#and din felt like he wasn't there half the time

[its-actually-withered]

You know what this season was trash, actually.

[silent-stories]

𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐒

Pairing: Eddie x GN!Reader

Summary: Eddie is not scared of thunderstorms after what happened in the Upside Down. Not at all.

It had started raining several hours before and the drizzle quickly turned into a thunderstorm. The wind was blowing hard and slapping the twigs of the tree in front of your house on your bedroom window.

Rain poured down on the roof and from time to time the sound of thunder rumbled throughout the whole house.

The night sky outside was dark, with no moon or stars.

You were on your bed, Eddie was sitting with his back against the headboard, his arm was around your waist, your head was resting on his chest and your face was pressed into his Black Sabbath shirt.

About half an hour earlier you had started watching a movie but then you were distracted by cuddling and because of the noise of the rain and thunder drowning out the voices coming from the small tv in your room.

You had turned off the TV a few minutes before, deciding you'd rather focus on Eddie and his hand slowly stroking your side.

A crashing thunder rumbled in your ears and you thought the lightning didn't have to have fallen very far from you to cause such a din.

Suddenly, you felt Eddie's hand on yours, it wouldn't be the first time he'd start playing with your fingers or your rings in a moment of calm and intimacy like that.

Instead, that time his hand found yours to hold it and intertwine his fingers with yours.

You smiled sinking your face into his chest, just enjoying that gesture.

A few minutes later, as you were about to fall asleep, another thunder almost made you jump and you felt Eddie's hand suddenly squeeze yours. Not to the point of hurting you, but he certainly added pressure.

You lifted your head and before you could speak, his grip already loosened but his hand was still on yours.

"You okay?" You asked.

He nodded. "Of course."

You tried to read his expression, something was definitely wrong, you knew him well enough to know.

"Eddie."

"What?"

"You squeezed my hand."

"No I-"

He didn't have time to finish the sentence when you both heard the rumble of another thunder, so loud it felt like the house was shaking.

Eddie's hand squeezed yours again, this time even harder than the previous one and he closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds, while the sound echoed until it disappeared, and then opened them again, looking at you.

He let go of your hand and stared at you with his big chocolate brown eyes that you could see shining even in the dark.

"Oh my god." You whispered, that was the moment you realized.

Thunders. Lightnings. The noise.

The Upside Down.

Eddie was scared because of what happened in the Upside Down.

You opened your arms and he lunged into them, burying his face in the crook of your neck and closing his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" You asked without sounding accusing, none of that was his fault.

"'Cause it's stupid." He murmured, his lips tickling your skin as he spoke.

It wasn't stupid if it was scaring the shit out of him, you could tell by the desperate way he was holding onto you.

As another roar of thunder broke through, Eddie hold you even tighter, squeezing the fabric of your shirt in his fists and pushing his face into your neck.

You run your hand up and down his back, tracing imaginary drawings and left a few kisses on the side of his head that you could reach.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, the tone of his voice sounded like that of a child scared of sleeping alone who in the middle of the night, got into his parents' bed.

"Hey, It's okay, I'm here. I got you." You whispered as you left a kiss on his temple. "You're not there anymore. They can't hurt you, I promise."

At your simple words, Eddie actually seemed to calm down a bit and his tense muscles relaxed under your touch.

You held him all night, all through the storm and even after.

Whenever there was thunder Eddie would hold you tight and you would alternate between phrases like "it's okay, breathe. It'll all be over soon" and "focus on my voice, it's okay. No one's going to hurt you. I'm right here. I love you."

Around three in the morning, the storm started to calm down and the thunders finally stopped.

Eddie didn't budge from you and you kept caressing his back and leaving a few kisses in his hair until you heard a buzz.

He had fallen asleep. He was asleep, he was snoring and you had never been so happy to hear that noise.

You finally closed your eyes.

"Goodnight Ed."

Tags: @jacklesdeanvessel @morning-sky7 @pipsqueakkitten @navs-bhat

[ilongfor-the-arts]

Can I request a Carmen Berzatto x fem! Reader smut? A friends to lovers trope please. They work together in the restaurant and secretly love each other but don’t want to admit it. Eventually Carmy just bites the bullet and tries to confess and then they fuck in his office?

“Bad” at This

Pairing: Carmen Berzatto x fem! Reader

Warnings: sweet then sexy, Carmen is hesitant at first, mild fingering, oral (m! Receiving), unprotected sex, language, mild hand kink

Summary: *in req*

Word Count: 5k

I have been waiting for someone to request him! I had a lot of fun writing this. Enjoy!

When the restaurant was busy, most people despised being at work. They despised the frenetic activity. They despised the feeling of being overwhelmed by the din of screams. In contrast, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've always worked well under pressure, and rush hour meant I wouldn't have to be alone with my thoughts.

I was chopping my ten thousandth onion of the night, mindlessly. I wasn't thinking. I was solely relying on muscle memory.

Chop.

Chop.

Chop.

Chop.

Chop.

Swipe it to the side.

Start over.

I had done this process a thousand, no, a million times before. It felt familiar. It felt comfortable. The din of patrons was pushed to the outskirts of my mind. My world was quiet, unbothered.

