#Very exhausting as that happened as we're moving but... Whatever!!

[janebonbon]

Officially about 2 weeks before I move! I've been tied up from drawing making sure everything is taken care of as things go down to the wire! But I'm hoping to post some doodles I'm wanting to do in my down-time.

I'm very excited for this change, even if this change has had many ripples of changes in our personal life. Exhausting changes! I think I can speak for everyone when I say that everyone in the system is very tired! But the change is so worth it. Thank you to my dear patient followers! A bit of a sketch for you, as a treat. I'm happy to be settled back from moving very soon!

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured IX

Alexia Putellas x Child!Reader

Jenni Hermoso x Child!Reader

Summary: Things get worse before they can get better

Two days after you and Jaume are admitted into hospital, several different things happen.

One: Jenni's manager calls and tells her that she can only take a maximum of two more weeks leave and that she needs to return to Mexico within the month.

Two: Jaume gets much better, very quickly. He's practically good as new and he's allowed out of his room for short periods of time.

Three: The pottery place lets Alexia know that her mug and your train are ready so she goes to pick them up.

Four: She comes back with your ceramic train and drops it on the floor in horror when she sees you being intubated.

'She took a turn for the worse' they tell her. 'We've upped her medication and she should be fine in a few days', they say but all Alexia can think about is the shattered train on the floor and how tiny you look in your bed.

You're moved to the ICU and remain motionless and asleep for days on end. Therein lies the second problem.

The ICU nurses are stricter than the nurses in the peds wing. They say only the legal guardians can go into your room.

You have no father. You had no other mother either, not legally anyway.

You have just Alexia. Just Alexia who can sign off on treatment plans. Just Alexia who can sign you out and be given updates about your condition.

Just Alexia who can go and sit by your bedside and sob.

It was supposed to be a good day. Jaume was better. You were going to get your train.

It's all ruined now and all Alexia can do is sob.

Jenni sobs too.

She can't see you. She can't even enter the ICU. She can do nothing but loiter in the waiting room.

She had nowhere else to go.

Eli and Alba can go and see Jaume but Jenni has nothing to do with Jaume. She just has you.

You who is intubated and asleep in the ICU. You who she had pinned down and so cruelly not explained anything to. You who was still so small and scared and stuck in hospital while Jenni would have to return to Mexico very, very soon.

"How is she?"

Jenni's ex looks away. Alexia looks exhausted, worse than Jenni's ever seen her before. There are bags under her eyes. Her hair looks unbrushed. Her clothes are crumpled.

"The doctors are optimistic," Is Alexia's answer," They think she's fighting really well. They..." Alexia's throat bobs. "They think she'll be strong enough to come off it in a day or two."

"And she can have visitors again?"

"Maybe not as quickly," Alexia explains," I think we should be conservative. Maybe not even until she's fully healthy again. I think-"

"Alexia, I have to leave soon."

Alexia breaks off. "What?"

"Back to Mexico. I've delayed it as long as I can. By the end of the month, I need to be gone again."

"What are you talking about?" Alexia still can't wrap her mind around it. "Back to Mexico? Bambi's still sick."

"I know!" Jenni snaps. "I know, Alexia. And you need to make a decision."

"A decision? Jenni, what are you talking about?"

"You need to put someone else on her papers. You've seen those doctors. We don't get told anything. It's dangerous."

"Jenni-"

"What if Bambi breaks her arm? Me or Olga bring her to hospital and they can't do anything because we're not legal guardians. What would have happened if they couldn't get a hold of you after they intubated her? They can't change treatment plans without parental consent."

"I-"

Jenni sighs, long and drawn out. "I know you have a lot on your plate, Alexia. I know, I do but this is about Bambi and what she deserves and she deserves two people on that birth certificate."

Jenni doesn't say what she wants to say. She doesn't say that she desperately wants you as her own. She doesn't say that she thinks in the deepest, most malicious part of her brain that Alexia has already ruined whatever relationship you had beyond repair. She doesn't say that she thinks a new start in Mexico would be best for you.

She doesn't say that she's already looked at a ballet academy near her apartment and that her club has some of the best childcare options she's seen in a long time.

Jenni doesn't say anything more.

She just turns on her heel and walks out.

Out of Alexia's company, out of the waiting room, out of the hospital.

She doesn't say anything until she's in her car and sobbing into her steering wheel.

Her words float through Alexia's brain even as she sits in Jaume's room with him.

He looks much better than before. The rash is gone. He's moving around again.

The only evidence that he was ever sick at all is the IV still attached to his hand, feeding antibiotics into his body to make sure it's fully gone.

"Something funny, little man?" Alexia coos as he giggles uncontrollably," What so funny, huh? What so funny?" She bounces him gently at each word and Jaume giggles even more.

"The little man's happy he's getting out of here in a few days," Olga says, hooking her chin over Alexia's shoulder," Isn't that right, Jaume? Is that why you're so giggly today?"

Jaume giggle in answer, kicking his feet out.

"Look at these kicks," Alexia coos," My little footballer, huh? Are you going to captain Spain? I think you are!"

"Your Mama and sister went home," Olga says," They'll be here early tomorrow, like always."

"Jenni went as well."

Olga goes to sit in the chair next to Alexia's, frowning. "That's unlike her. I swear, I thought she was going to sneak into the ICU yesterday."

"She told me that she needs to go back to Mexico soon," Alexia says," She's delaying it for as long as possible."

"All for our Bambi?" Olga hums," She really loves her."

"Yeah," Alexia says," She does."

Alexia is in awe of Jenni sometimes. Jenni has always loved you, Alexia thinks. Jenni's always been a part of your life even when Alexia didn't have the energy to care for herself. Jenni had always been there.

Alexia doesn't think she'll ever understand just how much Jenni adores you. You make the planets spin for Jenni. You hang the stars and the moon and sometimes, like now, Alexia wonders if she'll ever be able to live up to that.

If she'll ever be able to give you the life you deserve.

She doesn't want to give you up. Selfishly, she wants a life where she can hold both you and Jaume in bed with her. She wants a life where she can go to Jaume's football matches and your ballet recitals. She wants a life where she can win a Champion's League and see you running onto the pitch to celebrate with her.

But she doesn't know if that's the life you want.

She doesn't know if that's the life you deserve, constantly being shepherded from one thing to another, constantly living in fear that you'll be left behind again.

Alexia knows a life with Jenni, where you're the centre of her world, would be good for you too. But, still, Alexia can't help but let her heart flutter at hearing Olga call you 'our Bambi'.

'Our Bambi'.

Hers and Alexia's.

If you went with Jenni then you would be just Jenni's, no matter if Alexia kept her name on your birth certificate. You would be half a world away. She would see you when Jenni returned for international duty. She would see you a few weeks every year and Alexia doesn't know how she could cope with that.

Alexia doesn't know how she would explain to Jaume about the sister he never sees.

Alexia is your mother and she needs to do what is best for you, despite how selfish she wants to be.

She needs to decide if she can still give you the best life possible or if letting Jenni raise you is truly what will give you the best chance possible.

"Ale?" Olga asks softly, shaking her," You're crying."

Alexia swipes the tears away. "I was just thinking about Bambi. I should probably get back to her. The doctors keep saying that she won't even notice but-"

"But you should still sit with her," Olga says," She deserves to have some company. Here." Olga reaches into her bag.

She pulls out your ceramic train, the one Alexia shattered on the floor after seeing you with a tube down your throat.

"It's still missing a few pieces," Olga explains," But I tried my best. I thought you could put it at her bedside."

Alexia takes it gently, cradling it in her hands. Olga's right. There's still little chips and Alexia can very clearly see where Olga has glued the broken pieces together.

It's still fractured and broken but it's perfect.

"I love you," Alexia chokes out," I love you."

"I love you too," Olga says," Just as I love our kids. Go, Ale. Sit with her. Me and the little man will be right here."

The sun glints on your ceramic train for nearly a week until you wake up.

The doctors keep you asleep until they're certain that the meningitis is gone.

Jaume gets to go home with Olga the day before you get woken up.

There's a crowd outside your room early the next day and Alexia is the only one allowed in.

"We've taken the tube out," The doctors explain," And she'll be coming out of the anaesthesia soon. She'll be a little disorientated and emotional but once she's up, give it an hour or two, we'll check her hearing and her strength and if it all goes well then she should be out of here by late afternoon."

"How likely is it that her hearing's being affected?"

"Meningitis is known to cause hearing loss but I'm optimistic. Despite what's happened, she's fought it every step of the way. There's a good chance she comes out of this without any lasting effects."

"And once she's up? I can let people in?"

The doctor glances over at the assembled crowd. "Only one or two in the room at a time. We don't want to overwhelm her."

"Thank you."

"I'll be back soon."

Alexia retakes her seat at your side, holding your hand gently in her own. Your little hands are perfect to hold in her own. You could probably hold just a finger and it would still be bigger than your whole hand.

"I love you," Alexia whispers as she presses a soft kiss to your forehead," I love you so, so much, Bambi. You're all better now. You just need to wake up."

You don't come to for another thirty minutes or so and, when you finally do, it's slowly.

"Mami," You say," My throat hurts."

Alexia can't help the worried laughter that bubbles out of her throat. It's half in relief and half in how disgruntled you look.

"Mami?"

"Here, Bambi," She says," Sit up. Let's have a little drink."

She holds the glass as you sip the water. You lean easily into the comfort Alexia's offering, your head resting on her shoulder

"Wha's goin' on, Mami?"

"You were sick," Alexia says," But you're better now and you get to leave if everything's okay."

Your brow wrinkles. "I..." Your eyes dart around and Alexia suddenly realises what the doctor meant by you being emotional. "I want Mama! Mama! Want-Want Mama!"

Tears spill down your cheeks and Alexia knows exactly who you want.

She shouldn't take it personally. She knows you're sad and overwhelmed and you're reaching out for comfort for the person that you can't see.

Alexia knows this is normal. She's been told this is normal and yet-

Alexia pushes away her feelings, tucking you into the blankets and pressing a kiss to your cheek that you clearly welcome. "I'll get you Jenni," She promises," Just give me a second."

She pokes her head out of the door.

"Jenni," Alexia says, voice emotionless," She needs you."

Jenni's looking more relieved than Alexia's ever seen her before as she rushes into the room.

"Mama," You say, brow wrinkled and looking up at her with wet, puppy dog eyes," You hurt me."

"I hurt you?" Jenni echoes as she takes Alexia's seat," When did I hurt you, Bambi?"

"When the bad man touched my back and you held my legs."

"I'm sorry, Bambi," Jenni says gently," That was wrong of me. I'm very, very sorry."

You're still confused. Your brain feels like it's full of cotton, all fuzzy and weird like that time the tv made that weird noise and went all staticky.

You lay back down. Your head bounces a little from the force you've thrown it back into your pillow with.

Everything's all jumbled and confused and you gently take Ma-Jenni's hand in your own. She's got big hands with fingers you can wrap your whole hand around and still have your hand be too small.

You know someone else like that, you think and your brain strains to think of who it is.

You get glimpses.

Big hands. A Barcelona kit. Gentle strokes down your back and kisses on your forehead when you're sad.

"Mami," You croak out even as Ma-Jenni climbs into bed with you and cradles you against her body.

Mami was with you earlier. You can remember that. You lift your head to see where she's gone but you can't see her anywhere.

"Mama," You say, tugging on Ma-Jenni's shirt as tears still drip down your cheeks," Mami's gone! Mami's gone again!"

You don't know that Alexia's crying too.

In the bathroom down the hall, staring at herself in the mirror and only seeing your own tearful face reflected back at her.

[andy-wm]

Jikook - The Fan Service Professionals

These two are such pros when it comes to fan service, they even practice behind the scenes. Dedication with a capital D! Even during the height of Covid, when there were no performances on the horizon, they were diligently keeping up the charade.

The newly released Bangtan Bomb of the BE Skit recording is a great example...

It is 2020, JK's birthday, and the Billboard #1 win for Dynamite has just been announced. Five of the guys file into a recording studio and sit down. Namjoon leaves an obvious gap next to Jimin.

JK arrives a few minutes later and takes his place... next to Jimin.

The group discusses the fact that the Billboard win was announced on JK's birthday and that he clearly needs no more gifts. What happens next is interesting...

JK tells them he received the best gift of his life and Jimin speaks for the first time since JK entered the room, jumping in to say "We're recording Skit, right?"

I've never seen anyone change the subject with such haste as this. In fact i might go so far as to say the way Jimin interrupted was ...almost rude! (But not really rude, because.. .he's Jimin)

But I digress...

The producer tells Jimin they're already recording and Jimin glances furtively at the microphone to confirm. Yes, the red light is on, it is indeed recording.

He laughs and slaps his thigh. Something must be really funny because he continues to laugh behind his hand, which is SUCH a tell for when he's embarrassed.

Long after everyone else has moved on, Jimin is still smiling to himself.

Maybe it's because JK just announced to the world that he got the best birthday gift OF HIS LIFE.

But he didn't specify what it was. He didn't say it was the Billboard win. And it looks like that birthday gift went on all night because the boy is clearly exhausted.

Anyway, moving on...

They start practicing their "fan service routine" at this point:

Without a word being exchanged between them, Jimin stands up and gives JK space to change his position. He then sits down next to JK and adopts the exact same position, with folded legs. Tick the box for mirroring behaviour

The next part of routine is connecting through touch - you know - how genuine couples touch each other as a way of checking in? Yeah like that. (Somehow I see caressing a person with your knuckles as more intimate than using your palm, but maybe that's just me)

And then there's a different type of touch - that body contact that comes with intimacy and familiarity. When you're a new couple this type of thigh touch can be very titilating but when you've been together for a while it's more comforting than sexy (although there's definitely an element of sexy too). At this point they are barely interacting, aside from Jimin's arm draped over JK's thigh and his fingers resting casually on JK's shin like it's his own personal armrest... he's certainly covering all the bases on that leg.

uuummm... okay, well played Jikook...

10/10 fan service here I guess.

Anything else that might have happened in this 'practice session' was lost on the cutting room floor, but one thing is for certain... neither Jimin nor JK got a wink of sleep on the night of JK's birthday.

Some may say it's because of the BB #1 win but I don't see any of the other guys in such a state of disarray as these two.

One thing that is obvious though:

Whatever the two of them were celebrating, they went at it all night long.

*cue Barry White*

[nexysworld]

Chapter Summary: Leon wasn't sure what to do after your last encounter, he knew he messed up. He'd do anything to get you back to him, even if it meant more scheming under the guise of helping you get better. Pairing: Yandere!Leon x Fem!Reader Tags: NSFW, Dead Dove, Dubcon, Kidnapping, Stalking, Smut, Unprotected Sex, Pet Names, violence, gore, MDNI, masturbation, murder, slow burn. Psychological manipulation, abuse of power, etc. no use of y/n. WC: 6.5K

A/N: Thanks so much everyone for the support on this story. I'm sorry this update took forever, but we're back swinging and I've already started chapter 6. Hope you like it! (tag list at bottom :) )

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He was stunned, absolutely stunned. He expected you to warm up to him again, what he hadn’t expected was the way you were looking at him like that, how quickly you fell into his touch, his kiss. Your skin felt electric under his fingertips, your mouth heaven.

He had waited so long for this very moment that he lost control of himself – he knew this was too soon. Knew you needed to be coddled longer, doted on, cared for until you were finally his. But he couldn’t help it, the sadness in your soft voice, begging him to make you forget, to make you feel better. It was too much even for him. Countless years of government training down the drain the moment you pleaded for him. But then – then you’d scurried out like a startled rabbit, and he knew he fucked up. That was too much for you, especially after such an emotional day. It left him with only two choices now, to play another long game or to force you back to him. Sighing, Leon leaned back into his couch, cock now softened and brain clear. He ran a hand through his bangs, pushing them out of his face, the image of your sad expression burned into his retinas. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he had the mental fortitude to play another long game, he needed you, and that outburst of emotion showcased how badly you needed him as well.

And speaking of said outburst, should he go to you now, try to offer comfort? Or is space what was best for you? He pondered on that thought for a few minutes, knowing the next move was crucial in making everything come together. He settled on not wanting to push you, but at least letting you know it was alright.

Lifting himself off his couch, Leon made the short journey from his apartment to your own, feed padding against the scratchy carpet of the hallway. He stopped just outside of your door, fist ready to knock when he heard your soft voice sobbing icing him to his core. Regardless of what was necessary, you being so sad never left him with a good feeling – it was like an ice pick slowly cracking at his heart every time he heard it. He pushed that feeling aside, focusing on the task at hand, knocking against the door. “Hey.” He said. “Hey, can I come in?” There was an unintelligible response from the otherside, a mix between a muffled sob and an attempt at coherent words. “Look, I’m not upset.” He called again through the door. 

When no clear response came, he tried the knob, unsurprised to find it unlocked. He twisted the brass, the door creaking open loudly as the sound of your upset became louder. He found you on the floor, slumped against the wall, not far from the door. Kneeling over you, he cupped your face in his hands. Your glassy eyes looked exhausted, face swollen, red, and tear stained – it didn’t bother him though as he held you there, locking his gaze with yours. “It’s alright.” He said assuringly. “S’not.” He watched you croak out from your puffy lips, gasping between tears to get some of the air back into your lungs. “It is.” He moved from kneeling, to sitting, coming completely down to your level. “I know things don’t seem that way right now. But it’s going to be alright – whatever happens.” “I can’t do this.” You exclaimed, clutching at his shirt, bunching the cotton fabric in your hands. He moved his own over yours, patting them gently against his chest. “Can’t do what?” He gave you a second to formulate a reply. “This!” You said, as if that would clear things up for him. “You…I can’t. I can’t keep doing this with you Lee. This isn’t right… things aren’t right. Maybe we should stop seeing each other entirely – I’m not stable. And I can’t keep using you to bail me out, or to alleviate my feelings. It’s not fair to you, and it leaves me feeling… god I can’t even describe it. I’m sorry.” 

Those were not the words he wanted to hear. He knew you were still emotionally delicate, but hadn’t he shown you time and time again that things were better with him? Right with him? He felt his knuckles twitch at your words, squeezing your hand a little tighter, but not tight enough to hurt you. He resisted the urge to snap, swallowing down the lump in his throat, trying to maintain a sense of steeled calm as you let it all out before him. ‘You don’t even know what you’re going on about, saying this shit to me while you cling to me for dear life? Oh baby…’’ He thought  to himself, trying to de-escalate his own brewing internal storm. 

His mouth twitched slightly before he relaxed again and smiled at you. “Hey, don’t say that.” Releasing his hold from your arms, he pushed closer to you, wrapping an arm around your back before pulling you into his lap, tightening you into a bear hug. He buried his nose in your hair for a moment, taking in your scent, just holding you there like he always does, before finally speaking again. “I’m a big boy. I can decide what’s fair for myself, you know? I’m here because I want to be.” He felt you relax into him as he stroked your back, running his hand up your shirt to make more skin to skin contact as he soothed you. 

“But I left you blue balling over a psychotic break. I’m hung up on someone who –” “It’s alright.” He said again. “ There’s worse things in the world than being blue balled, like knowing someone you care about is hurting.” He didn’t entertain your second point with a response, instead he kissed the top of your head. “Don’t worry about earlier, you were emotional, it wasn’t cool of me to let things go that far. You needed a distraction for sure, but not like that.” Leon leaned back a bit to run his fingers through your hair softly. “You’re too good to me.” You said softly, not moving from your spot, keeping buried into him. “I’m just as good as you deserve, baby.” He said with a soft chuckle.

“I’m still sorry.” Your voice was low, but more stable now, the quivering gone. He studied your face as you pulled away just enough to look up at him. “Would it help if I said I forgive you?” Leon, tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “Maybe a little.” “Well then, I forgive you.”

You leaned back fully now, resting against the wall again. “Thank you. I feel like all I do lately is cry and lose my mind, you know?” “Sometimes that’s just what you need to do, until you process things.” “I don’t know what there is to process. No matter how much evidence slaps me in the face, a part of me just can’t let go of the idea that he was real….that he is real.” He didn’t answer immediately, not liking how this conversation was going at all. It seemed like a rollercoaster, one moment you were slowly inching towards where he wanted you to be, so close to being his, before torpedoing back to this fucking topic. It was infuriating to him, boiling rage bubbling just beneath his skin. ‘Just forget about him already, I’m right here!’ 

“You know I don’t have an answer for that.” He said flatly, hoping you didn’t pick up on his change in mood. He leaned back, resting on his hands as he thought. He didn’t want to have to go down this path either, but he felt you were leaving him no choice. “I think I know someone who could help.” The way you perked up immediately was adorable, that’s the type of reaction he would never grow tired of seeing. “Who?”

“A doctor I know through work. His name’s Anthony Birkin.” He’d had the man’s number on speed dial since the last incident. A familial connection of the late William Birkin, he’d been working as a psychiatrist handling those who were testers of experiments for neo-umbrella. Of course with enough cash, pretending to be a personal psychiatrist made a decent side-gig too, and a biased one at that. Though it was true Leon had met him via his work connections – you didn’t need to know the other details. It’s not like you’d even be able to understand the necessity of it anyway. “A doctor? Leon you know why I –” “Yeah, I know. It’s scary, you don’t want them to think you’re crazy or hold you there, right? That wouldn’t happen.” “How could you know that?” “Like I said, I know ‘em from work. I could pull a few strings, make sure that doesn’t happen. You’d be surprised how many politician’s kids are allowed outpatient treatment when they likely should’ve been committed…not saying you should be at all.” He backpedaled a little, realizing the way that came out. “I’m just saying, maybe it could help.” He studied your face, intently watching every muscle movement, the way you bit your lip in thought, trying to get a read on you. If you agreed, everything after would go so much smoother for the both of you. “Maybe.” It wasn’t the answer he was looking for, he wanted something definitive, something he could really work with. “Maybe?” “Yeah, I’ll think about it.” You said quietly, rubbing at your sore cried out eyes. “You’re probably right, I think I just need a little time…” Close, so close – then you had to go and ruin it. ‘What the hell does she mean she needs time?’ The disaster that was this conversation was almost making him wish he just stayed on his couch for the night, but he would never be so selfish as to not tend to his bunny. “Of course, take all the time you need!” 

