handed him the bracelet and he felt relief wash over him. “You’re lucky to have them.”

He looked at her. Her lips wobbling, her eyes watery, like she was actually happy for him, or maybe a little sad about something else.

Regret. That’s what that look was.

“I wish I had known that you had so many people who love you. I wish I had been here to see you find happiness. You didn’t have any for so long.”

She’d seen it then. She’d seen the way he had to fight loneliness despite being surrounded by people at school. She’d seen the way his face dropped every time they told him they were going on another business trip, how he started to hate that they even bothered to come home at all. She’d seen the way he filled his home with idiot teenagers who barely respected him or the house, who just wanted a place to drink away from their parent’s prying eyes.

She’d seen it and let him feel that hurt anyway.

She still didn’t say she was sorry.

But he thought about if he even wanted that now. If he could even believe it or accept it coming from her.

Probably not.

He took the bracelet from her and wrapped it around his wrist, tightening the string until it was snug.

“I didn’t have anyone for so long because you didn’t seem to think I needed anyone. I don’t know who I would be without them. They’ve done more for me than you or dad ever have, and that’s why I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” Steve sighed. It was exhausting that he even had to say this. “You’re right, though. I am lucky to be loved by them. This bracelet is just one of the physical reminders of that. Thanks for finding it.”

A single tear fell from her eyes, but Steve wasn’t going to let himself feel bad. She could have done this years ago when he needed it most.

Now he had those kids downstairs. He had Eddie. He had Robin. Joyce and Hopper. Claudia. Even the Wheelers.

Suddenly, Eddie was standing in his door, a panicked look on his face.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt.” He wasn’t. “You may need to come downstairs. Erica’s kind of doing that thing she does with your dad.”

Steve’s eyes widened while his mom just looked confused.

Then he heard it.

He jumped up and ran down the stairs, Eddie close on his heels.

“...and another thing! This house isn’t even decorated nicely! You have all this money, right? Why don’t you spend it on things that actually look good? Or a couch that’s actually comfy. How am I supposed to sleep on a piece of plywood with itchy fabric on it? Have you ever tried to sleep on that couch? Probably not since you can’t be bothered to come home.”

Steve put his hand on Erica’s shoulder while he glanced over at his father’s red face. He obviously wasn’t going to do anything to a child, but he didn’t want to take any risks, not with the kids he loved so much.

“Alright, everyone in the dining room! Get your game setup while I put the casserole in the oven.”

Erica glared up at him, but relented when everyone started moving towards the dining room.

Eddie watched as she left too, but he remained next to Steve.

Steve turned to face his father, who was certainly going to have a lot to say to him, but would probably wait until he was alone.

“The neighbor told me you had kids coming and going from here all the time, but I thought they were losing it. Especially when they said that the Munson van was parked in the driveway most nights. I guess they aren’t losing it, after all.”

His tone was outwardly calm, but Steve was well-versed in the silent rage boiling underneath.

He was also well-versed in how his father refused to make their family look bad, even if it was just a bunch of kids.

“They needed a place to play their game. I have plenty of room. It keeps them out of trouble and happy. I get to have people in the house. It’s a win win.”

Steve wasn’t usually this bold with his father, but he knew he was fine with Eddie next to him and his family in the next room.

His dad grunted and looked down at the bracelet wrapped around Steve’s wrist, and the matching one wrapped around Eddie’s.

Steve could feel his brain trying to figure everything out. He didn’t say anything to help.

“I’m sure your mother mentioned we’re just grabbing some things and leaving,” Richard finally said.

“She did.”

“Make sure the house is clean before we get back.”

“Which will be…?”

“Within the next few weeks.”

“Sure.”

They weren’t gonna be back in a few weeks. They probably wouldn’t be back for months, if ever.

Steve noticed that they barely had any of their personal belongings left in the house. He noticed that they had been slowly moving out of the house since his senior year of high school. He noticed that they rarely got mail delivered anymore, and that they didn’t send the gardener or pool cleaner by unless they were coming home.

He knew they had another house in upstate New York, one he’d never even been to and only found out about because his dad’s secretary mentioned it the last time he’d called looking for them.

He figured if they were coming back in a few weeks, it would probably be to tell him they were selling this house and he had to leave.

Which was fine.

He looked down at his bracelet as his dad left the kitchen, tugging on the end of it to make it even tighter.

He had people who would help him if he got kicked out. He had family.

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

PROMPT 2

In 1987, Robin Buckley leaves for college.

They knew it was coming, her gap year truly could only be a year, after all.

Steve tried to put on a brave face.

He was proud of her, of course. She got into Purdue on one of the hardest academic scholarships to get. They’d let her, even encouraged her, to take the gap year, postponing her scholarship for her new start date.

She was leaving tomorrow and Steve didn’t know how to say goodbye.

Eddie was helping with some of the last minute packing she had to do, but he was trying to stay out of their way, give them time and space to enjoy what time they had left.

Suddenly, Steve knew what he needed to do.

“Eds?”

“Hm?”

“You’ve got supplies for tattoos right?”

“Tattoos, plural? Going from none to multiple in one go may not be a great idea, sweetheart.”

Robin was watching their interaction with curious eyes, but wasn’t saying anything.

“No, just one for me. But maybe one for Robin too?” He pointed the question at her, giving her a small smile.

“What? A tattoo? Now?”

“If you want. Just something small for us to have before you go.”

Maybe it was a stupid idea.

It’s not like she was leaving the damn country. He’d probably see her once a month at least.

But he was scared that she’d get to college and find a lot of smart friends who could keep up with her and find fewer reasons to visit here, and then Steve wouldn’t be able to convince her to stick around and he’d be alone.

A tattoo would at least ensure she was thinking of him, too.

“What would we get?”

“What about an ice cream cone?”

“Or a scoop?”

Eddie laughed. “You really want me to tattoo ice cream scoops on your bodies? Forever? You know these are permanent.”

Steve and Robin giggled together and nodded.

So it was settled.

They finished what they had to, waving a quick goodbye to Robin’s parents and letting them know she’d be back late. They reminded her they were heading out early in the morning and she ignored them. When they got to Eddie’s trailer, the nerves sunk in for both of them. Not enough to avoid getting the tattoos, but enough to make them hold hands while Eddie prepped the tattoo gun and ink for Steve.

“Alright, where do you want it big boy?”

He pointed to his ankle and looked at Robin, who nodded back at him in agreement.

So Eddie began.

Steve flinched at the first few lines in his skin, but got used to it quickly.

Robin held his hand and watched, talking to him about random things that she thought of that they could do when he visited her on campus.

Eddie finished quickly, smiling up at them both.

When he cleaned up and set up the new needle and ink for Robin, Steve held her hand and talked about all the things he was excited for her to do when she left. He even joked that she’d probably find a girlfriend in her Women’s Studies course.

“I mean that class is just gonna be a bunch of queer women, you better make a move.”

“You don’t know that!” she exclaimed while rolling her eyes.

When Robin’s tattoo was done, they smiled at each other. Robin kissed Eddie’s cheek in thanks and Steve kissed his lips, whispering a quiet thanks against them.

Even if Robin moved on, they’d always have this.

—-------

In 1991, shortly after Robin managed to graduate from school, Steve and Eddie had a massive fight.

They’d never had one before, not like this.

Not one that led to Eddie walking out and staying with Wayne.

Steve’s first call was to Wayne, making sure Eddie was safe.

His second call was to Robin, begging her to come stay with him for a few days so he wouldn’t have to be alone.

He hadn’t been alone in his house since the fall of 1986 and it was suddenly bigger and quieter than ever.

She quickly drove to him, knowing he wouldn’t have asked if he wasn’t struggling.

When she arrived, Steve sobbed into her shoulder for hours, not even saying anything, not really able to. She let him, didn’t offer any words of comfort, just running her hands through his hair and making sure he kept breathing in and out.

Eventually, she asked.

“I thought you guys were doing great. What happened?”

Steve shrugged, but he knew. He knew that for a few weeks now Eddie had been working a lot more, that Steve had been working a lot more, both of them trying to save money to buy a house that wasn’t a constant reminder of everything bad in their lives. He knew that neither of them were giving each other the attention they deserved. He knew the tiny little snippy comments they both were giving each other kept adding up into a form of resentment he didn’t think either of them could’ve been capable of. He knew when he missed their date because he forgot to call when he found out about the overtime he was scheduled for, it would lead to a pissed off Eddie.

“We’re just under a lot of stress right now.”

“Worse than the literal end of the world?”

“No. Just. Real life is kind of harder sometimes. Is that crazy to think?”

“I guess not. But you guys love each other more than anything. This is just a bump, right?”

“I dunno. He’s staying with Wayne for a bit.”

“How long is a bit?”

“I don’t know, he didn’t say. Wayne said he’s barely seen him.”

“Maybe he just needs to cool off. Bet he’ll be back tomorrow.”

But he wasn’t. He wasn’t back that week at all. Robin had to go back to campus to pack before they locked her out permanently, so he was left to work and come home to an empty house.

It sucked, point blank.

But Wayne called him every night before he left for work, and Steve knew that at least Eddie was safe, still going to work, still eating.

The day Robin was supposed to be back, Eddie showed up. He let himself in, which was a good sign. He sat down next to Steve on the couch, another good sign. He sighed, not a great sign, but maybe not a bad one.

He looked at Steve with tears in his eyes.

“I wanna come home.”

Steve let out a sob and folded into Eddie’s chest, Eddie wrapping his arms around him and kissing the top of his head.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Sh. I’m sorry too, Stevie.”

When Robin arrived, she saw them asleep on the couch, thankfully fully dressed, and smiled to herself. She made her way up to the guest room that was basically hers and went to sleep, content with knowing that she’d gotten Steve through.

—--------

In 1997, Robin lands her dream job offer. Things move quickly. She’s supposed to fly to Italy in three days, but she’s stuck on how to tell Steve.

Steve and Eddie moved to Boston when she did, insisting that they wanted to live a city life. Now that the kids were all gone, they had no reason to stay in Hawkins.

They sold the Harrington mansion, then their own home, and found a nice two bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city. Steve worked in a bakery, so his hours were a bit all over the place depending on the season. Eddie worked as a sound mixer at a record label, which wasn’t his dream job, but close enough that he was happy.

Robin had been working as a tutor for years, enjoying the one on one with teenagers who needed the extra help in their high school foreign language classes. It didn’t pay much, but it was enough.

But she applied to be a teacher, part of a study abroad project for prospective Boston University students that reached 24 different countries. She didn’t really expect to get it, her experience and education level not quite where most of the other applicants were.

But she’d impressed the interviewers with her knowledge of multiple languages, not just fluency in one. They expressed immediate interest and asked her which country she’d prefer.

She told them she preferred Italy, but hadn’t expected to get her first choice.

She did.

And now she had to tell Steve she was leaving the country for at least a year.

She called Eddie first to warn him. He was excited for her, of course, but nervous about how Steve would react.

They frequently joked that she was the side chick in their relationship because Steve would cancel plans just to hang out with Robin. Even as grown adults with grown adult responsibilities, Eddie had to remind them to get some sleep during sleepovers like they were teenagers.

He thought it was adorable.

He told her to come over for dinner, she could talk to him then and he would be there as backup.

So she did.

And it went okay at first. Steve was so excited for her, he kept talking about how she could send real Italian chocolate like he got on a vacation with his parents when he was young.

But then it seemed to slowly sink in what this meant.

No more random meetups in the city for coffee or drinks, no more dinners here at their apartment, calls would have to be scheduled in advance because of the time difference. No hugs or cuddling for a year.

“Maybe we could try to come visit in a few months?” He looked at Eddie hopefully.

“Maybe, sweetheart,” Eddie responded with a small smile.

He knew their finances weren’t bad, but a trip to Italy certainly wasn’t something they were prepared for. Plus, taking that much time off of work would be difficult. They didn’t have another sound mixer right now, which meant if he missed more than a day or two, they’d pretty much have to close up shop.

“I mean, I’m sure with what they’re paying me, I could probably come visit during the Christmas break,” Robin added, though she didn’t sound so sure.

Eddie squeezed Steve’s knee, sensing the tears he was trying to hold back.

“We’ve got time to figure it out.”

Nothing got planned for a while though, because Robin was busier than expected.

She worked six days a week, and on the seventh day, she was usually still grading papers or setting up meetings with the other teachers in the program.

Steve felt like he was fighting constantly for her attention, which wasn’t fair to think because she was just doing her job.

Eddie knew he was getting into a depressive episode about a month in.

He called Robin while Steve was asleep, coming up with a plan to get him out of it before it got bad.

“I’ve got enough money for the flight, but we need somewhere to stay. I think I can swing five days off for both of us if I tell his boss what’s going on. But I can’t do it for at least a month.”

“Okay, just stay with me. I have a pull out couch. My neighbor brings me so much food all the time, I’m sure she’ll wanna feed you both too. I still have to work, but you can explore while I do. Have you guys even taken a real vacation before?”

“Does visiting Dustin count?”

“No.”

“Then, no.”

The plan was in place. Steve remained sad, but Robin tried to call as often as she could.

But almost exactly one month later, Steve came home to Eddie packing luggage. His heart stopped for a moment.

“What are you doing?”

Eddie smiled at him, walking over to wrap his arms around him.

“Packing for our trip.”

“What trip?”

“To Italy.”

Steve’s heart started racing.

“What?”

“Gotta get you to see your girl, don’t I? She’s got a couch with our name on it.”

Steve cried for the next hour, leaving wet kisses on Eddie’s cheeks and lips as he helped pack.

When they arrived in Italy, Robin was at the airport holding the chocolates Steve so desperately wanted, but he didn’t care about in that moment.

He was back with his platonic soulmate.

—------

Being engaged wasn’t that important to Steve or Eddie. They couldn’t legally get married anyway, so what was the point of the whole song and dance of asking and wearing a ring?

They’d belonged to each other for so long, it wasn’t necessary.

But in 2003, Eddie changed his mind.

It happened because Robin said something about how marriage equality was looking more likely, like maybe she could actually marry her girlfriend who followed her back from Italy.

And Eddie couldn’t have Robin get engaged before him.

So he found a ring, just a simple gold band with a single diamond. He got it engraved to say “scar on my heart” which was the title of the first song Eddie wrote about Steve for Steve.