Shit.

I could feel him.

He was near.

When he walked into the room, he had an unmistakable, strong, and conspicuous presence.

My hands began to tremble.

I was thrown out of my element.

Everything felt strange, new, and foreign.

He didn't make me feel uneasy. No, we were perfectly at ease with each other. He was one of my closest friends.

I was just madly, completely, utterly in love with my boss.

Every time he was close, the desire to impress him clouded my judgment. The feeling was so overwhelming that I frequently slipped.

He was staring over my shoulder. Not in a creepy, tyrannical overload sense. No, just in a boss-like manner, casually checking in on his employees. Despite the lack of sexuality in his demeanor, the hot breath that grazed my throat gave me subtle goosebumps

My cuts became sloppy, and each section of onion became less uniform than the previous one.

“Your knife’s dull, Y/N. Get a fresh one.”

I knew he was behind me. I was aware that he was scrutinizing every move I made. Even so, when he broke the tension, it made my heart skip a beat. I nodded forcefully and reached for the magnetic strip that conveniently displayed the gleaming rack of knives.

“Hey, look at me.”

He positioned himself to my right and tilted his head to attract my attention. I came to a halt when I met his vibrant blue eyes.

“Are you alright? You seem a little flustered. Your face is really red.”

He always spoke to me softly. I'm not sure if it was naive to believe that the feelings of attraction were mutual based on this trivial fact. I brought my hands to my face, and my cool hands proved to be a stark contrast to my burning skin.

“I’m fine. It’s just really hot in here.”

It was a lie. The temperature in the room was no higher than usual.

“I agree.”

Did he concur? Or was he just saying that to try and make me feel better.

“I’ll work on that.”

“Carmy! I need help over here! Where the fuck are ya’?”

Carmen rolled his eyes as he walked away from my station to assist Richie. I couldn’t help but giggle under my breath. I knew he'd complain about him later tonight as we cleaned, as is our custom.

When he left and the familiar aura faded, the room became noticeably cooler.

-

“I mean, I can’t fuckin’ believe that guy! I swear half the shit he asks me to do is shit he coulda’ easily done himself!”

This grease was truly burned on. I scrubbed harder, the brown splotches gradually disappearing until the gleaming counter was spotless. I was listening, but there was no need for me to respond. Carmen was aware that I was paying attention to his mindless babbling. I was familiar with the procedure. This was his one opportunity to vent after accumulating rage throughout the day.

I couldn’t help but cast a glance to my right. Carmen was sweeping, his strong biceps gripping the broom handle. His large hands dwarfed the skinny plastic. Sweat drops dripped down his large nose, emphasizing his ethereal side profile. I couldn’t help but imagine how his fingers would feel between my legs.

I averted my gaze and concentrated on scrubbing, even though I had already made the counter sparkle.

“I swear he’s doin’ it on purpose. No way in fuckin’ hell he accidentally pushes all my buttons.”

I chuckled.

“You’ve been saying the same thing since I met you.”

Carmen scoffed.

“Well, it’s true.”

I enjoyed the time we spent together after the sun had set on the small restaurant. It was comforting. I didn't feel the need to impress him, and the stakes of the conversation were very low.

His eyes were on me.

I could feel them.

The subtle scuffing of his broom against the floor had vanished.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer.”

Carmen remained silent. But I could see him, looking away, a slight flush on his cheeks. I often felt his eyes burning into the back of my skull. If I was lucky, I caught him staring. But he stared at everyone. It was his job to keep a close eye on everyone. It was difficult to tell whether that was a display of genuine attraction or a job requirement. Besides, I was used to zoning out. I often switch off without realizing that I'm staring at someone, and when I’m discovered, it's embarrassing. And since Carmen and I were kindred spirits, I figured it was a feeling that we could both sympathize with.

“You did good work today. Sorry for makin’ ya come in on your day off.”

“It’s no problem.”

I met his eyes. Sure enough, there was a hint of a flush on his high cheekbones.

“I like being here. It’s fun.”

I sigh deeply.

“Alright, the counters are done. Anything else you need from me?”

Carmen shook his head, his gaze fixed on the floor. At his feet was a small pile of food scraps and stray dust. A few stray curls clung to his sweaty brow.

“Nah, you can head out. Thanks for everything Y/N.”

Hm.

“Are you alright?”

Carmen came to a complete halt. As he gripped the broom for dear life, the veins on his forearms bulged.

“Yeah… Well, no.”

I approached him, smugly leaning against the counter.

“Alright, tell me, what’s up?”

He exhaled slowly. My attention was drawn to the uneasy rise and fall of his chest beneath his dirty white shirt.

Jesus, he was fine a second ago.

What the hell happened?

He fixed his gaze on me. His blue eyes were filled with something I didn't like, something I'd never seen before.

Nerves, unease, and desperation were all present.

“Can I ask you a crazy question?”

He laughed, but the laughter was hollow.

I shrugged casually, hoping to calm his nerves by appearing relaxed.

He had nothing to be concerned about.

Why was he worried?

“Of course! You can ask me anything.”

Carmen clenched his teeth, the muscles on the sides of his jaw bulging from the effort.