An awkward silence washed over the pair, Leon didn’t avert his gaze, but dug his fingers into the rug as a way to relieve some sort of tension. Your eyes darted around the room, looking like they wanted to land anywhere but on him, just one more thing that added to his already soured mood. He let out an awkward cough to clear his throat before speaking again. “So uh,  are you going to sleep here tonight … alone?” ��Yeah, I think so. I think it’s time I learn to be a little more self-sufficient.” “Alright, just call me if you need anything. Don’t worry about the time – or feel free to let yourself in.” He reached out to gently stroke your cheek again. “I mean it. Please don’t feel bad, I’m here for you.” “Thank you.”

He nodded, leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. He didn’t want to leave you alone at all, ever again. If he had it his way you’d be curled up in his bed already – or better yet miles away in your own little corner of the world together, free from all of this. Despite that, he wasn’t going to push his luck tonight. He pushed himself up and off the ground, stretching for a moment, letting his joints  pop and crack from the awkward way he had been sitting. He reached a hand out towards you, to help you off the ground, another pang of irritation swept through him at your mild reluctance.  “Come on, it would make me feel so much better if I could at least help you to bed. Your ankle is still hurt after all.”

Despite the lingering negative feelings, his heart still fluttered the moment your hand made contact with his and you let him pull you to your feet. He wrapped an arm around your back to help support you in the short trek to the bedroom. 

Once he made sure you were safely deposited on your bed, he lingered for a bit taking in the sight. The way you looked tucked into those covers, your slew of stuffed animals on the shelf, some scattered onto the bed. It was so very fitting for you and so much better than witnessing it through a small camera – like seeing an animal in its natural habitat for the first time. 

“Is everything alright?”

The soft sound of your voice pulled him back to the moment, ironic how he’d caught you staring so many times before but now it was his turn to be caught off guard for a change. “Oh yeah. Everything’s good.” “You’re staring?” Your face held more amusement and confusion than anything else. 

“Sorry, I just realized it’s the first time I’ve seen the inside of your room while you’re in it.” The words left his mouth on auto-pilot, escaping the filter that should have told him not to implicate himself. He hoped you hadn’t picked up on the specific words he used, but it was too late. “What?” “Nothing, just that it’s the first time I’ve seen your room, that's all.” “That’s now what you said.” “That's what I meant.” He added a short chuckle to the end of his words hoping you wouldn’t push the subject further. He walked over kissing your cheek. “Have a good night.” He made his way out of your room and apartment as fast as he could after that. 

Leon collapsed down into his own bed, heart pounding from the entirety of the interaction with you. It hadn’t gone well, and it left him reeling a little. Letting out a sigh, he opted to try and sleep it off, just hoping you’d reach out to him soon just like you always did. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the days that past he kept a close eye on you like he always did – there wasn’t a place in the world you could be where Leon wasn’t close behind both physically and metaphorically. Even technically being there didn’t help that the remaining  gap between you two still felt like a chasm of despair within him. He couldn’t believe how much you stuck your guns about “needing space,” as he watched you waste away. Work. Home. Sleep. Rinse. Repeat. 

‘That’s not my bunny!’ He thought to himself, as you slumbered on your couch for another night. The fact you hadn’t even eaten dinner made him queasy, you weren’t taking care of yourself. You weren’t acting like yourself. All of this was wrong, so very wrong. Each time you twisted and called for him in your sleep, a nightmare reminding you of things you were better off forgetting, he wanted to go to you. None of this was right – this was exactly why you needed him, and he still couldn’t have you yet. 

Leon tried to check in a few times, his texts were spurned with simple one word answers, and his in-person meetings at the door were kept brief, so brief he wasn’t able to work in the soft touches that he was so used to. The feeling of your skin ghosted like a phantom pain on his fingertips. The sound of your voice a lingering whisper in the distance. 

He hated it. No mission or distraction was enough to help the overpowering and ever consuming thoughts he had of you, nothing could abate his need or his worries. Leon wasn’t sure what his limit was, but he knew you were close to it. All it would take is one more push for him to snap. 

Luckily for him, and his slowly diminishing psyche his phone finally buzzed. There you were, a matching picture to his,  hands tossed hip in the peace sign with your tongue stuck out making a silly face. It sent his heart soaring.

‘Hey are you up?’‘Of course :)’‘Can we talk?’

‘Always. When?’‘Now?’ He could hardly contain the excitement as he slammed the green button down, dialing your number. He felt giddy for the first time in a while, like all of the pent of feelings he was harboring faded away at the very notion of you wanting to speak with him.

“Leon, hey.” The sound of your voice was like raindrops on the window. “It’s been awhile. Everything alright?” He sat up from his couch, alert in case he needed to head over to you.

“Oh yeah, I was just thinking about everything.” There was some shuffling and movement on the other end before you finally continued. “I miss you, for one.” Those words alone set Leon’s heart rate skyrocketing. “I miss you too.” He replied, doing his best to keep his composure, not wanting to sound too giddy. “I’m glad.” Despite your words there was a slight mellowness to your voice he picked up on. “Are you sure everything is alright?” “No. No they’re not… listen could you put me in touch with that doctor you were talking about? I think, you were right, I really need to talk to someone.” “Yeah, yeah absolutely.” He confirmed, tilting the phone to a more comfortable position between his neck and ear. “I’ll give him a call today and put you in touch.” “Thank you Leon.” 

The conversation wasn’t everything he’d been hoping for, expecting at least a request for reconnection, but he’d take it. It was close enough to what his was pushing towards, and it reinvigorated  him to know that he was again inching closer and closer to having you right where you belonged – with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another call, another mission a world away. Leon wished he could’ve been there in person, wish he could’ve watched through the double sided mirror as you spoke with Dr. Birkin, seeing all those minute little facial expressions you always displayed. Watching how you reacted and responded to each question, hearing your voice crystal clear again instead of through the low speaker of a phone or a hidden microphone. 

As he sat on the bench outside some official’s office, he pulled his phone close to his face, turning up the volume, headphones already in. He watched on the small fingerprint smudged screen as best he could – the video feed black and white, hard to see in the sunlight. 

There you were in all your glory, relaxed back  on the little couch. The audio wasn’t as clear as the mics he had placed in your apartment, but he could still make out the conversation still. 

The good doctor sat across from you in his chair, notepad in hand. “Mhm. Mhm.” He nodded in reply to something you’d said. “So you say you’re having false memories of this … Derek? You said he was your long term boyfriend, until he passed away under mysterious circumstances?” Leon cringed at the name. “Yeah…yeah that’s right.” You said, a somber lilt to your voice. “I swear I remember everything. But it’s like he’s a ghost. I went to his job, his parent’s house. Everywhere I could think of just to prove he was real, and they all acted like I was insane.” Dr. Birkin scribbled a few more notes down. “These memories, how vivid are they? And are they continuous, for example do you have any large gaps in your recollection?” You readjusted in your seat, picking at the arm of the couch you were on. Leon could see your leg shift and bounce as you tried to decide how best to answer the questions. “Extremely vivid. I can remember his face, the smell of his cologne, his voice. I can remember the way the air smelt and the rain against my face the last time we took a road trip – I wanted to get out and take pictures when it started pouring.” Your face contorted into one of pain, grabbing a tissue from the box on the side table before dabbing it at the bottom of your eyes. Leon wished he could’ve been the one wiping them away again. “As for gaps… there’s none. I could tell you about every major holiday, every birthday, the first time I met his family. Our first date, our anniversary, I can tell you what I saw when he – I’m sorry. I can even tell you what happened when he –” Dr. Birkin leaned forward to put a hand on your shoulder. “When he what? Take your time, deep breaths.” “When he died.”

Dr. Birkin gave you a moment to collect yourself before continuing. “You had mentioned at the start you recalled witnessing his death. Can you tell me what you remember from that?” For a moment you looked like the wind was knocked out of you despite your spot on the couch. Leon wanted to keep watching, wanted to hear more, but like always the video feed cut to Hunnigan’s name ringing in to him. “You have the worst timing, you know that Ingy?” “Well you know my favorite part of the job is getting to hear your annoyed voice at the other end of the line.” She said with a laugh. “Anyway, we need to talk about details. We just received intel that –” The sound of her voice slowly drowned out for Leon, he found himself replying with the usual responses, only taking in the most important information being fed into his ear. He was more focused on wanting to get back to your session, desperate to know if there was any important detail he should know about. Desperate to see the outcome of everything, and of course to make sure Dr. Birkin was holding up his end of the deal.

The call continued and he tried to appease that inner anxiety and boredom by bouncing his leg rapidly and looking around, taking in the trees and the now cloudy sky. The smell of rain was in the air from the morning, and the shuffling of people nearby was a decent enough ambient noise that it helped keep him from being entirely on edge. “Yeah, yeah. Warehouse….later today…..yeah I hear you. I *am* listening.” He insisted through the little speaker on the phone. 

He wasn’t sure how long the call lasted but the moment Hunnigan’s voice quieted, he slammed the red end button as fast as he could before pulling up the video app again. “Come on….come on…” He said frustrated as the video feed took forever to load again. Finally, the small black and white view appeared on his screen again, you were sitting up on the couch, legs criss crossed as you blew your nose with another tissue. “Good work today.” Dr. Birkin said, setting his notebook down on the table next to him. “I know that was hard and a lot to go over in such a short time, but you did very well.” Leon watched you nod before speaking. “So uh….do I have a diagnosis or I guess, where do we go from here?” “We’ll talk more about that in our next session. A case like this is quite complicated, to say the least. I need to go over my notes and discuss with a colleague of mine before offering a diagnosis. I want to make sure you have the best and most accurate care.” Leon sighed as he cut the video feed, realizing he’d missed the rest of the session for the day. His watch buzzed indicating that he needed to get going, sighing he pushed himself up off the bench to make his way inside the giant white bricked building for what would be a boring meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This mission had taken longer than usual, longer than Leon had wanted. What was supposed to have been just a two day warehouse stakeout wound up becoming an entirely new situation. A bio-disaster so big it could’ve rivaled Raccoon City. While nothing he hadn’t handled before, it left Leon exhausted as  he collapsed into the hotel room bed – despite the luxurious rooms provided to him by the D.S.O nothing was as restful as being at home in his own bed, and definitely not as restful as the nights he got to spend with you in his arms.

He checked the clock, it was only around 5pm, if his timing was right your next session with Dr. Birkin should have started already. Sitting up for a moment, he began to tug all his work gear off, leaving only his boxers and tshirt before settling back down one more time. He grabbed his phone again, opening up the video app and sure enough the feed was live again and to Leon’s delight, it was near the start of the session. “Thank you for coming again Miss. Please take a moment to relax and get comfortable. I know our last session was quite intense.” Dr. Birkin brushed some of the blonde hair away from his face and adjusted his too-big glasses against his nose before taking his seat. “At the end of the last session I told you I wanted to discuss with some colleagues before issuing a diagnosis. I was able to make a few calls over the past two days and I think I can say with certainty that I’ve reached a conclusion.” “Really?” You asked, looking up at the doctor, almost excited but still reserved. 

Dr. Birkin nodded before continuing. “I believe what you have is called False Memory Syndrome. It can be caused by a traumatic event – of course given the nature of your memories, we don’t quite know what the trigger was in this case yet. Regardless, we can still manage the symptoms.” He pulled a few papers out of the folder on the side table before handing them over to you. “These are some printouts with more information, if you want to check it out.” “Thank you.” You said quietly, quickly scanning over the information before tucking them into your bag. “What's the treatment like?” “Like most things with therapy and medication. But for something like this we also want to make sure you have a support system, someone you can trust, rely on. With conditions like this, some of the things you see or remember can seem so real, having someone who can tell you the truth can really help keep you focused.” “Right, that makes sense.” You looked to the side out the window, zoning out. The doctor spoke a bit more but you weren’t replying to anything. Leon’s brows furrowed watching it play out. ‘Bunny, come on now….’ “Miss? Miss, are you alright?” “Oh yeah, sorry. It’s just a lot to take in.” “I understand. Why don’t we move forward, let’s talk about some things that might help.” Readjusting on the couch, you sat up and nodded at the doctor. “Alright, I think that sounds good.” “I’m going to prescribe you something to help you sleep, it should also help with general anxiety.” He scribbled something on what looked like a tiny notepad before handing it over. “Now, I’d like to talk about your support system next. You mentioned before that you were having trouble with friends, but there was someone who you do connect with and trust, Mr. Kennedy?” “Yeah, Leon. He’s been a huge help. He’s kind and out of everyone doesn’t directly accuse me of being crazy, even though I know he probably thinks it too.” Leon’s heart burst with warm love as he heard you speak about him. “It’s good to have someone you can depend on. How much do you trust Leon?” You paused for a moment before smiling. “A lot. He’s never given me a reason to doubt him, and he’s always there for me. Like my own personal super man, you know?” “Would you trust him if he told you when something wasn’t true?” “Yeah, I think I would.” “Do you trust Leon to keep you safe, including safe from yourself?” “Definitely.” “And lastly, do you think he would be alright being your support system?”

There was another pause in response. ‘Come on baby, you know me. You know I would say yes. Come on . . .’ he repeated to himself as if it would speed up your reply. ‘Don’t disappoint me baby.’

“You know, I can almost guarantee he would say yes and do it. Even if he didn’t want to, because he’s just a nice person like that. The best person actually.” 

“That’s good, that’s very good. I’m glad to hear that. Not everyone comes in with someone who can support them like that. Next, we’re going to make a short list of rules to follow with Leon, just as a reminder or affirmation, to help keep you grounded.” He grabbed the notepad and pencil from the side table before handing it over to you. “It’s best if you write them as we go along.” “Ok, I’m down with that.”

“First – remember that Leon only wants to help you, he has good intentions. Second – let Leon ground you, what he’s saying is true. Three – it’s ok to lean on him as much as you need, in fact it’s encouraged. Four – he knows what’s best, listen to him.” “Alright, got it.” You said, penciling down each of the reminders. “But the last one…I mean, I understand the others, but he knows best? I was hoping to still be independent at least as much as I can. That one just feels… I’m not sure how to put it into words.” “I can understand the hesitation. Giving up control can be the hardest part of these conditions, but sometimes false memories can lead to irrational thinking, emotional decision making, etc. It’s important to have someone not only to ground you, but who can act as a caretaker when needed, a guardian even.” “Am I going to be giving up rights to him or is it just something I should keep in mind? I guess I’m just confused, it’s a lot to grapple with.” “Well, I was going to ask if you’d be comfortable signing some consent forms just in case anything ever has to happen. It would allow Mr. Kennedy the right to decision making – but realistically, it shouldn’t come to that. Any inpatient treatment or conservatorship is something I use as a last-ditch effort for my patients. I prefer to work with my patients towards having as much autonomy as possible, but having back ups will always be my recommendation.” Taking in that information, you let out a sigh. “Gotcha… alright. I think I can be ok with that, but I’ll need to think on it more..” “Of course, take your time. Once you’re ready, make sure both you and Mr. Kennedy sign the forms. For homework, I want you to practice repeating these to yourself each day. If you can, also repeat them to yourself when you’re unsure of something.” 

“Noted, Doc.” Leon was ecstatic, making a mental note to add a bonus to the good doctor’s salary for that session. Every moment of it got him his money’s worth, and sunk you further into his grasp, just where he needed you to be. ‘Such a good girl, baby.’ He cooed at you in his mind, lovingly looking at you through the small handheld screen. It was enough to help him sleep easily that night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The return home from the mission was uneventful, same as it always was. He wrote his report on the flight back, gave his debriefing in front of some officials with Hunnigan at his side, and then he was off on his way back home. 

This time though, his lead foot was in action, slamming the jeep’s so fast it nearly squealed out of the D.S.O building as he barrelled down the highway, wind tossing his blonde locks back. All he wanted was to get home to you, see you face to face again after everything that happened. Were you alright? How were you doing after therapy? Leon had a million questions running through his head as he made that drive back.

The moment the jeep was parked, he hopped out of the side, not bothering with the door. Booking it to the elevator, he stood in the confined metal enclosure, squeezing the hand railing tightly with anticipation. He felt like a cat gearing up for a chase, he was antsy ready – and the moment the silver doors slid open he was off down the hallway, careful not to move too fast, not wanting the neighbors to hear him thudding down the hall. Leon checked the time on his watch twice as he stood outside your door, just to make sure before he knocked that you’d be there. Knuckles itching he beat his hand against the door. “Hold on!” Your voice on the other side of the door was soothing for him, especially after the past few days he’d spent apart from you. 

“Hey.” He said with a smile as the door opened revealing you there, pajama clad. You looked simply exhausted in a way Leon couldn’t quite understand. No bags under your eyes, or physical showcases of it, but something about you just screamed tired. “Hey Lee.” You replied softly, opening the door for him to step inside. One of the first times you’d done so in a long time – he could smell butter and garlic wafting through the air into his nostrils.. “What’s up?” He walked inside, following you to the small kitchen, leaning against the counter while he watched you cook. “I just got back from a work trip.” He said plainly. “Wanted to stop by and check in, make sure you were alright while I was gone and all that.” “Oh yeah, I think I’m doing better, all things considered. I had  a few therapy sessions too.” 

Leon grimaced at how you were holding the pot handle, no holder while stirring the pasta up a bit. Another reminder to him that you weren’t safe even when it came to the smaller things. “That’s good.” He said with a nod. “How did that go?” “They went well. Doctor Birkin is really nice – I owe you one for hooking me up like that.” And there, for the first time in who-knew-how-long was a smile on your face. Small, but there.

“Glad to hear it. Are you going to be seeing him regularly?” “I think so – some of the stuff he said left me feeling a little strange.” “Like?” “Just… he told me I had something like false memory syndrome? I’ve never heard of it before, but I guess it makes sense. He told me I should listen to you, since I trust you, to tell me what’s real and what’s not…” “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it either – but it’s good to have an answer.” “Yeah, I guess that’s true. But it’s a lot you know? Feeling something so real and having to accept it’s not.” “I can understand that, for sure. Not exactly the same, but I’ve had my fair share of realizations about things I thought were true but turned out not to be.” “Really? Like what?” Leon froze in response to your question, he’d blurted the words out to connect with you, offer sympathies. He hadn’t directly thought about an answer too it. So many things ran through his had at a rapid pace. He considered explaining Raccoon City, or as much of it as he could. He considered just saying working for the government taught him much of the safety civilians expect is a lie – that he learned being a good person wasn’t enough to protect others. Then again, now wasn’t the time for all of that. He tried to come up with an answer but was left empty handed, he was about to stumble out an ‘ummm’ when you spoke instead, much to his relief. “Oh before I forget, there was something else I needed to talk to you about. Oh shit –” You said, turning to the pasta that had now boiled over. “Fuck.” You yanked your hand away from the bubbly mess to turn the stove off, quickly ripping the lid off the pasta letting the white mess return to normal liquid. Sticking a fork into the hot mix you let out a disappointed sigh. “Damn, turned to mush.”

Leon chuckled, putting an arm on your front and gently pulling you back from the stove. “Careful now before you light the place on fire too.” “Oh shut up.” But there was that smile on your face again for a brief moment, a steady reminder that this was all worth it again. “There goes dinner I guess.” “Don’t worry about it. Let me order something instead.” “You sure?” “Yeah, of course. When was the last time we watched a stupid movie and ate junk?” “Good point.” You conceded, following him over to your couch. You laid down, legs draped over his getting comfy in your spot while he opened some delivery app on his phone. “How’s your ankle?” “Much better, still a little sore if I put too much pressure, but I don’t have to wear a cast anymore. Just a brace and I can walk without crutches at least.” He nodded, putting in your regular order. “Chinese alright?” “You know me too well.” You sat up supporting yourself on your elbows for a moment. “Hey Lee? I know it’s been awhile, but would you mind staying the night? I’ve missed you.” “Sure. Would never turn down that offer.” He went to look back at his phone, surprised by how you sat up to move closer, resting your head on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him from the side. “I’ve really missed you.” You said more firmly. “I’ve missed you too.” He tossed the phone to the side, order now placed before wrapping his arms around you, pulling you down on top of him. He looked up at you, waiting, giving you the chance to decide how you wanted things to go. “Can I kiss you again? I don’t know if I want to do more, but…” “Go for it princess.” Your lips were soft just like he remembered, plush and warm against his own, like they were just meant to meld together. He could feel you relax in his embrace and it was as if the past several weeks were erased from the fabric of time. He knew better than to push you this time around, instead, he let you linger there above him, head resting on his chest as he rubbed your back – the moment only being ruined by the sound of door being knocked on and his phone buzzing to indicate the food was left outside. “Sweetheart?” He called softly, but you hardly responded, lulled nearly to sleep in that awkward spot on top of him. He didn’t have the heart to move you, nor the want. He shrugged mentally deciding the food could wait awhile, having you here and close to him was enough for right now. You were where you belonged, with him, and soon that’s where you’d be permanently. “Good night baby.” He said softly before adjusting just slightly to make the positioning less uncomfortable himself, upcoming plans drifting through his own mind as he did his best to fall asleep.

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Tag List (if i forgot anyone I'm sorry it's been a while 😭: @explorevenus @gigabyte-flare @okayiamkassandra @fouyumixuri @yumeneji @dollfacefantasy @elfven-blog @kaitkatme @tosuckmyweenis

[rvp32]

Enchanted Desires

5K words, Commission, Threesome, DP. If you guys want a story written text me here.

The final exams were over, the weight of your last college test lifting from your shoulders. Exhausted from the all-nighter you had pulled to cram for it, you yearned for some well-deserved rest. Returning to your room, you collapsed onto the couch, instantly succumbing to sleep.

A thunderous commotion disrupted your slumber, and you awoke to the raucous clamor of your roommate Brian. He had the volume cranked up to eleven on his excitement meter.

"Y/n, let's hit the pubs today! We're finally free from this college grind, time to celebrate!" Brian's voice rang in your ears like a blaring alarm.

"Brian, for the love of peace and quiet, can you tone it down?" you grumbled in irritation, your eyes half-closed. You put your index finger to your lips, urging him to lower his voice. The silence was golden, but it was as fleeting as a summer breeze, for Brian ventured closer.

"Come on, man," he urged, his tone more subdued. "Let's go to the bars. This calls for a celebration, you know?"

Still reluctant to commit, you sought a way out, questioning, "So, who else is joining us at the pub today?"