He made plans. He called the kids and made them swear not to say anything.

He called Robin and asked if she could be there.

But he should have known Robin couldn’t keep a secret.

“I’m just so excited!”

“For what? It’s just ice cream at the park,” Steve said curiously.

“It’s not just ice cream! It’s a big moment!”

And then she realized what she said. Eddie glared at her.

“What’s the big moment?”

Eddie sighed. He could just say Robin was being dramatic, but Steve wouldn’t buy it, not with the way she looked guilty of murder now.

“I have something to ask you.”

Maybe Steve would leave it.

“What is it? Why does Robin need to be there? Just ask me now.”

Guess not.

“Since I can never have plans that work, fine.” Eddie pulled the box out of his pocket, sending one more glare at Robin, who already had tears in her eyes. He started to drop to one knee but felt hands on his arms.

“Wait! Are you proposing to me?”

“Uh. Trying to, yes.”

Steve started laughing. Not really the reaction he was hoping for.

Then, he pulled a box from his pocket.

Robin clapped and cheered from the side while Eddie just stared in disbelief.

“What?”

“I called Robin to come this weekend so I could propose!”

“But. I called her to come!”

“You both are dinguses! Eddie called me an hour before Steve did if it matters, but you both are ridiculous.”

They looked at each other and laughed as Robin’s words sank in.

“I guess I know your answer then,” Eddie said.

“Ask me anyway.”

“Yeah, I came all this way to see proposals, give me a show!” Robin exclaimed loudly.

“You just need ideas for your girlfriend.”

“Shut up.”

Eddie turned to Steve, got down on one knee, and smiled up at him.

“We’re living in a time where we might be able to actually get married and there is nothing I want more than to be able to call you my husband. I’ve loved you for nearly 20 years, and I know I’ll love you more in the next 20, and the 20 after that. What do you say, big boy? Wanna marry me?”

Steve was crying and Eddie could hear Robin sniffling to the side.

“Yeah, I do.”

Eddie placed the ring on Steve’s finger and kissed him so hard, Robin groaned.

“Okay, my turn.”

Eddie stood up with a smirk as Steve got down on one knee.

“Eds, I’ve never been that great with words, but you’ve loved me anyway. Even when I may not have deserved it, even when it may have been hard, even before I was ready to love you back. I’m not going anywhere no matter what the law says, but I want you to wear this so you know I’m all in. Will you be all in too?”

Robin was crying harder now, but Eddie didn’t care.

He nodded and let Steve place the ring on his finger.

Then they both pulled Robin into a hug, all of them crying into each other’s shoulders.

It made sense that she was here for this. She was Steve’s other half, Eddie was just an addition, and he was fine with that.

[blackcat419]

How time skips fuck a story.

HotD has many time skips in the story, some help move the story along, some are there to fill time without showing anything, and some end up messing the story up by removing important character moments so the audience can only infer or be told about.

Time skip timeline

Episode 1: 9 year time skip between scenes 1 and 2. This is a good time skip as it establishes the past tension but doesn’t place major character moments or actions in the time skip.

Episode 2: 6 months pass between episode 1 and 2. This is an okay time skip as everything is kind of the same before and after with the only thing changing is the momentum for certain emotions. For example, Rhaenyra’s sadness over her mother’s death has lessened. The Velaryons are pushing for more power in the royal family. And Viserys has decided he will marry Alicent.

Episode 3: three year time skip. This is the first bad time skip. We miss the degradations of Rhaenyra and Alicent’s relationship, neither able to address Visery’s actions are talk about their own emotions about it. We also get Aegon being introduced, which should have been a major scene on its own. The male heir that Viserys destroyed his family for is here, and what do we get? Just, let’s go hunting! No politics plz! Alicent is also heavily pregnant with Helaena and we don’t know how she feels about this. Is she scared she’ll die? Will Viserys kill her for another male heir?

The only okay part of the time skip is the war in the step stoned because we know Daemon has joined with Corlys. Nothing has happen there that is of note.

Episode 4 & 5: a few months pass as Helaena is born (still no birth scene for Alicent to parallel Aemma, the last queen who died on that bed). And episode 5 follows right after.

Episode 6 & 7: 10 years. We get 4 new actors, 6 new kid characters with 2 new actors for Aegon and Helaena, and new relationship dynamics between multiple characters! We have Rhaenyra and Harwin having a whole relationship with three kids that they have to keep secret. Laenor and Qarl having a secret relationship. Laenor dealing with the grief of Jeoffrey’s death. Criston and Alicent’s new found friendship/romance. Laena and Daemon’s relationship. Alicent and Rhaenyra becoming political actors. The court gossip around the paternity of Rhaenyra’s sons. The relationship between the kids. The relationship between the kids and their dragons. Just to name a few.

This is a bad time skip because it jumps not only time, but character development. Time skips like this ruin shows. This is why Martin didn’t have a five year time skip in the books because there was story in those 5 years that couldn’t be glossed over or used in flash backs.

Episode 8, 9, & 10: a 6 year time skip. This time skip isn’t as horrendous as the 10 but still bad. All 6 kids age up, Aegon and Helaena are married and have kids, Aegon has become very depressed and an alcoholic, Aemond has become a great sword fighter with his disability. Both Luke and Jace know they are bastards and we don’t see them talk to their mom or really come to terms with it. Luke doesn’t have to deal with maiming Aemond. Rhaena doesn’t build a relationship with the strong boys while on dragon stone. We don’t see Baela build a relationship with Rhaenys.

This time skip ignores a lot of relationship building but doesn’t ruin much plot development. The only plot point I’d want to see more is Corlys and Rhaenys dealing with Laenor’s supposed death.

Time skips can be okay when they are used to age up characters, skip over training montages, or over periods of time where nothing is changing. Time skips are terrible when they skip over character beats and plot point. In a rush to get the setup for HotD done and move into the war, the creators brushed over character and plot moments in those 20 years that would help with the main war. I fear that this same theme will be used in the upcoming seasons to focus on action moments and ignore character moments.

[feyhunter78]

Hold My Heart (Between Your Teeth) Ch 1/?

Description: She would not be queen; she would not watch her husband destroy the continent over a senile old man’s dying whispers. Not when he ignored and belittled her, tossing her aside whenever someone new crossed his path.

Seraphine flees her husband's coronation, and wakes up ten and eight again on the very day her and Aegon first met. Bracing herself to be met with the same dismal fate as before, she finds things have changed and Aegon is not the same man she knows. Armed with new knowledge and a changed Aegon by her side, she faces the ever nearing war with renewed determination. She would live, Aegon would not be king, and perhaps this time around they can be happy.

She stands beside her husband as he crowned king. Watches as he grows prideful, as the cheers of the smallfolk fill his ears and drive out any sense he had left. He shakes off her hand, striding forward, his footsteps are swallowed by the noise of the crowd, and it hits her. This is not the man who saved her from Fleabottom ages ago, he hadn’t been that man for years. How had she never noticed? Was she that blind, that caught up in the fantasy of him she created in her head?

He was no hero, no great protector of hers. He was just a man, weak and easily swayed by false flattery. He’d never intended to save her that night, never meant to become her protector.

Seraphine turned and fled. She would not be queen; she would not watch her husband destroy the continent over a senile old man’s dying whispers. She raced to their chambers, ignoring the guards who called out to her. A flash of brown caught her eyes and she felt something catch her ankle, then she was falling. Down, down, down the stone steps bite into her skin, and then it all goes dark.

She awoke in darkness. The sheets beneath her were scratchy, and old, she reached for Aegon, but her hand met nothing but air. Rising from the bed, she threw open the curtains and her stomach began to churn uncomfortably, nausea rising in her throat. She dove for the nearest wastebasket and hurled, one hand collecting her hair and holding it back, wisps of crimson hairs still finding their way into her vision.

“You can’t be with child, you haven’t even made a sale yet, why you wasting good food?” Danica, the madame of the Golden Lady, hovers above her, lips twisted in a scowl.

“Where am I?” Seraphine croaks, reaching for the bucket of water and rinsing her mouth.

“Where are you? You wake up with a case of daft? You’re in my establishment, where your aunt and uncle dumped you, because they couldn’t stand your yapping.”

No, that’s not right. My aunt and uncle sold me to the brothel after my parents died. They needed the money and didn’t want me. “What day is it?”

“It’s your selling day, I waited till you’d bleed, and then since the laws changed, I waited till you’d grown, out of the goodness of me heart, but now you have to join the rest of the girls.” She yanks Seraphine up and brushes her off. “Get some breakfast in you, then put something other than these rags on.”

Seraphine wants to hurl again, but there’s nothing left, so she swallows hard and nods. Danica was not a patron saint of patience.

She brushes past the madame and wanders down to the kitchen, catching a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror. Wild red hair, tired green eyes, fading freckles from being denied the sun, and a lack of grief that comes with your husband ignoring you night after night. Not that being back in the brothel at ten and eight is any better. She swipes a meager meal from the kitchen and trudges back up to her room, the bread is dry, and the jam has gone hard. A far cry from the delicacies she’s been eating since Aegon found her, to the time of her death.

She racks her brain, this isn’t a dream, it’s too realistic to be a dream, and there’s no magic that she’s aware of that can create such elaborate illusions. Concentrating hard, she tries to remember her last moments. Then it hits her, the remaining Lord Strong, the master of whispers who always had an unkind word for her. He must have sent her down the stairs with his cane. Her hands curl into fists. Once she returns to the Keep, she’s going to kill him.

“Sera, Danica wants you.” Jayne, a dark haired girl with sweet brown eyes, knocks on her doorframe. Seraphine’s always had a soft spot for the older girl, she was kind, and defended her from lechers when Seraphine had to fill in as barmaid. This time she’d have to beg Aegon to buy Jayne’s freedom as well, she doesn’t remember why she didn’t in her previous life.

Oh gods, was I a royal asshole like the rest of them?

Shaking off the thought, she stands, shoving the rest of her breakfast in her mouth. “Yeah, I know, she’s been in my ear all morning.” She groans, pulling on the nicest dress she owns and giving Jayne a quick squeeze before making her way to Danica’s office.

I swear I’ll come back for you. She internally promises the girl.

“You’re up for auction tonight, I want you standing pretty, and keeping your mouth shut. We make a shitload of money off maidenhood auctions, and I can’t have you ruining it.”

“Of course, I won’t say a word.”

Danica raises an eyebrow in surprise. “Did the gods grant you some sense as you slept? I think that’s the first time you haven’t mouthed off to me since you got here.”

“I’ve been ungrateful for your help, I’m sorry.” As much as it pained her to apologize to Danica, she knew it was her sharp tongue that got her beat more time than she could count.

Danica crossed her arms and nodded, “you’re right, I’ve been plenty generous. You know how many customers I had asking for you before your ten and eighth nameday? But I told them no, that little firecracker is going to auction. I saved you from those pervs, ya hear?”

“I hear, thank you.”

Danica dismissed her and Seraphine wrapped her arms around herself, that nauseous feeling rising once more.

Night fell and Seraphine tried to quell her nerves, yes this would be a horrible night, and she would have nightmares for moons to come, but it was also the night she first met Aegon. She would not let him toss her aside this time, she was either blessed or cursed with the knowledge of their whole life together. Aegon would fall to his knees and beg for her touch, for her to say a kind word to him before he ever thought about becoming king.

“Down you go girl, you know where to stand.” Danica said, pushing past her to take her place behind the bar.

Seraphine wished she had gotten to choose her dress, she would have worn green, Aegon’s favorite color when they were ten and eight. Instead, she stood in a white shift up on a short round pedestal. As customers started to trickle in, she began to count in Valyrian in her head, her eyes vacant as she retreated into her mind. The jeers and unwanted touches only increased as the night deepened, and she was starting to worry. Aegon had been here by this time of night, she was sure of it.

Her silver haired boy, never one to miss the opportunity to make an entrance, burst through the door, and she felt tears of relief prick her eyes.

“I heard there’s an auction tonight.” He called out, swaying as he walked. She'd forgotten how much he drank before they met.

“You heard correct, Prince Aegon, our newest beauty has finally come of age.” Danica said, leading him over to her.

Her heart began to race, he hadn’t wanted her at first, too distracted by his favored ladies. It was only when he’d accidently open the door and interrupted her near assault, did he claim her.

But then he did something strange, he took her hand and held it to his cheek. “My nameday was a fortnight ago, and my family did not say a word.”

He was so vulnerable like this, so soft, she missed this Aegon. She cupped his cheek and his eyes widened in surprise. “I’m sorry to hear that, my prince, every nameday should be celebrated.”

He looked up at her with that lavender gaze that kept her enthralled for years. “When is your nameday?”

“Today, my prince.” She glanced at Danica wanting to confirm she was allowed to speak this much to him and Aegon caught her chin gently.

“Do not remove your eyes from me, I need—” He cut himself off and looked at Danica. “The auction is finished; the girl is mine.” He shoved a large coin purse in Danica’s hand and helped her down from the pedestal.

“Apologies, my prince, but that isn’t how the auction works.” Danica protested.

“Collect your things, I will wait for you here.” Aegon told her, pressing a kiss to her palm before releasing it from his grip.

Seraphine dashed upstairs, heart pounding against her chest. This was not how their first encounter occurred, it had taken him moons to show her that kind of vulnerability. Had something happened to him as well?

Chapter Two here!!!!

[itsjuststardust]

Heaven in Hiding - Chapter 6: The Hallucination

Heaven in Hiding Masterlist

Chapter Summary: Alaina wakes up in an unfamiliar place. Alone. Anything to not feel alone anymore.

Word Count: 12,041

Author Notes/Chapter Warnings: Chapter warnings for this chapter include mental/physical abuse/torture, and Alaina may lose her marbles a little bit. Enjoy 🩶 MINORS - DO NOT INTERACT - 18+ ONLY

Chapter 6: The Hallucination

Alone.

She was always alone, even when she was with Pershing or any of the other Imperial lackeys. She wasn’t a person to them. She wasn’t Alaina, an accomplished dancer who loved to cook, surround herself with friends, and watch storms roll through from her bedroom window. She was just a thing they experimented on.

No one looked at her. No one spoke to her. She was treated as if she were invisible.

So, she’d learn to tolerate being alone over the last couple of years.