“Do you…”

He chuckled. The noise gave me chills. It was an empty, hollow sound.

“God, this is gonna sound so fuckin’ stupid.”

His head fell forward, and he shook it, a few more stray curls falling.

“I promise to give it a serious answer.”

“Promise?”

He inquired. I gave him a mock scout's honor by raising three fingers.

“I promise.”

I smiled, hoping to somewhat alleviate his nerves. Carmen's gaze was fixed on his tattooed hands, which mindlessly caressed the broom handle.

“Do you-”

He gulped, Adam's apple bobbing.

He shifted his weight.

“Do you-”

Jesus, was he trying to kill me?

This suspense was far too much for me.

My palms began to sweat, and my grip on the counter nearly slipped due to the newfound dampness.

“Do you think I’m…”

He shrugged casually, as if he wasn't creating palpable suspense.

I wanted to scream at him to spit it out already.

But, with the intent of being a good listener, I bit it back.

“I don’t know… attractive?”

The silence grew deafening.

What?

Of all the things that could have come from his gorgeous lips, this was not what I was expecting.

“You’re asking if I think you’re attractive?”

Carmen furrowed his brow and vigorously shook his head.

“I’m sorry, I’m so fuckin’ sorry. That’s a stupid ass question.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t know what came over me. God! I wish I never said that!”

I raised my hand to silence him.

“Hey, hey, hey, calm down. I promised I’d give you a serious answer, didn’t I?”

He gnawed on his bottom lip.

“Oh Y/N, you don’t have to do that.”

“No, no, no, I gave you my word.”

I clenched my jaw.

If I said no, this conversation would almost certainly never come up again. It would be pushed to the earth's depths, never to resurface. I could rest easy knowing that I hadn't confessed my undying love to my boss.

If I said yes.

God.

What would happen if I said yes?

Normally, I can predict Carmen's every move, but I'm at a loss.

Carmen clung to every beat of silence. His eyes were fixed on me, waiting for an answer, afraid I'd say no.

“I-”

Jesus, what do I say?

Do I take the risk?

“I think-”

Now I was the one creating meaningless suspense.

Come on! Just say yes or no!

“Yes.”

I blurted out.

That wasn't the only thing I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him that whenever he came close to me, I couldn't tear my gaze away from him. I wanted to tell him that he was the most attractive and intriguing man I'd ever met in my life. I wanted to pull him into me and run my hands along his bare torso as I pressed my lips to his. But I kept it simple with a mere "yes." I couldn't bring myself to say anything more.

Camen raised his brows, then quickly dropped them to maintain his stoicism.

“Um- cool.”

The slight flush on his cheeks intensified tenfold. His gaze shifted away from mine and landed on the slender broom handle. I pursed my lips into a straight line.

“Is that all you wanted to ask me?”

I inquired.

“Yes.”

I could tell he had another question for me. His tone was not convincing in the least. But I decided not to push. I simply nodded reassuringly.

“Alright. Have a good night. I’ll see ya’ tomorrow.”

“See ya’ tomorrow Y/N. Have a good night.”

I brushed up against him. Carmen's familiar scent stood out without being overpowered by the aromas of food. He smelled of cigarettes, sweat, and grease. I shouldn't be so taken with that scent. However, he was able to make the aura of a hardworking man extremely appealing.

I walked past him, my strides slowing, wanting to extend the moment as long as possible in case he had something to say. I began to lose hope with each step, as I increased the distance between us.

“Actually-”

There it was. I turned on my heels and shoved my hands into my pockets to appear confident and at ease. My ears were filled with the audible thrumming of my heartbeat. If this was going in the direction I thought it was going, I wanted to embrace it.

“Yes?”

The tension was palpable. It thickened the air to the point where we were swimming in molasses.

“Y/N, I’m gonna be totally honest with you.”

I gently wiped my hands on my jeans, trying to remove the thick layer of sweat from my palms.

“I’m not good at this...”

His whispering tone gradually faded away into the dense atmosphere.

“What do you mean “this?’”

“I mean- fuck.”

He muttered as he ran a hand through his greasy hair. He scratched his head, and I couldn't help but watch the tendons in his hands and forearms flex. Carmen allowed his strong arm to carelessly fall as he sighed deeply. He met my eyes, running his wet tongue along his bottom lip.

I swallowed.

“I’ve never been a social butterfly and I definitely have never been a romantic.”

So, everything was going as I had hoped.

“I don’t know the right things to say and I don’t know when to say them. I don’t know how to be anyone but myself. Which is both a blessing and a curse, I suppose.”

Holy shit.

Holy shit.

Holy shit.

“So, I’m just gonna say this in my normal, stoic way… because that’s the only way I know how to say it.”

I didn't believe he would actually say it. I anticipated that he would abruptly change the subject. To be honest, I didn't believe this was possible.

“I am in love with you.”

My jaw instinctively dropped.

The confession lacked any genuine emotion. It only encompassed mere traces of the feelings he was hoping to convey.

It was stoic.

However, I discovered that I was completely and utterly shaken. He couldn't have said it more beautifully.