Brian started listing off a few names of people who would be joining the celebration at the pub, but one name rang in your ears like a siren's song—Yooa. She was the girl you'd been with once, and saying she was adventurous was an understatement. Yooa had a taste for the unconventional and was remarkably open about it. Her company was known to be quite eclectic, and she enjoyed the company of many.

After a brief moment of contemplation, you agreed to join Brian for the pub outing. As you were about to make your exit, you issued a stern warning to your friend, your eyes locked onto his.

"Listen up, Brian," you said firmly. "You better not drink yourself into oblivion tonight. I swear to God, if you do, I won't hesitate to leave you on the side of the road."

Brian nodded in acknowledgment, his expression more serious now. "Hey, don't worry, bro. I'll make sure I stay on this side of blackout drunk tonight," he reassured you with a determined look in his eyes.

With your warning delivered and accepted, you and Brian set off for the pub. As you walked down the bustling streets, the excitement of being done with college and the prospect of meeting Yooa again began to take hold.

"So, Brian," you began, trying to lighten the mood, "you think this night's gonna be as wild as the last time we hung out with Yooa?"

Brian chuckled, recalling the memorable escapade from their previous encounter. "Oh, man, that girl knows how to keep things interesting, that's for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if things get a little crazy tonight."

As you turned the corner, the neon lights of the pub came into view, casting a vibrant glow on the sidewalk. The energy in the air was infectious, and the distant sound of laughter and music promised a lively evening.

You couldn't help but grin as you approached the entrance. "Well, whatever happens, let's make it a night to remember, Brian."

Brian clapped you on the back, his enthusiasm undiminished. "You got it, Y/n. Tonight, we'll raise the roof!"

With those words, you pushed open the door and stepped into the lively atmosphere of the pub, ready for a night of celebration, laughter, and whatever surprises Yooa had in store.

The pub was alive with energy, the dance floor pulsating with music that seemed to reverberate through your very core. The warm glow of the lights bathed the crowd in an inviting atmosphere. You decided to start the night with a few drinks, hitting the bar with Brian in tow.

As you downed your second drink, the music's rhythm seemed to seep into your veins, making it impossible to resist the magnetic pull of the dance floor. You couldn't help but move to the beat, swaying your hips in time with the music.

Brian watched with amusement as you grooved to the music. "Looks like you're getting into the spirit, Y/n," he shouted over the music.

You grinned and nodded, feeling the music coursing through you. "Can't help it, man! This music's too damn good!"

As you danced and lost yourself in the music, a familiar figure caught your eye. Yooa was on the dance floor, moving with fluidity and confidence, drawing you in like a moth to a flame. Her presence was magnetic, and you couldn't resist the urge to approach her.

You made your way through the dancing crowd, and as you got closer, Yooa turned to meet your gaze with a playful glint in her eyes. The music provided the perfect backdrop as you both moved in sync, your bodies communicating in a language of their own.

"You've got some moves, Y/n," Yooa said, her voice sultry, as she leaned in closer to speak in your ear.

You chuckled, the proximity sending shivers down your spine. "I've had some practice since the last time we hung out," you replied with a wink.

Yooa's laughter rang out, and she pulled you even closer, the connection between you growing stronger with each beat of the music. The night had just begun, and it was shaping up to be a memorable one, filled with dancing, laughter, and the promise of a connection that transcended the ordinary.

As the music throbbed through the air, you and Yooa moved together on the dance floor, lost in the rhythm of the night. The crowd seemed to fade away as your focus shifted entirely to the captivating woman in your arms.

Yooa's body pressed against yours, and the sensation was electric. She ran her fingers teasingly along your chest, her lips dangerously close to your ear. "You always know how to make an entrance, Y/n," she purred, her voice filled with playful seduction.

You couldn't help but smile at her words, feeling emboldened by the chemistry between you. "Well, Yooa, I had to make sure this night lived up to the last one."

Yooa's laughter was like a sweet melody, and she leaned in closer, her lips grazing your cheek as she whispered, "I have a feeling it's going to surpass it."

The dance floor became your playground, a space where words were unnecessary. Your bodies moved in perfect harmony, a dance of desire and anticipation. The flirtatious tension between you grew with every touch and every shared glance.

Yooa playfully brushed a lock of hair from your forehead, her eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that sent a rush of heat through you. "You've always been a tease, Y/n," she said, her voice husky with desire.

You couldn't resist the urge to tease back, trailing your fingers along the curve of her waist. "I learned from the best," you whispered, your lips brushing against her earlobe.

The connection between you two was undeniable, and as the night wore on, the flirtatious dance continued. The world around you faded into the background, leaving only the intoxicating sensation of Yooa's presence and the promise of a night filled with passion and adventure.

The seductive dance with Yooa was abruptly interrupted when a tall, well-dressed man approached her on the dance floor. He leaned in close, whispering something in her ear, causing Yooa to furrow her brow slightly. The sudden appearance of this man piqued your curiosity, and you couldn't help but ask, "Who's this, Yooa?"

Yooa turned to you, her eyes meeting yours as she spoke candidly, "This is my boyfriend, Jake." She paused for a moment as if assessing your reaction. "Actually, we have an open relationship," she continued her voice a mixture of honesty and vulnerability.

The revelation took you by surprise. You had heard of open relationships but had never been involved in one. The idea intrigued you, and you considered stepping away for a moment. However, something in Yooa's eyes, genuine warmth, and sincerity, made you pause.

She reached out to touch your arm, her voice was soft and reassuring. "Y/n, we're looking for someone to join us tonight. Would you be interested?"

The proposition hung in the air, and your mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The chemistry between you and Yooa was undeniable, and the idea of exploring something new and adventurous tugged at your curiosity.

You glanced over at Jake, who wore a knowing smile, and then back at Yooa. Taking a deep breath, you made your decision, a hint of excitement in your voice. "Alright, Yooa, let's see where this night takes us."

Yooa's eyes sparkled with excitement as she began to paint a vivid picture of what the night could hold. Her voice, a sultry melody, filled your ears as she whispered, "Y/n, just imagine the possibilities. With Jake and me, we can create an unforgettable experience. You'll get to explore desires you might have never even realized."

She leaned in closer, her lips tantalizingly close to your ear as she continued, "We're all about pleasure, and there are so many ways we can make this night incredible for you. You'll be at the center of our attention, and we'll ensure every moment is filled with ecstasy."

Yooa's words sent shivers down your spine, and you couldn't deny the allure of her proposition. Her confidence and sensuality were impossible to resist, and you found yourself captivated by the tantalizing possibilities.

She gently touched your cheek, her gaze locked onto yours with an intensity that made your heart race. "Think about the passion, Y/n. The pleasure. The adventure. It's a chance to explore your deepest desires and fantasies."

As you considered Yooa's words, you couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation. The idea of a night filled with passion and exploration, guided by the experienced hands of Yooa and Jake, was undeniably enticing.

Finally, you met Yooa's gaze with a newfound determination. "Alright, Yooa. Let's make this a night to remember," you said, your voice filled with anticipation and excitement. With that, the three of you embarked on a journey of pleasure and adventure, ready to explore the uncharted territories of desire and passion that awaited.

The decision had been made, and as the music continued to pulse through the air, you leaned in and captured Yooa's lips in a passionate kiss. The spark of desire ignited, and the world around you seemed to fade away, leaving only the intoxicating taste of her lips.

Yooa responded eagerly, her arms wrapping around you as the kiss deepened. The chemistry between you two was undeniable, and the anticipation of the night ahead only fueled the intensity of the moment.

Breaking the kiss, you looked into Yooa's eyes, your hands tracing a path down her body, teasing and exploring. Her breath hitched, and a mischievous smile played on her lips as she whispered, "You're a quick learner, Y/n."

With a playful glint in your eye, you continued to dance with Yooa, your bodies pressed close as you reveled in the thrill of the moment. The pub seemed to disappear around you as you lost yourselves in the passionate connection you shared.

As the night wore on, and the desire between you intensified, you decided it was time to leave the pulsating atmosphere of the pub. You gently took Yooa's hand, your fingers entwined, and you led her toward the exit. The air outside was crisp, a welcome contrast to the heat of the dance floor.

Together, you walked towards Yooa's apartment, your hearts racing with anticipation of the adventures that awaited behind closed doors. The night was young, and the world was yours to explore, one desire-filled moment at a time.

*****

Upon arriving at Yooa's apartment, she left you on the couch and disappeared into her room. As you sat there, a mix of excitement and uncertainty filled your mind. You couldn't help but question the decision you had made earlier in the night. Was this really the right choice? Were you ready for what lay ahead?

But then, you thought about the undeniable chemistry between you and Yooa, the adventurous spirit of the night, and the thrill of exploring uncharted territory. You realized that even if it was a bad decision, it might also be the last opportunity you had to experience something like this with Yooa.

With newfound resolve, you got up from the couch and approached Yooa's bedroom door. You raised your hand to knock, but before you could, the door slowly creaked open, revealing a dimly lit room and Yooa standing there, wearing a black lace lingerie set that left very little to the imagination.

Your breath caught in your throat as you took in the sight before you. Yooa's confidence and sensuality were on full display, and the anticipation in the room was palpable. The air was thick with desire, and all doubts and hesitations melted away.

Without a word, Yooa extended her hand, her eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that sent a rush of heat through you. 

Before taking the next step, a hint of concern crept into your mind. You gazed into Yooa's eyes, seeking reassurance one last time. "Are you really okay with this, Yooa?" you asked, your voice tinged with genuine care.

Yooa met your gaze with a smoldering intensity, her fingers gently tracing a line along your jawline. "Y/n, this has been a dream of mine," she confessed, her voice filled with desire. "And Jake, my boyfriend, he's been eager for this too."

At the mention of Jake, curiosity got the better of you. "Where is he now?" you asked, a hint of interest in your voice.

Yooa's lips curled into a knowing smile as she leaned in closer, her breath warm against your ear. "He's taking care of something, but he'll be joining us soon," she whispered seductively.

With that, she closed the distance between you, capturing your lips in a kiss that was nothing short of passionate and lustful. The room seemed to spin as desire coursed through you, and any lingering doubts or questions faded away in the heat of the moment.

The passionate kiss between you and Yooa continued, intensifying with each passing moment, until suddenly, the apartment's front door swung open. Startled, you both broke apart, the intimate moment disrupted by the arrival of Jake.

Awkwardness settled in the room as Jake stepped inside, his presence a stark contrast to the heat that had filled the air just moments before. He looked between you and Yooa, his expression a mix of surprise and appreciation.

Breaking the silence, Jake offered a sincere smile. "Thank you, Y/n, for agreeing to be a part of this," he said, his voice filled with excitement. "I've been looking forward to tonight."

The tension in the room slowly began to ease as you realized that Jake's arrival had shifted the dynamic. It was clear that they had discussed and planned this moment together, and the three of you were embarking on a journey of desire and exploration.

All of a sudden Yooa says “Now that both of you are finally here get started because I can’t wait to get stretched and used to the point where I can’t remember my own name” 

Taking the invitation you walk to Yooa, grabbing her top and ripping it from her body leaving her completely naked. Yooa liked it rough and you knew very well how to give her what she wanted. 

You hug her from behind, one hand resting on her neck and the other hand squeezing her supple boobs, they were soft and the hard nipples were good to flick. Yooa had sensitive nipples so it didn’t take a long time before she turned into a moaning mess that was squirming in your grasp.

Your attention was peeled away from Yooa only to notice that her boyfriend was sitting down and pleasuring himself all while staring at Yooa’s sexy body crumbling in your hands, he seemed to be enjoying this from the looks of how fast he was pumping his cock. 

Seeing this as a good sign you slowly move your hand lower, exploring every inch of her upper boy, her supple tits that were red from all the harsh grabbing, her toned stomach that flexed whenever you bit her neck. Now reaching the most sensitive area of her body you decided to tease her, light feathery touched over her thighs slowly moving closer to her glistening pussy. 

“Please, touch my pussy,” Yooa begs, obliging with her request you touch her pussy, it was drenched, leaking from the anticipation. Playing with her swollen clit causes her eyes to roll back. Every touch causes her body to release more liquid, signaling that it is close to climax. 

“Are you gonna cum, Yooa?" You asked, your voice filled with a mixture of desire and anticipation. You already knew the answer, but you wanted to hear it from her lips.

Yooa nodded, her eyes locked onto yours, her breath hitching in her throat as she struggled to find her voice. "Yes," she finally managed to whisper, her voice trembling with anticipation.

With a knowing smile, you urged her on. "Then go ahead, Yooa. Show your boyfriend how big of a slut his girlfriend is," Increasing your pace, Yooa screams in pleasure before letting out a huge stream of squirt. 

Yooa's legs gave way, and she collapsed into your arms, her desire and need evident in her eyes. A simple command passed your lips, and she obediently opened her mouth, her anticipation palpable.

You held your wet fingers before her, your gaze locked onto hers. "Taste yourself," you whispered in a husky voice, Yooa Sucks on your fingers religiously, licking every nook and cranny of the 2 fingers that you placed in her mouth. 

“You like it?” You question Yooa, and she simply nods. “Maybe I should get a taste for myself straight from the source,” you carry Yooa to the bed and place her on the edge before kneeling. Spreading her legs apart you finally get a view of her pink pussy with a cute little bush and you take your time to admire it. 

“Don’t stare, please,” Yooa covers herself embarrassed because of how much you were looking. Diving into her pussy, you finally get the taste of the heavenly goodness. Her  pussy tasted sweet, making you want to eat her forever. 

“Fuck! That feels amazing, Keep going! Oh my God,” Yooa moaned as she griped onto your hair pushing you further into her. Continuing your feast on her wet and delicious pussy, using your free hand to occasionally flick her clit. 

“Oh yeah! Fuck!” Yooa said in between moans. Her back bends upward due to the immense pleasure that she is receiving. 

“I’m going to cu-” Before she could finish her sentence you feel another stream of squirt on your face. Trying your best not to let liquid gold go to waste you lick up everything you possibly can. Wanting to drink more of her amazing squirt you insert 2 fingers into her and pump while stimulating her clit with your free hand. 

“No, too sensitive, stop please Y/n!” Yooa screams, her body now bouncing on the bed trying to get away from your fingers but your legs managed to keep her in place as you overstimulated her cunt. 

The intensity of the moment had pushed Yooa to the brink of ecstasy, rendering her unable to form coherent words. Her hands flailed in a desperate attempt to communicate her overwhelming pleasure and the need for a moment's respite, yet her body betrayed her as it writhed with unrestrained passion on the bed.

The room echoed with her screams and pleas for mercy, a symphony of desire and surrender. The connection between you two was electric, and in the throes of passion, you continued to ravish Yooa, lost in the sensual dance. 

The crescendo of pleasure finally reached its peak, and Yooa came undone in a powerful release. A torrent of liquid accompanied her screams, her body trembling uncontrollably, tears of ecstasy streaming down her face. It was evident that this experience had pushed her to new heights of pleasure she had never reached before.

Her boyfriend, concerned by her screams and violent shaking, rushed to her side, his expression a mix of surprise and care. Jake gently pats Yooa’s hair as she slowly comes down from her mind-destroying orgasm. Once she manages to come down from her high and sit up, Jake hugs her and kisses her.

The room was thick with desire and the afterglow of intense pleasure as the three of you found yourselves entangled in the aftermath of a passionate encounter. Jake, his eyes filled with awe, turned to Yooa, his voice filled with admiration.

"Are you alright, babe?" he asked, his concern mixed with an undeniable excitement. "That was incredible. I've never seen you like this. It was so damn hot that I almost lost it myself."

Yooa, still catching her breath, nodded in agreement, her voice filled with a newfound desire. "Yeah, it was mind-blowing. I didn't know my body could handle something like this. Now that I've had a taste, I might just get addicted." She looked at both you and Jake with a sultry gaze. "I hope this is just the beginning of the night because I need you guys to use me."

Yooa's hands found their way to your thighs and Jake's, her touch sending a shiver of anticipation through both of you. A mischievous smirk played on your lips as you locked eyes with Yooa, knowing full well what was about to unfold next. 

To make it easier for her you stand up and take off your pants and underwear that were restricting your erect cock. While you were doing so, Yooa helped her boyfriend out of what little clothing he had left on himself. Once she turned to look at you in all your naked glory you could see the excitement in her eyes, “You don’t have to just stare, you can touch it.”

Your permission was all that she needed because her hand reached over to grab your cock and spit on it before she began stroking you. Completely immersed with the cock in her hands, her boyfriend was again left on the sidelines but he wasn’t having any of that as he took her free hand guiding to his hard cock.

Yooa enthusiastically stroked the two hard cocks in her hand for a minute before taking mine in her mouth. The warm feeling was amazing, Yooa was very good at sucking cock but she wasn’t able to take your cock to the hilt, she continued using her tongue to play with the head and then all of a sudden she started trying to deepthroat your cock, with great difficulty she managed to take almost everything, taking your hand you place it on the back of her head to push her till her nose was touching your pelvic bone. Your cock managed to reach parts of her throat that weren’t touched in a long time. 

After holding her in place for a few seconds you let go, Yooa immediately started coughing but it didn’t last long as she put your cock back in her mouth, seeing how well she was doing, you started to face fuck her. Losing all sense of your surroundings you were pumping into her face like there was no tomorrow.

The intense feeling of fucking her throat was driving you closer to your orgasm. “Fuck Yooa, I’m going to cum soon where do you want it?” You manage to say as you continue pounding her face. Yooa doesn’t reply but she grabs your ass with her free hand and pulls you closer to her which causes you to cum down her throat. 

“Fuck that felt amazing,” you say before falling onto the bed. Yooa then moves on to pleasuring her needy boyfriend. taking this time to recover some energy as you didn’t want the night to end this way. However, it doesn’t take long before Jake cums, “Don’t tell me you are done just from blowing one load,” Yooa says after swallowing Jake’s cum. 

“Not so fast, I still have a lot left in the tank and some more stress to relieve,” You say and wink at her. 

“Come here and prove it,” Yooa says as she spreads her legs and plays with her pussy. Her pussy was wet and inviting. Taking her up on the offer you crawl to Yooa and push her into a missionary position. “I’m going to put it in now,” You tell her as you slowly insert your penis inside her. The feeling was inexplicable, it was tight but not suffocating, almost like it was made as a hilt for your sword. 

Yooa’s nails dig into your back as the little space between Yooa and you decreases, her nails are going to leave a mark but you couldn’t care less. Once you bottom out Yooa wraps her hands around your neck and pulls you into a kiss. It was a kiss filled with lust, both your tongues battling for dominance. 

Not being able to withstand staying still, you pull out from the kiss, “ I am going to start moving,” With that warning, you begin moving slowly but your pace gradually increases.

“Fuck, Y/n feels so good. Don’t stop!” Yooa moans out, “You are stretching me out so good. God damn this is amazing!”

Jake was now sitting next to her, guiding her face to his erect cock, she sucks on it without any complaints. All of a sudden, Jake suggests something you weren’t expecting, “Let me get into her ass, and you can take her pussy.” 

You make eye contact with Yooa to make sure she is okay with this, and she nods. Not wanting to pull out from the warm pussy, you lifted Yooa, holding her close to your body as Jake got into place. 

Once Jake was lying down on the bed, you slowly put Yooa down on his erect cock, the sensation was too much for Yooa as she let out a loud scream as the foreign object entered her asshole. Her pussy tightened around your cock squeezing it hard as tried to cope with the pain.

“Oh my fucking God!” Yooa screamed and bit down on your neck to stop herself from screaming because of the initial pain. Once she adjusted to the feeling, “My holes are being stretched beyond my wildest dream. Now fuck me, do it like your life depends on it” 

Both of you start moving, Jake speeding up a lot faster than you. Her vagina still gripping onto your cock like there is no tomorrow, your initial movement is slow but that immediately changes when Yooa says “Is this the best you can do? If it is then you are fucking useless,” 

This sets off a switch in your brain and you see red, not caring about how tight her pussy is your movements get hard and fast. You were reaching deep inside of her as you could see your dick poking at her toned stomach every time you thrust into her. 

“Yes, this is what I wanted! Fuck me like I am a useless bitch who is nothing but a sex toy for you both to dump your cum in” Yooa screams as she is being pounded in both her holes, her mind overtaken by pleasure. 

Using your free hand to slap her tits hard as you continued to pound her pussy, Yooa’s supple tits turn red with the impact and her moans only got louder with every slap. The three of you were completely lost in the realm of sex, all chasing for their own pleasure not caring about how the other feels but coincidentally pleasuring the other without knowing. 

The room was filled with nothing but the sound of skin slapping against skin, moans, and grunts. Noticing that you were getting closer to your climax you paused. Due to the sudden lack of pain and pleasure, Yooa looks at you in surprise, Jake also stops. 

“Let’s switch positions, I wanna fuck that tight ass and fill it up with cum,” Yooa agrees with your proposition. Once your cock was out of Yooa’s pussy and Jake’s cock was out of her ass, you flip Yooa over, she was now in doggy style but she lowered herself until Jake’s cock was inside her pussy. 

As you push your cock into her puckered hole, “Oh wow! This is crazy, I am going to cum!” Yooa convulses on Jake’s body. “S-Slow down, it feels like you are going to rip my ass apart.”  Obliging with her request you slow down your entrance into her ass, finally managing to bottom out, you give Yooa some time to adjust. 

“Move,” Yooa gives you the green signal, You begin your assault on her ass, it was different from her pussy, it was much tighter and you didn’t know how much longer you would last. Jake was pounding into her pussy like there was no tomorrow and you were positioning hard into her ass. 

You grab Yooa’s hair with one hand and pull it using the other to spank her ass, causing her to yelp with the sudden infliction of pain. You could feel how close Yooa was to her orgasm and both Jake and you weren’t much better as well, thrusts no longer had a rhythm. 

“Fuck babe, I am going to cum,” Jake said, “Hold it, babe, I am so close to cumming as well. Let’s cum together, be a good boy for me,” Yooa said. 

It only took you a few more thrusts before you announced, “Fuck, I am going to fill your ass Yooa,” your pounding getting faster as you were in the final stretch for the best orgasm of your night. 

“Let’s cum together,” Yooa announced and that led to all three of you cumming together, Yooa’s pussy and ass gripping harder, Your dick pumping cum into her ass, and Jake filling up Yooa’s pussy. 