She preferred it when they were at the smaller compound in Nevarro City. The smaller space forced closer quarters, and there was not much room to spread out. There was always noise; whether it be the background noise of the city, the low hum of Pershing’s lab equipment, or the idle chit-chat of the troopers patrolling, there was always something going on.  The larger main lab out in the lava flats had more room to spread out, but even there, she was with other people or at least in the proximity of other people.

Whereas now… Now, locked in a dark cell, she was alone.

They called it solitary confinement—a form of punishment for not producing the results they were looking for.

They had moved out to the larger main lab in the lava flats for better equipment for the next set of trials Pershing had planned for her. This time, they had been working with her to try to get her to predict the future. The time before had been trying to get her to read someone’s mind. Unsurprisingly, she had failed again. Just like she failed the time before and would undoubtedly fail the next time. No matter how often she tried to remind Pershing that she was only able to move things, he still kept tinkering with her mind. 

After a full day of trials and testing that produced no response, Alaina prepared herself for the repercussions.

Previously, when she had not performed well, they resorted to forms of physical punishment, as if beating her, shocking her, or drowning her would somehow make her produce whatever result they were looking for. So, when she was escorted to a cell, she thought she had won a vacation when no fists, batons, or tubs of water were brought in when she failed. Alaina didn’t know what she had done to win herself the reprieve from violence—maybe Pershing finally realized it wasn’t going to do anything—maybe they didn’t have enough help to monitor her. Either way, she was thankful for the change.

In her tiny, dark cell, time was difficult to tell. Based on the intervals they brought a single tray with a ration pack and a canteen of water, she figured out that they were only bringing her meals once a day. Usually, they made sure that she was given a minimum of two meager meals a day, so she suspected they were changing their tactics of brutality, switching gears completely to starving her. It wasn’t until the third day that she realized they weren’t trying to break her by starving her. After the third tray was pushed under a small opening on the floor and scooted in, she realized Pershing was intentionally isolating her. 

Three days was all it took for Alaina to break down in tears. No light, no sounds, just one meal a day and a bucket in the corner were enough to start to drive her mad. She realized that this new punishment was a special kind of hell for her, and Penn Pershing fucking knew it. 

Pershing had loathed the fact that Alaina was a social butterfly when they were friends. He despised the dinner parties with her friends she forced him to attend. He always sat in the back of the auditorium, away from others, when he came to her dance recitals. The fact that she went out dancing with friends after her performances was a complete mystery to him, and that was a line he never crossed. 

After her mother died, he’d instinctively known she couldn’t be alone and lived with her for the better part of a week. After her mother’s funeral, she couldn’t bear to live in the home she had grown up in, surrounded by the ghosts of happy memories—he brought her to live with him until she got her feet under her. They had lived together for a few months before Alaina finally started feeling more like herself and had even begun dancing with a new company. Pershing had wanted her to sell her childhood home and stay with him permanently, but she eventually ended up moving back in, unable to completely let go just yet. 

He knew she always surrounded herself with others, and now he’d taken that away from her. If Alaina had any lingering doubts that there was still a shred of decency left in her former best friend, they were completely banished after being locked away for the last three days.

So, it took Alaina three days to break down, five to start hearing things, and six or seven to accept that she was having full-on hallucinations.

It started with whispers in the darkened corners of her cell. At first, she was nervous when she heard the voices. She was convinced she was hearing others talk outside of her cell door, but then the whispers turned into her mother's voice, and Alaina didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified. 

She tried to imagine her mother sitting with her, giving her words of strength, and wrapping her up into a warm, tight embrace… but her imagination wasn’t that good. Alaina tried hugging herself and telling herself it was her mother, but she apparently hadn’t gone that insane yet because she couldn’t quite trick herself into believing that.

Sitting on the cold floor with her head resting back against the wall, Alaina tried even to remember what it was like to be held by someone. She’d been in the Empire’s custody for almost two years now, and Pershing was smart enough to know he had destroyed any chance of Alaina accepting any form of comfort from him.

Her eyelids fluttered closed when she realized who the last person to comfort her was.

The Mandalorian.

He had held her after her embarrassing attempt to seduce him before trying to throw herself in the carbonite chamber. She could vividly recall sitting on the cold floor of the hold of his ship, with nothing but his cloak wrapped around her, while she cried huge, fat tears when she realized that her bounty hunter was going to follow through on his job and turn her into Penn Pershing.

New, fresh tears started forming in her eyes. Even two years later, she could still feel his bare hands on her skin and the way his armor was firm and supportive as he held her in the hold of his ship… That was the last time anyone had hugged her.

She hated that he was the last person to comfort her and the last person to likely ever comfort her.

And then, as if the Mandalorian had heard her thinking about him, he was suddenly there in the room, sitting next to her.

She could clearly see him as if moonlight were shining in from some window that she knew wasn’t there. The soft, imaginary light shone off the Mandalorian’s silver helmet and highlighted the scuffs and scratches on the rest of his brown armor.

Now, Alaina knew she was really going insane if she could actually see the Mandalorian in the room with her. Why couldn’t it be her mom? She would even take one of her dance friends, or some random person she’d only met once, or quite literally anyone else in the galaxy who wasn’t the man responsible for her current situation.

Naturally, the bounty hunter remained quiet as he sat next to her. Alaina wanted to ignore him. Alaina tried to pretend he wasn’t there, but he never left her side—not when she growled at him or screamed at him to leave her alone… The Mandalorian just stayed there next to her, holding his hand out for her to take. 

It wasn’t until day nine that she could actually feel him. 

Her shoulder brushed against his pauldron, and she realized that she could actually feel her hallucination sitting next to her.

He never spoke. He never moved. He just sat there, holding his hand out for her to take.

On the tenth day, she looked at him and said, “I still hate you, you know?”

The Mandalorian just tilted his helmet curiously at her and inched his hand closer for her to take. She grabbed his hand and refused to let him go.

It was just her and her hallucination against the world—against the world or whatever was left of her mind, because she could feel whatever was left starting to slip away. As if sensing her downward-spiraling thoughts, the man sitting next to her in her cell squeezed her hand tightly in his glove. 

He was an anchor for her distraught mind, something to tether her sanity so she wouldn’t drift away. He was a life preserver thrown to sea to keep her from drowning in her thoughts and pain. 

A chuckle escaped Alaina at the concept that her mind had chosen him. Out of all the people who genuinely cared for her over the course of her life, her mind picked the Mandalorian. The chuckle continued to roll out of her mouth, slowly building steam until she was cackling maniacally, like a true woman who had lost her mind.

She may have lost her mind, but at least she wasn’t alone anymore.

Anything to not feel alone anymore.

Alaina’s eyes shot wide as the feeling of the Mandalorian’s rough, leather gloves gripped her hand back, pulling her back to reality.

Her chest heaved, and she began to frantically look around her, terrified that the last few days were all some kind of dream and she had never left that cell on Nevarro.

Her panic only intensified when nothing around her was familiar. From her position lying on her back, confusion and fear gripped her while she tried to process her surroundings.

This wasn’t a lab, Nevarro, or the Mandalorian’s ship. She was in a completely unrecognizable location. It was primitive looking, nothing like what the Empire preferred, which was a small relief but not big enough to quell her fear completely. 

Other than the obvious mystery location, the next thing she noticed was what she was wearing. She was no longer wearing the new clothes that the Mandalorian had bought for her and had been changed into an overly large long-sleeved shirt or gown of some kind. From what she could tell, it was thin and worn from use and had a distinctive, familiar smell she couldn’t quite place.

Alaina tried to calm her racing heart as she started to look around to figure out where she was. Despite the bright light from the moon and stars shining through the slats in the planks of wood that made the walls, it was difficult to see much in her surroundings, but this couldn’t be more than a small shack made of sticks.

She was lying in a bed, and she could see the shadow outlines of the walls, some furniture, and the door on the wall opposite her.

The most obvious glaring fact was that, once again, she was alone.

She quietly sat up to try to figure out where she was in the dark and quiet room at night. Alaina tried not to cry and the unfamiliar, unknown, new circumstances she’d found herself in. Was she a prisoner? Was she a patient? Or was this some kind of holding room? A place to keep her until she could be turned back over to the Empire?

She took a deep breath through her nose to try and keep it together. Dwelling on all of the terrifying options wouldn’t do her any good. She needed to calm down and focus to at least figure out where she was and what had happened to her. If she could remember what happened, then she could figure out where she was and come up with a plan to escape. 

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Her head hurt and throbbed in a pain that radiated down her spine. She tried to push through the pain, but her mind was a thick fog that made it difficult to remember the events that led to her waking up in a shack by herself.

She had been with Mando and Grogu. They had landed somewhere… Sorgan, she remembered, trying to spy through the cracks of wood at the land around the hut for more answers. She’d been with Mando and Grogu at a cantina. She’d had something to drink… and the rest… the rest was buried in a haze of pain.

Alaina used her hands to feel around the bed and the wall closest to her in her search for clues. She frowned when she realized her right arm was no longer bound in a sling. She poked at her shoulder and found it didn’t hurt to touch or move around. In fact, it felt completely normal. How much time had passed since she was at the settlement with Mando? Where was she now, and what had happened to her? 

How long had she been alone?

How long had it taken the Mandalorian to decide she was no longer worth the effort? How long had it taken him to leave her with the first settlement they’d come across and abandon her here?

Even in her darkest hours at the hands of the Empire, her mind would always conjure him when she needed someone. Her mind always gave her the Mandalorian when she needed someone. He always appeared when she couldn’t stand being alone. He was always there when she needed someone to hold her hand.

Not that she would ever tell him that.

Still, the fact that the real Mandalorian was not as strong as the hallucination that had haunted her for so long was an unexpected punch to her gut that made tears spill down her cheeks.

Alaina twisted her body to bring her feet over the edge of the bed and plant them on the cool, metal floor—

Alaina’s eyebrows furrowed. What kind of primitive wooden shack had a metal floor?

The ‘floor’ moved under her feet and the familiar feel of a leather glove wrapped around her calf. She froze at the relaxed hand gripping her calf. 

“Alaina?” came Mando’s voice, a little disoriented and slow as if he’d been asleep.

Alaina’s hands came up to cover her face when it crumpled at the sound of his voice. Her hallucination never spoke… Was it really the Mandalorian? Or was it her hallucination coming to keep her distraught mind company?

Alaina lowered her hands from her face and slowly leaned over the bed to confirm that he was actually here and that he wasn’t her hallucination from times past. She had to blink to make sure that she was really seeing him, but sure enough, a full chest of silver armor covered him instead of the dulled, rusted armor of her imaginary Mandalorian.

Her heart clenched again, but this time, it clenched in joy at the fact that she hadn’t been left behind. She wasn’t alone. He hadn’t left her. Instead, he had slept on the floor at her bedside while she’d slept.

Alaina collapsed to the floor in relief. She landed directly on Mando’s chest, clearly startling the man, judging by the whoosh of air leaving his chest when she landed on top of him. Alaina didn’t care; she just wrapped her arms around his neck and her smaller body sprawled over his, like a scared child waking up from a bad nightmare. Any dream that involved being alone in that cell was a nightmare; she’d just never had anyone to seek out after one before. Of course, the Mandalorian was quite possibly the last person she ever imagined receiving comfort from… well, again. Here she was, though, crying into the man’s chest again.

“Hey, you’re okay,” he whispered under her, bringing a tentative hand up to rub her upper arms.

All Alaina could do was nod into his chest, not quite trusting herself to speak yet. Mando seemed to understand, and he let her sprawl on top of him while his gloved hands continued to soothingly rub her arms.

“You’re okay,” he whispered again in the dark room. “Did you have another nightmare?”

Alaina just nodded. It was rare not to have a nightmare when she finally let herself sleep. Also, she wasn’t sure how to explain to the Mandalorian that she used to have visions of him whenever she was thrown into solitary confinement. 

When Alaina remained silent, Mando continued speaking in hushed words. “How do you feel?” he asked. His hands stopped their soothing up and down motions but rested on her biceps.

“My shoulder is better,” she murmured.

“Good,” he nodded, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. “The healers have been putting a salve on it to help with the inflammation, which helped the swelling reduce over the last three days—”

Her head shot up to look at his helmet at his words. “Three days?” Alaina questioned, surprised that she had been out of it for so long.

Mando nodded again.

Three days?

A soft snore from her right caught her attention, and Alaina could just make out a crib off to the side, where she could barely make out the shadow of Grogu’s ear in the dark. 

Three days, and they hadn’t left her side.

“Wait,” Alaina started, frowning as she turned to look back at Mando’s helmet, “have you been sleeping on the floor for three days?”

Mando shrugged, “I wanted to be nearby in case something happened.” Alaina smiled at his words of kindness. “I knew you would probably be scared when you woke up, and I didn’t want you to wake up and think we left you alone—oof,” Mando rushed out as Alaina all but collapsed back on top of him again.

Alaina continued to smile into his neck for another moment before she recognized the familiar smell of the clothes she had been changed into.

It was the smell of Mando. It was the smell of gunmetal and leather, the tangy scent of something she suspected was used to polish his armor and the deep, woodsy musk of the man lying under her. The man who she was hugging. The man who must be uncomfortable after sleeping on the floor for the last three days because of her. It was the smell of the man who had turned her over to Pershing and the Empire.

She squeezed her eyes closed at that last thought. The man’s confusing contradictions in actions were a mystery to her, and the more she attempted to decipher Mando’s actions, the more her already painful head throbbed.

What had changed in the Mandalorian? Why now? Why come back for her and Grogu?

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and pressed her face into the rough fabric of the cowl covering Mando’s neck. “I know that what I’m about to say is conflicting with my actions at this very moment, but just so we’re clear, I still haven’t forgiven you,” she mumbled into his neck and smiled when she thought she felt his chest rumble with the smallest chuckle under his armor.

“Noted,” came the whispered response. His voice was light when he spoke, maybe even slightly teasing, making Alaina smile into his cowl.

She quickly disentangled her limbs from the Mandalorian with mumbled words of apology and moved to stand up. Mando rose with her, and Alaina could hear the groan and cracks of his joints as he stood up.

“Sleeping on the floor,” she chided, shaking her head.