“Well,” I said with a laugh, “for someone who isn’t a social butterfly, that sure as hell wasn’t bad.”

Carmen chuckled.

“Would it kill the mood if I told you that it wasn’t spontaneous at all and I’ve been planning what to say for literal months?”

I shrugged.

“No.”

Carmen smiled. My heart warmed. Despite being his closest friend, seeing him smile was rare.

“Ok, good. Cause if I tried to be spontaneous, it’d be a total shit show.”

He sighed, relieved to have finished the challenging task.

“Can I ask you another stupid question?”

“Of course.”

His gaze trailed down to my lips, a soft blush on his cheekbones.

“Can I kiss you?”

My stomach flipped and blood rushed to my cheeks. My face grew hot. God, we were so juvenile. I smiled tightly.

“Yeah. I’d love that.”

He moved forward, closing the distance between us. His breath gently cascaded across my face. My chest tightened.

“I’m not very good at this either.”

He said with a rigid laugh. I pressed my open palms against his chest. Carmen's throat tightened. His pecs rippled under my foreign touch. Despite this, he kept a steady gaze, his blue eyes fixed on me.

“I do not give a shit.”

I said, imitating his laugh. I hurriedly closed the gap between us when I realized Carmen wouldn't be the instigator.

He was really, really tight. His arms hung at his sides, fists clenched in uncertainty. I pressed my chest flush against his, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders. His muscles were stiff and unyielding.

“Relax Carmy… and lose the broom.”

I whispered reassuringly. Carmen relaxed somewhat.

“Right, sorry.”

He dropped the broom. The plastic hit the ground with a loud smack. I tangled my hands in his greasy hair, urging him to come closer. He obliged, craning his head forward to meet me halfway.

Carmen's lips were surprisingly soft. He was clearly hesitant at first, not wanting to move too quickly. Finally, he found solace in the feel of my kiss and allowed his mouth to mesh against mine in a relaxed manner. I grasped his wrist, bringing it to the swell of my hips. He let it sit, not wanting to alter anything I had done.

“You can touch me if you want. I’m not gonna break.”

Carmen wrapped his other hand around my hip and gently drew me forward, connecting our pelvises.

“Is this alright?”

He murmured under his breath.

“That’s perfect.”

His bulge began to grow against my thigh.

Shit. This was gonna be fun.

“You’re really hard right now, Carmy.”

I said with a chuckle. Carmen broke away, his face bright red. He looked down, confirming that he really was, in fact, hard.

“Ah-shit. I’m sor-“

I hastily cupped his face, reconnecting our searing kiss.

“Don’t you dare apologize.”

I reached between our bodies, cupping him through his jeans. Carmen groaned, my mouth swallowing his noises.

“Shit.”

He murmured, instinctively grinding his hand against my open palm.

“Jesus, you’re touch starved aren’t ya?”

Carmen shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut as struggled to maintain his composure.

“That feels really fucking good.”

His tone was completely erotic. It was low, breathy, and his thick accent added to the sensuality. Carmen’s pleasured expression sent a wave of heat to my core.

God, I wanted his cock in my mouth.

“Can we go into my office? It’s more private there, and, to be honest I think these counters are a little too tall for me to fuck you on.”

-

I had been in his office many times before. It was a place of comfort where I could briefly escape the hustle and bustle of restaurant life. At least, that’s what I told Carmen. Typically I’d need time to gawk at him and wonder what it would be like to have his face between my legs. I’d grow wet at the mere thought of his nose bumping my clit as his tongue delved between my folds.

I wonder if he ever fantasized about me. I wonder if he ever found his fingers involuntarily dipping below the waistband of his boxers. If so, I wonder what fantasies his complex mind was able to conjure.

I hope to learn them one day.

I shoved him backwards. His knees collided with the chair and he fell back with a loud huff. I dropped to my knees, lodging myself between his spread thighs. Carmen’s eyes widened.

“Oh, fuck me.”

If he was becoming aroused solely from the sensation of my hand against his clothed erection, I couldn’t wait to relish in his expressions when I took his cock into my mouth.

I brought my hands to his fly, slowly unbuttoning it and dragging the zipper down to expose a small section of my boxers. Carmen shifted his hips as I dragged his jeans down his thighs. I palmed him through the thin fabric, a small patch of precum appearing on his boxers.

Carmen hissed through his teeth, jerking his head back to fully expose his thick neck.

“Shit, shit, shit.”

He dug his dull nails into the arm rests, veins bulging along his forearms from the effort. I hooked a finger in the waistband of his boxers, dragging them down his thighs just enough to expose his thick cock.

My mouth began to water. The feeling of his erection through his boxers was deceiving. He was really fucking big.

“Jesus Carmy, you’re big.”

I wrapped a hand around his veiny length, gently pumping. Carmen whined.

“Your hand feels really good.”

I dragged my hand to the base before bringing it upwards. I spread his precum around his pink tip, lubricating his cock to prepare it for my mouth.

I grasped his dominant hand, bringing it to my scalp.

“Move me however you want.”

Carmen’s head flopped forward, his cock twitching as he met my gaze. He tangled his hand in my hair, gently tugging on the roots.