You were the first one to pull out, watching your cum drip down from Yooa’s pussy. You fall onto the bed tired from the strenuous activity. The lack of sleep was catching up to you. The last thing that you remembered was Yooa saying, “Babe, check the cameras. Once we post this online it’s going to make us a lot of money” 

[hg-aneh]

Hi! I absolutely love all of your art and I’ve been fallowing you for awhile! There’s been some rumors that you ship Muriel x crowley?? Which I guess is an odd paring but nothing terrible wrong with, I was just curious if you do ship them.

Thank you for all your wonderful art <3

okay, i want to preface this by saying that I've already been harassed over this to the point of being called a lowkey pedophile and having every little move of mine scrutinized and misconstrued to sickening extents (this harassment spilled over to my partner too, and it was horrible)

so all anyone would do by doing this again would be repeating history, among other things that have to do with fucking up my already frail mental state

now.

onto the meat

yes, I ship it

no, I do not see Muriel as a child, kid, teenager, or anything of the sort and I find it personally distasteful to think of doing so because infantilizing autistic traits rubs me the wrong way (p e r s o n a l l y)

you can do it if you want to, I have worse things to worry about than a random person on the internet thinking something of a fictional character, just don't try to push your headcanon onto me just because you perceive it that way or because it's a popular dynamic that you find fun

adding onto this, i want to add that i will never and i mean fucking NEVER post anything related to that ship outside of the very specific private Xitter account i created for it

(and my personal facebook, on a friends only setting)

any Muriel & Crowley content outside of that account is all platonic and bla bla you get the gist. I can separate things, what a talent.

Now, I'm being overly paranoid and explaining myself to exhaustion over this for a very good reason and it's because last time someone found out about it ((yes we're going full circle to the beginning of this little bible)) they treated it as some sort of GOTCHA moment about me being a pedo ((and if you didn't know this already: I fucking despise children with my whole being, I'd rather be forcefed alligator shit for my whole life than be with one of those creatures for a single day))

It got to the point of that person making extremely hurtful videos about me and their little friend group comprised of goober eating toddlers joining in on the "Hater" train or whatever the hell that new cultural trend is called, as well

It was hell, that whole experience fucked me up BAD and i feel silly for saying this but it was genuinely traumatic! So- I apologize if I'm sounding confrontational here, anon, but like, this is the type of thing you have to do to keep yourself safe now, it's gone to that point and I'm in hysterics now because what the fuck

Lastly, I'd like to say this one other thing

Muriel is played by an adult actress, they are canonically the same age as Aziraphale and Crowley and are also an eldritch creature just like them

The fact that they're nice and bubbly and happen to have autistic traits doesn't suddenly make them a fetus. I have friends with the same personality type as them and I feel like it'd be dumb to treat them like zygotes knowing they're adults with body hair and debt

Again, if you see them as one, I'm literally no one to judge, I'm 1.49, you're better off taking judgement from a stupid lone penguin in the saharan desert.

But don't fuck with others for thinking otherwise, it's not a moral issue to disagree with a headcanon, please. 🥲

[kix-mm]

Whatever happens... A, B, and C

"Hey C? Buddy? How're you doing in there? Are you ready to come out yet?"

Their question was met with a cold silence, but B could do nothing about the unpleasant response. It was meant to still be a secret between B and A, with the idea being that once they had reached their third month's anniversary of their relationship that they would tell C. But the surprise came a little too early.

A bent down. "Have they still not come out yet? It's been an hour..." They spoke in a soft and hopeless tone, which was conflicting with their usual upbeat personality.

"No..." B replies while eying the bathroom door. "I just hope they'll be okay... what if they don't like us anymore after this? I don't want to lose them. This is exactly what we were trying to prevent..." he says while silently acknowledging the irony of this whole situation.

B knocks on the little door again. "C? Please come out...". "N-no!..." came a soft squeak, which very briefly settled B and A's worry that their partner had somehow managed to escape through the window. They knew it would actually be impossible for C, but the fear was still there, C had a tendency to accomplish the impossible, such as dating two people who were secretly giants.

The two shared a look of grief, and A could see how B's mind was tumbling: "What if they break up with us? W-what if they leave us?" B asked with a choked voice. "Then we let them... it's not right to hold someone hostage. That would definitely make us monsters. C is already so overwhelmed..." A spoke with pain in their heart. At first, A wanted to pry the door open and get ahold of C, but now that they've thought things through it would most likely never go well.

"I miss them..." B hugged themselves tighter. "I miss them so much, and they're right here. They're so close, and we're losing them A... what do we do..?" A sighs "I don't know..."

Hours continued to fly by till the early morning, around 4. C finally decided to have a peek outside the bathroom to investigate the silence. They almost yelped when he saw how close the two were to the door, A was snuggled up to B, they both looked exhausted. To C, this was a relief. This was their chance to get the hell out of here... C grabbed their keys and bag off the counter and quietly made their way to the door. They took their time to observe their home for a final time and made some connections, such as why the ceiling was so high and why the two always had a glimmer in their eyes whenever they saw each other... C always thought it was because they were in love, which may have been the case, but also because the two shared a deep secret with one another... one that they never deemed necessary to tell C despite being their partner. Maybe C's insecure thoughts were right about them being nothing more than a third wheel.

Suddenly, he noticed B's eyes flicker open. In a panic, C rushes to the door, his steps waking the both of them. He pulled on the door and... nothing. It didn't budge, he tried again, then he tried pushing, nothing. Finally, he looked up from the handle and saw A's hand pressed against the top. Fear struck his already broken heart as he felt it sink to his stomach. He spun back towards the bathroom to see that his safe haven had been blocked off by B.

C looked up at the two with frantic eyes, unable to get his legs to move. He had no real other pace to hide as their layout was rather open. B gently reached to make contact with C, but C jolted away as if B's fingers were knives. "D-Don't touch me!" C hated how the fear rang in his voice, how he stammered in front of them. C never was one to speak up for himself. He was the timid and soft-spoken one of the three.

B and A kept their distance, looking down at C with pleading eyes, please C please don't go. Let us explain, let us hold you, show you that we would never hurt you.

But their silent pleading fell on deaf ears. C stared at the two with blurry eyes, tears obscuring his vision. "Let me go." he rests his hand on the handle, looking at A. Please let me get out of here.

A & B share a look before returning their eyes to C. "Let us first explain ourselves... please Cc?" B pleaded with an all too familiar nickname that made C feel uneasy hearing at the moment.

C's legs were ready to make a run for it as soon as either one made an attempt to grab him again, he was particularly eying B for that distinct twitch they'd show when they lost their patience. This would be C's only chance to speak their mind before something were to happen to them. "I... no, I've heard enough, I've... I've seen enough. I don't know why you'd keep such a big secret from me for so long! I'm not a stranger. We've known each other for years! And not once was I ever considered your equal! I-I'm just that easy to get forget about, aren't I? The small third party! Quick and easy to get rid of!" C's breathing quickened, and his blood boiled, yet he still kept his voice lowered. Regret began to almost instantly set in after he was done talking back at the two in such a tone, he swore that the two were now staring right through him. How dare he speak to them that way, how dare he try to question their decisions when he was so disposable to them?

Instead, A let out a very pitiful sniffle, a gate of tears rolled down their cheeks. "We're sorry, we're so, so sorry... we really messed up this whole plan." they say while trying to wipe all those messy tears off. Wanting nothing more than to be given a second chance to try and be better at how they handled the situation. They wanted to explain how scared they were of C's reaction and how they knew he would be scared if they had revealed this secret any sooner.

B held A's hand before looking at C. "C... no, no C, you're not! Don't say that! Please get that out of your head it was never meant to get so out of hand. We swear we would have told you a-and it was supposed to be a whole setup and everything!" Slowly B moved their hand closer to C. C hadn't even noticed B's hand. they were too occupied by their heart ringing in their ears and the sight of A sobbing in B's arms. Even B looked completely heartbroken.

When C suddenly felt B's hand wrap around his waist and legs, he began to frantically squirm, watching and attempting to push away any enclosing fingers that hugged his body. "n-no stop! Stop!!" C yelped. "I-it's okay! It's okay, I won't drop you, I promise you C..." B spoke with a gentle yet strained voice, trying to hide the pump in his throat as he felt his panicked lover squirm and scratch. Wincing a little as he felt warm tears drip down his fingers.

A quickly wiped his tears and let B open their hand. The two had talked for hours about what it would be like to hold C in their hands, how they wanted C to take naps, demand being held, how soft he would feel... this would probably not be the case anymore... "Cc..." A spoke softly. B looked at C. "I'm sorry I... I just wanted to be near you. Please don't be scared, A and I... we were trying to prevent this reaction, but it just happened. A-and now everything seems forced and-and the timing is terrible and we're scared we're going to lose you! We don't want to lose you C. Please, please believe us, we promise there's nothing else to hide from you, we will tell you everything... let us prove it to you... we will do anything to make up for this mess."

C was a shivering mess. They looked at both lovers like they were predators despite the duo's best attempts to calm him, giving gentle rubs and holding him against their chest. Talking to him with a soft and sweet voice that tried to reassure him that he was safe and that they would never hurt him while also repeatedly apologizing. This continued till the sun rose, and C finally passed out on B's chest.

The two laid him in bed, their poor C was exhausted, their cheeks stained with tear marks and their eyes were puffy, their body never stopped shivering and every now and then they'd jolt and mumble incoherently. The two looked at each other with equally stained cheeks and puffy eyes. They decided it would be best for them to shrink down to the size C was familiar with. B held C's hand and gently kissed their forehead while A kissed C's cheek and snuggled up to spoon him. The 3 got cuddled up together and fell into a deep sleep... hopefully, when C woke up, they'd be more willing to talk. But they couldn't be certain. All they could really focus on was that C was in their arms, and hopefully, after some time, they'd be able to sleep together without fear.

[she-whatshername]

*Busts down door gasping for air - Who said Tyrrish Men headcanons you didn't ask for?!

I need to go back to work lol...I didn't proofread this

at. all.

Smoochies Pt 2: Featuring Liam and more Marked Ones

Liam:

Pour one out for this GEM of a human

His sixth sense is you. You're cold, instant jacket on your shoulders. You sneeze once? He's at your side with a cuppa. If you fall, he will catch you, or destroy whatever you tripped on.

I also imagine he's really good at sensing your emotions. Probably knows when you're sad, angry, mad and reacts accordingly

Ultimate Move: Holding your chin with his thumb and index finger while he kisses you. Sometimes his finger brushes over your lips and its with purpose because if its a long time before he sees you again he'll often rest his face in his palms when he's in class or with the other marked ones so he can take in your scent once more.

SECOND ULTIMATE MOVE (because he deserves two TBH): Kisses your cheeks. Sometimes its with intention like when he says hello or goodbye. Other times you're just standing there and he just does it. Sometimes he'll walk behind you while you're sitting and just lean over and kiss your cheek because he can.

And a few additions to the other ones:

Xaden:

This man is drama, your honor

Like, if he saw Liam pull an ultimate move with his partner and saw them blush, Xaden would look at you and internally panic like, "Fuck, should I be doing that to you? I want to make you blush like that."

Also if you're late to any of your meet ups he's instantly stressing and thinks he did something wrong and will go off to find you

He gives me very 'keep you at a distance/aloof' vibes on the outside, but once you're his he's like 'i am but a planet revolving around you, my sun' lol

His sass is top tier. Best quips and one liners. You could just listen to this man give verbal beatdowns to people all day

A smoochie headcanon: forehead kisses, every night before falling asleep. Even if you're both exhausted it will still happen. He's even fallen asleep kissing your forehead.

ALSO...ain't no way this man is straight. He 1000% gives Loki's 'A bit of both, I suspect the same of you.' vibes.

...This theory is also explored in Drifted...which I absolutely need to get back to instead of these, haha

Bodhi:

Really good at writing love letters, and letters to his S/O in general.

In fact, Bodhi gave Xaden the idea to write violet that letter. I imagine he's chastising him like "Look...If you cant communicate with your mouths without an argument, maybe write it down...and pull yourself together we're at war Xaden..." #brotherlylove

When he holds hands he will use his thumb to massage your palm. Same with a hand on your knee, he'll just rub small circles on your skin

You will never wake up to a empty nightstand. Always a glass of water/tea waiting for you

A smoochie headcanon: He and the other marked ones left to patrol with their dragons while you and the others wait at Riorson house. Not even a minute later he's back in the dining hall like "I'm sorry I just need to kiss you one more time." Xaden a Garrick are dragging him away five minutes later.

Garrick:

A smoochie headcanon: Coming back to Riorson house from a long mission he would scoop you up into his arms, kiss you, throw you over his shoulder and walk up the stairs while shouting that 'unless there's a hoard of venin outside, do not bother him for the next 4 hours'. And you're on the back of his shoulder dying from embarrassment as you're being hauled up the stairs

[ivys-cafe]

📠 don't go dark

pairings: newt x thomas, female!reader is only mentioned

summary: newt finds it hard to cope after the group got separated with y/n. thomas helps him find hope.

timeline: wckd lab during scorch trials

genre: angst, hurt, comfort

warnings: established relationship, mentions of pregnancy, devastated newt

author's note 🧇

i've always imagined what it would be like if my oc got separated from the group. also i made y/n pregnant here. sorry if anyone is finding difficulty relating to that. it's just i've wrote a whole story before about my oc, and in my version the oc is pregnant with newt's baby in the glades. but i hope it doesn't take anything away from this scenario. i really want to highlight newtmas' friendship and all of its fluffiness. if you have any feedback, you can message me or write something on my ask. i would appreciate it very much.

-ˏ͛⑅　‧̥̥͙‧̥̥ ̥ ̮ ̥ ⊹ ‧̫‧ ⊹ ̥ ̮ ̥ ‧̥̥‧̥̥͙　⑅ˏ͛-

Newt slumped down onto the cold metal floor, his head buried in his hands. He feel his heart beating erratically in his chest. How could they be in the safe hands of WCKD, while the love of his life was still out there? Was she alone, scared, and in pain? He could hardly bear the thought.

He thought of you, your stubbornness and unyielding nature. He knew that you had made the decision to stay behind in the maze, not wanting to abandon your best friend Gally, but he couldn't help but regret not forcing you to go. He should have gone back for you, he should have done something.

But now, it was too late. He was stuck in the hands of WCKD, with no way of knowing whether y/n was even alive. The uncertainty was tearing him apart from the inside out, his mind racing with all the possibilities of what could be happening to you.

Were you in danger? Were you being hurt? The thought of you suffering alone, with no one to turn to, made his chest ache with a pain he had never felt before. Newt's anxiety spike, his thoughts are driving him insane. He knew he had to find a way to get you back, but he didn't know how.

Thomas sat down next to him, looking just as exhausted and defeated. "You okay, man?" he asked, trying to break the silence.

Newt scoffed bitterly. "How do you think I'm holding up?" he snapped. "I don't even know if she's alive or dead, and we're stuck in this damn place."

Thomas placed a hand on Newt's shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. "Maybe she's out there. We'll find her, Newt."

Newt jerked his shoulder away from Thomas' touch. "Oh, of course. How could I be so foolish? We'll just stroll out of here, past the guards and their guns, and find y/n wandering around outside the building. Simple as that." He shook his head, fear latched onto his trembling voice. "Face it, Tommy. We're trapped here. And we don't even know if y/n's alive or dead."

"Y/n's smart," Thomas stated with conviction. "She can handle herself out there, Newt."

Newt's body trembled as he shook his head, anger and grief mixing into a boiling pot of emotions inside of him. "You heard what those bloody cranks say, didn't you?" He hissed at Thomas. "The Scorch will chew us up and spit us out like we're nothing. And y/n..." His voice cracked, the anguish almost palpable. "She's out there, alone and pregnant. And I couldn't do anything to protect her."

Thomas frowned, his face etched with concern. "I know it's not ideal, but we have to keep moving forward. We have to keep fighting."

"You don't get it," Newt said, his voice barely above a whisper as he struggled to hold back tears. "You don't know what it's like to feel like you've lost everything,"

Thomas's face fell, his eyes betraying the pain he felt. "I do, Newt," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "I lost my memories, my family, my entire life. We were all in the maze, fighting for our lives every day. I know it's not the same, but I understand loss. And I'm here for you, man. Whatever you need."

Newt's anger began to fade, replaced by a deep sadness. He leaned his head against the wall, feeling defeated. "I just miss her so damn much," he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Thomas could see the pain on Newt's face, and he knew there was nothing he could say to take it away. He put his arms around his friend, holding him tight as Newt sobbed into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Newt. I'm so sorry," Thomas said softly. "But we can't give up. Not now. We have to keep fighting, for y/n, for ourselves, for everyone we've lost."

Newt pulled away from Thomas, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "I know," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We'll find her, Newt," Thomas asurres, his voice firm and resolute. "No matter what it takes, we'll find her and the rest of our friends."

end

2023 • ivys-cafe ☕️

all rights reserved

[pablitogavii]

Seventeen

Summary: Story based on the song "Seventeen" from a musical. Basically Gavi gets tired of being famous, and you want to spend a day just being "seventeen". :)

Pairing: Pablo Gavi x Reader

Warnings: mentions of depression. slight angst. big fluff <3

Pablo finally had a few days off after El Clásico was over, and he really felt exhausted both physically but mainly mentally.

Ever since the World Cup, and the expanding fame he received, he haven't had a chance to just be an eighteen year old boy...he was so exhausted.

"Baby, do you want to go outside today? It's so pretty..." his girl asked from the balcony of their shared apartment and he just sighed knowing the moment he steps outside, he will be swarmed with people and their cameras..he had no energy for that now.

"I don't know amor.." he said looking at his phone more so to avoid thinking about his own exhaustion and she noticed that something was wrong with her boy going inside and walking towards him.

"What's wrong, my love?" she sat on his lap and he snaked his arms around her waist pulling her to lay her head on his shoulder which she gladly does. He kissed her forehead in that very moment feeling peaceful...he wished he can feel like this all the time.

"I'm so tired...bonita.." he spoke and she nodded knowing just hard he works every single day as a first team player and on top of that all the fame that keeps coming at him hard.

"I'm so proud of you Pablo...you do all of it and you never complain..you never ask for a break..you want to please everyone who supports you but baby, you are still eighteen.." she said running her hand through his hair knowing that calms him down and it did making him finally smile.

"I don't want disappoint anyone...but I feel completely drained from it all amor... " Pablo said feeling good that he had his girl to talk about this. He is only ever vulnerable with his family and her because they are the only ones who really know him.

"Can we be eighteen today?" you say looking up into his eyes and he smiles moving down and kissing your nose playfully.

"I think I forgot how to do that.." he said with a chuckle and you smiled sitting up and straddling his lap while snaking your hands around his neck.

"We're not special or different today...let's be normal...see bad movies.. bake brownies or go bowling...let's just be eighteen my love" you say while massaging his shoulders and he leans into your touch smiling wider and nodding his head.

"And eat some chilly fires??" he adds and you smile nodding your head knowing what a craving they are for him whenever he is allowed to eat whatever he wanted.

"Okay, let's get changed!" you say and he furrowed his bushy eyebrows but you pulled on his arm and he let you drag him into your shared bedroom.

You took your own shirt tossing it to the bed before pulling his own shirt up and he smirked down at you making you blush a little.

"You know eighteen year olds are always horny, right??" he tease and you slap his naked chest before tossing him matching pajamas you bought the first week you started dating.

"Amor, it's daylight...aren't we going to leave the house?" he asked and you nodded reminding him that today you are normal and nobody cares if you wear pajamas outside.

"Joder! You're right! I'm just a lazy eighteen year old today who wears matching pajamas with his girl!" he said grabbing your waist and spinning you around as you giggled.

"Now, let's go grocery shopping for those brownies!" you say and he nodded putting you down.

"Race you to the front door??" he said giving you a bit of a head start (after all he is a professional athlete) and still you arrived at the same time. (he surely let it happen)

You snuck through the back exit of the building giggling while going behind the crowd of paparazzi holding hands and walking towards the grocery shop with your hoods on.

"We look like hobos" Pablo said and you giggled nodding your head moving closer and kissing his lips lovingly. You were happy that you could do something to help Pablo feel better again.

You got ingredients for brownies before going into a candy isle and your eyes grew at the nerd ropes making Pablo smirk and raise his eyebrows sarcastically.

"Baby, could you reach them for me? I'm too short!" you pout and he smiled moving towards you before getting you on his shoulders so you can reach the top isle.

"Oh shit!" you pulled to hard and the entire isle collapsed making Pablo catch you before you fell and the two of you laughs echoed the whole store.

"Ai chicos! Que pasa!?" the owner was not as satisfied but when Pablo took his hood off everything was forgotten.

"Pablo Gavi! Chico, tú eres fantasticó!" owner took an autograph and let us go without calling the cops promising not to tell anyone we were in the store.

"We can use it if it helps amor..come on!" he smirks and you laugh nodding your head before he payed for your ingredients and you were on your way back home.

"They discovered our back exit!" you whined knowing there is no way around paparazzi now and you hated that your "normal" day just had to be ruined after you saw Pablo's face turn grim once again.

"Pablo! Por favor! Pablo, aquí!" screams were everywhere and Pablo felt his head pounding as he grabbed your hand and pushed through the crowd smiling to the cameras before going inside.

You arrived to the apartment and he was massaging his temple angrily while you put the bag down and walked towards him feeling his hand go around your waist.

"I'm sorry, baby...um..do you want me?" you look wondering if head massage is what he needed but his grim face softened when he saw you apologizing despite it not being your fault.

You touched his temple but his hands took your and he kissed them lovingly before pulling you to sit on the sofa with him.

"Don't apologize, mi vida...it's not your fault..and we are not going to let them ruin our normal day okay??" he said and you were so glad he did kissing his lips in excitement before jumping off his lap towards the kitchen.

"Hey! Come back here!" he rushed after you hugging you from behind while you read how brownies are to be prepared.

You added all ingredients together while Pablo followed you like a lost puppy..he might know his way around a football pitch but in the kitchen he was lost. Seeing you struggle a bit, he asked if he could mix and you let him pecking his lips before turning on the oven.

"Do you think it's good?" he said and you walked back leaning closer to see but didn't see he took some dough on his finger and put it on your nose and mouth while you squealed.

"Pablo!" you said acting angry but liking this childish side of your boy who pulled you in and licked the dough of your face as you both laughed.