“I’ve slept in worse places,” he countered, making her roll her eyes. “What do you remember?” Mando asked her while he tried to discretely stretch out his sore limbs.

Alaina frowned, looking at the armored man, and had no doubt that with a bounty hunter’s lifestyle, he was telling the truth. She looked guilty back at the bed she had slept in the last three days while Mando had slept on the floor during her recovery from… whatever happened to her. “Take the bed,” Alaina sighed, pointing at the bed next to them. 

Mando shook his head, “It’s fine, really—”

“Mando, you’ve been sleeping on the floor for three days for me. You came back and saved me from the Empire when you didn’t have to. You stayed behind here for me when you could have just left me behind. Not to mention, I just heard at least half of your bones creak. Can you just take the bed?” 

Mando stayed frozen where he stood, and Alaina sighed again at the man’s stubbornness. 

“Are you always this stubborn?” she asked him with a small smile on her face, but the man only shrugged back at her. “Okay, come on,” Alaina encouraged him, moving to get on the bed herself. The bed was no more than a cot, clearly only made for one person. She sat on the end where her head had been. She leaned her back into the wall and stretched her legs out over the side, but only her feet managed to make it over the edge. “Come on,” she encouraged the Mandalorian, patting the spot next to her on the bed.

Mando shifted nervously in front of her, but Alaina just gave him a look. “You act like you’ve never shared a bed with a woman before,” she teased, trying to give him a knowing smirk.

Surprisingly, the man before her only shifted more nervously.

Oh.

Oh.

Well, not like she had much room to talk on that front, but she had just assumed that someone like Mando would be very experienced. Especially after how he handled her all those years ago… well, that was neither here nor there.

“Mando,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’m kidding. Now, come on. We’re just sitting next to each other in bed,” she smiled warmly, patting the space next to her again. “Besides, if you go back to sleeping on the floor, then I’m going to sleep on the floor, and then we’ll both be uncomfortable.”

With a sigh, Mando shifted around and eventually moved to sit beside her on the bed. His larger frame took up most of the other end of the small bed, mimicking her position; only his legs could easily dangle over the edge of the bed.

The two sat in awkward silence on the bed, and Alaina toyed with the hem of the sleeves of the old shirt she figured out was Mando’s in an attempt not to say anything to make the situation any more awkward than it needed to be. Hopefully, Mando would drift off, and she could slip out of the bed once he was asleep so he could have the whole thing to himself.

“What do you remember?” Mando asked again, his quiet words catching her off guard.

“I—I’m not sure. I remember landing here. I remember hiking through the woods. I remember making it to the settlement and drinking spotchka… After that, things get a little hazy,” she finished, staring at him curiously. “My head hurts like the worst hangover in the world. Is spotchka that strong?”

“No,” came the simple monotone answer. The deep sound of his baritone voice sent a shiver up her spine.

“What happened?” Alaina asked him to fill in the blanks in her memory.

Mando sighed. “I don’t know what to call it,” he answered, sounding defeated. “You were drunk, but you—you had a fit of some kind.”

Alaina’s eyes went wide at his description. “A fit?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know what else to call it. One moment, you were walking with us. The next, you ran off, clutching your head in pain. When I made it over to you, you were in some kind of… thrall. It’s like you were there, but you weren’t. And you said something—”

“What did I say?” Alaina interrupted, her heart rate spiking at Mando’s descriptions.

He tilted his helmet curiously at her, “Have you done something like that before?”

“Mando, what did I say?” she pressed him, keeping her tone firm without trying to panic.

“You said someone was coming. You said, "he’s coming to take the sunlight away and rip it apart limb by limb."”

Alaina frowned and wracked her brain but couldn’t recall any of that. Unfortunately, that was not entirely an uncommon side effect after having her visions. She had her first one after her first very first vision of the Mandalorian in that cell. She wouldn’t have even believed Pershing had he not been secretly filming her during her time in solitary confinement. She had watched herself on the tiny monitor that replayed her last few minutes locked away in that cell the first time.

The night vision cameras had caught everything leading up to the vision: her sitting and holding hands with nothing, her telling that same nothing, “I still hate you, you know.” After that, she had the unfortunate pleasure of watching herself cackle hysterically… and then she went disturbingly silent, and something happened that Alaina didn’t remember. She watched, confused, as she screamed and gripped her head in agony, and her body rocked back and forth. That was the moment the lights flicked on, and Pershing came running into her cell. After Pershing fell to his knees in front of her, another man wearing black boots and pants could be seen entering her cell. Alaina’s upper body shot up and went rigid as she stared at the two men in front of her.

She would always remember the haunting way her own voice sounded to her own ears as she listened to the incoherent words leave her mouth.

She looked directly at Pershing and said, “The sun and the moon are in orbit.” Pershing’s eyes looked terrified as he looked at her and then back at his boss, who was grinning down at her with a dark smile. “The sun will bury you in shadows,” she had said to Pershing, and then her head turned slowly to turn her vacant look on the Moff towering over their kneeling forms. “You can’t use the moon to harness the sun,” she told the Moff, whose smile faltered slightly at her words. “You will try, but the moon will burn you alive.”

“You’ve done something like that before, haven’t you?” Mando whispered, and all Alaina could do was nod. “Back at their compound, you did something similar my first time there,” he continued quietly. “You told me I was "drowning in seas of green."” Mando paused, and Alaina had to look away from his scrutinizing gaze.

“What did they do to you, Alaina?”

The truth was, Alaina wasn’t sure. Pershing had been convinced she was having premonitions of some kind. Alaina could rarely remember them. Sometimes, they were coherent and short, so those were usually the ones she remembered at least decent chunks of.

Apparently, Mando picked up on her confusion and started describing her other symptoms, likely thinking that would help her. “Your nose was bleeding, and you were running a fever,” Mando started to explain what must have happened after her ‘fit.’ “You didn’t do that on Nevarro,” he pointed out. “What was the difference?”

Alaina shrugged, “I don’t know. When they forced me to look into someone, the fits, as you called them, were smaller, like back at the compound. Usually, mild symptoms like a little disorientation. It’s when they come to me without trying that I have worse symptoms. They could range from nose bleeds and fevers like you mentioned to seizures and anything in between,” she replied. “I would only lose consciousness after the ones that come to me without trying, but I’ve never been out of it for three days before. You mentioned healers… How did we get… wherever we are?” she asked, finally turning her head back to look at him again.

“I ran back to the Crest and was going to go find someone who could help, but some villagers approached the ship. They had asked for help. At first, I told them to get lost. One of them saw you unconscious and bleeding on the floor and offered their village’s healers and a place to stay in exchange for my help. I didn’t know what else to do, so I went with them. The healers went to work on you immediately. Their work was… primitive, but it was doing the job. Your nose stopped bleeding by the time we made it to the village, and they got your fever to break after a day. After it seemed that the worst had passed, they worked on your shoulder. They kept your shoulder covered in some kind of salve and said you just needed rest.”

Alaina’s frown deepened. She couldn’t ever recall being out of it for three days before after a vision or fit or whatever you called them.

“Alaina—”

“Can we talk about it in the morning?” Alaina whispered, pulling her legs up until her knees came up to rest under her chin. “I just need to think.”

Mando stared at her for a beat but eventually nodded his head. She could feel him shift around on the bed, making himself comfortable by resting his back against the wall behind him and crossing his arms over his chest.

“What did you have to help the villagers with in exchange for their healers’ help?”

Mando tilted his helmet back to rest on the wall, “Can we talk about it in the morning?” 

Alaina turned her head so that her cheek rested on her knees so she could look at Mando. She would have given him a harder time, but he genuinely sounded exhausted. The man had been sleeping on the floor for the last three days; the least she could do was let him rest.

He looked so uncomfortable dressed in head-to-toe armor. To think that he’d been sleeping on the floor for three days while completely dressed for battle… It made Alaina uncomfortable just looking at him. “You could make yourself a little more comfortable,” Alaina suggested quietly. 

“I’m fine,” came his gruff reply.

“At least take your helmet off.”

“I can’t.”

Alaina frowned, not expecting that answer, “Can’t?”

There was a pause before the helmet in question turned to look at her. “I’m Mandalorian,” he said as if that alone answered her questions, but Alaina just blinked owlishly at him to explain it to her.

“I’m Mandalorian,” he began again. “I swore the creed. I am unable to remove it in front of another living person,” came his surprising revelation.

Things suddenly make so much sense.

It answered why she never saw his face, even before—why she never saw him eat or drink, even with her and the kid—why she never saw him casually walking around in his own ship without his armor on.

“Like, ever?” Alaina asked curiously.

Mando shook his head, “This is the way.”

“Doesn’t that get annoying?”

Mando shrugged, “I took the creed when I was a child. It’s been that way ever since. My armor is a part of me.”

Alaina mulled that over while her eyes flicked over the armored man next to her. She couldn’t imagine wearing all armor all the time, being weighed down all the time, not being able to touch someone skin to skin, not having that kind of connection with someone…

It was the complete opposite of how she was raised. And as a dancer, being able to touch, feel, and express emotions… well, that was literally her job.

Silence stretched between them again, but this time, it was comfortable silence—not one filled with fear or anger, just the comfortable quiet of, dare she think it, friends. 

Alaina smirked. “I guess that does make it difficult to share a bed with a woman—or a man,” she added quickly. “No judgment.”

A small snort escaped from under the man’s helmet, and he situated himself one last time against the wall. “Go to sleep, Alaina.” His words were tired, but she could hear the undercurrent of amusement in them.

Alaina's smirk turned into a full grin. “I was asleep for three days,” she argued, but the yawn that snuck up on her gave away her exhaustion. Mando’s helmet turned to give her a pointed look at her yawn, and she just shrugged. “Mando?”

“Mmm?”

“Thank you for not leaving me alone,” she whispered sleepily.

The world returned to her slowly the next time she woke.

It was a pleasant blur of muted colors from the morning sun and the sounds of birds chirping outside the wooden walls. Alaina honestly couldn’t recall the last time she’d woken up so peacefully. A yawn escaped Alaina as she tried to stretch out of the ball she had curled herself into, but her feet were stopped from extending by something. That something grunted next to her, and her head turned quickly at the unfamiliar sound.

Alaina relaxed at the site of the Mandalorian, who was sleeping next to her. He was still seated upright, but his head had drooped forward, and his arms had fallen to his sides at some point during the night. She just knew he was going to wake up stiff if he’d been in that position for any considerable period of time. Alaina continued to study the Mandalorian, watching the deep, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and just how relaxed he looked when he was sleeping (even if the position itself appeared uncomfortable). Part of her was tempted to wake him to relieve him from that position, but then she remembered how he told her that he’d been sleeping on the floor for three days and how exhausted he sounded last night and decided that it was better to leave the sleeping beast be.

A quiet coo drew her attention away from the Mandalorian, and Alaina smiled when she saw Grogu standing in the crib he had slept in, his eyes and ears just peaking over the edge of the wood-weaved crib.

Slowly, so as not to wake Mando, Alaina eased herself out of bed.

“Hey there, little one,” she whispered as she made her way to the child. Grogu motioned to be picked up, and she obliged him, pulling him tightly to her chest. “And just what have you gotten yourself into the last three days?”

His little three-fingered clawed hand reached for her head, and Alaina bent her neck so that her forehead could brush his like they had done back on Mando’s ship. Like the time before, she was greeted with a series of images.

It started with the cart ride they took from Mando’s ship to the village. From the kid’s point of view, he must have been seated on Mando’s outstretched legs, looking back at his savior. Mando had Alaina in his lap, cradling her unconscious body to his chest. Alaina could see blood from her nose streaked and smeared across her cheek and shirt. The next image was Grogu playing with other children; a girl with tanned skin and dark hair made frequent appearances. An image of him catching and eating a frog. Lastly, there was an image of Grogu sitting next to her still unconscious form. His small hand kept patting Alaina’s arm and looking at Mando; confusion was etched across Grogu’s face when Alaina wouldn’t wake up. This time, Alaina appeared to have been changed out of her original clothes and into Mando’s tunic, and her face had been cleaned, so you couldn't tell she had been bleeding from her nose. The kid studied the armored man while Mando dabbed at her forehead with a wet rag before grabbing the kid and settling down on the floor in his lap while he sat next to her bed.

Alaina blinked and was back in the unfamiliar wooden shack with Grogu.

She looked back at the Mandalorian, who still appeared to be asleep, slouched over on the bed where she had left him. 

With a sigh, she turned to look back at Grogu and gave him a pointed look, “Why do I get the feeling you’re intentionally showing me Mando’s softer side?” Grogu just continued to smile at her. “You know, you and I are the ones with the powers. You’re supposed to be on my side.” That suggestion earned her a spitting noise from the green child in her lap. “Fine, if you’re gonna pick his side, then we’re gonna have to have a little talk about your affinity for eating gross things,” she countered, lifting a challenging eyebrow at the kid.

Grogu gave a sweet giggle that Alaina interpreted as ‘nice try.’

A soft knock at the door pulled her attention away from the kid, and Alaina’s chest constricted in panic. She had no idea where they were or what the people here were like. Not to mention, she was not dressed to meet anyone, wearing Mando’s old long-sleeved tunic and nothing else. At least the shirt completely dwarfed her—its long sleeves would easily go several inches passed her hands if she dropped them, and the bottom hem hit her at mid-thigh. She was nowhere near exposed, but she would much rather greet whatever new front was about to welcome her fully dressed.

Her mouth was open to call for Mando, but she couldn’t make the words come out.

Suddenly, the man was just there, as if he had materialized from thin air, standing protectively in front of her and Grogu with his blaster in his hand.

Maker, the man could be silent when he wanted to be. She remembered the time from five years ago when he had snuck up behind her in the hold of his ship, and she found herself once again thinking that she needed to get the Mandalorian a bell of some kind.

Another knock came, but this time, it was followed by a woman’s voice. “Hello? It’s Omera. It’s getting a little late in the morning, and I just wanted to check on you to make sure everything is okay. I brought breakfast,” the woman’s voice, Omera, said from the outside. She spoke loud enough for them to hear her but still tried to be quiet so as not to disturb them if they were sleeping.

Mando seemed to relax at the sound of her voice and holstered his gun. “It’s okay,” he told her with a nod. “Omera has been helping with the healers and helping take care of the kid while you’ve been out of it,” he explained.