Without further ado, I slipped his tip between my lips. Carmen exhaled shakily, his chest heaving with each labored breath.

“That feels really fucking good.”

He chuckled. I swirled my tongue around his tip, slowly taking more of him into my mouth. Carmen maintained eye contact, growing impossibly harder as he watched me take all of him into my mouth.

I groaned, trying my best not to gag as his cock grazed the back of my throat. Carmen furrowed his brow, gently thrusting his hips into my mouth.

My nose brushed against his happy trail. He spread his legs, utilizing the grip on my hair to push me further onto him. I groaned, the vibrations causing Carmen to shudder.

“You-you look really pretty.”

I admired the effort.

I hollow my cheeks, increasing the suction. Carmen groaned and threw his head back, unable to conceal his desires.

“Jesus darlin’.”

Darling?

I rubbed my thighs together, hoping to relieve some of the ache building between my legs.

God. The lamp's soft glow washed over his perfectly sculpted features. His erotic noises were amplified by the blanket of silence. This is exactly how I imagined it when I had my hand between my legs, hoping to recreate a feeling I had never even experienced.

I wanted him to fuck me.

I wanted to hear him moan and I wanted for him to make me cry with pleasure.

It was almost unbelievable that the man who made a living yelling and making sure everything was in order was now gazing at me with half-lidded eyes.

I shifted my hips, resisting the urge to touch myself. I wanted to save all feelings of pleasure for when his cock slipped into me. I wanted to ache for him just a little longer.

“I’m gonna cum real soon.”

Sure enough, his cock began to twitch against my tongue. I bobbed my head faster, expediting the process. Carmen dropped his jaw, releasing one final groan as he came into my mouth. My throat became coated with his hot cum. I bobbed my head a few more times, helping him come down from his high.

When I was satisfied with my work, I released his cock with a loud pop. Carmen looked spent. His body was numb, his eyes were closed.

I crawled onto his lap, gently cupping his face. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, exposing his vibrant irises.

“Are you alright?”

He grinned.

“I’m fuckin’ awesome.”

I pulled him in, pressing my wet lips to his plush mouth. I slipped my tongue past his teeth, deepening the kiss. Carmen groaned. I clung to him, his strong torso pressing against my soft breasts.

He wasn’t close enough.

I needed him to be closer.

I needed him inside of me.

“Can I fuck you now?”

He murmured against my mouth.

Damn, he read my mind.

“You can fuck me anytime you want baby.”

He brought his calloused hands to my thighs, tenderly caressing the supple skin. I glanced down, watching as his dark ink danced along my skin.

“You have pretty hands.”

Carmen chuckled.

“Thanks.”

He hooked his hands under my thighs. Effortlessly, he raised me up, shoving all the papers to the side as he set me down on his desk. Carmen immediately rekindled our passionate make out session, slipping his tongue past my teeth. His hands moved upwards, fingers slipping past the hem of my shirt to touch my bare sides.

I yanked him forward by the collar, positioning his body between my legs.

“Take my clothes off please.”

Carmen scoffed.

“Yes ma’am.”

He tugged on the hem of my t-shirt, lifting it over my head and discarding it haphazardly onto the floor. My shorts soon followed.

I was now only in my undergarments, making quick work of Carmen’s dirty shirt. I ran my soft hands along his bare torso, feeling his muscles ripple under my gentle touch.

Carmen’s hands slowly dragged along my hot skin, hastily undoing my bra strap and allowing the fabric to fall to the floor. His palms hovered over my breasts.

“Is that okay?”

I nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

He began to slowly knead the soft flesh, the heel of his palms brushing against my hardened nipples. I whimpered against his mouth, my nerves on fire from his hot touch. I ran my hands through his hair, indulging in the soft moans that came with the occasional tug of his roots.

Carmen’s hand brushed against my abdomen. He lightly grazed my clothed mound, gently cupping me through my underwear. I groaned, breaking the kiss to lean my head against his strong shoulder.

“Can I?”

I nodded.

“Please. Just-just don’t make me cum yet. I wanna cum on your cock.”

Carmen pushed my panties to the side, hesitantly delving a finger between my wet folds. I arched my back into his chest, raking my nails against his scalp, which elicited a low groan from the back of Carmen’s throat.

He began to tenderly thrust his calloused fingertips against my spongy walls, softly humming in delight whenever I instinctively clenched around his digits.

“Does that feel good?”

He dropped his voice to a whisper. His hot breath brushed against my ear and sent cold shivers down my spine. I glanced between our bodies, nearly cumming as I took in the sight of my walls swallowing two of Carmen’s fingers. The veins of his forearms flexed with every thrust.

God, if only he knew how much I fantasized about his rough fingers pleasuring me.

“Yeah… yeah Carmen that feels really fucking good.”

My body was now red hot with desire, every sense had increased tenfold. The feeling of his fingertips delving into my cunt made me antsy with want for his cock.

“Okay, that’s enough for now, please fuck me Carmen.”

I knew I’d get the chance to cum around his thick digits eventually. There was no way in hell tonight was the last night I’d see Carmen naked.

“Um- will you do it for me?”

I smiled.

“Sure.”