You put the brownies in the oven seeing his big pouting face

"Now what??" he said like a an impatient child.

"Now we wait, baby" you scrunch his face walking to the living room sitting down and he joined shortly as you watched some stupid Spanish soap opera.

"Díos mio, amor..this is so bad" he said grossed out by old people kissing and you giggled kissing his lips making him pull you down and start kissing from your lips to neck when oven was beeping.

"Mierda!" he groaned on top of you and you smirked getting up while he tried concealing his boner which you both clearly noticed.

"Alright, it's ready Pablito!!" you called while he "calmed down" a bit and joined you taking a big bite of the delicious pastry before pulling you into a kiss.

"It's sooo good...Díos!" he moaned and you smiled shaking your head and drinking your milk making white mustache that made him laugh.

"I take it you are not angry we were interrupted anymore?" you laugh and he rolled his eyes putting brownie down before walking up to you to hug you from behind kissing your neck.

"You're my favorite desert amor.." he whispered and you giggled nodding your head while leaning back into him.

"Thank you, mi vida...te amo mucho" he said now seriously and you turned around in his arms going on your tip toes to kiss his lips lovingly.

"Anything for my campeon!" you say and he smirked grabbing your body making you sit on the island while getting between your legs and pulling you into a passionate kiss.

"I know another "normal" thing we can do.." he smirked into the kiss and so did you nodding your head and letting him carry you to your bedroom. ;))

Hope you liked it! I had this idea for so long and finally decided to write it down <3

[marshmallowprotection]

i gotta request a fiction about giving ray a hug on day 4. our boy deserves all of the hugs and that analysis was heartbreaking 💔😭

Ray was trembling like a leaf caught in the summer breeze, and all you wanted to do was embrace him. Yet, you didn't want to crowd him or touch him without his express consent. V cornered him, and the very sight of that man standing a mere few feet away from you had set him off. You weren't sure what to believe about the RFA and their validity, of the truths and lies you'd been told, but seeing how Ray reacted told you all you needed to know for now.

Something in this place was a lie, but Ray's fear wasn't a lie.

He was genuinely terrified of V.

"Ray," you gentle voice tried to reach out to him as you sat in front of him. "Ray, can you hear me?"

His face was buried in his hands as he sobbed. The sounds of harsh wheezing and coughing followed. Even if he could hear you, whatever seeing V had done to him wasn't going to go away anytime soon. He tried to puff out his chest and protect you, but the longer V stood in front of you, the harder it was for him to remain strong. Whatever V had done to him... whatever pain he experienced... it had to be one of the worst moments of his life if his response rendered him unable to see the forest through the trees.

What happened?

You tried again, "Ray?"

His sobbing hadn't died down, but he peaked at you through his fingers and instantly looked away when you saw how red and puffy his eyes had become. He'd already looked exhausted when you first saw him earlier in the night, but now it was written all over his face... had he even slept before meeting up with you? Had he stopped to close his eyes?

You knew he had a headache the night before and popped a few caffeine pills to help the pain, but that probably meant he stayed awake instead of resting.

No wonder this was so hard on him. His body wasn't taken care of the way it needed to be, and that must've made this emotional backlash even harder on him. Seeing V set him off, but he couldn't do anything to protect either of you because of his exhaustion, and whatever the harsh memories did to him. It wasn't his fault. You didn't blame him for not being able to protect the two of you. V should've backed off when you warned him to stop.

Why didn't he stop when he causing obvious duress?

Why?

"Ray, honey, it's okay, I'm not upset," you coaxed him. You weren't sure how else to reach him but you knew he wouldn't get any better by crying himself to sleep. "We're safe now, he's long gone and the guards are going to capture him before he gets away so you don't have to be afraid of him hurting you or me ever again. You did your best to protect us. Thank you."

He whimpered. The sound broke your heart but what could you do to help him? He didn't have the energy to explain. He promised you that he would explain everything later, once you were safe, just before he showed up and frightened Ray to the core. You knew you would talk to you about it when he was ready, but... this was different. You just wanted to know how to help.

"Can I hold you?"

Shame bled across his features.

"I want to, Ray. I really want to hold you so you can feel safe again—so, I can feel safe again," you insisted. You knew he would be more likely to listen to your request if you told him it would help you. "Please?"

Ray didn't run away. He made a noise that sounded like confirmation, so you decided to press your luck and embrace him. If he jolted out of your hug or pushed you away, you knew you wouldn't pressure him to do more than that. He didn't push you away, and though it took a very painful moment of sobbing before he moved, you held him gently, so very gently, as to show him that you would never keep him locked up. His sobs became louder but his arms wormed their way around your middle after you gave him that peace.

His face was buried against your chest, desperate for the sound of your heartbeat, as you pressed your lips against the top of his head, whispering sweet nothings to your precious Ray.

Even if this place wasn't what it seemed, you knew whatever had frightened Ray was real and he needed you to be there for him as it seemed like nobody else could be.

[igglemouse]

Here I am starting my morning the best way I know, with pancakes! You can never go wrong with pancakes, buttery, soft, drizzled with syrup and...I am sure the baby agrees! I feel like with each bite I can feel her kicking with approval and Pascal is not complaining either, although he is staring at my belly in between his own bites.

"Is it possible there are two in there?" he asks, revealing the reason behind the attention he's giving my bump. He's teasing, of course, but I know what he's getting at. I'm getting pretty big!

"Nooo, just one little girl!" I assure him, rubbing my belly with a big wide grin. "At least according to the doctor!"

"Doctors can be wrong sometimes," he shrugs, making a good point there. "You never know..."

And I do laugh at that but I really really REALLY hope the doctor is right because I am definitely not prepared for twins. Not at all. The thought of it is- "No, I think we will be sticking with one right now, thank you very much!"

Hey look at that, we're a team today! Yeah, doesn't happen a lot but it feels like such a victory right now! He's in the kitchen washing dishes and scrubbing countertops and I'm pushing the vacuum around, beating the dust before it can conquer our humble home!

The best thing about knowing that I'm having a little girl? Working on her room! I spend a good chunk of my day doing just that and while it is very much a work in progress I do think it is coming together. Yes, I know, pink is sooo predictable as a color but honestly? I love pink, I'm not ashamed to say it. It's a soft color and I want to create a sweet and calming environtment for mi princesa. I can already picture her wriggling around in her crib with toys scatted about and...ahh, soon, soon!

I'm realizing that I've always wanted to be a mother. I was in such a perilous situation before moving here that the idea of bringing life into the world seemed silly but now that I'm in a more stable situation? Well, let's just say I wouldn't mind, in the future of course, doing all of this again.

There is still enough daylight left when Irene swings by for a visit and as usual her mind is buzzing with ideas about her future restaurant. It's a common topic between us so today is no different.

"I think about it a lot," she tells me with the excitement in her eyes clear. "Names, themes, dishes, whatever pops on my mind I guess."

"Investors? Have you thought about that?" I ask, as it is honestly the most crucial question. The only way this thing becomes a reality is through simoleons. In the back of my mind I think of Ray, he's successful, isn't he? But our relationship is new and it probably would not help to push that right now. Fortunately, perhaps he is not needed?

"Yes, actually!" She says perking up. "I might meet with him soon here, I don't want to get too excited but it's a start."

It definitely is and I'm so very excited about it all becoming a reality some day. "Just take things slowly," I advise her, giving her shoulder a supportive squeeze. "You don't want to rush into the wrong deal with the wrong person. It's always better to take an inch forward than risk taking ten steps back."

And after that, I'm drained. Calling it exhaustion wouldn't even cover it. I'm calling it a night because growing a tiny human is no easy business, I'm sure some of you completely understand. So, I'm going to nap and see you all tomorrow!

Elsewhere, Simón find himself at a crossroads. Finally he feels it is time to move forward with his life although he knows that deep down there will always be a part of him that clings to what he had with Frida...but the reality is he knows she has moved on and it is time for him to do the same.

Sara might not be Frida, no one could ever be because there's always only one of anyone, so she is special in her own right. Warm, compassionate, and her humor is effortless. She makes him smile when he least expects it and she stirs feelings inside of him that he thought only one woman could, so perhaps she is the one to help him finally let go of the past?

But as much as he tries to look ahead, the past clings to him like shadow. His employers keep calling, keep offering him more work, presenting temptation to slip back into a world that he thought he'd left behind...

For some, the past is simply inescapable. The weight of it must be dragged along as its tied to your neck and going without it means losing your head. As he picks up the phone he wonders if it'll always be like this, if there is a way out...

Frida Varela Index ~ Episode 7.4

[chelseachilly]

THIS LOVE - chapter four | you can hear it in the silence

pairing: ben chilwell x reader

rating: T

word count: 2.2k

summary: you try to keep your distance from ben after italy, but after a terrible day, there's no one else you'd rather be with. i wonder why that is...

A/N: sorry it took longer than usual to update guys, it's been a very busy week for me! this one's a bit short as well but the next will be longer. i'm so happy the prem is back and we're getting so much good ben content though, the chelsea media team is keeping us well fed (and inspired one line of this chapter lol). title is from you are in love by taylor swift 🙈

previous chapter | view all chapters

Your plan when you got back to London seemed almost foolproof at the time.

You picked up a bunch of shifts at work, more than you would ever normally take on in one week. If you’re constantly working, then that gives you 1) an excuse not to attend any more events with Ben and 2) a good distraction from the developing feelings you’re experiencing for him.

The facts are simple.

He is your best friend in the world. He most certainly doesn’t return whatever weird feelings you’re having. Nothing is going to happen.

You’re sure it’s just a weird side-effect of this fake dating you’ve been doing, but that’s just playing pretend. 

Seeing him return to his usual ways - that perhaps he never left - of sleeping with beautiful models, firmly planted you back in the real world. 

And there’s nothing that can help you snap out of your fantasy life than a double shift in an East London emergency department. 

By the end of the week, you’re burnt out, exhausted, and you’re coming off what might be the worst shift you’ve ever had. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, and it takes all your energy just to make it home on the tube and get yourself up the stairs to your flat afterward.

You don’t know whether you want to cry, scream, sleep, eat, or something else entirely when you finally make it to your couch and collapse into it. 

Some time passes - you’re not sure if it’s minutes or hours - without you moving a muscle, your face buried in a pillow as you try to forget about your nightmare day. You’re snapped out of it when there’s a knock on your door. 

You’re not expecting anyone, but you reluctantly force yourself off the couch and trudge your way over to open it. 

And there stands Ben, who you haven’t seen or really spoken to except a few texts in a week and a half. Perfect.

“Ben, what are you doing here?” 

You’re aware it’s not the most polite greeting, but you don’t really have much more than that in you. 

“Are you alright?” Ben asks as soon as he has a moment to take you in, his eyes scanning your face. “You didn’t answer my call yesterday or my texts this morning, I was worried.”

Although you missed the texts because your phone was off at work and haven’t had the energy to check your messages since, you did dodge his call. 

“I’m fine, I just had a long day at work and I-“ You pause as it dawns on you what day it is, as well as the fact that Ben is dressed a bit more smartly than usual, in black trousers and a nice leather jacket. “Oh, shit. The Nike thing. I completely forgot.”

You had agreed weeks ago to attend a big flashy party for Nike as Ben’s date tonight, but as you focused all your energy on work this week it completely slipped your mind. 

“I’m sorry, just give me a few minutes to get changed and I’ll-“

“Hey, hey,” Ben says softly, stepping into your flat and closing the door behind him. “Forget about the party, is something wrong?”

You shake your head. “I just had a rough day at work.”

Ben nods, gesturing for you to go on, and something about the sincere worry in his eyes makes it impossible for you to remain closed off from him.

“We were really understaffed, and it was just one thing after another and then I lost a patient and I just-“ 

You cut yourself off as you feel that you’re about to cry, the sheer weight of your awful day and week catching up with you, but Ben can see it in the way your lip is trembling slightly and you’re avoiding eye contact with him.

“It’s alright, come here,” he says, stepping closer and pulling you into his arms before you can insist that you don’t need to be comforted. You definitely do, and there’s no better comfort on earth than Ben’s hugs. 

He holds you close against him, letting you hide your face in his chest, and you can’t resist letting out a few sobs now that he’s opened the emotional floodgates. 

“Shh, you’re okay,” Ben says so softly that it almost makes you cry harder. “I’ve got you.”

Slowly, and never breaking contact, Ben shuffles you both backward until the back of your legs hits the couch and eases you both into a seated position. He pulls you even closer so your legs are draped over his lap and your face rests in the crook of his neck, his hands slowly rubbing your back as your sobs taper off into quiet whimpers.

You can feel everything bad and stressful about today slowly leave your body with every soothing murmur and stroke of Ben’s warm hand against your back. 

He’s like an instant cure for everything wrong with the world, and it occurs to you that a big part of your terrible mood is probably the result of not seeing him for longer than usual. 

Now that you’re back in his presence, in the strong arms that have held you when you were eight and you scraped your knee falling off a bike and when you were sixteen and a boy broke your heart for the first time, you never want to leave. 

You’re no longer crying when you finally find the strength to pull away from him and look him in the eye. 

Ben releases you but keeps his hands firmly on your arms as he examines your face with worried eyes and a creased brow. 

“Are you alright?” he asks barely above a whisper. 

You nod, wiping the tears from your cheeks. “Sorry, I guess this week was just a bit overwhelming.”

“You’ve been working a lot lately, yeah?”

“Yeah, well, have to pay the bills,” you shrug, as if that’s the only reason you’ve been drowning yourself in shifts on purpose. 

You do regret the comment slightly as Ben’s mouth opens and you know what he’s going to say before he even says it. 

“Y/N, if you ever need money, you know-“

“Ben,” you interrupt. “I don’t need money, I’m fine. It was just a stressful week, but I’ve got a few days off now.”

You’ve had this dispute before, with Ben freaking out whenever you seem overworked and insisting on covering some of your expenses. You never take him up on it, obviously. You do mostly love your job and helping people, and Ben knows that. He just worries about you. 

“Alright, fine,” Ben accepts. “Now why don’t we order some food and pick something to watch?”

You blink at him in confusion. “What? What about the Nike thing?”

Ben shrugs. “I’ll skip it. No big deal.”

“Ben-“

“Y/N, you had a shit day, you’re not going to some dumb party, and I’m not leaving you alone.”

He says it so matter-of-factly, like it’s his job to take care of you when you’re sad. Like he’s more than just your friend.

You can’t help but smile at his sincere expression, and how he’s gently rubbing your calf that’s still draped over his lap, as if you touch each other like this in private all the time. 

“I thought you said it would be a fun party?” you raise an eyebrow. “Or were you just trying to trick me into it?”

Ben laughs. “Well, it might be alright. A couple of the boys are gonna be there. But not as fun as watching a film with you.”

There it is again - that damn fluttering in your chest that is equal parts exciting and terrifying. 

Suddenly, doing anything with Ben sounds pretty good. Even a dumb party. 

“You know what, let’s go,” you say, wiping any remaining tears from your cheeks. “There’s no point in this whole fake dating thing if we don’t commit, right?”

“Are you sure?” Ben asks, frowning a bit. “We really don’t have to.”

“I’m sure. Let me go get changed.”

You get ready fairly quickly, putting on your go-to little black dress and comfiest heels, because you did just work a 12-hour day. You make your hair look presentable and apply a bit of makeup.

It’s nothing special, but the look on Ben’s face when you walk out of your bedroom says otherwise. 

The stress of your day continues to fade away to nothing as you and Ben make your way over to the party. Ben drives as they have a match Sunday so he won’t be drinking anything, and he loudly sings along to the Taylor Swift song on the radio in a clear attempt to cheer you up. It’s definitely working.

The party is a cool, lively affair at the Nike HQ. There are loads of athletes there, some that you recognize from television and some that you know through Ben. 

As you navigate the party, chatting with some Nike execs and some of Ben’s past and present teammates, Ben maintains some kind of physical touch with you. His fingers intertwined with yours as you walk in; his arm around your waist as you talk to his mates; his hand rubbing gentle circles on your lower back as you order a drink. 

You don’t know if it’s the fact that this is an event hosted by one of his biggest sponsors and he wants to play up the “man in love” thing or if he’s still trying to comfort you, but you can’t help hoping it’s the latter. 

After a while, Ben is approached by someone from Nike asking if he can do a short interview for social media. 

“Your girlfriend is welcome to join too,” the woman says nicely, flashing you a smile.

“You don’t have to,” Ben whispers in your ear, but you just shrug. 

Normally you would shy away from any press, but maybe a part of you doesn’t mind being called his girlfriend tonight.

“I’ll do it,” you say with a small smile at the interviewer. 

Ben keeps his arm protectively around your waist as the interview begins, glancing at you from time to time to make sure you’re alright.

They ask him a few questions about football before diving into the personal stuff, which you know is juicer for social media. 

“So, Ben, we see you’ve brought your lovely girlfriend Y/N here tonight,” the interviewer says. “How does she keep you grounded during the hectic football season?”

You tense a bit as you wonder what Ben is going to say, or if he’s going to be able to come up with anything on the spot, but he barely takes a second to respond.

“She’s such a calming presence in my life, really,” Ben says, squeezing your waist slightly. “She’s a nurse, so her job is infinitely harder than mine, and she still supports me emotionally whenever I hit a low point with my career. She’s…just the best person I know.”

Your heart is beating so wildly that you’re worried Ben is going to be able to tell, but you don’t have much time to stop being flustered before she’s directing a question at you.

“Y/N, I’ve heard that you two have known each other for quite some time before your relationship began,” she says. “What’s your favourite thing about Ben?”

There are a million things that come to mind right away, most of which feel too personal to share. 

You love how he takes care of the people in his life without expecting anything in return. You love how he cries every time you watch Marley and Me together, even though he’s seen it a thousand times.  You love close he is with his family and how he calls his mum every Sunday night just to chat. 

You love…

“I love how positive he is,” you say after a moment when you realize it’s taking you too long to answer. “He’s overcome a lot of adversity in his career, but he always has a smile on his face and makes everyone around him feel better by being in his presence.”

While you try to keep your answer somewhat football-related, since this is a work function, it’s also completely true.

And when Ben looks at you with that same bright smile, you think he knows that.

“Well, it seems love is in the air at Nike HQ tonight,” the interviewer swoons. “I hope you both have a nice evening, and we wish you all the best this season, Ben.”

As she leaves you standing there alone with Ben, trying to process the weight of your feelings, he turns to smile at you and tightens his grip on your waist.

When you meet his gaze and your stomach churns, you know two things for certain.

The first is that you’re in love with your best friend. It’s absolutely terrifying, due in part to the fact that you think you may have been in love with him without realizing it for a long time, but there’s no disputing it anymore.

The second is that you’re going to have to end this fake relationship before someone gets hurt. 

You just hope it’s not too late.

a/n: let me know what you thought, predictions, etc!! love chatting with all of you and your comments/asks make my day! <3 tag list: @lunamelona @kathb59 @captainwans​ @amandaaa1025 @bbygrlllllll @cinderellawithashoe​ @batmansb1tch​ @ncentic​ @myheartgoesvroom @chillymountsjess @babygirlbenji @delicateearthquakellama @joyfullyswimmingface @xxenia14 @chaotic-taco-collector-blog (let me know if you would like to be added or if i missed you!)

[philomenie]

KILLING ME SOFTLY

Hitman!Jolly fic

CN murder, violence, sex, organized crime, blood, angst, 18+

@jilliemiw86 @nojoyontheburn @reyadawn @dsireland86

Thirteen

WHERE are you?! Jolly types into his cell phone. I'm in the emergency room waiting area. I promised you I'd wait! Olivia writes back. Jolly breathes a sigh of relief. Good, I'll be right with you! He replies. Jolly is exhausted. He feels like he could sleep for a whole week. After Oleg's body was taken to the pathology department and Inga and Kolja were informed of Oleg's sudden death, events came thick and fast. Contrary to expectations, Semjon, that damn tough motherfucker, survived the operation. However, he is now in a coma and it is only a matter of time before he finally dies. Because he won't wake up. The doctors were very clear. This brain tumor has now caused so much damage that Semjon will not live out the last days of his cursed life consciously, but will instead lie ventilated and unconscious in a bed until his body finally gives up. Inga then had a nervous breakdown.

Jolly might even have felt sorry for her, but Inga is a calculating, ice-cold bitch who will walk over dead bodies to achieve her goals. Kolja was completely without a plan, helpless, until Nadja took care of him. And this weakling is now supposed to take over the organization, his father's empire. To carry on his legacy... Jolly thinks bitterly. An undertaking that is already doomed to failure. But that's fine by him. He wants nothing more to do with it anyway. Inga and Kolja will stay with Semjon for the night, that has already been arranged. Kolja has also instructed him to secure all his father's documents and bring them to safety, which Jolly has just done. Luckily, Semjon was always organized and prepared for any eventuality, so Jolly hardly had any problems. What he also did, however, while he was at it, was to make a copy of all Semjon's data. He now has it on a flash drive, safely stored in his pocket. He is not yet sure exactly what he will do with it. It all depends on what difficulties arise in the near future.

“Hey, I'd like to go home now. I've sent men to keep watch outside the door. Your house and offices are also secured. So if you don't need me anymore....” Jolly looks at Kolja questioningly. “Hmm,” Kolja nods absentmindedly, pale and holding his father's hand, ”If there's anything, I'll call you....” “Good... I hope he recovers!” Jolly chokes out quickly before leaving the room. He tells the men in front of him again to take good care and then goes into the waiting area of the emergency room. He discovers Olivia, who is curled up on one of the seats, lying more than sitting. The sight of her warms Jolly. This woman never ceases to amaze me, he thinks to himself with a smile. But before he goes to her, he takes another good look around. Something like what happened to Oleg and Artur's men before MUST never happen again, he thinks to himself grimly. He must never be that careless again. Jolly sits down next to her, “Can we go?” he asks her quietly. “Hmm,” Olivia nods and takes his hand. Jolly now looks her in the eye, “We need to be more careful!” he declares seriously, “Let's talk about this at home!” Olivia raises an eyebrow, but nods and lets Jolly, who has already stood up, pull her along. “I'm certainly not going to move in with Doi or Davis or whatever his name is on a temporary basis! Especially not without you! You can forget it!” Olivia hisses angrily at Jolly and throws a towel at him. “Liv... it's the safest thing for you!” Jolly tries again. “NO!” she growls as she stomps into the bedroom. “LIV! I'm serious. It's too dangerous for you.... If we're seen together again....” Jolly begins again.