Alaina nodded but couldn’t help worrying her bottom lip. Mando stepped toward the door, and she took another step back with Grogu, just in case.

“Good morning,” the woman greeted.

Alaina studied her as she made her way in. She was beautiful, tall, with long dark hair and lightly tanned skin. Her eyes shone with a kindness that matched her voice. The woman, Omera, entered the small shed with a tray of food and a bright smile for Mando before she turned and saw Alaina standing there with Grogu. The woman’s smile faltered briefly, and she was apparently surprised to see Alaina awake and standing, but she caught herself quickly, and her smile softened.

“Alaina,” she greeted, setting the tray down on the small table in the room. “It is good to see you finally up. My name is Omera.”

“Hi,” Alaina greeted quietly, not making a move to come any closer.

A young girl came running into their shack, and Alaina instantly recognized her from Grogu’s vision. Looking at her now, standing next to Omera, there was no doubt whose daughter she was.

“This is my daughter, Winta,” Omera introduced, confirming Alaina’s hunch.

Alaina smiled at the girl in greeting. Grogu’s ears perked up at Winta, and he squirmed to get out of her arms, babbling with nonsensical noises of excitement as Alaina placed him on the floor.

“Can Grogu come play?” the girl excitedly asked Mando. She looked back to her mother before turning her huge puppy-dog eyes on the Mandalorian towering over her, clearly unconcerned by just how dangerous the bounty hunter standing in the room with them was.

Mando nodded, and the girl and Grogu clapped their hands excitedly. Alaina felt her smile grow, and she lifted an eyebrow at Mando, filing away the fact that the man was a complete pushover when kids were apparently concerned.

“Maybe stop by the hall first for some breakfast,” Omera suggested, but the kids were already on their way out the door.

Omera shook her head but grinned after the children and then turned to look back at her. Alaina shifted, feeling awkward standing in front of this beautiful woman wearing nothing but Mando’s oversized shirt, and now she didn’t even have Grogu to hold.

“Now that you’re up, I thought you would like to go to the bathhouse to get cleaned up. If your shoulder is still hurting, I could help you wash your hair?” the woman offered with a warm smile.

Alaina shifted again, and her eyes slid to look at Mando. He gave her the smallest tilt of his helmet as if he wasn’t sure what her dilemma was. Alaina frowned, and her eyes moved back to the new woman who was patiently waiting for her answer. She didn’t need Mando’s permission… but she had been sleeping for the last three days. She didn’t know this woman… Although… Mando clearly trusted her and the village enough to let Grogu go out unsupervised… “That-that would be nice, thank you,” Alaina finally agreed, giving Omera a tight smile.

Omera nodded, “I’ve cleaned your clothes, so you’ll have something fresh to change into. Several others in the village have donated some old dresses for you if you wish. Everyone is very excited for your Mandalorian to help us. They wanted to do whatever they could to show their appreciation,” she explained, looking back at Mando with a wide smile.

Alaina’s eyes slid to Mando, who gave her a subtle nod of encouragement. Was her nervousness over their new situation that obvious? “That sounds fine. Thank you, Omera,” she agreed, hoping she sounded braver than she felt.

“I need a little bit to catch Alaina up, and she needs to eat something,” Mando chimed in. “When we’re done, I will walk her to the bathhouse on my way out with Dune to start tracking your problem,” he finished as a passive dismissal for Omera.

Omera smiled and nodded, “I’ll see you soon,” she agreed before exiting.

Once Omera was gone and Alaina was alone with Mando again, she instantly relaxed, earning her a curious head tilt from Mando.

“What? Strangers make me nervous,” she defended. “Usually, when I meet them, they are more interested in what is going on up here,” she paused to tap her temple, “than who I am.”

“But I don’t make you nervous?”

Alaina rolled her eyes but smirked at him. “I said strangers, Mando. We’re not strangers. We’ve known each other for years,” she reminded him, exaggerating the word years out.

Mando shook his head, and Alaina was fairly certain she could hear him roll his eyes at her from under his helmet. He pointed to the table in the middle of the room where Omera had left the tray of food and moved to sit in one of the chairs himself.

“What is going on?” Alaina asked, giving Mando a skeptical look as she took a seat across from him. “What problem did you agree to take care of for the village? And did you say Dune? Like Cara? Is she here, too?” Alaina had more questions for the man, but her eyes landed on the tray of food sitting in the middle of the table, and became distracted by the spread. It was simple. Toasted homemade bread, fruit jam, and a plate of some kind of meat that had her mouth watering from the delicious smell.

“Eat,” Mando encouraged, snapping her attention away from the food. “You're practically drooling.”

Alaina frowned, “But what about you?” She tapped on her head to silently ask about his helmet.

“I can eat later—”

“But—”

“But you haven’t eaten in three days,” he said, interrupting her argument. Alaina’s stomach growled, further proving his point, and Mando tilted his helmet at her.

She snatched a piece of toast from the plate and spread some of the jam onto it before taking her first bite. The first bite was sweet, and she wanted nothing more than to savor it for as long as possible.

However, it was a bit difficult to savor it when Mando was staring her down and tapping an impatient finger on the table. 

“What?” she asked, swallowing down her first bite of food.

He didn’t answer her immediately, likely picking his words carefully.

“We need to talk about what happened,” he eventually responded.

Alaina frowned and took another bite of her toast to avoid answering him immediately. She knew he wanted to discuss her fit, but there wasn’t much to discuss. She saw things sometimes whether she wanted to or not. Most of the time, she didn’t understand the things she saw—

“Alaina,” Mando started again, interrupting her thoughts, “I need to know what I’m dealing with—”

“I'm sorry," Alaina interrupted with a snort. "What you’re dealing with?”

He sighed and splayed his hand on top of the table while he attempted to gather his thoughts again. Alaina was in no rush and took another bite of her toast.

“I know that I haven’t given you any reason to trust me. I—I want to help you,” he started again slowly. “But I can’t do that if you don’t let me.” 

Alaina narrowed her eyes at the man sitting across the table from her, “Why?”

“Why what?”

Alaina rolled her eyes and leaned across the table to stare the silver helmet down. “Why do you want to help me?” she began, but once the question was out, it was like she couple stop, and more and more questions kept tumbling from her mouth. “Why do you want to help me? Why now? Why not five years ago? Why couldn’t you just have listened to me then? What’s changed in the last five years that would make you more inclined to hear me out now when you didn’t then? And tell me, Mandalorian, why should I trust you now?”

Silence stretched between them as they stared at each other. Alaina didn’t move, though. She didn’t flinch when the tense silence between them became bordering awkward.

“You were the bounty,” came his quiet response. Fire boiled in her veins at his words, and she clenched her teeth to keep from lashing out at the man. “I hadn’t had a reason to second-guess a puck before you. I questioned them all after.”

Alaina blinked in surprise at his admission. “Yeah? How many ended up not deserving of their sentence?”

“None,” he replied flatly. “Just you.” Alaina’s shoulders sagged at his answer. “Alaina, I take responsibility for the past. I’m responsible for everything that has happened to you over the last five years. I can’t change the past. I know my word means nothing to you, but I want to help you.”

Alaina closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she leaned back in her chair.

Oh, she was going to regret this, she thought as she slowly released her breath.

It wasn’t his word that was in question. He was, if nothing else, a man of his word. Not easily swayed, not even by twenty-two-year-old ballerinas crying in their arms.

“Okay,” she agreed, nodding to Mando. There was the slightest hitch to Mando’s helmet. It was as if he really was a droid, and he couldn’t understand what she had just said and glitched. “Just one question for now, though. There’s too much to go over in a morning, and we have places to be.”

“Can I ask another one tonight?”

Alaina was already going to offer that, but she took her time mulling over her answer just to make Mando sweat it out. “Okay,” she eventually shrugged, popping her last bite of toast into her mouth and getting up from the table.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“I’m going to go wait outside for you so you can eat.”

“But I didn’t get to ask my question.”

“Yes, you did." Alaina blinked at him, staring at him as if he had gone mad. "You asked if you could ask me another one tonight, and I agreed," she smirked.

“Wait, that wasn’t what my question was going to be!”

Alaina shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed her cloak hanging by the door. “You should have been clearer about the rules of your game then,” she finished, tossing him a wink before she stepped out into the bright morning sunlight, leaving a very confused Mandalorian behind.

Alaina sagged further into the tub until all of her, even her head, was submerged in the warm water, and her hair floated around her.

She’d all but forgotten what a bath was like. It used to be one of her favorite things to do after a rigorous rehearsal or performance. Nothing relaxed her muscles quite like a hot bath. Certainly not the wet washrag she was lucky to get to wipe herself down every few days when she decided the Imps couldn’t stand to smell her anymore. Mando’s shower on his ship had been a welcome improvement from that, but the broken heating coil put a real damper on Alaina being able to actually enjoy it.

After forcing her to eat two pieces of toast and a piece of meat, Mando escorted Alaina to meet Omera at the bathhouse, using her cloak to cover the fact that all Alaina was wearing was her borrowed tunic and her boots. He explained to her during their walk that the village had been attacked by raiders who showed no sign of stopping. The peaceful shrimping village had no way to defend itself. So, in exchange for their help with Alaina, a place to stay low for a while, and a purseful of credits to entice Cara Dune to come join them, they were going to take care of the villagers' problem.

Alaina had no doubt that the Mandalorian and the former Drop Trooper would be able to handle whatever they stumbled across easily. Mando had taken out an entire compound of Storm Troopers just to save her and the kid, and Cara almost beat Mando, so whatever pathetic raiders Mando and Cara came across today didn’t stand a chance against those two.

Maybe she would stay in this bathtub the entire day.

The village had two bathhouses constructed over two natural hot springs on either end of the village, one for women and one for men. There were several walls constructed around the hot spring to provide privacy around the tubs. Warm coals under the tubs helped keep the spring water warm after buckets were used to fill the tubs with the spring water. Each room was lit with a couple of lanterns that reflected soft light over the dark room. Omera had tossed a couple of dried herbs on top of the hot coals that filled the room with a relaxing smell. It was heaven.

Heaven in the form of a hot spring on some kind of backwater skughole named Sorgan. Who would have thought?

Alaina opened her eyes and could see Omera, with her shiny dark hair, smiling down at her body under the water. She breached the water quickly and pulled her knees up to her chest to cover herself.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Omera apologized and held up a bucket filled with water. “I thought you might like some help with your hair.”

“You really don’t have to,” Alaina tried to protest, but the woman shook her head.

“I don’t mind. I’m sure you’re fully capable, but you seem to be enjoying yourself. You have so much of it. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone else do it for you.”

Alaina gave her a tight smile and nodded her head, “Thank you.”

Omera had her scoot as far back as she could and tilted her head back to rest on the lip of the tub before grabbing all of her long, blonde hair and pulling it over the edge of the tub. Alaina sat stiffly in the tub, with her knees drawn up as high as they could and her arms wrapped around her chest, unsure of what to do in this situation. Being around strangers was one thing, but being around strangers while naked and bathing was a whole new level of fear and awkwardness that she had yet to experience.

“My daughter, Winta, has now reached the age where she thinks she should help me wash my hair,” Omera said, breaking the silence that settled around them.

A small smile slipped across Alaina’s face. She remembered a time when she also liked to help her mother with her hair or makeup. It was how she learned to braid hair. “I used to help my mom when I was her age, too. That was around the age she started teaching me to braid and would let me use her to practice on.”

The tanned woman smirked, and Alaina could see a playful glint in her dark eyes as she dipped her hair into the bucket and brought it higher up until all of her hair resided inside. “Braiding is maybe a little too advanced for Winta,” Omera winked. She brought some of the warm water up from the bucket to wet the hair out of reach. “The last time she helped me wash my hair, it was so tangled it took me the rest of the night to undo the damage.”

Alaina relaxed slightly at the easy conversation. “Oh, I remember a time that I accidentally knotted my mom’s hair, and her hair was so curly that it took her days to undo the damage I’d done,” she laughed, and Omera joined her in her laughter.

“I suppose that is how we learn. Although I think I am relieved that Winta has decided that it was too much effort in the end. My hair is relieved as well. Winta even prefers to keep her own hair shorter. It's easier to run through the woods and get dirty. She’s never been particularly interested in taking on the more traditional roles some of the elders expect young women to take. I think she’d prefer to be a hunter. She takes after her father like that.”

“I guess that’s where my similarities end with Winta, then,” Alaina joked.

Omera brought a bar of shampoo up and began rubbing it over Alaina’s crown, using her other hand to massage the soap into her scalp. Alaina’s eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of the woman shampooing her hair. Omera’s fingers were strong and worked quickly through her hair as she continued to run her fingers through the hair on her scalp, occasionally pulling the shampoo further and further down her locks.

“I was the definition of a girly girl,” Alaina continued, still enjoying the feeling of Omera’s fingers massaging her head. “My mom was beautiful but was clearly unsure what to do when her daughter refused to wear anything but dresses and wanted nothing to do with anything involved with getting her hands dirty. She eventually embraced it, though. She would make us matching dresses,” Alaina remembered fondly.

“You speak of her in the past. Has she died?”

Alaina nodded, “She got sick several years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Omera offered her condolences with a deep nod. “What did your father think of you being a girly girl, as you called it?”

Alaina shrugged, “I never knew him. He died when I was a baby. My mom didn’t talk about him much. I think it was too painful for her. Even the few times I was curious and asked about him, you could just see the love and pain in her eyes.”

“I can understand,” Omera nodded as she began to rinse the shampoo from her hair. “I lost my husband a few years ago. Like you, Winta never knew her father, yet somehow, she has become so much like him.”

“My mom used to say the same about me. Said I had his passion and grace. She used to tell me that a little piece of our parents lived inside our hearts, so even though he wasn’t here with us, a little piece of him lived in me.”

Omera smiled, “I like that thought.”

Alaina’s smile broadened, and she let out a little chuckle. “He was a soldier, and my mom said he used to get me to go to sleep by lecturing me on battle strategies or the history of various weapons. She used to get a kick out of the fact that whatever piece of him lived, lived on inside of a ballerina.”

“Ballerina?” Omera questioned curiously, apparently unfamiliar with the term.