I grasped Carmen’s semi hard cock in my hand, giving it a few pumps. His eyes fluttered shut.

My heart grew. Whatever the circumstances, he was gorgeous. However, something about his vulnerability, his desire to be mine lit a fire deep within me.

I pressed his tip to my entrance, and we both sighed in unison.

“Move your-“

Carmen rolled his hips, pushing his cock past my entrance and deep within my walls. His large hands slammed onto the table, bracing himself so he wouldn’t collapse at the sudden onset of pleasurable sensations.

“Fuck.”

I mumbled, his thick cock stretching me to the brim.

“Feel good?”

I nodded vigorously.

“Fuck yes.”

I said, possibly a little too enthusiastically. Our noses bumped as I hastily reignited the spark between our lips. Carmen wasn’t holding back anymore. He hungrily moved his mouth against mine, shoving his tongue past my lips.

I threw my arms around his shoulder as he began a steady pace. His cock was so perfect it made me dizzy. I feared I would fall if I didn’t hold Carmen close.

“If I knew you felt this perfect I would’ve told ya’ I loved ya’ a long time ago.”

I chuckled.

“Not so shy anymore?”

Carmen slowly increased his pace. The veins along his length bulged. They pressed into my stretched walls and heightened the sensuality of his glorious thrusts.

“Next time I’ll be confident from the start. I’ll give ya’ whatever the fuck you want for being such a doll this time around.”

I jolted, a soft scream spilling from my lips as his tip grazed my g spot.

“Keep makin’ noises like that, I wanna hear ya.’”

I maintained eye contact, allowing any expression roll over my features in the hopes of fulfilling his erotic desires. He was now hitting my g spot with every thrust. I saw in his eyes that he was meticulously crafting his pace in order to best suit my needs.

The tips of our noses brushed against each other everytime Carmen snapped his pelvis forward. I ran one hand down his body, raking my nails through his happy trail before coming back up to fiddle with his greasy hair. I was overcome with the need to feel every part of him. My hands wouldn’t stay in one place. I was finally able to touch him without limits, and I wasn’t about to waste that opportunity.

When Carmen established a groove, his palms cupped the sides of my hips. He brought me forward to the edge of the desk to acquire a more suitable angle to ram himself into me.

The dim light was now illuminating one side of his face, leaving the other in darkness. I grasped his face, running the pads of my thumbs along his defined cheekbones.

The coil was mindlessly tightening within my lower abdomen. Carmen furrowed his brow in frustration.

God, I wish he always looked like this.

Sure, I���d seen him concentrate before. But concentrating on chopping onions and concentrating on finding the perfect angle to fuck were two vastly different forms of concentration.

I hooked my legs around his thin waist. All the combined efforts created the perfect angle. I threw my head back, a loud moan ripping through my as I came increasingly closer to cumming.

“Are you close?”

Yeah.”

I murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh fuck I can’t wait for you to cum all over me.”

“Are you close?”

I inquired.

“Darlin’, I’ve been close for the past thirty minutes.”

I was close, so incredibly close. The beginnings of an earth shattering orgasm were seeping into the corners of my brain, clouding my thoughts.

“Lean into me. I want you to be close.”

I tossed my head forward, nestling my face in the crook of his sweaty neck.

This was so much better than I could’ve imagined.

I could smell the cigarettes on his skin. I could feel him pumping inside of me as I caressed his hot skin. I could hear the sensual sounds of sex filling the small office, bouncing around the walls. I could see him, staring at me, relishing in my expressions as he fucked me senseless.

“Oh God Carmy, I’m so fucking close it’s unreal.”

Carmen found my clit, gently grazing his calloused finger against my tight bundle of nerves. I came loudly, my walls squeezing his cock as I reached my high.

Carmen twitched inside of my overstimulated walls, cumming shortly after me. His hot load painted my walls. I watched. I watched his expression gloriously contort in pleasure as he came inside of me, his beautiful face glimmering with perspiration in the soft glow.

He gave a few lazy thrusts, wanting to prolong the sensation for as long as possible.

“Jesus Carmen, for someone who “isn’t very good at this,” you sure act like you know what’s goin’ on.”

Carmen smirked, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

“What can I say, I’m a fast learner.”

He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.

“I promise I’ll make you really scream next time.”

His sultry tone made my heart flutter.

“Promise?”

I asked.

He held up three fingers.

“I fuckin’ promise.”

[blissfulraine]

I need fluff/funny in my life...

Maybe like imagine how guys react when Y/n not answering texts only to find out later when she arrives back to find out her phone just died due to forgetting to charge it or playing games on it too long that it died-

Enjoy writing this lmao

sorry it took legit a thousand years to reply to this one but her you go this is based off of bayveres tmnt.

warnings: grammer and spelling mistakes, and angst( mention of death).