“No... just NO!” hisses Olivia back ”You don't think yourself that I'm going to hide out at Doi's, stop going to work, which isn't so easy to do, and leave you here alone? Sorry, but... forget it!” “LIV!” Jolly starts to get angry and grabs her by the arm, yanking her towards him, “I need a clear head! I don't have one if I have to worry about you all the time....” “You don't have to worry!” snorts Olivia, ”I'll be fine!” Jolly shakes his head in bewilderment, “FINE? LIV, you were attacked because of ME. Your life was threatened today because of ME. Both times because I wasn't attentive enough. This must not happen again!”

“And then you'll send me away? To the Yakuza? That's your plan then?” Olivia hisses at him, ”And you stay here? You'll be here every day with these, these.... Inhumans? Let them use you.... Hurt you....” Jolly grabs her upper arms, holding her tight, “YES! Because I have to. Because I can't act suspicious. Because too much depends on it. Because YOUR life depends on it!” “No!” Olivia shakes her head again, ”I'm not going alone! IF you want me to go to Doi, then only with you! I'm staying here.. Here with you!” “God damn it, LIV!” groans Jolly, ‘You're the most stubborn, impossible wench I've ever met!’ and loosens his grip. Olivia glares angrily at him, her eyes glowing dark green. Then she suddenly grabs his face, pulls him towards her and kisses him greedily. She runs her tongue between his lips and presses herself against him. Jolly wraps his arms around her body and presses her against him. Olivia lets go of him with a gasp, “I'm not leaving you! Never in my life will I do that!” “God Liv....” moans Jolly and is interrupted by another kiss from Olivia. Greedily, they both press against each other, running their hands over each other's bodies.

Olivia impatiently tugs Jolly's tie off his neck and undoes the small buttons of his shirt. “FUCK!” she hisses as it goes too slowly for her and simply rips his shirt open. The buttons pop off and fall to the wooden floor of her bedroom with a clatter. Jolly snorts, reaches into her hair and presses his lips to hers again as Liv pulls his shirt off his shoulders. Jolly lets his mouth travel down her neck, then sucks on her tender skin right at the crook of her neck. Olivia gasps, “No hickey...” she whispers. “Hmm,” Jolly growls, biting lightly into her neck before sucking on her again, running his tongue over her skin in circular motions as his fingers unzip her jeans and slip them downwards in an agitated manner. Olivia kicks the jeans off her body and kicks them away, undoing Jolly's belt and pants. Jolly lifts her up and throws her onto the bed next to him. He takes off her sweatshirt and immediately kisses her neck and her sensitive earlobe again. “FUCk!” Olivia gasps as pleasurable shivers race through her body. Jolly pushes his hands into her panties and pulls them off her body. As his fingers touch her folds, he snorts, “Damn....” he grins, as she is already completely wet.

Impatiently, she arches towards him and Jolly pushes two fingers inside her while Liv pulls his boxer shorts down with her hands and feet, freeing his hard cock. “You're skillful!” he laughs in amusement. “Shall I show you HOW skillful?” she teases him, pushing him onto the bed and swinging herself on top of him. She holds his cock and slowly sinks onto him, moaning, until he is completely inside her. Jolly presses the back of his head into the pillow and claws into the soft flesh of her hips as Olivia begins to move back and forth in smooth movements.

When Jolly opens his eyes, his breath almost catches and if he wasn't already hard as concrete from her touch and presence, he would be now..... Olivia has her eyes closed and is nibbling her hard, round nipple with one hand, gently stroking her clit with the other. “FUCK, woman......!” gasps Jolly and begins to thrust into her mercilessly, holding her with an iron grip.

As Olivia's orgasm rushes through her, she collapses on top of him, clinging to him, “I'm NOT going anywhere!” she gasps, “We're staying together!” “God, Liv....” moans Jolly before he pours into her. Trembling, they remain lying there. Liv lifts her head, “We'll stay together no matter what! We'll get through this together. I'll do the devil and leave you alone!” and then she kisses him. Jolly wraps his arms around her, “I love you so much ....” he whispers harshly.

“What's this?” Olivia wants to know from Jolly after he has taken a memory stick out of his pocket and thrown his pants back on the floor. “THIS, min Liv, is our back-up!” he smiles and hands it to Olivia. “A memory stick?!” Olivia raises her eyebrow questioningly. “Hmm” nods Jolly, ”I can use it to ensure our freedom and safety!” “And why should I go to Doi then?” Olivia wants to know. “Kolja and Inga don't know that I'm getting out, that I have all the information about the organization, about them, about every single member, their connections, their business, everything, on this memory stick!” smiles Jolly. “Where did you get it so suddenly?” Olivia sits up and looks closely at the memory stick. “I had to back up all the data for Kolja today and I seized the opportunity.....” grins Jolly. “That means you can buy your way out with this thing?” Olivia asks. “Hmm... something like that. I see it more as security that they'll leave us alone if they don't want me to use the data against them!” explains Jolly. “So you're going to keep pretending everything's fine until Doi has our new papers?” Olivia looks at him questioningly.

“Hmm” nods Jolly and lies back in the pillows, ”Semjon dies... that throws everything into disarray. So it's easy for us to disappear. There's no better time, so to speak!” Olivia snuggles up to him, “Your word in God's ear!” and wants to give Jolly the stick back.

“You keep it!” urges Jolly, ”Keep it in a safe place where you can access it whenever you need to.” Olivia turns pale, “You think....” she gulps. “No, I don't think so!” Jolly hastens to say, ”No one suspects.... I'll just disappear, with you, and that'll be that!” “OK.....” mumbles Olivia, pressing herself against him. “Oleg Petrow..... you weren't involved by any chance?” is the first thing Jolly hears from Doi when he calls him. “Possibly...” Jolly remains vague. “So you're already cleaning up after yourself. I like that!” laughs Doi. “More of a coincidence.... It just so happened!” explains Jolly. “How long does Volkov have left?” Doi wants to know. “A few days, if you believe the doctors!” shrugs Jolly.

“It would be good if he didn't leave the hospital alive!” Doi suddenly says. “Not a chance. Inga and Kolja are with him 24/7. His bodyguards outside the door. That would be suicide! Just wait and see... it'll sort itself out!” promises Jolly. “Good.... But Semjon's puppy.....” Doi follows up. “Inga is more dangerous than Kolja. If you want to get someone out of the way, it's her!” growls Jolly.

“I've been thinking... about what you said, about Nadja... I've asked around and your idea isn't the worst....” explains Doi. “What are you trying to tell me?” Jolly wants to know. “Well, nothing special really... except that I'd like Nadja to be the head of the organization instead of Kolja!” smiles Doi into the phone. “I'm supposed to get Kolja and Inga out of the way?” hisses Jolly. “Hmm, and preferably those who are loyal to them!” nods Doi. “FUCK, that wasn't the deal!” growls Jolly angrily. “No, our deal stands! I have another deal in mind.... I guarantee you permanent protection after you get off. You'd never have to look over your shoulder to see if you've been found out...” Doi offers, ”I'll add another million on top of the million!”

Jolly is speechless, “Um... I have to think about that first!” he chokes out. “Do that! Think about it carefully! Oh, by the way, I have your papers..... just for your information. You can take them and leave at any time and we'll call it even. Or you can take care of Kolja, Inga and whoever else first and I'll guarantee your safety!” Doi explains. “I'll be in touch!” Jolly presses out and hangs up. FUCK, what a fucking asshole, Jolly thinks angrily. Doi's offer is tempting, insanely tempting. But he would be handing his life and Olivia's over to the yakuza. FUCK!!! Jolly needs to discuss this with Olivia and see what she thinks! “There's no way you're doing this!!!” Olivia is beside herself, “Let Doi handle this himself if he wants it bad enough. We'll take our new papers and get out of here! Preferably immediately..... Just get away from all this!” “Hmm,” Jolly nods thoughtfully. Olivia looks at him, stunned, “You're seriously thinking about this? Are you fucking serious?” “No.....” sighs Jolly, then looks at her, ”Yes.... If I'm honest, yes, I am thinking about it!”

“Have you gone completely mad now?” Olivia hisses, walking up to him and taking his face in both hands, ”Joakim... we can leave now... Please, let's just pack what we need and get out.... By the time those monsters realize that, we'll be out of the country and can start over.... That's what we want, a life together!” Jolly takes her hands in his, kisses them, “Yes, min Liv, that's what I want nothing more than anything else!” “But??” Olivia is despairing, “There is a but, isn't there?!” Jolly shrugs his shoulder, “They'll come after us.... Chasing.... Probably track us down eventually....” “No... we'll be careful. Inconspicuous....” Olivia hastily explains. “Min Liv.... I'm ripping you out of your life here anyway... and for an uncertain future full of danger and fear....” Jolly shakes his head. “I don't care about that! As long as we're together, we'll manage. We can do anything!” urges Olivia. “Liv....” Jolly shakes his head, “If I do this for Doi, we're protected. You're protected. Nothing will happen to you!” “Stop it... I don't care about Doi's protection!” hisses Olivia, ”This is all way too dangerous! If they catch you doing this or get suspicious... Joakim, they'd kill you on sight! That.... I wouldn't survive that!” “Liv... I know these people. They have connections everywhere... We'd be on the run for life... I don't want that for you!” explains Jolly.

“FUCK!!! Listen to me!!!” Olivia gets angry, “I don't give a fuck, as long as we're together!” Jolly shakes his head, “No... I have to make sure we're safe after this!” “GOD!” Olivia throws her hands in the air, “Let's just leave. Just like we planned! Please! Think about it carefully. We'd be at the mercy of Doi, the Yakuza, for the rest of our lives. Out of the frying pan into the fire, so to speak. That's not what you want, what we want!” “I'll sort it out with Doi!” nods Jolly slowly. Olivia stares at him, stunned, “So you've decided to do this?! Just like that? Even though I don't want you to?” “I have to do it, min Liv!” gulps Jolly. “NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO!” she yells at him, punching him in the chest with her fist, causing him to stumble backwards in shock. Olivia continues to punch him, “YOU WILL NOT DO THAT! YOU'RE NOT RISKING YOUR LIFE TO THIS INSANITY JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO DO IT TO PROTECT ME!” she screams at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Shhh, min Liv, shhh!” Jolly tries to calm her down and takes her in his arms. “NO, DON'T TOUCH ME!” cries Olivia angrily, ”IF YOU DON'T GO WITH ME NOW, THAT WILL LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND YOU.....” Olivia breaks off the sentence, looking at him in despair.

“Liv.....” Jolly swallows, ”Understand... If I kill Semjon, Inga, Kolja, then I can close this chapter in my shitty life. Close it for good and at the same time ensure our safety. I HAVE to do it! I HAVE to kill Semjon... I can't wait for him to die. He MUST die at my hands. I owe it to my family. I owe it to myself!” Olivia closes her eyes and lowers her head in despair, “And risk your life.....” she whispers harshly. “Not if I act fast!” Jolly shakes his head, grabbing Olivia's upper arms, ”Liv... I'm not going to die doing this. I know what I have to do. When to do it so I don't get caught doing it!” Olivia clings to him, “I can't lose you, do you hear me? I just can't. I'd die if I lost you!” she sobs. Jolly pulls her close, “You won't lose me, min Liv, I won't let you. YOU know you're my North Star, I'll always come back to you. Always! I can't help it!” he whispers tenderly. “God, Joakim....” sobs Olivia, ”I just don't want you to do this! Please.... Let's pack, let's go... away, just away!” “We will!” kisses Jolly her, ”When I get this done!” Olivia breaks free from his grip, shaking her head, “No!” she swallows, “Either we leave NOW, or....” again, she leaves the threat unspoken.

Jolly looks at her for a long time, “Well..... how fast can you pack?” he wants to know from her. “Um.....” Olivia looks around in surprise, “One day, then I'll have everything I need!” “Good, then I'll call Doi and ask for our papers!” nods Jolly. “Really?” Olivia looks at him questioningly. “Yes....” Jolly confirms and pulls her close again, ”Don't worry anymore, min Liv. We're going away!” Jolly promises and kisses her.

“If I take you up on that offer, I'll be left alone afterwards! Liv too?” Jolly wants to know from Doi. “Absolutely!” Doi assures him. “I'm not selling myself to the Yakuza.... Don't owe anyone anything anymore?” he continues, ”Me and Liv will be under your protection without me having to do anything else?” “Exactly like that! You'd be free, you wouldn't have to worry anymore. Neither about your safety, nor about money.... Not even your girlfriend!” Doi explains seriously, ”Even if I would like to have you with us... but that's just my modest wish.” “Wish....” growls Jolly.

“Yes, nothing more... don't worry!” smiles Doi. “Good...... I'll take care of Semjon, Inga and Kolja. That's all. Whoever else of his henchmen causes trouble is your problem! But it has to be done quickly, Liv mustn't find out about it!” explains Jolly. “Oh, she's against it?” Doi wants to know. “Of course she is!” growls Jolly. “And you're doing it anyway?” Doi follows up. “Yes.... Because I don't want to live in constant fear anymore and I want it even less for Liv!” explains Jolly calmly ”And I just have to do it... for me, my family, who died because of Semjon.....” “Good..... then our deal stands?” Doi wants to know seriously. “Our deal stands!” Jolly confirms.

When Jolly returns to Olivia's apartment, she is packing some of her books and photos into boxes. “Do you want to take them with you?” Jolly asks with a smile. “No.... But I thought I'd prepare everything so that it can be stored.....” Olivia shrugs her shoulders. “I'll make sure you can take everything that's important to you with you!” he explains seriously. Olivia furrows her brow. “I'll ask Doi to send these things after us, or everything.... As you like.” Jolly smiles. “You want Doi to send our things? Isn't that too dangerous?” Olivia wants to know. “Well, not right away... but it's certainly possible after a while!” says Jolly, who realizes that he has probably made a mistake. “Hmm” Olivia looks at him skeptically. “I have to go out again, do a little something!” Jolly explains quickly. “What?” Olivia wants to know. “Oleg's funeral.... I have to show up!” sighs Jolly. “Ok” nods Olivia. Jolly goes to her, pulls her up, wraps his arms around her, “It'll be over soon, tomorrow we'll meet Doi and then we'll get out of here!” he kisses her tenderly. “We're really doing this! Aren't we?” Olivia smiles and strokes his cheek. “We really are, min Liv!” Jolly nods and kisses her again.

The church is full. Wherever Jolly looks, he sees familiar faces. He has the feeling that EVERYONE has come to say a proper farewell to Oleg, who is lying in state in his coffin. Jolly joins the queue to step up to the coffin. As he stands in front of it, his face is petrified. Rot in hell, asshole, he thinks to himself hatefully. Soon Semjon will keep you company! When he turns around, he sees Nadja sitting in the front row, her face impenetrable. He nods at her, which she replies. As he is about to leave, he is stopped by Alexei, who has suddenly appeared next to him. “We need to talk!” he whispers quietly. “What about?” Jolly wants to know. “Not here!” Alexei shakes his head, ”Let's go outside!” Jolly nods and they leave the church together. “So, what do you want to talk about now?” Jolly wants to know outside. “Semjon.... He's not going to survive this, is he?” Alexei wants to know. “Probably not.....” Jolly shrugs his shoulder. “FUCK!” growls Alelxej, ”How is this supposed to go on then? With Kolja? Seriously? This is going to be a disaster! The Yakuza, especially Doi, are already pissed off to no end anyway.... Then let the Italians play along, our internal opponents.... FUCK!” Alexei nervously lights a cigarette. Jolly shrugs his shoulder, “Troubled times!” he nods. “TROUBLED? FUCK!” hisses Alexei. “This could be our downfall!” Calmly, Jolly eyes him, “Possible!” “FUCK... why are you so fucking calm?” growls Alexei at him. “What am I supposed to get upset about... it comes as it comes. Either we all go down or we don't... I don't care anymore!” Jolly explains calmly. “You're tired of life?” Alexei stares at him, speechless. “What have I got to lose? This fucking life?” Jolly shrugs his shoulders again and takes the cigarettes from Alexei, takes one for himself and lights it. They both smoke in silence. “Wouldn't Inga be the better choice instead of Kolja?” Alexei then wants to know. “Maybe?!” nods Jolly, ‘Or Nadja.......’ with downcast eyelids, Jolly looks unnoticed at Alexei, waiting for his reaction. “Nadja?!” Alexei snorts in amusement, but then becomes thoughtful, ”Fuck, you might even be right.... But most people wouldn't accept her... because she's a woman and not directly related to Semjon!” “Since when is the Russian mafia a monarchy?” Jolly wants to know sarcastically, ”Semjon wasn't related to the old head either... just the son of his right-hand man.... Just like Nadja, only she's a woman. A woman who knows how things work, who can act ruthlessly. She's also clever... really clever!” “You're right....” nods Alexei, ”But how?” “I don't know... like I said, I don't really give a shit!” sighs Jolly, satisfied to have sown the seed.

Jolly winds his way to Nadja through all the people who want to condole with her. He grabs her arm, bends down to her ear, “We HAVE to talk!” he whispers urgently. Nadja nods and says goodbye to the woman in front of her. Before the next man can shake her hand and hug her, she grabs her throat and sobs desperately, turning to Jolly and leaning against him. Jolly puts his arm around her and leads her through the people, who look at her sympathetically and sadly, to the back, to a quiet place in this church. “Sounds urgent!” nods Nadja, flapping back the veil she is wearing. “It is!” nods Jolly and looks around cautiously. Nadja, who interprets his look correctly, narrows her eyes, “Maybe somewhere else?” she wants to know from him. “No time!” Jolly shakes his head, grabs her upper arms, looks her straight in the eye, ”Can I trust you?” Nadja's eyes widen, “Didn't I prove it?” she wants to know from him. Jolly looks at her motionlessly, then nods, “Yes!” He looks around again, “But THIS.... That's another number!” he whispers. “What have you done?” Nadja wants to know. “Not much yet..... but actually.....” Jolly is unsure whether he should really tell Nadja everything. “FUCK, then talk! You can save your insinuations!” she hisses at him. “I'm in contact with Doi!” Jolly swallows. Nadja turns pale, “YOU gave the Yakuza access? Helped to free the Cuban?” “Yes!” Jolly nods and looks at Nadja seriously. “Why? I mean......” Nadja shakes her head in confusion. “Because it was a crap idea.... It would have sparked a ruthless war, dozens of deaths, even innocents.....” Jolly squeezes out. “But that's not the only reason, is it?” Nadja nods calmly. “No.....” Jolly shakes his head, ”I'm getting out!” Nadja turns a shade paler, “FUCK, Jolly......” she groans in horror, “You know that won't work!” “Yes it can.... But I have to kill Semjon, Inga and Kolja to do it!” he explains. Nadja has to hold on tight, “Are you mad??” she wants to know from him. “No... I have a plan that can succeed....” he shakes his head. “Do I want to know?” asks Nadja. “No! It's better you don't know anything....” Jolly shakes his head. “Then why the hell are you telling me everything?” Nadja hisses. “Because I suggested you to Doi as a successor.... And he finds the idea more than interesting!” Jolly nods and Nadja turns pale again. “ME?” she gasps. “Yes, that's what you've always wanted. Power, influence, no one telling you how to live your life. Nobody can tell you what to do!” Jolly explains calmly. Nadja looks at him thoughtfully. “You would have Doi's support and that of enough men in the organization!” Jolly explains calmly.

“FUCK” Nadja gasps, overwhelmed, and sits down on one of the pews. “Be ready..... keep a low profile, I'll do the rest!” Jolly nods and wants to leave, but Nadja grabs his hand. “And you? I mean.... You're really leaving?” Tears gleam in her eyes. “Yes, Nadja, I'm really going!” smiles Jolly, leaning over to her and kissing her on the forehead. Nadja wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him close. “I'm going to miss you terribly!” she swallows and lets go of him, nodding to him, ”Where are you going now?” “I'm going to pay Semjon a visit.....” growls Jolly and leaves the church. At the hospital, he nods to the two bodyguards outside Semjon's door before going in. As expected, Inga sits next to him and silently holds his hand; there is no sign of Kolja. Inga looks up briefly when she recognizes him, nods briefly and immediately turns back to Semjon.

Jolly pulls up a chair and sits down next to her. After a while, Inga starts to speak, “He reacts to me!” she swallows. “Hmm” nods Jolly, ‘Where's Kolja?’ he then wants to know. “I've sent him home. He should rest.... It's too much for him, you know!” “Hmm” grumbles Jolly, glad that Kolja is out of the way, ”What about you? Not tired?” “No! I'll stay by his side. He needs me!” Inga swallows soundlessly.

Fuck.... Jolly thinks to himself. But he knew that Inga wouldn't leave Semjon's side. “Shall I get you a coffee or something?” Jolly wants to know. “Oh” Inga looks up, ”Yes.... Alexei has provided everything I need here. But a coffee would be good.... But not here from the hospital, please....” That's what Jolly was hoping for, “Shall I send the men to your favorite cafe?” “Yes... God, yes.....” Inga nods gratefully and Jolly gets up, explaining to the bodyguards what Inga wants. After reassuring Inga that this is what she wants, they leave. Jolly closes the door behind her and sits down again. Waits..…

“Joakim....” Inga looks at him and Jolly flinches. Inga is the only one in the organization who doesn't call him Jolly or Swede. Hearing his real name, pronounced correctly, shocks him more than he would have thought. “Hmm,” Jolly looks at her. “I'd like to go to the bathroom for a minute.....” Inga looks at him. “Of course you would. I'm here!” nods Jolly and Inga stands up, smiling at him, ”I'm glad you're here. Semjon has always loved you like a son” Jolly gets sick to his stomach and screws up his face, looks at the floor and nods. Waits until the bathroom door closes behind Inga.