Alaina nodded. “I was a dancer,” she explained. “Professionally. I performed with a group in front of an audience. We wore costumes, tights, dresses, the whole thing.”

“Beautiful, delicate, and a dancer,” Omera smiled, and Alaina cracked her eyes to stare up at the woman, curious by her words. “No wonder your Mandalorian is so enraptured by you.”

Her eyes flew the rest of the way open at the suggestion. “Oh, no,” Alaina shook her head. “He’s not my Mandalorian. It’s not like that,” she said quickly with wide, alarmed eyes.

Omera looked skeptical as she started to work some kind of cream into the ends of her hair. “I’m not so sure he doesn’t feel the same way. He was very concerned about you,” she informed her.

Alaina frowned. “You are most definitely mistaken. He’s just…” Alaina tapered off, trying to scrounge up the right words. The Mandalorian was a number of words: stubborn, confusing, monosyllabic… the list could go on, but nothing seemed to quite describe him. “He’s just Mando,” she settled on. 

Omera still looked unconvinced by Alaina’s half-hearted attempt at an explanation. There was a lot of history between them, and she wasn’t sure what Mando had shared with anyone. Knowing Mando and his penchant for silence and monosyllabic answers, she doubted anyone here knew the truth about their past. Or the strange path of redemption Mando appeared to be following where she was concerned.

Still, there was something about Omera that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The comments about Mando, the warm smile she had earlier this morning that appeared to be just for him… They’d only been here three days, but he’d apparently made quite the impression on the single mother.

“Besides,” Alaina began again, “the person you described… that was a long time ago. I’m not that person anymore,” she finished sadly.

Omera studied her as she rinsed her hair one last time and then worked something that smelled like flowers into the ends of her hair. “How did you come to be with him and Grogu?” she asked, using her fingers to comb through her hair, searching for any missed knots or tangles. Alaina’s frown deepened at the question. “I’m sorry,” Omera apologized, shaking her head. “Your story is your story. We are just thankful for his help. Winta has thoroughly enjoyed playing with Grogu as well.”

Alaina gave her a tight smile, choosing to remain quiet. She wasn’t sure Omera wanted to learn the truth of how they met. The village woman seemed genuinely appreciative of Mando, and she didn’t want to make their remaining time here unpleasant by tarnishing their reputation.

“You hear things, though,” Omera continued, obviously not quite able to drop whatever she was trying to ask her. “About Mandalorians and bounty hunters—”

“Omera,” Alaina interrupted the woman, fixing her with a serious look. “Mando is many things, and our past is… difficult to explain at best, but most of all, he is a man of his word. If he said he would help with your problem, he’ll do it.” Just like he would turn you in if you had a bounty on your head, she thought silently to herself. “That’s just who he is.”

Her words seemed to quell Omera's worries as Alaina watched her relax and gave her a warm smile—one that Alaina couldn’t quite return—but the other woman didn’t seem to notice as she returned to focusing on her hair.

Alaina’s eyes fell forward as she became lost in her own thoughts on the Mandalorian in question.

Maybe the problem wasn’t Mando.

Mando had always known who he was.

Maybe the problem was Alaina no longer knew who she was.

Once Omera finished with her hair, she left a towel, and her cleaned clothes that Mando had gotten for her and told her she would be waiting outside for her when she was done.

Alaina was half tempted to reheat the coals under the tub, add another bucket of warm spring water, and stay in there the rest of the day, but she didn’t want to be rude to Omera, who was waiting for her. She took her time redressing and used the towel to scrunch as much of the water as she could out of her hair before leaving the relaxing little room to join Omera.

Her guide started their tour at the hall for a lunch of venison stew with some of the other villagers there. Unused to being fed such fulfilling, regular meals, Alaina was unable to finish her bowl, but she enjoyed the camaraderie of eating with the others. Even when they all became excited that there was a bonafide Mandalorian here to help them with their raider problem. They tried to get Alaina to tell them some of Mando’s stories or get her to tell them what he was like, but Alaina simply told them that their wild theories about the Mandalorian were much more exciting than the life of a bounty hunter. They had seemed disappointed that Alaina didn’t have any stories to share, but it didn’t stop them from taking turns telling stories that they’d heard regarding Mando and others like him.

After lunch, Omera continued their tour. They made a brief stop at the healers’ hut, but the elders there appeared more interested in meeting the woman who had captivated a Mandalorian than they were actually assessing her. Omera kept a close eye on her and gracefully excused them when she noticed Alaina was becoming uncomfortable with their questions and scrutiny.

She was even more grateful for the woman when she continued their tour without questioning her on her obvious discomfort over Mando’s continued praise.

Without missing a beat, Omera led her to the shrimping pools, explaining in detail how the pools are stocked and maintained. From the shrimp farms, she walked them to the tree line of the forest where Mando and Cara had disappeared to let her know the direction of the nearby creek where they used to clean their clothes and swim during the brutal summer months. When they made their way back to the village, they walked by the school, which was nothing more than a one-room building, hardly larger than the shack that she had woken up in. No children appeared to be inside at the moment, but their laughter and giggles could be heard echoing throughout the village.

The village was nothing like any other place she had ever experienced before. 

Her homeworld was bustling, overcrowded with people, and industrial. All of those people had jobs that didn’t involve farming, so Alaina found the entire thing fascinating.

Omera was in the middle of confirming that they were, in fact, housing them in a shed that they had cleaned out and furnished with the cot, crib, and table when the shrill sound of children squealing caught the women’s attention.

It didn’t take long for them to find the group of children all circled around—

“Grogu!” Alaina called out, snapping her fingers at the mischievous green toddler as she marched toward him.

Grogu turned to look back at her with wide eyes, and the back legs of a frog kicking wildly were hanging from his mouth. The kid quickly swallowed down the frog before Alaina made it over to him, making the children scream again, and a chorus of ‘ewwwww’ mixed with the screams. Grogu, however, was oblivious to the other kids, his sights set on Alaina, and came toddling to her.

“Grogu,” Alaina sighed, bending over to pick up the ornery child, “what am I going to do with you?”

Grogu’s focus had already shifted, and his eyes locked on her hair. 

Alaina hadn’t worn it down in years. With the curly nature of her hair and the lack of care she had been able to give it, it was usually just kept in a braid. However, since it had actually been cleaned and cared for, she decided to let her curls down. The kid reached for the closest honey lock and tugged on the curl. “Hey, gentle,” Alaina winced, giving him a look.

“Momma,” Winta’s voice called as she trotted over to them, “can Grogu have dinner with us tonight?”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Omera attempted to intervene.

“But—”

“Winta, this is the first day Alaina has been up since they’ve been here. Perhaps he should spend the evening with his family.”

The little girl looked longingly at her mother, then at Alaina, before ending up on her friend and giving in with a sigh.

Omera shook her head at the dejected girl. “She’s really taken a liking to him, and Grogu seems to be happy here,” the woman commented. “Maybe you all would be.”

Alaina gave Omera a genuine smile. She knew Mando had been planning on staying here for a stretch to lay low until Dune countered with her ultimatum. Maybe she would change their mind about all of them being together here. 

Their village was quaint, and everyone she had met seemed genuinely nice. Alaina had never lived in such a primitive place before, but the idea wasn’t completely off-putting. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss long-term plans for either her or Grogu. Grogu seemed to be really happy here. Maybe village life would be the perfect environment for a kid. For Alaina while the village did seem quite idyllic, Alaina wasn’t sure if it would be a long-term solution for her. Something told her she would eventually come to miss the hustle and bustle of city life.

Alaina shrugged her shoulders. Try as she might, she couldn’t imagine Mando settling down here. There weren’t many opportunities for a bounty hunter in a shrimping community.

“If he isn’t your Mandalorian, why would that be a consideration?” Omera questioned.

Alaina didn’t have an answer for that.

Despite her initial wariness of Omera, she had warmed up to the woman over their day together. She was soft and kind yet had a firm backbone that Alaina respected. They spent most of the afternoon walking outside together. Alaina did whatever she could to make sure they stayed outside so she could enjoy the sun and the forest around her, hoping that, eventually, they would wash out the lava fields that haunted her. 

She had been in the middle of imagining the armored Mandalorian fishing in the shrimp ponds but was cut short when something made her pause.

It was as if the first chord struck at the beginning of the concert, and everything came alive in her. Something inside her thrummed, and she took a worried step back.

“Alaina? Is everything okay?” Omera’s concerned voice called after her.

“They’re back!” one of the villagers in the distance called, and Alaina turned to look at the woods just in time to see Mando and Cara walk out of the tree line.

She relaxed, brushing the feeling off. It would appear that her internal Mandalorian alarm system was fully intact. Alaina nodded and gave Omera a reassuring smile.

“Yes, sorry, everything is…” Alaina faded off as she studied Mando as he marched toward the village.

Everything was not fine. Something was wrong with him, or something went wrong during their scouting expedition.

He was too stiff as he walked, and his fists were clenched in tight balls at his side. Cara’s sour look only confirmed her suspicions.

Alaina shared a worried look with Omera before she took off to intercept the Mandalorian.

“Hey, look who’s finally up and around,” Cara greeted, giving her a broad smile as she approached them with Grogu in her arms.

“Hi,” Alaina greeted the Drop Trooper but kept her focus directed at Mando. “What’s wrong?”

Mando continued walking right past Alaina. “We’re leaving,” came the gruff, short answer.

Alaina frowned and looked back at Cara, who just shrugged at her, obviously not disagreeing with his call.

Alaina trotted to catch up with him, but the man refused to stop his quick march through the village. “Hey!” Alaina moved her smaller body in front of Mando’s and raised her voice, forcing him to stop. “We can’t just leave. You promised you’d help these people.”

“If they know what’s good for them, they’ll leave too,” Cara said.

Alaina’s eyes widened at the lackadaisical response. “But—”

“This isn’t up for debate,” he barked, refusing to even look at her.

Omera approached the group and gave Alaina a questioning look. Alaina had spent all day with these people who had taken them in. Surely, whatever Mando found out in the woods couldn’t be that bad.

Alaina looked back at him with a pleading look and tentatively placed her hand in the middle of the armor covering his chest. “Mando, you gave these people your word!”

“There’s an Imperial Walker out there, Alaina!” Mando emphasized, pointing back at the woods he had just exited.

At the declaration, ice ran through her veins, and she subconsciously took a step back, squeezing Grogu tightly to her chest.

“We can’t take that risk,” he continued, now that he saw he had her complete attention and understanding. “If there is a chance that there are Imperial remnants out there…” He didn’t need to finish his thought. Even though Alaina knew he was focused on keeping her and the kid safe, Alaina couldn’t help but think about the villagers here who had asked for his help. If there were Imperial remnants out there with an Imperial Walker, there was no way this poor community would survive.

Especially once they learned that the village was harboring fugitives.

“I think what Mando here is trying to say is he’s not gonna involve you or the kid in that. I’d do the same thing if I had someone as cute and sweet as the two of you on my crew,” Cara translated with a smirk.

“Not helping,” Alaina pointed at her, but the woman just gave her a wink that Alaina ignored before turning back to Mando. “Mando, these people can’t just leave. This is their home.”

“Homes get destroyed. People rebuild.” Short, terse, gruff. He was being a stubborn ass about this. She needed to make them see that they couldn’t just uproot their entire village.

“Mando, that’s not fair for them! What’s to stop them from being hunted again?”

“This isn’t up for debate, Alaina! We’re packing up and leaving. Now.”

“But—”

“I’m not losing you to them, Alaina!” the Mandalorian seethed, grabbing her upper arm that wasn’t holding Grogu. His grip was so tight that it made Alaina cringe in pain. “Either of you.”

Alaina’s mouth was open to argue with him, but the quiet spoken words that came next silenced her.

“Not again.”

Heaven in Hiding Masterlist

Next chapter in series - Chapter 7: The Choice

[journey-of-the-morningstars-blog]

Hey everything ok?

***Morningstar Manor: 4 Years Later***

Charlie: Vincent, can you help me with the balloons please?

Vincent: (Age 5 years 10 months) Sure Mama.

Lacey: (Age 4 years 8 months) Can I help?

Charlie: Lacey, why don't you go get Honey and the twins?

Lacey: Okay! *Runs upstairs*

Lucifer: Honey, come on! It's time to get ready for the party!

Honey: (age 5 years 5 months) I wanna listen to the radio a bit longer!

Lacey: Hi Grampa! Are Hart and Carson around?

Lucifer: Hey Lace! Yeah, the boys are in their room.

Lacey: Thanks! *Runs off again*

Hart: (age 4 years 6 months) Carson, hold still!

Carson: (age 4 years 6 months) *pouting as Hart helps him put his shoes on*

Lacey: Hi! Mama says to come down!

Carson: Charlie should get us herself then!

Hart: Carson! *Frowns and finishes his shoes* Done!

Carson: *pushes his wheelchair out of the room quickly.

[bonnibellexox]

Time Together by BonnibelleXoX

After washing up on shore, Ruby and Jaune only find each other in the Everafter, both torn apart by grief. But when they accidentally pick a cursed fruit that throws them back in time, there’s nothing left to do but build a new life together and try to heal.

(The amount of death threats I get for this story is insane, so proceed with caution. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s making people cry. ;P)

[wangxianficrecs]

Swordplay by Vamillepudding

Swordplay

by Vamillepudding

G, 4k, wangxian

Summary: Everybody knows Hanguang-jun is the prettiest man to have ever walked the earth. It makes sense, then, that people keep taking their shot despite knowing that Lan Wangji only has eyes for Wei Wuxian. Or: 5 times someone wanted to stick their sword in Hanguang-jun (in a sexy way) and one time he let the Yiling Patriarch do it (also in a sexy way).