-LEO-

he wasn't all to concerned at first with you not texting him back. your a busy person with a busy life, but its now officially 7:34pm and haven't answered a single text message from him. you haven't even read it.

starts by telling himself that you must just be busy walking or still doing things to be able to text so therefore he calls. no answer. he try's again, and still no answer

begins to start span calling and texting you, even using your emergency contact to make sure there was a ring.

mind is racing right now going to absolute worst case scenario.

did you get mugged? are you hurt? are you kidnapped?

blood runs cold at the thought of you dead in an ally way somewhere because of the foot or a random gang.

its 8pm, the time you usually get here, and yet after checking the entirty of the lair, asking around frantically if his brothers, even Splinter has seen you.

after figuring out, no, you were not there he sprints back to his room.

hes throwing on his gear, sheathing katana about to leave but halts right in his track after seeing you, confused eyes and face tilted upwards to meet his frantic gaze.

"Leo, whats wrong?"

bro drops his stuff, as the metal clatters to the floor as he reaches out to you.

your face is met with his hard plastron, heart hammering behind it.

" Y/N, i thought something happens to you, you weren't answering your texts or calls and-" he was cut off by your explanation.

"ooooooohhhhh. i'm sorry i made you worry. my phone hd died because my ( best friends name) wouldnt stop bothering me about this new hobbie they picked up."

the sigh he exhaled as he kissed the crown of your forehead seemed to trail all of that pent up anxiety with it.

"im just happy your here and safe my love."

-RAPH-

hes just working out, sweating up a storm, and thinking about you.

finally, after what felt like an hour, he finished his final rep on working out his fabulous biceps.

walking over to the bench you would always sit, he picked up his towl and whipping is face and neck in one fowl swoop.

speaking of you, weren't you meant to be here by now? you were almost always around when he was working out, even when you were running a bit late from work.

he picks up his phone, looking almost microscopic in his hands, even though it was modified just specifically for his large hands.

8pm. your (place of work) closed an hour ago.

even if you were taking the bus or metro its not that far.

did you walk? he doesn't take you to be stupid, especially with the crime wave wit gangs that have been happening recently.

then he remembers vividly the argument you two had last week; when he had been following you home and asking Donnie to check your location constantly. how you told him rather angerly that you could take care of yourself and how he scoffed.

you wouldn't put yourself in harms way just to prove him wrong would you?

that temper h was so famous for began to bubble in his chest, but an even greater feeling beat it. Fear and guilt.

as he explored the lair, in persute of trying to find you in your most frequent of locations he began thinking.

if you gut hurt out there, it would be all his fault.

looking in the kitchen and the moving his gaze to the dinning room.

the idea of you being hurt made him cringe as those feelings swelled and filled him. the pure grotesque imaginary of you trying to defend yourself from someone twice your size and being hurt in disgusting and morbid ways. maybe even being worse than just hurt.

his tooth pick snapped in half. he looked down at its broken pieces.

chucking them to the trash, not even checking if they made it he makes a dash to his room, heavy footsteps thudding as he went.

he stopped at seeing you placed on his bed plugging your phone into the charging port on his desk.

"oh hey raph," you say to him not looking up.

he runs over to you and smashes his rough lips on yours as your eyes widden in surprise. it was a hot minute before he let go.

"what was that for?" you asked breathless.

" it thought something happend to ya tiger."

you giggle, quirking a brow" i'm fine! Vern and i were talking about some business deals, and so he drove me home after work cause my stinking phone died."

next second Vern passes by the door asking whoever was in the hall where the remote went.

raph kisses you once more " love ya babe."

you give him a slight punch to the arm "love you too big red."

-DONNIE-

working in the lab as per usual, didn't actually realize what time it was till he looked over at the clock. 10:30pm.

his brows furrow, as he looked around for your presence, the couch he set up in the corner didn't seem to have you on it, just an immense amount of blankets and pillows on every surface.

he grabs his phone and texts you. no answer. he assumes your somewhere you cant text or maybe your notifications are off so he calls. again, no answer.

he told himself he would only track you in case of emergency but at this point his mind was panicking.

its so late where could she be? hes running through possible locations as he pulls up your phones GPS log. but theirs nothing showing. a slow chill runs down his spine, under his shell and through his whole body as he realizes your completely off the grids.

he checks the lair but you're nowhere to be found.

fully panicked he begins hunting for his gear and boa in his lab. it causing such a racket you wake up from your nap, as you move the blanket off your head.

"Donnie? what are you doing?" you ask sleepily rubbing under your tired eyes.

he does a full 360 turn, coming to look down at you buried fully under all the blankets. turns out you didn't add to your collection. you were the collection!

" Daring! you scared me, i thought you were still out. because you weren't answering any of my calls" he says rushing over to you an smoothing out your hair as he sat down.

you rolled your eyes at the tall dork.

" Donnie, i told you i was here when i walked in like three hours ago. my phone died and has been charging for that entire time." you finish with a wave of your hand to the desk right next to you, filled wit books, mugs ,and sure enough your phone fully off, on the charger right there.

you giggle at his face "oh." was all he could make out as you burst out laughing, kissing him on the cheek.

"your so goofy."