He needs a few seconds to be able to move again. But then everything happens in a flash, because Jolly has prepared everything. He pulls the syringe filled with air out of his jacket pocket, goes to Semjon and sticks it into one of the countless IV lines Semjon has on his body. Slowly presses the plunger down and injects the air into Semjon's veins. He then immediately throws the syringe into the waste garbage can provided and sits down again. His heart is pounding in his throat as he watches Semjon start to twitch. Fuck, this is happening faster than he thought. “INGA?!” Jolly calls out and presses the alarm button. Inga is with him immediately, staring in disbelief at her husband, who is twitching in his bed. The heart alarm goes off. “What's happened?” she gasps in horror. “I don't know... suddenly he started twitching!” Jolly shakes his head, ”I pressed the alarm!” It feels like hours until a nurse, followed by a doctor, rush into the room, immediately realizing the seriousness of the situation. “OUT!” the doctor yells and Jolly grabs Inga's shoulder, pulling her gently but firmly with him. “No... please....” whimpers Inga and Jolly remains standing with her in a corner of the room, unable to bring herself to pull her out of the room. Wordlessly, Jolly watches as more and more nurses and doctors come into the room, doing their best to save Semjon's cursed life... Hopeless. The beeping of the heart monitor's zero line is deafening. Inga collapses screaming in Jolly's arms, who holds her with a petrified expression on his face. This is for my parents, for Niclas, for Linnea.... And for me, you fucking bastard, Jolly thinks to himself.

It is late, very late, when Jolly can finally go home. He quietly unlocks the door to Olivia's apartment and goes into the living room without turning on the light. “What took you so long?” Jolly flinches as the soft voice echoes out of the darkness, ”I've tried to reach you on your cell phone umpteen times!” Olivia switches on the small lamp on the side table next to the couch and Jolly can see how exhausted she looks. “Semjon's dead!” mumbles Jolly, himself just as exhausted and wiped out as Olivia. Olivia is immediately on her feet, goes to him and takes him in her arms, “How do you feel?” she wants to know. Jolly wraps his arms around her, “I don't feel anything right now.... But when he was dead, relief... incredible relief!” he whispers harshly. “You were with him?” Olivia wants to know. “Hmm,” nods Jolly. Olivia looks at him penetratingly, Jolly tries to meet her gaze, but he narrows his eyes and lowers his head. “God......” Olivia swallows and lifts his chin so that he has to look at her, ”You killed him, didn't you?”

“I had to do it.....” Jolly whispers harshly, ”There was no other way.....” Olivia breaks away from him, “FUCK!!!” “Liv.....” Jolly tries to reach for her. “FUCK, No, Joakim!” Olivia shakes his hand off, “You lied to me!” “Liv, please.....” Jolly tries again.

“Please go!” whispers Olivia hoarsely. “Please, Liv, don't do this.....” Jolly swallows in horror, wants to hug her, but Olivia fends him off again. “Joakim, I need to be alone now! I need to think!” Olivia chokes out. “Liv.....” Jolly's voice is now just a horrified croak. “Please Joakim.... Just go!” Olivia shakes her head and wraps her arms around her torso, turning her head away from him. “Liv... I love you!” whispers Jolly softly, but Olivia closes her eyes, remaining silent.

Jolly turns and walks out of her apartment with dragging steps, pulling the door shut behind him. Damn..... He's done everything wrong, it occurs to him. He should either have told Olivia that he'd just have to kill Semjon, at least, or he shouldn't have made a deal with Doi. No matter how he spins it.... One thing remains... Olivia's trust in him is shaken and he may have lost her as a result. Jolly doesn't know how he feels. There is an incredible emptiness inside him, a blackness that threatens to swallow him up.

[derealizationsstuff]

Jack howl x gn reader smut

Authors pov

warnings: smut (obviously)

(i know some of you are gonna come at me with "hes a minor!" but technically thinking twisted wonderland first came out in 2020 right? counting the birthday events 2020 jack-16 2021 jack-17 2022-jack 18 we're in 2023 but his birthday isn't here yet so this all works perfectly, if you feel uncomfortable don't read and just scroll)

You and Jack were dating for quite a while already, had very sweet romantic dates, some make out sessions here and there but never went further than that, which led to you thinking if that day would ever come, so you decided to see if he'd be comfortable with taking things further.

----------------------. .-----------------------------

It was exactly around 10-11pm, it was the only exception jack made to go to sleep later than usual so you 2 could be prepared for the upcoming exam, you were both exhausted so you suggested to take a break "I think we did enough for tonight, we should rest now" he nodded and got up, he started helping you clean up the table from notebooks and pens, you thought about making the move but seeing how tired Jack was you hesitated but maybe he needed some relief so he wouldn't stress about the exams anymore? besides you were stressed too, it was the perfect opportunity to take the relationship to the next level.

As Jack was grabbing his backpack ready to leave, you grabbing his arm stopping him in his tracks, he looked back at you head tilting a bit and his brow raising

"is something wrong [name]?" "No no, i was just wondering if you could stay for the night?" "I could, but why? is something bothering you?" "Oh no nothing's wrong it's just.." you hesitated for a second, thinking if you should tell him the reason right away or later "i get a bit lonely sometimes, and it gets quite chilly too, you don't have to stay if you dont want to of course! i was just suggesting" you replied immediately raising your hands up a bit, he made an Oh sound and replied "In that case, sure why not" flushing a bit, you led him to your room up the stairs, opening the bedroom door and letting him in, he put the backpack down and started taking his stuff out putting them down on the bed, he took out a toothbrush and a toothpaste asking where the bathroom was, once you told him the directions he left to brush his teeth and clean his face;

Another thing you loved about him, he knows ✨ hygiene ✨ as you were waiting for him you took the time you had and changed into your Pj's and texted Ace how Grim was doing, oh another thing, you asked Ace and Deuce to take care of grim for the night, when they asked for the reason you told them you were just tired and needed some rest, grim was sad for a bit but understood,soon forgetting he was ever sad when he entered the warm room of heartslabyul.

"Hey hows grim doing?"

"im doing good too thanks for asking😒"

"Oh stop being salty"

"yeah yeah whatever, but hes doing good, too good if i might add, he's made himself at home way quicker than i expected"

"That means he loves you😻🤌"

"Yeah as if"

"well either way thanks again for this it means a lot"

"Meh it's nothing, dw about it, tho you're still gonna repay me"

"yep got it, thanks again cya🫡"

"cya👏"

smiling at your phone you turn it off when you hear jack coming back in the room, you looked up at him and smiled, he smiled back in return and started to slowly get in bed next to you, pulling the covers up to his torso as he laid down in his side looking at you, you put the phone on your bedside table and turn back to him, moving closer and snuggling up to him, jack smiled and muzzled his head closer in your neck while wrapping his arms tightly around your torso as you ran your hands through his hair,(this would've been such a good fluff fic tbh) soon remembering why this was happening in the first place you pulled away and kissed him, jack, surprised for a second eyes widening but soon closing, you shifted closer if that was even possible your hands tangling in his hair, deciding to make a move you slowly started grinding on him, surprised by the sudden action jack pulled away for a second but kissed you back again, after a few minutes he pulled away again but your hand went to hold his neck bringing his head down a bit closer "Jack, i know this is sudden but we've been dating for a very long time now, and i thought we could maybe move to the next level? I've wanted to for a long time but kept holding back, but if you're not ready i can wait" the silence was painful you saw something in his eyes, it looked as if they were glowing, he leaned down closer "And how long have you wanted to do that?" "it started a month ago" you replied flushing a bit, he let out a small him "so that's why you often had that sweet scent" your eyes snapped back at his "w..what?" "A beastmans sense of smell is strong enough to smell arousal [name]" "well if you knew then why didn't you say anything?" "Same reason, i didn't know if you were ready" silence filled the room, you were the first one to break it "well i am ... and if you're okay with it too I'd love to strengthen our bond tonight" you said face resending even more "i am, and id love to take this step with you" he looked at you his tail swishing fast, you caught a glimpse of that and chuckled, it took your nervousness away, he went back to kissing you slowly moving lower, reaching your neck he started licking and biting and nipping, leaving small hickeys, very carefully since his teeth are quite sharp, which were one of the many things that made him look attractive

AF🙌

the sensation felt a bit painful but pleasurable at the same time which made you let out a small whimper nudging his head closer to your neck, he growled a bit and went back to going lower, he looked up at you for a sign if he can continue, you nodded at him and he slowly took off your shirt

he made sure to kiss every part of you, once he took off your pants you stopped him and he whipped his head in your direction afraid if he did something wrong

"don't you think it's unfair that I'm the only one getting undressed" he flushed and said Oh he retreated his hands and started taking off his own clothes as quickly as he could, you wanted to tease him "ahah you're eager aren't you?" your laugh was slowly cut short when you saw him looking at you, hes arms were entangled in his shirt his shirt was almost off hanging on his arms as he sat on his knees,

damn he looks hot...

you thought, still staring at him as he raised his brow "you're the one staring at me" once he took his shirt off fully he started taking off the belt and the pants now he leaned down on his hands crawling closer to you taking your chin and kissed you passionately as he moved closer to you, grinding against you just like you did at the start, once he took both your undergarments off you visibly turned white, he.was.HUGE. FUCKING MASSIVE HELLO? AND THICK TOO, LIKE THAT SHITS GOTTA BE AT LEAST ABOUT 11 INCHES?

when he saw how shocked and taken aback you looked he felt his ego go up and a sense of pride bubbled up in his chest but he needed to comfort you and calm you down

"is- is that even gonna?" "Dont worry its okay I'll help you i just gotta prepare you, we'll go slow okay?" you slowly nodded your head at him, feeling safer.

Jack moved his head down to your sex slowly licking it causing you to jolt up, his tongue was long and had a different texture, it felt even better, as he lapped at your entrance he swirled his tongue around you and then all of a sudden pushed it in you which made you moan louder and grab at his soft hair, as he quickened his pace as fast as he could, making tears swell up in your eyes shoving his face closer and closer, occasionally he let out growls which made vibrations against you causing an even better sensation, arching your back off the bed, you started to feel an odd feel in your lower stomach as it got bigger and bigger, all of a sudden Jack added his finger, bringing another moan out of you, he added another finger and eventually he had inserted 3 fingers inside of you moving them in scissoring motion and trying to stretch you out so that when he could finally actually be inside you it wouldn't be painful, but for now you were feeling too good to even worry about that part, causing you to have no control over your moans anymore, which caused jack to harden even more, the sound of your voice, moaning and calling out his name, all his movements were at a fast pace, the sensation got bigger and bigger and bigger until it finally snapped, jacks face and fingers were now covered in your juice, before he could pull away he cleaned off the juices off of you and him, when he looked back at you, you looked in pure Bliss, "J-jack.." "its okay, do you want to stop or take a break?" you shook your head and brought his head down to yours kissing him,he kissed back while his hands wrapped around your head he then pulled away "Can i..?" you nodded at him, he gave you a small kiss one more time on the nose and then started aligning himself to your entrance and slowly started inserting himself inside you, the stretch was still painful as you let out a small whimper, upon hearing you jack brought his face back at you and peppered your face with kisses to hopefully distract you from the stretch he was almost all the way in, just a bit was left, as he got in all the way with a grunt and he opened his eye to look down on you with lidded eyes, you felt incredibly full and warm, like this was meant to be, he was the one for you, he awaited your signal for when he could move, after a bit you nudged his arm "you can move" he hummed and slowly started to move, once you've been fully adjusted to him you couldn't bare the slowness and tried to match his thrusts but quicken up the pace "Hey, dont rush it or you won't be able to walk tomorrow" he growled "N-noo I'll be fine just..please" you whined out, already too gone in lust "how can i make you believe me?" "With fucking me hard" "you will regret this" "i hope i will"

that was his last straw, he couldn't take it anymore, all of a sudden a harsh thrust made you jolt up and yelp, his pace was inhuman, so fast but so good, you could hear the bed creaking as you barely held your eyes open, your hair getting in your way mouth falling open and moaning, you hoped the bed could handle you, this all felt so amazing, too amazing you could feel your orgasm coming close even tho it was just 10 minutes he was hitting all the good spots and very quickly too, the feeling was undescribable in words "J-JACK" you yelled out you could barely form a sentence "you feel so good~" he came down to kiss you harshly, moaning into the kiss as he kept thrusting into you, it happened so that you both orgasmed at the same time, how romantic. Being the gentleman he was he pulled out just in time, hes juices coated your stomach as your head plopped back down on the bed "you're such a good boy Jack, i love you so much" you praised him ruffling his hair and bringing him down to kiss him again, this one sweeter snd gentler, his tail swishing fastly behind him, you didn't notice but the whole time his tail was flopping around so fast it looked like a blur, both of you were worn out, but the sight of you that jack caught the glimpse of, he accidentally got bricked up again

"Shit.."

you noticed this and offered him one more round to which he immediately agreed to, he flipped you over on your stomach, hoisted up your hips to his own and started thrusting in again, somehow this position felt even better as you moved closer to him trying to match his thrusts, jack noticed this and pressed you down on the mattress, he had a strong hold which turned you on even more, causing you to tighten around him "Fuck.. [name]" he groaned thrusting harder, this really felt like bliss, a paradise, everything felt so perfect tears swelled up in your eyes once again "JacK~ i love you" he kissed your back and shoulder blade "i love you too, so much"

this time he orgasmed first and pulled out, missing his warmth you whined but quickly got cut off and moaned when you felt jacks tongue back in, this time he replaced his dick with his tongue to still satisfy you, soon after his achieving his goal and making you cum

he pulled back away, you were too tired to do anything he brought his hands to your hips putting you down in a comfortable position to rest, after that realizing your ass was still up but you were too tired to lay down, that's what the comfortable position was, you flushed at the embarrassment

you looked to your bed table and saw on the alarm clock that it was 3am? have you been fucking for hours?!?

jack got up and came back with wet wipes, wiping the liquid and sweat off your bodies, he brought you water and you thanked him, it really felt refreshing once he helped you put your PJs back on he got into the covers and grabbed your waist with his big hands and pulled you closer to him, you kissed his nose and then lips "I love you Jack" "i love you too[name] im glad we took this step, i feel closer to you" he smiled at you with a genuine and heartfelt smile, playing with a strand of your hair, he kissed your forehead and hugged you tight, the night brought the two of you even closer, it was definitely the best decision you made to be with Jack.

[hugmekenobi]

S2: The Bad Batch (6)

Chapter Six: Tribe

Gif by @dreamswithghosts

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: A mission from Cid sees you and the Batch dealing with something much bigger than what you had originally been expecting.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, mild angst, fluff, my own fear of spiders being projected

Word Count: 6.4K

Author's notes: When this episode first aired, I got very excited for what it meant to my writing for this season so hope you enjoy! Also, I have arranged a cry for help with regards to Ch7 lol cause I have too many ideas so any assistance would be appreciated! xx

You’d been back on the Cid assigned missions for a while now, each one never quite the same so as the ship pulled into the most recent mission location, you couldn’t help but wonder what this one would have in store.

The ship touched down and you all left the ship, coverings, and helmets on.

“Cid said the Vanguard Axis is notorious for illegal smuggling. So be ready for anything.” Hunter advised. “Wrecker, Tech, and I will make the delivery. Echo, (Y/N), and Omega. Guard the ship.” He directed.

The three of you waited as the others made their way through.

--

You and Omega were sat on the steps whilst Echo stayed standing next to you. All three of you were observing the droid activates around you.

“There’s something off about this place. I don’t like it.” Omega said uneasily.

“Yeah, me neither.” Echo concurred. “But we’re not staying for long. I’ll prep the ship.” He began to walk up the stairs.

You shuffled out the way and gave a distracted nod of agreement. There was a tingling in your spine you couldn’t quite shake. You clued into the Force around you and there was something almost… familiar in it. A presence you hadn’t felt since you’d been around your fellow Jedi. That alone was making you a bit jumpy. You didn’t know where that optimism or wishful thinking had come from.

Your head shot up, along with Omega’s at the sound of a howl and clattering in the distance. You both stood up. Omega looked to you.

You nodded your permission and together, you both set off to see what was making the noise.

--

As you moved the maze of shipping containers in the direction of the commotion, you found that whatever it was you were sensing earlier on grew stronger and you couldn’t understand why, and it was driving you up the wall. It was only when you felt Omega tug on your arm that you realised that you’d stopped moving. You shook your shoulders and the two of you hid by some of the crates and watched in horror as you saw an adolescent Wookiee being jabbed with electro-staffs by two of the droids.

“Stop! You’re hurting him!” Omega yelled as she ran over.

Since you couldn’t and wouldn’t want to stop her, you followed.

“Halt, humanoids.” The droid ordered. “Do not interfere with Vanguard Axis business.”

Any retort died on your lips as you stared at the Wookiee. What you were feeling was coming from him but that didn’t make any sense. It couldn’t make sense… You didn’t have the chance to think about it for long since the Wookiee took the opportunity of the droids being distracted to leap up and disarm one of the droids. He knocked it down and then swiftly stabbed the second one with the staff. But his shoulders slumped with exhaustion, and it was then you saw with the droid he’d originally forced to the ground make a move to grab him. You and Omega each fired a shot, and the droid was destroyed.

The Wookiee turned and stared at the two of you.

You didn’t have time to stick around as you heard the door behind you whirr open. “More are coming. Hurry!” You said and the three of darted back into the rows of cargo.

--

In all the sneaking around, the young Wookiee had separated from the two of you. You turned the corner but were greeted by one of the droids.

“Halt-” It didn’t get to finish the command due to the electro-staff that came down on its head.

You and Omega watched as the Wookiee jumped down from the droid and made his way past you.

“Not that way.” Omega hissed.

You both followed to find him urgently searching through one of the containers.

“What are you doing? You need to go before they find you.” You warned.

“Omega, (Y/N), let’s get back to the ship.” Echo said as he walked through the door.

The Wookiee snarled in the direction of the newcomer.

Echo took half a step back.

“It’s okay. He’s a friend.” Omega comforted. It had little effect; the Wookiee just turned and ran back the way you all had come from. “Wait!” Omega called, getting ready to go.

Echo put his mechanical arm in front of the young girl and turned to you.

His helmeted gaze just screamed ‘the two of you couldn’t stay out of trouble for two minutes?’. “Those droids are after him.” You explained. You omitted your personal conundrum for the moment.

“Come on!” Omega said before she ran after the Wookiee.

You titled your head and Echo who merely sighed before he started to run too.

--

The other three were nearly done securing the deal when the main droid’s comm beeped and the sound of blaster fire echoed through before the droid on the other end spoke.

“We have a situation.”

“Problem?” Hunter asked innocently as the message ended, knowing full well that whatever was happening had something to do with his remaining team.

The droid said nothing. He walked away and took the rest of the droids in the room to assess what the issue was.

“The cause of that blaster fire is from one of the other three. I’d say it’s most likely (Y/N) or Omega.” Tech hypothesised. Just as he said that their comms chirped, and it was Echo’s voice that came through.

“Hunter, we need backup now.”

--

The four of you took cover behind a box and looked at the group of Axis droids ahead of you.

“What sort of treachery is this?” The lead droid demanded as he saw his prize with the smuggling group.

“Stay back!” Omega ordered as she drew her bow.

You, Echo, and the Wookiee raised your blasters.

The lead droid wasn’t put off. He waved his droids forward, but any advance was cut off as a shot came in from the right and the leader of the group, he had been dealing with had disarmed one of his droids.

“They’re with us.” Hunter said coolly.

The lead droid turned to him. “I would advise you to take your soldiers and extricate yourselves from the situation.”

“No! They’re going to hurt him.” Omega said.

The droid faced the young girl. “Oh, on the contrary. The Wookiee is worth a great deal to our buyer. Alive.”

“You can’t smuggle living beings.” You said, voice filled with disgust.

“For the right price, I can do whatever I want. Now stand down or be destroyed.”

Your reply didn’t come. Instead, whatever you had been sensing around that Wookie grew tenfold and your blaster arm lowered slightly as you stared at him. You weren’t alone either. Both you and Omega were looking at him as he raised his hands towards the lead droid.

What you saw next filled you with what you could only describe as pure, unadulterated joy with a bit of shock on the side. You’d never thought you’d see that weapon again, let alone see a Jedi holding one.

The Wookiee let out a roar and stood tall and ignited the lightsaber the head droid had stolen from him. The green blade shone brightly.

All hell broke loose, shots were being fired in all directions, but you didn’t care. You could barely think straight. You were frozen in place. All you cared about was what was happening in front of you. You’d been so sure they were all dead. You watched as he deflected bolts of blaster fire with ease, albeit his form was slightly unrefined but that was to be expected. He’d probably barely scratched the surface of his training before Order 66 happened.

Hunter watched your reaction, or lack thereof. You had made no moves to take cover or even fire back. He understood why, whatever surprise he and the others would be feeling, you would be experiencing it far more intensely, but it was stressing him out.

He and Tech pushed a repulsorcraft over to Wrecker who picked it up and used it as cover before throwing it into the ranks of the droids. Hunter jumped over it and used his vibroblade to stab another droid. He quickly made his way over to you and pulled you out of the line of fire. “Focus, stay with me, alright? You get killed here, everything you want to know goes unanswered, not to mention I’ll be severely pissed off, okay?”

You nodded and made yourself concentrate on getting out of here alive. There would be time for everything else later. You and Hunter started to provide cover fire so Omega and the Wookiee could get clear.

“Get to the ship.” Hunter instructed Omega.

“Come on!” She shouted to the Wookiee over the blaster fire.

The Wookiee grunted before he followed the girl out.

You and Hunter went next and all of you managed to get back to the ship hangar, but you saw the Wookiee hesitate as the rest of you boarded the ship.

“Hurry!” You encouraged as much as you could despite the continuous onslaught of blaster fire.

The Wookiee considered his options for a moment. He was unsure about this, but anything was better that whatever fate those droids had planned for him and there was something about you that made him trust you on instinct. He boarded the ship.

Tech got the ship in the air and managed to get out of range. He put the ship into the safety of hyperspace.

--

The others kept their eyes on you as you paced up and down the cockpit, mumbling to yourself and occasionally glancing to the Wookiee huddled in a corner by the steps to the Omega’s room.

“Are you gonna talk to him?” Wrecker asked you, his voice as quiet as he could manage.

“I don’t know.” You replied, still pacing, and wringing your hand anxiously.

“Well, don’t you want to tell him that he’s not the sole survivor?” Tech said, not fully grasping why you were so nervous to talk to him.

Hunter caught the upper part of your arm as you turned to continue walking. He spoke softly as he addressed you. “What’s on your mind?”

You released a long breath. “I don’t know how to start.”

Hunter waited for you to go on.