Excerpt: “I wonder how serious they are,” his advisor muses. Jin Ling stares at him. “The taxes?” “The relationship. You’re too young to know this, Sect Leader, but not everything is about true love. People break up all the time.” There is a halt in the conversation as both of them watch Hanguang-jun lean in to kiss Wei Wuxian, first on the cheek, then on the temple, then on the lips. The picnic basket (where did they get a basket?) gets unceremoniously shoved to the side, forgotten. “If you ask me,” his advisor says, “they look unhappy.” “You’re a financial advisor,” Jin Ling snaps. “How would you know?” His advisor looks hurt. “I also work as a love guru. Haven’t you read my book? Seventy-three easy ways to snatch the man of your dreams away from his boyfriend. I gave it to you as a birthday gift last year.”

canon compliant, post-canon, romantic comedy, yiling laozu wei wuxian, protective wei wuxian, humor, pov multiple, pov outsider, terrible flirting, second-hand embarassement, time skips, bamf wei wuxian, established relationship, idiots in love, 5+1 things, @vamillepudding

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[birdie123au]

A Sort of Christmas Story (tartaglia x reader)

Your life had changed so drastically at multiple occasions in the year that you had felt as though you were getting dragged through life by your hair. With your parents constant pestering, friend group drama, and trouble adjusting to life after University, despite being grateful for the privileges and loving people in your life, you couldn’t help but yearn to get away from all of the stress and drama. So the solution was simple: Christmas by yourself. But with a chance encounter from a certain ginger neighbor you had been chasing after all year, maybe you wouldn’t be spending Christmas alone this year afterall. 

Based on the song Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses!!

December 14th, 1991

The Snezhnayan air outside was the coldest this time of year. Your neighborhood was generously decorated with thick, fluffy snow which was the perfect backdrop for the LED lights strung up on each house. People’s yards showcased snowmans, inflatable decorations, and Santa statues. So there you stood, hot chocolate in hand, breathing in a sigh of relief as you savored the moment. This year had truly been a wild one; so crazy that it felt like nothing more than a blur. After graduating from college in June, you had just started your new job at a high end company only a few months ago. Your life had changed so drastically at multiple occasions in the year that you had felt as though you were getting dragged through life by your hair. Your parents hadn’t been much help either from their constant calls and letters asking about your life as if you hadn’t spoken to them almost everyday. On top of all that, your friend group had seen a dramatic shift at the breakup and reunion of two of your closest friends meaning the dramatic rants were practically never ending. You loved and appreciated all those in life who cared for you, and you loved the fact that you had such a stellar paying job for your age, but you couldn’t help but yearn to get away from all of the stress and drama that had hung over you like a cloud this year. So the solution was simple: Christmas by yourself. 

Laughing to yourself over how silly the concept sounded, your eyes wandered back over to the highly decorated street that you lived on. Despite the fact that it was only six at night, the sky was pitch black meaning the only way you could see anything was due to the Christmas lights. Against your better judgment, you walked over to the far left end of the ginormous window in your living room, the one that overlooked the large golf field and country club. Your heart practically jumped out of your chest when you noticed him. Ajax. He was your neighbor, and he lived only a few doors down, but you, unfortunately, rarely saw him. There he stood, surrounded by all five of his siblings as he played in the snow and entertained the younger ones by building snowmen and making snow angels. His soft ginger hair had little snowflakes sitting on the top as he laughed along with his family. You had been infatuated with the man ever since you had moved in, as he had been a student at your university. The two of you first met at a Halloween party last year where you had gathered all the courage in your body to ask for his number, and to your luck he had said yes. But due to the unfortunately chaotic state of your life you are currently in, you haven't been able to see him practically all year.

As if having an extra sense, Ajax looked up to where your house sat slightly above the golf course to notice you staring down at him and his family. Rather than being weirded out, he flashed one of his signature, full smiles that you could still see even in the dark. You returned his gesture with a small wave before turning your heel and speed walking away, flustered that he had caught you staring. As you went to lie down in your bed, read a book, and drink some tea, you soon calmed your nerves as you thought of how incredibly relaxing this holiday season was going to be for you. 

————

March 22nd, 1991

You tried to be as quick as possible when unloading your groceries. Your paper for your Macroeconomics class was due at the end of the day meaning not only did you have to finish writing and proofreading it, but you also had to drive all the way to your University to turn it into your professor. Professor Pantalone was known to have a zero tolerance policy for late work and you had heard horror stories of students receiving no credit for their work after only being a couple minutes late to turn it in. You normally despised procrastination, but you had been up all last night writing a different paper for a different economics course and you had almost forgotten all about the paper that was due today. Grabbing the brown paper bags from your red hand-me-down car, you swung the door shut with your leg in one swoop. Unfortunately, you had underestimated the heaviness of the bag on your left and could only look in horror as your vegetables, milk, and cans of soup hit the floor and began rolling down your driveway. Ready to end it all, you left out a cry in frustration as you put the rest of your stuff down to start to gather all of your rebellious food items.

“Uh oh!” you heard a small voice calling out. You look up to see three figures with identical sets of orange hair watching you picking up your food. The voice that had called out to you belonged to a little boy, someone no older than seven you would guess. Next to him stood a girl slightly taller looking on with pitiful eyes at your predicament. Finally, the tallest of them all stood with a smirk on his face. Oh you knew him alright; he was the guy from Hu Tao’s Halloween party!

“You need some help with that girlie?” he asked, pushing his hair out of his face. You nodded absentmindedly, mesmerized by his face.

“Alright, Tonia, Teucer, how about we lend our neighbor a hand?” he said as he bent down to pick up one of the cans that had fallen all the way down your driveway.

The three siblings made their way to where you were, helping you put away the groceries back into your bags. As Ajax went to take the parsley from your hands to put away, you almost dropped the damn thing when his fingers touched your own. Seeming to notice your flustered body language, Ajax let out an amused chuckle before helping you stand back up to your feet. 

“Say,” he began, “my brother, sister, and I are on our way back home from the park. My other brother is at home right now making some medovik. I’m sure he would be more than happy to have you try some if you want to go back with us.”

You practically passed out at his words. You loved medovik! And an excuse to go to Ajax’s house for some dessert and to hang out with him sounded like a dream. Your heart sank though as you recalled the paper still sitting at home for you to complete. Imagining Professor Pantalone’s angry eyes made you physically cringe. 

“I’m sorry,” you said, “but I have a paper due today that I need to finish writing. For Professor Pantalone, you know?”

“Yikes,” Ajax’s face grew sour, “That guy is super intense. Had him as a freshman for Intro to Econ and that guy was no joke.”

You laughed at his words; “Yeah, you're totally right. Are you maybe free sometime this weekend?”

“Oh, sorry.” he said, scratching the back of his neck, “I have hockey practice on Saturdays and Sundays.”

Your smile faltered; those were the only two days you were practically ever free. “No problem, I’m sure we can figure something out.”

He nodded; “Well, good luck to you, Y/n I’ll see you around?”

“You will. And thanks for your help with the groceries.” 

“Don’t mention it.” He said before giving you a polite wave goodbye, ushering his siblings to begin their walk back home. As you watched with a slightly disappointed face, you picked up your grocery bags once more before attempting to reach into your pocket to grab the keys to unlock your house.

After panicking for a moment, you looked to see them still sitting on the passenger’s chair in your car. Fuck. This was going to be a very long spring.

————

July 6th, 1991

The salty sea aroma was something you thoroughly enjoyed during the summertime. Because Snezhnaya practically never saw an end to snowfall, you had to travel a couple cities over to get to Mondstadt, a small town with a beautiful seashore. After getting lunch with your good friends Jean and Ayaka, you had gotten to hear all of the drama about Jean’s lovelife with your other close friend Lisa. Lisa and Jean had an off and on relationship all throughout University, but this time it seemed like the two of them were truly calling it quits, or at least that was what Jean had claimed. Knowing them it would only take a few months of being apart for the two of them to realize how much they still needed each other, but the constant ranting and bad mouthing surely would cause some rifts in your friend group until then. You and Ayaka had spent most of the afternoon sharing awkward glances with one another as you listened to Jean’s stories. Nevertheless the three of you walked together, arms linked, across the boardwalk as you sipped your smoothies. 

Ever since graduating Uni last month, you greatly appreciated all the time you could spend with your girls, even if it meant spending most of your morning driving to the beach. As you continued to walk along the boardwalk, the three of you took turns pointing out all of the ships sitting in the ocean.

“I have an idea!” Ayaka said, “Why don’t we go sit on the pier and name all of the ships!”

You and Jean shared a laugh at the idea, nodding your heads at Ayaka’s antics. “Well if it will take Ms. Gunhildr’s mind off of you-know-who then I’m in!” 

Jean gave a dramatic scoff at your words before playing shoving you in the direction of the pier. The three of you stood for a couple hours, not only naming the different ships that passed by, but also checking out the different food and shopping stalls set up along the walkway. Much to your dismay, you seemed to have forgotten to wear some sunscreen this morning seeing as how Ayaka playfully teased your slightly red tinted face after the three of you passed by a particularly cute guy. You thought you should not be blamed, however, considering the fact that you rarely needed sunscreen in a place as cold and stormy as Snezhnaya. 

As the three of you reached the end of the pier for the third time that afternoon, your eyes quickly laid upon a familiar head of orange hair, this time accompanied by two people who you did not recognize. 

“Y/n?” Jean asked, “What are you staring at?”

Ayaka turned her head curiously as well, you quickly put your finger to your mouth and shushed them; “That's him! The Halloween guy!” you tried to whisper.

Ayaka let out a small gasp; “Neighbor boy?!” she exclaimed.

“Really?” Jean asked, “That red head over there standing between the short guy and the blonde girl?”

You nodded your head, covering your slightly embarrassed, sunburnt face with your hands. 

“Huh,” Jean said, “Well I guess I can see it.”

“We should go say hi!” Ayaka added and Jean clapped along to her suggestion.

Before you could protest fully you found yourself being pulled along by the two women. As much as you would like to pull away and run, you felt a familiar pair of deep blue eyes staring at you. All you could do was smile awkwardly, hoping he and his friends wouldn’t think you were weird for being dragged along by two mysterious women they had never seen. As you approached their trio, you began to recognize the people who he was with. The tall blonde girl was none other than Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter, a girl who you had seen around campus quite a few times who you knew to have been on the volleyball team. The other was Kunikuzushi Raiden, the son of two of the professors at your school. You ended up having both women as your teachers for different classes, so you sometimes saw him standing around after class, though you knew for a fact that he didn’t go to the same University you did. 

“Well well,” Ajax began, “we meet again Ms. Y/n.”

You let out an awkward chuckle as you looked at the quizzical glares you were receiving from his friends; “Ajax! Hi, it's really been a while, huh?”

“It has, hasn’t it!” he replied, flashing you a slightly apologetic smile, “Life has just been really crazy lately. Oh! I don’t think I’ve introduced you yet, but here are my good friends, Rosalyne and Kunizushi.” 

The fair lady standing next to him simply gave you a nod while the short guy looked you up and down with a scoff.

“Yeah, you’re totally right!” you replied, “These are my friends Jean and Ayaka, they went to the same University as we did.”

“Right on.” the ginger replied, “Have you ladies been having a good afternoon? The waves today are totally awesome, Rosalyne and I caught some really good ones!”

“Oh wow!” Ayaka chimed in, “My brother really loves to surf, he would be so jealous right now.” 

Ajax nodded, “Bummer, he really missed out then huh.”

“Hardly.” Kunikuzushi said, “The wind is ridiculous–” 

“–Only if you're sitting on the shore.” Ajax said, “Well anyways. The three of us were about to take out my old man’s old boat for a spin if you and your friends wanted to join?”

“Sounds relaxing.” Jean replied, looking to you and Ayaka for any signs of apprehension.

Before you could reply, Rosalyne decided it was finally time for her to chime in; “Y/n, was it?” she began, “I’m not sure boating would be a great activity considering Ajax’s father’s boat doesn’t have a sunroof.”

Confused on what she meant, you raised your eyebrows curiously. Rosalyne simply gestured to your arms completely exposed by the tank top you were wearing. All at once the remaining four people’s faces morphed from shared confusion to horror at the sight. You quickly looked down only to be met with the sight of certainly toasted skin. 

“Oh gods!” you said, now finding yourself embarrassed at the situation, “I had no idea it was that bad.”

“Oh dear.” Ayaka said, “We should probably head back home. Maybe we can stop by my parents' place for some skin ointment.”

“Ayaka is right.” Jean continued, “That burn looks painful.”

Reluctantly, your eyes met Ajax’s concerned ones; “Yeah, you guys are probably right. Um, maybe we can do it some other time?”

Ajax nodded his head enthusiastically, smiling, returning, “Yes! Definitely. For sure. I’ll call you soon and we can make plans.”

As your friends ushered you back towards the direction of your car you looked back one more time only to meet Ajax’s disappointed gaze as he watched you disappear into the crowd. 

————

October 29th, 1991

“Perfect! So I’ll drive to your place to pick you up around 8, sounds good?”

You could hardly contain your excitement as you jumped up and down in the hallway of your house. 

“Yup!” you said, “See you then, Ajax.”

“See ya!” he said one last time before you placed the land line back into where the holder sat on the wall. 

You had gotten a surprise call from Ajax just thirty minutes ago where he had invited you to one of the parties his friend was hosting. Initially confused on why he felt the need to make a big fuss, he quickly explained to you the fact that he actually didn’t live fulltime in your neighborhood but also shared an apartment with his friend more towards the center of the city. It filled your heart with such joy when he told you he was willing to drive to your place and back just to take you to some stupid Halloween party. Though in some ways you found the gesture quite fitting considering it was almost a year to date from when the two of you had first met at Hu Tao’s party she had hosted on campus

You had intended on going to Ayaka’s house on Halloween with Jean and Lisa on Halloween day, so you already had a costume handy for the occasion. You were going to dress up as your favorite comic book character, Starfire; maybe not your top choice, but with Ayaka’s insistence on a group costume you had to oblige. Nevertheless, you happily got dressed up while listening to your favorite Halloween songs on your CD player.

It didn’t take you too long to get ready. In fact, glancing at your clock you were happy to be left with about ten minutes to spare before Ajax was going to pick you up. Deciding to take one last look in the mirror, you headed outside to wait for him, sitting on the bench on your porch. 

By the time eight o’clock rolled by, Ajax’s white Sedan was nowhere in sight. You were understanding, he mentioned that the drive to your place was from the center of the city, and there was always traffic trying to go from the center to the suburbs and vice versa. You let out a shaky breath before laughing to yourself at your antics. It could not be denied you were nervous, so it was best to relax before Ajax ended up arriving. 

Eight thirty at night and there was no Ajax. At this point you were growing slightly annoyed. Sure, there was still a possibility there was mass amounts of horrendous traffic, but could he really not try to leave his house a little earlier to show up on time? It was getting colder than it already was outside, so you thought it best to wait inside for him. Mind racing with possibilities, you decided to take your mind off of the situation by watching some TV. 