You started pacing again and your hands gripped the roots of your hair. ‘Hey kid, guess what, you’re not the only Jedi to have survived Order 66. Oh no, I wasn’t personally attacked, I actually left the Jedi Order way before it happened. Oh, things turned out okay for me in the grand scheme of things. I forgot all the rules of attachment, got a new family, and fell in love. How’d you survive? How long have you been on your own and where were you being smuggled to?” You rambled, your voice growing more and more distressed. You paused for a brief moment before continuing, “He’s been through so much and I… I got lucky and right now… right now that feels so wrong.” You said quietly as you ceased your stride once more.

They all looked at you with sympathetic eyes.

Hunter rested a hand on your shoulder. “You getting away and finding a new path isn’t something to feel guilty about. What’s important is he’s here now but he’s scared could probably use some good news.”

Omega picked up the ration box. “He also needs to eat. Why don’t I go first, and you can follow and go from there?”

You took another deep breath and nodded.

Omega walked up to the young Wookiee and placed the box down along with a water cannister. “Here. You look hungry.”

You sat down next to her and smiled at him. You noticed that he seemed to look at you a second longer than he did Omega which would make sense given the circumstances.

The Wookiee roared aggressively as he saw the clones appear behind the two of you.

Hunter and the other recoiled.

“What’s wrong?” Omega asked.

“He doesn’t trust us.” Hunter replied.

“Well, seeing how all clones were given an order to execute the Jedi, he has good reason to be cautious.”

Hunter took a small step forward and raised his hand to signify he meant no threat. “I’m sorry about what happened. But we are not like the other clones. We did not follow that order.” He sat in the chair across from one of the control panels. “And we don’t work for the Empire either.”

“Hunter’s telling the truth.” You reassured the Wookiee. “I-” You coughed and started again. “I wouldn’t be here if they had anything to do with the Empire or that Order.” You noticed the slight head tilt the Wookiee gave you. You inhaled deeply and channelled the Force and lifted the water cannister and put it into his paw.

The Wookie released a series of excited roars and launched himself at you.

You fell back with a laugh and patted his head.

“See, you don’t have to be afraid of us.” Omega said as the Wookie sat back again. She nudged the food back in front of his. “It’s okay, eat.”

The Wookiee looked to you.

You nodded reassuringly.

He dived into the food and water.

“I’m Omega. What’s you name?” She asked as she hopped up onto a bunk.

You all looked to Tech as the Wookiee replied but clearly it was a day to be filled with surprises because it wasn’t Tech who answered.

“My Wookiee is a little rusty, but I think he says his name is Gungi.” Hunter revealed.

You angled to face him; eyes wide. “You speak Wookiee?? How did I not know this?”

Hunter merely shrugged. “Never really came up in conversation.”

Well, you being bilingual has just increased your attractiveness and I didn’t think that was possible.

Hunter grunted a quiet laugh before Gungi started to speak again but he couldn’t quite get all the words. “You catch that?” He asked Tech.

Tech, being the only one with his helmet still on so he could translate, replied, “He’s been on the run since Order 66, and was attempting to reach the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk before he was captured by those smuggling droids.”

“I’m not sure how you survived this long on your own, but it’s impressive.” Hunter admired.

Omega jumped back down. “If he’s trying to get to his homeworld, we can take him.”

“Been a while since we’ve been to Kashyyyk.” Wrecker said.

Hunter stood up and walked back to where Echo was standing in the hallway.

“The Empire could have outposts there by now.” Echo cautioned. “We don’t know if it’s safe for him there. If it’s safe for either of them.” He added as he looked towards you and Gungi.

Hunter sighed and laid a hand on his brother’s shoulder and looked back too. He saw you and Gungi playing a form of Force catch with Omega using the now empty water cannister. “They’re Jedi. They’re not safe anywhere.”

--

“Hunter, can you come back here please?” You called as Gungi had started to speak to you.

Hunter stood behind you and leaned against the wall.

“Okay, Gungi, can you repeat that please?” You requested.

Gungi did so and pushed the water cannister back into your hand.

“He wants to know your name and how you managed to escape the Order 66.” Hunter explained.

You told Gungi your name but saw his face frown. “Yeah, you probably wouldn’t have heard of me. I actually um left the Jedi Order a long time ago…. I left that life behind me a long time ago. I didn’t always get on with the members of the Order but what happened that day…” You placed your hand on Gungi’s paw. “No matter my feelings towards them, nobody deserved that. I’m- I’m so sorry.” It sounded like such a lame thing to say but you didn’t really know what else would make sense.

Gungi grumbled appreciatively and waited for you to carry on with your explanation.

You huffed out a quick breath. “Fast forward and I’ve met this group. That’s how I survived Order 66, I kept my previous life and identity pretty quiet. They only found out due to someone’s keen observations.” You added with a cheeky grin in Omega’s direction who smiled back at you and grabbed the water as it moved in the air towards her.

Gungi spoke again as he caught the cannister from Omega.

“He wants to know when you left.” Hunter translated.

“Umm…” You thought back. “Probably coming up on three years ago now. I don’t know how old you were or how much you knew her or the situation, but I left pretty soon after a Jedi called Ahsoka did.”

Gungi nodded his head and let out some happy roars.

“You knew her?” You asked with a smile as you received the water.

Gungi nodded again and grunted in your direction.

Hunter took a moment to make sure he understood everything before he told you what Gungi said, “He’s wondering if you know what’s happened to her since she left… if she also survived.”

You shook your head regretfully before you touched his arm as you saw his head hang. “But hey, you never know. I thought all the Jedi were gone and then you turned up.” That seemed to lift his spirits a little bit. He released another series of rumbles in your direction.

“I missed some of that, but I think he’s asking about how you ended up with us.” Hunter provided.

“I was on my own for a while when I came across them needing a bit of help. I was offered a place and didn’t look back.”

Gungi glanced between you and Hunter and mumbled some soft roars.

You didn’t need Hunter for this. You knew what he was asking. “Your instincts are pretty spot on. I didn’t gel with the Order and that part of things anyway.” You gave Hunter a warm smile which he returned.

“They’re very sweet. Sometimes too sweet the others think.” Omega whispered to Gungi.

“We heard that.” You and Hunter said in sync to the young girl who only laughed in response.

Gungi studied you for a minute as you looked back at Hunter. At the most, he could sense some fire, a sense of fierce protectiveness within you that was not solely limited to Hunter, it radiated through to the others, but your attachments for them all didn’t extend into channelling the darkside, nor any of the negative things he’s been taught if someone was to allow that attachment in their life. No, you seemed happy, content. Maybe things worked differently for you.

“We are coming up on Kashyyyk.” Tech called out.

The four of you made your way towards the cockpit.

Gungi walked over to the big clone and stared longingly at the ration bar in his hand.

Wrecker handed it to him.

You and Hunter took up opposite sides of the wall frame. Both your poses the same- arms crossed and keeping an eye on Gungi.

“We’re heading to a village we know of.” Hunter said before he walked over and laid a hand on Gungi’s back, so he was now facing him. “The Wookiees there should be able to help you.”

“I’ve locked into the coordinates.” Echo stated. “But I’m picking up heavy smoke and deforestation.”

“Keep an eye out for Imperial outposts.” Hunter said. “Oh, and kid. Keep that laser sword hidden. It, uh, draws attention we don’t want.”

Gungi put his lighsaber in his satchel.

You walked over to where Hunter was now standing in the cockpit. You bumped your hip against his. “Laser sword?”

“What was so wrong about that?” Hunter asked with a smile.

“No, nothing. It’s cute.” You teased. “We just call them lightsabers but I like laser sword. It has a fun ring to it.” You pushed your hood and mask up as the ship entered the atmosphere.

--

The ship touched down and you all walked out.

You took in the beautiful forest around you. You’d never had the opportunity of going to Kashyyyk but the descriptions you’d heard were not wrong. The forests were dense, filled with thick trunked trees which were covered in vibrant green leaves and the other plant life was also plentiful.

You all walked into the forest were rays of sunlight managed to peak through the gaps in the branches. The grass was lush beneath your feet. Things felt peaceful.

“Do you remember anything about this planet?” Omega asked Gungi. “What did he say?” Omega asked Hunter as Gungi replied.

“From his dreams.” Hunter answered.

Wildlife chittered around you all as you moved deeper into the forest and you weren’t thrilled with what greeted you. An unhappy groan left your throat.

“What is it?” Hunter queried.

You indicated ahead of you. Webs. You replied dully and you felt your skin start to crawl with the thought of what could be lurking above you.

“It’ll be fine.” Hunter comforted quietly.

“Here, I’ll take care of it.” Wrecker said as he grabbed his longer vibroblade and took the lead, cutting through the web to clear a path.

A shriek above you made you all stop, and you couldn’t help the way you jumped back. You had no control over it. Why of all the wildlife to encounter did it have to be spider-esque appearing ones. More descended from the trees and it was like a nightmare coming true for you.

“They’re swarming us.” Echo said agitatedly.

You were fully prepared to just stay frozen and let the creatures win but that wouldn’t be very productive. Your hand hovered over your blaster just in case.

Wrecker raised his but Gungi pushed it back down.

“Hold your fire.” Hunter commanded.

Gungi spoke to Hunter.

“He says, ‘They will not attack unless we pose a threat.” Tech translated.

 Gungi reached out into the Force around him and the creatures. He assured them that they meant no harm, that they were simply passing through.

The creatures ascended back towards the treetops.

Behind your mask, you huffed out a relieved sigh. “You got that down quicker than I ever did. I’m still practicing.” You praised Gungi. “Certainly explains the green blade.”

Gungi let out an appreciative rumble and pointed to his bag and then to you.

“Mine was blue.” You said.

Gungi nodded his understanding before he led the way.

--

“Arachnophobia?” Tech observed as the two of you walked behind Gungi and Hunter. Each touch of a web and animal chitter had you twitching.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” You mumbled.

“Experiencing fear is perfectly natural.” Tech provided as a means of comfort. “We all have something we worry more irrationally about than others.”

“And what’s your fear, Tech? Being wrong?” You kidded.

“In a way. Being wrong when it truly matters and someone getting hurt because of it.”

You hadn’t expected that. It wasn’t often you got a glimpse into the more vulnerable and emotional side of him. You glanced at him. “Thank you for sharing that.” You said, your voice gentle.

Tech simply nodded and the two of you kept walking.

--

You all emerged at the top of the hillside and stared at the vast space ahead.

“According to my telemetry, the village is straight ahead.” Tech pointed from his datapad.

The seven of you started the climb down.

--

Except the village wasn’t there. It had been destroyed. Smoke and dying embers surrounded the area. The trees had been cut and burned down. There was nothing left.

Hunter kneeled down and examined the ground. “Tanks came through here.” He let out a regretful sigh. “The Empire incinerated the entire village.”

Your heart ached for Gungi as you watched him fall to his knees. All this Empire knew how to do was take and destroy and it disgusted you.

Omega walked up to Gungi and crouched next to him. “The Empire destroyed our home too. Don’t worry. We’ll find your people.” She helped him back up.

The sound of machinery put you all on guard and you retreated into the forest and hunkered down behind the grass.

Tech brought out his macrobinoculars.

“What do you see?” Hunter asked him.

“Trandoshans. And they have a Wookiee hostage.”

“How did they get their hands on Imperial tanks?” You questioned. Your blood boiled as you saw the Trandoshans set fire to the surrounding area.

It was then Omega noticed Gungi was no longer next to her. “Hunter, Gungi.” She whispered urgently.

Hunter parted the tall grass and saw the young Wookiee making a beeline for the scene ahead. “Oh, no.”

Now, that’s a Padawan learner. You thought to yourself with a smile. You couldn’t really blame him for the slightly reckless act, but he wouldn’t be able to handle this on his own. You all ran to assist him.

--

Gungi ignited his lightsaber as he stared down the Trandoshan in front of him. He deflected the blaster fire with ease as he ran over to free his fellow Wookiee.

Echo, Wrecker and Tech provided cover fire whilst you, Omega and Hunter moved in to help Gungi take care of the tanks.

It was over rather quickly but you’d wished you’d gotten here sooner. There was no saving this area from the destruction the Trandoshans had caused but you could stop it from going any further. You and Omega both touched the upper part of Gungi’s arm to soothe him.

“We need to stop the flames from spreading. Start digging.” Hunter directed as he handed out the shovels the Trandoshans had been using.

--

It took a while, but the combined team effort meant you managed to stop the fire and prevent it from spreading. You all regrouped by one of the tanks only to get a brief moment of reprieve before the sounds of growling filled the forests. You all reached for your weapons.

“More Trandoshans?” Echo asked.

“No. Something bigger.” Hunter replied.

Your eyes widened as more Wookiees arrived from the treetops on the backs of large, cat-like creatures.

The Wookiees signalled for you all to climb on and once you all were secured, they took you into the trees to their safe haven.

--

You patted the side of the creature as you departed it and took in the scene in front of you. The Wookiee Gungi had rescued from the Trandoshan ran up to the older looking female Wookie who angled her forehead to press against his. After she did this, she turned her attention on you all.

“Her name is Yanna. She appears to be leading them.” Tech interpreted after she finished speaking.

“We are returning him to his homeworld.” Hunter explained. “But he doesn’t know what village he’s from.”

Gungi made his way through the group and awaited the answer from Yanna.

You watched as Yanna kneeled in front of him and brought him into the same familial touch that she had greeted the first Wookiee with. It seemed like Gungi was to be given a place amongst them.

Yanna studied you all for a moment before she addressed who she assumed was the leader.

“We were soldiers of the Republic.” Hunter answered before he took of his helmet. “But let’s just say we don’t see eye-to-eye with the Empire.”

Yanna continued to speak to him.

“We came because Gungi was in trouble. Jedi or not, he’s still a child. He needs his people.”

The sincerity of his words made you smile behind your mask. Whether he knew it or not, he had a paternal instinct within him that wasn’t just limited to Omega. He didn’t need to answer in that particular way, yet he did, and it warmed your heart. You threaded your fingers through his as Yanna beckoned you all to follow her into the hut.

--

You had to fight to keep back the laugh that threatened to spill from your lips as you watched the scene across the table. It was a tale of opposites. Wrecker eagerly awaited a taste of whatever it was the Wookiee was drinking whilst Echo was looking on in utter disgust.

The Wookiee noticed the two men in front of him were without food, so he offered some over.

“Uh, no, thanks.” Echo declined with a grimace.

“You don’t know what you’re missing.” Wrecker said happily as he decided against the spoon and just drank from the bowl.

Not even going to try some? You taunted.

Echo just wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

“Yanna’s agreed to let Gungi stay with them.” Omega said as she, Hunter and Gungi walked over to the table.

“What about the Trandoshans?” You asked.

Hunter came to sit next to you. “The Empire’s been using them to strip the planet’s resources. Many of the villagers have fled deeper into the jungle.”

“Yanna’s scouts are reporting a large convoy in this direction. She says to leave.” Tech stated as he came over with Yanna.

“Hunter, the Wookiees were our allies for years. We have to do something.” Echo implored.

“Yeah, they can’t be allowed to get away with this.” You concurred.

Gungi also released a determined roar of agreement.

Hunter faced Yanna. “We’ll stay and help you fight them.”

Yanna spoke softly.

“You don’t have to do this alone.” Hunter reassured her.

Yanna said something to her fellow Wookiees.

You all watched as they, along with Gungi, followed her outside. They all walked over to the base of the trunk of one of the trees and placed a hand on the roots and kneeled.

“What are they doing?” Omega asked.

“They’re asking the trees for help.” Hunter replied.

“They’re talking to the trees?” Omega said, a tad bewildered but also fascinated, as she looked at them.

“They believe this planet belongs to the trees. And they are allies in this fight.” Tech further explained.

“We’ll take all the allies we can get.” You murmured.

--

Dawn came and it had been Wrecker and Echo’s turn to take up position at the hut and keep an eye out for any Trandoshan or Imperial activity.

Echo peered through his binoculars, and it was then he saw fresh fire and smoke. “Wrecker, found em.” Together, they dashed over to the main doorway where the rest of you were. “The Trandoshan convoy’s closing in.”

Whilst Hunter had remained standing behind Omega, you had been sat next to Tech, his datapad keeping you both occupied but you stopped and stood up when Echo and Wrecker approached.

The other Wookiees had finished their ritual and Gungi ran up to Hunter to fill him in.

“The trees have a plan?” He repeated, flummoxed as this was not a military strategy he was aware of, but he was willing to run with it. “Alright.” He put his helmet on. “Whatever they say.”

You came up beside him, hood already up. See, you’re becoming more open-minded every day.

“Somehow this is less taxing.” He muttered to you.

You grinned at him before you pushed your mask up. “Fill us in on the plan, Gungi.”

--

You were hidden from view and patiently waited for the oncoming Imperial tanks and soldiers and Trandoshans to get in range.

“The tracks have broken off. There’s no trace of them.” The clone commed through to the lead Trandoshan.

“They can’t run far.” The Trandoshan hissed in reply. As soon as he said that, sounded ahead and a tank suddenly exploded.

“Ambush!” The clone sounded the alarm.

You all fired shots towards them, the natural cover the jungle provided made it difficult for your foe to return fire accurately.

After the initial disruption your group caused, it was time for the second phase. A squad of Wookiees came down on backs of their cat companions and met the tanks and soldiers head on. When they had successfully drawn the forces closer, they retreated into the forest to lure the Empire towards them, and it was time for phase three.

“Stick to the plan. Draw them into the nest.” Hunter directed.

You all fell back for your least favourite part of this plan as you retreated a bit further back into the webbed part of the woodland. You just had to keep reminding yourself that they were going to be useful and there wasn’t a need to feel terrified of them. The fact that you were never one to shy away from a fight and could face death practically every day, but any eight-legged or similar looking things sent your heart pounding a mile a minute completely baffled you.

You and the others held your ground once more and continued the barrage of fire whilst Wrecker and another Wookiee ensured the tanks that followed were out of commission.

Gungi decided to speed things along and help out. He activated his lightsaber and cut the gun from one of the tanks before he focused his attention on the last tank with the lead Trandoshan in it. He leapt towards him and swiftly dodged the burning hot flame that appeared from the flamethrower the lizard was now holding. He jumped down from the tank and ran back into the jungle, sensing that the leader’s greed would make him follow without thinking things through.

Omega saw Gungi run in a direction away from the rest of you and decided to follow.

--

Meanwhile, the rest of you had started to hit against the bottom of the trees, hoping the resulting vibrations would draw the animals above out and down towards your enemies. The growing eery chittering and howling indicated that the plan was going to work.

You watched on with both glee and mild nausea at the scene unfolding. It was a nightmare coming true, but the plan had gone exactly how the Wookiees predicted it would go. The creatures unleashed themselves upon the Imperials, cutting them down and forcing them to withdraw.

“Guess the trees knew what they were doing.” Wrecker stated in a satisfied manner.

It was then Hunter realised two members of the group were missing and he had to keep his panic at bay. “Where did the kids go?”

You and Echo fell in line behind Hunter as he started to track their recent steps.

--

Hunter paused and examined the ground below. It was then he heard a rustling up ahead and he lifted his head to the sounds of footsteps approaching but felt nothing but relief as he saw Omega and Gungi appear.

You also breathed out in relief but that was short-lived due to the news that Omega brought.

“The fire! It’s spreading too fast!” She panted as she and Gungi sprinted to the group.

“Tech, gather all the Wookiees.” Hunter said through the comm channel.

You holstered your blaster and walked up to the two children. “You two okay?”

Omega nodded.

Gungi let out an agreeing grunt.

“Gungi took care of the head Trandoshan.” Omega said as she got her breath back.

You faced the young Wookiee. “Nice job.”

Gungi chuffed out a pleased growl.

It was a few minutes before Tech arrived with the shovels and the other Wookiees and you all got to work.

--

With the fire safely handled, you all went back to the treetop village.

Wrecker enjoyed the food once more and had even delved into learning the language. He tried out some of it on his Wookiee friend before he took another mouthful of food. He wiped his mouth. “You know, I could get used to this.” He said with a chuckle.

Echo decided to be brave. He dipped his bowl into the soup in front of him and took a sip. A sip that left him pleasantly surprised. “Hmm. Not bad.” He clinked bowls with the Wookiee next to him.

Yanna looked on warmly before she noticed you and the lead clone standing in the doorway. She’d felt the bond between the two of you since you’d arrived and the secure and comforting arm he’d put around your waist and the way your head laid tenderly on his shoulder served to prove she’d been right.

Tech put on his helmet and followed her out.

You and Hunter watched on as Gungi and Omega kneeled by the tree. The young girl mirroring what the Wookiees had done earlier. They looked completely at ease.

Yanna let out a gentle roar as she approached your side.

You lifted your head from Hunter’s armoured shoulder and greeted the Wookiee with a respectful tilt of your head.

“They’re both just kids. But they don’t get to be.” Hunter told her. He let out a rueful sigh. “Not in this galaxy.”

You could see the flash of regret on his face. You reached down and squeezed his hand.

Yanna started to speak.

Tech translated as she went. “When a young one leaves, the trees weep. But when they return, the trees sing. As this child has found his new home, perhaps, one day, we all will find a new path.”

Her words were beautiful, and they left you feeling more hopeful than you had in a long time.

“Hopefully…” Hunter said with a sigh… “one far away from war.” The thought itself felt so inconceivable but he wished for it, nonetheless.

--

“How are you feeling after all this?” Hunter whispered as the others slept as the ship flew through hyperspace. His fingers slowly playing with your hair.

You kept your eyes closed. “Optimistic. There may be others out there who got away.”

Hunter maintained his ministrations but paused for a second before he asked you this next question. He wasn’t sure how sensitive a topic this would be but being around Gungi and Kashyyyk had him thinking about it and it was something you hadn’t talked about before. “Do you remember much about your home?”

“Nope.” You replied, brief and to the point.

Hunter wasn’t quite satisfied with that. His lips placed delicate kisses to the back of your neck, imploring you do give him more than that.

You let out a deep and content sigh as you turned on your other side to face him. “I don’t even have dreams to remember it by. I just have flashes of what I picture it was like, but I know they’re not based on anything other than my imagination, I felt nothing when I thought of it. Eventually, I just stopped.”

Hunter’s brow furrowed slightly.

You saw the concern growing behind his eyes, so you cupped the side of his face. “I have my home right here. I don’t need to think or wonder about another one.” You kissed him tenderly before you turned back around and let him pull you close to his chest.

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