Nine seventeen and you were seriously getting annoyed. Has this guy stood you up? But he had been the one who invited you to the Halloween party in the first place! Like clockwork, your thoughts were soon interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Standing up from where you had been splayed across the couch, you wondered who would possibly be calling you this late.

“Hello?” you said.

“Y/n!” The voice of Ajax rang in your ear, though he sounded more nervous than excited, “So-uh, I have some pretty bad news.”

“Is it the fact that you are over an hour late?” you asked.

“About that…” he said, “I’m sorta calling you from the payphone at the car shop. Turns out the old Sedan was at its wits end. The car broke down halfway to your house– I had to hitchhike to get to a place where I could even call someone!”

Shit, guess you didn’t think about that; “Oh wow, sorry Ajax, I had no idea.”

“Well I don’t know how you could.” he laughed, “I’m really sorry Y/n, but it looks like I’m gonna need to spend the night in the shop.”

“Darn,” you laughed awkwardly, “I was really looking forward to going out with you.”

“Yeah…” he said, “Maybe some other time?”

You sighed; “Yup, I’ll call you later Ajax.”

“Oh– alright, see you then.”

You hung up the phone before you could even reply. You knew it was petty, it wasn’t his fault his car broke down. But you were in a bad mood nonetheless. Just then another call came through. Was he calling you again?

“Ajax?” you asked, picking up the phone.

“I don’t think so.” a smug voice replied, one you knew too well, “But nice try.”

“Kaeya, how are you?” you said. Kaeya and you had met in your junior year of University, and you had hung around with some of his friends ever since. 

“Doing good,” he said, “but I would be better if you agreed to go to Angel’s Share with the lady Lisa and I.”

You knew that Kaeya often went to the Angel’s Share, his father’s bar, though he normally went with his brother and other male friends from University. The idea of a charmer like him and the intelligent, calculated Lisa going drinking together seemed silly. 

“You and Lisa are going drinking?” you laughed.

“Yes, and you’re invited.” he replied, “Unless this ‘Ajax’ of yours has plans with you tonight.”

“Well not anymore.” you said, “Arcons do I have so much to tell you about him.”

“Looking forward to it, Lisa and I will swing by in ten.”

Saying your goodbyes, you hung up the phone. Seems like no matter what you tried to do with Ajax, life always seemed to have other plans. 

————

December 25th, 1991

The fireplace was lit, the smell of freshly baked cookies filled the air, you were dressed in the coziest candy cane print pajama pants with a tank top; all was good in the world. 

Earlier in the week you felt as if you were glued to the land line. Firstly, you had to explain to your poor mother how you actually could not be attending the Christmas family celebration with all 23 of your extended family members this year. As heartbroken as she was, you were sure she understood you reluctantly after your lengthy explanation of how hard this year had been on you and how unwilling you were to deal with any creepy uncles or bothersome cousins. Next came calling your dear best friends, Ayaka, Jean, and Lisa to tell them that you had to skip out on the Christmas Eve cabin retreat. Ayaka had tried to win you over once more with the promise of champagne, a jacuzzi, and much needed girl time. When she realized she wasn’t getting through to you, she swore her revenge for you forcing her to essentially be a third wheel for an entire vacation. A few more calls declining the invitations of Christmas themed parties from your friends like Kaeya had to be made as well, but once you finally finished turning down the invites you felt a wave of peace reach you. 

You had decided to make yourself a small Thanksgiving style dinner for Christmas with some turkey, mashed potatoes, garlic green beans, and some cranberry sauce. You may not be a huge fan of Thanksgiving all by itself, but you surely could appreciate the good food that came with it. The turkey that you had received from the grocery store that had been tucked away in your freezer for the past three days was…underwhelming to say the least. Sure you were only cooking for one person, but you were fairly certain you wouldn’t even get two days of leftovers from the poor bird considering how small it was. Nevertheless you persisted forward as to not let the size of the turkey ruin your celebration. 

Taking a bite out of one of the freshly baked cookies your elderly neighbor had dropped off earlier this morning, you decided to check back up on the state of the meal. With a random christmas romance film blaring in the background, you decided to check the temperature of the turkey, the state of the currently-baking mashed potatoes, the garlic green beans, and finally take the cranberry sauce from the pantry–

–where the fuck was the cranberry sauce?

You panicked to yourself momentarily. Was this some sort of sick joke? How on Earth did you manage to forget one of the four things on the menu tonight? Sighing angrily to yourself, you stormed into your bedroom to change into some pants, grab your jacket, some gloves, and your snow boots. 

Thankfully your car was parked in the garage meaning there was no need to wipe any snow off of the windshield. Once you found your way onto the main road outside the neighborhood, you tried to remember exactly where the only grocery store opened this late on Christmas was located. The snow fall made it difficult to see the streetlights and signs, though you eventually found the location of the small store near the entrance of the downtown area. Slamming the car door shut you took a moment to laugh at the fact that it was so cold you could see your breath in the air. 

The grocery store was more crowded than you had anticipated it to be, though technically that wasn’t saying much considering you had expected nobody besides yourself to be there. Locating the aisle for the cranberry sauce was no difficult task, and thank the archons there were still some left so last minute. You grabbed a single can of the sauce then made your way to the line. There were only about ten people standing in front of you, which was pretty good considering how crowded this grocery store tended to get being right outside the city afterall. 

“Y/n?” 

You looked up from where you had been staring at the magazine only to make eye contact with a familiar pair of icy blue eyes. 

“Ajax?” you replied, “What are you doing here?”

The man let out a small laugh before scratching the back of his neck as he so often did; “Decided to spend Christmas alone this year– guess this is what I get.”

You raised your eyebrows curiously before looking in his basket to see what he meant. Cranberry sauce. He forgot the cranberry sauce.

“So am I.” you said, “Don’t tell me you also forgot the cranberry sauce.”

His eyes lit up suddenly; “No way! How crazy is that?”

“Great minds think alike.” you laughed, “This year has really been crazy.”

“Tell me about it,” he said, “I can hardly catch a break. I guess I just didn’t have it in me to spend Christmas with my five siblings and millions of cousins.”

“Totally get that, my mom nearly murdered me when I told her.”

“My mom did too!” he responded as the two of you began laughing once again.

As the two of you continued your banter, you suddenly began to realize that maybe this was no mistake after all. The timing was too perfect, especially considering the fact the two of you had been forced apart by poor timing this entire year.

“Say, Y/n.” Ajax said, looking more serious than before. Maybe he had caught onto what was happening too, “You wouldn’t really care if you–”

“–spent Christmas with someone this year?” you cut him off, “No, no I would not.”

The man smiled; “Well perfect, because I haven’t even begun to cook the turkey yet.”

“What?!” you said in disbelief, “Ajax those take hours to cook!”

“It’s not my fault!” he laughed defensively, “I have like, the smallest turkey ever! Surely it wouldn’t take that long to cook.”

“You are unbelievable!” you responded, faking offense, “That's it, we are definitely going to my house. My food is almost done practically.”

“You're the boss!” he winked at you. 

Your plans to have a solo Christmas were completely foiled that night, though you couldn’t say you were upset considering the fact that you got to spend it with the guy you had been after for over a year. As the two of you ate, drank, and celebrated together, you wouldn’t have traded anything in the world to be able to stare into those eyes all night long. 

“Merry Christmas, Ajax.” you said, rested your head onto his shoulder as the two of you sat on the couch.

“Merry Christmas.” he replied with a laugh before resting his head on the top of your own. 

————

December 25th, 1992

“Y/n?! Did the cranberry sauce fucking vanish?!”

“Probably!” 

“Dammit we had one job this year! My moms gonna kill us!”

You laughed as you fumbled to put on your second earring. Wearing your cutest Christmas dinner outfit you could find, you sorted through your closet full of shoes and hockey supplies to try and find you and your boyfriend's snow boots. 

“Do we have time to get more?” you called out to him from your bedroom, still trying to find the other pair of shoes. 

“Uhhh, probably not.” he yelled back, “Well it is what it is! Besides, do people really like cranberry sauce that much?”

After securing the other shoe, you made your way down the staircase to find him standing, waiting for you at the front door. 

“Eh, only my little sisters really enjoy it.” he said, “My brothers and dad probably won’t care. Who knows about my cousins…”

“Arcons,” you said, “how many people are going to be there tonight?”

“Well you have my family, so that's seven not counting us, I have three uncles, two aunts, grandparents, eleven cousins–”

“–alright, that's enough.” you playfully punched his arm before handing him his boots, receiving a playful laugh from him. 

“Well next year we can do your parents' place, and I won’t complain about your big family.” he said.

“Uh-huh ok.” you rolled your eyes in fake disgust, “Do you know how hard I had to fight my mom after telling her I wouldn’t be home for Christmas for ANOTHER year.”

“Yeah I was right next to you when you called her–”

“–whatever ginger. Let’s get going, or at this rate we are gonna be late to Christmas dinner at our own neighbors house.”

“Sure thing, boss.” he said, slapping your lower back as you left the front door.

“Ajax!” a little boy yelled as soon as you left the door, causing you to yelp and stumble back. Luckily Ajax stood behind you, grasping your shoulders with his hands so that you didn’t fall backwards. 

Looking to where the boy had called, your eyes widened at the sight of five young redheads in matching holiday coats, smiling wide at the two of you.

“We came to surprise you!” the youngest girl, Tonia said, grasping the arms of her little brother Teucer as to mirror what her older brother was doing to you.

“Mom and dad wanted us to come and walk you.” the older girl, Sasha, said, clutching her hands together with a polite smile.

“Yeah because for some reason the two of you couldn’t walk a few blocks down by yourselves.” the older boy, Anton, said, annoyed he even had to be there. Ajax had explained to you that his brother was in his ‘I hate my family but actually don’t really hate my family age’; you were sympathetic, being fifteen was hard.

“Well thank you all for the nice gesture.” you said, stepping forward with Ajax’s arms still on your shoulder. 

“We could have really gotten lost!” Ajax joked, “Say Anton, Tonia, do you guys think you could beat me in a race to mom and dad’s place?”

“Hah! You know I could!” Anton replied, while Tonia shook her head violently.

“Hey wait I don’t think that's very safe–”

Before Sasha could even finish her warning, three of her siblings had already set off racing down the road. You shook your head at Ajax’s antics, but you found some peace knowing the three of them were hockey players and therefore knew how to deal with ice. 

“I’ll walk you over Y/n!” Teucer suddenly said, walking forward to take one of your arms before gesturing to Sasha to take the other.

So there you stood, walking in a line with Teucer and Sasha, watching Ajax and his siblings attempt to shake down the road to get to their parent’s house. 

You thought back to the night the two of you first hooked up, and how none of this would have been happening if the two of you didn’t get together exactly a year ago from today. Shaking your head, you smiled to yourself as you made your way to another Christmas celebration. At the end of the day, a Christmas by yourself could have been relaxing, but if one thing was certain, you definitely wouldn’t be able to miss this one, not this year nor the last. 

[sociallyawkwardfoxwriter]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M, Multi Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Relationships: Orym/Dorian Storm/Will | Orym's Spouse, Orym/Dorian Storm, Orym/Will | Orym's Spouse (Critical Role), Dorian Storm/Will | Orym's Spouse Characters: Orym (Critical Role), Dorian Storm, Will | Orym's Spouse (Critical Role) Additional Tags: Inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Memory Loss, Recovered Memories, Major Character Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Time Skips, Conversations, Getting Together, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Blood and Injury, Caretaking, Friends to Lovers, Healing, Literal Sleeping Together, Teasing, Banter

Summary: Orym travels to the Silken Squall in his search of a way to help Will and stop Otohan from destroying Exandria. After not seeing Dorian for twenty years, he meets a fully grown Dorian in search of help from the intense winds from the rogue Bells Hell threatening to tear apart the Silken Squall. During the course of saving the Silken Squall and all of Exandria, Orym finds himself falling in love again.

Fic Preview

It felt like floating.

Not like when he soared high in the sky on a skysail, but a strange weightlessness more akin to water. He didn't feel his lungs struggling for air or the slide of water along his skin and dampening his clothes. In fact, he didn't feel much of anything. His body was numb and floating in this strange space.

Despite the confusing situation, he focused on what he could try to control. Slowly, his fingers started to wiggle, and his hands began to move, then his toes and his feet. Getting his legs and arms moving came next, followed by his neck. He nearly had motor control of his entire body when he realized that he had yet to open his eyes.

[insanesonofabitch]

Somewhere in season 10, episode 05 “Fanfiction”:

Dean: and apparently, [big inhale] destiel is a thing.

Sam: destiel? What’s that?

Dean: destiel… meaning dean/castiel, together.

Sam: huh.

Dean: that doesn’t surprise you???

Sam: that surprises you?????

Dean: yeah, it does! I mean, what the hell?

Sam: yeah, Dean. What the hell. Because some of the stuff you two do are like, suspiciously gay.

Dean: ???

Dean: what?

Sam: yeah. [imitating Cas] profound bond, and all that.

Dean: [stutters] that—

Dean: okay. [promptly leaves the conversation]

[cartoonfuel]

Sorry I’ve been MIA!!! Been working on this lil baby… 😉

Read HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/series/3568243

Hogwarts Legacy was Sebastian Sallow’s villain origin story, fight me. 😤🥰🤭

[lilprincegoo]

to outlast a star by fl_our

jimin/taehyung

Alternate Universe - Space, Light Angst, Banter, Alien fauna, Shuttle Pilot Park Jimin, Resident Naturalist Kim Taehyung, Falling In Love, Time Skips, vmin are disgustingly in love Space Edition

8.4k words

rating: T

There’s a thin layer of dust in his hair and encrusted in the nooks and crannies of his uniform. Russet, the color of the soil beneath their feet. Of aging fox fur. Taehyung supposes he must be covered in it too, what with the hot, dry solstice wind kicking up so much of it on this moon. Supposes it must be in his lungs, tiny red sediments, a miniature sandstorm. It’s not the worst souvenir he’s ever carried off from a mission. [Taehyung takes up a job sketching endangered species all over the galaxy. Jimin flies him steady.]