-MIKEY-

lazily twirling a nunchuck in one hand while reading an old comic book in the other. mikes latest trick was the ability to flip pages with his nunchucks and by gods was he ecstatic to show it to you when you got here.

he looked over at the alarm clock you got for him, an orange one with black and green stripes. it read out 8:45.

his brows furrowed and his smile drooped as his nun chucks expertly came to a halt in his grasp.

picking up his phone he texted you in the most serious manner he could, beginning to worry. it was just simply asking you where you were and when you would be down. a few minutes go by and nothing happens, you don't even read it. so he sends a few more and waits for a reply. again no answer.

he dials your number frantically, and yet after calling twice threes still no response.

refusing to let his mind wander to anywhere dark, he thinks maybe your just here?

sitting up he looked around and called out for you.

"Y/N? you here angel cakes?"

there was no answer from anyone, that was until Leonardo entered his room.

"they're not in here with you?" he asked confused. Mikey shook hsi head no, his eyes wide and panicked as he jumped up, abandoning his newfound talent.

" i thought she was out there?" she should have been her an hour ago dude!" leo nodded to his younger brother who started throwing his gear on.

"did you call her?"

"Yes dude!" he said picking up his second nunchuck from up off the floor. "i called and texted her, and she didnt respond at all!"

leo accnowleged this new information with another nod" ill go see if donnie can track her phone."

"i cant see to find her guys." Donnie states anxiously turing around to face the entire inhabitant of the lair, including Splinter whom sits in the corner silently stroking his beard.

"shes completely off the grid." everyone murmurs and turns to Leo for the next move.

"gear up guys." he says un-sheathing his katana," lets go find Y/N."

as they were all just about to run out, fully geared up they here a small voice.

"guys? where are you going? if you leave now your pizza will get cold." they turn, almost all in unison to see you holding 5 extra large pizza boxes smiling up at them.

mikey is the first to move out of the four as he reaches down placing the pizza on the nearest surface and swooping you up into a bear hug.

" BABE! OH MY GOD! we thought something happens to you and we were about to go try to find you!" you looked at him confused." what do you mean thought something append to me?"

Donnie stepped forwards, explaining how they couldn't contact you or track where your phone was.

" yea i was playing games on my phone while waiting for pizza, and it died cause it took forever."

" oh thank god your safe," mikey sighed ourt swaying back and forth.

" y/N, please tell us if your phone is going to die soon so late at night." Leonardo states heading in the direction of his room." it will save a lot unnecessary stress if we know your not hurt."

( photo of all of the turtles after realizing your not dead)

okay thats all! hope you enjoyed. now, remember to drink plenty of water, eat bot body and soul nourishing foods and get plenty of sleep. ta ta lovleys!

:)

[constellation-em]

'You Never Asked Him What It Meant' - Din Djarin/Reader

This is a snippet from a WIP of mine- reader has lost Din, and a wandering woman has just asked if they would like her to wait with them. I'm not so good at writing full blurbs but want to practice more, so I figured I would get this small piece out. Please leave feedback! I need it lol, writing fanfiction is a lot different than the literary analysis like I'm used to.

words: 1.1k

warnings: language

feedback wanted!

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

"No, I just- He'll find me but- I don't even know where the ship is, oh Maker I'm screwed!" Your sobs returned, it felt like the air had been pulled out of your lungs by the fear that always sat in you when Din went after a bounty. What if he didn't come back? You couldn't fly the ship. You couldn't fight. You were just a glorified engineer and medic, basically kept on to keep the ship clean. Why did Din even keep you around?

You liked to think it was because he had taken a liking to you. You had been working on his ship with him for over a year at this point- hired off Nevarro when Karga decided you needed something better to do than slinging drinks. Din hated you at first. He ignored you, and just let you do your own thing. It wasn't until he came back with a stab wound in his dominant arm that your talents came to light.

What he had been told: You could fix a ship in a pinch, and do housework. Not to mention your cooking was not too shabby. "She'll hold you accountable," Karga had said.

What he hadn't been told (and what Greef Karga didn't know, and would never know): You had been getting paid under the table to patch up bounty hunters when things went awry for them. You knew your way around a medkit with your eyes closed.

Din couldn't fix his own arm, much to his demise. He tried, you heard his grunting from inside the cockpit. To be honest, you had been a bit concerned at first that maybe something… less than savory was happening.

"Hey," He had yelled, "You know how to cauterize? Or even use a kriffing bactapad?" You had walked in, and he was a sore sight. Like… a really sore sight. He was sitting in the pilot's chair, facing sideways from the door, hunched over into almost a ball. There was a deep laceration on his right shoulder, and blood caked all around it and his hand.

His hand. That was the first thing you saw, his gloveless hand. This was the first time you had seen any of his skin. Up to this point, you weren't sure he was human. Hell, you didn't even know his name. The next thing you saw was his beskar armor, thrown onto the ground. Normally he was gentle with it, almost reverent. Then you noticed his flight suit.

Pulled down off his shoulder, down his arm, and hanging half off his back. Unzipped and his chest in full view. This couldn't be compliant with his Creed. Could it?

"I- yeah. I'll grab my medkit."

"No need." He grunted, pointing at the box sitting next to him.

"Mando, there's no numbing spray in there. Mine has some, let me grab it. Keep pressure on the wound."

"I said. No need." You could hear the anger in his voice. It wasn't meant to be directed at you; you knew that. It still stung though.

"Alright. But it's gonna hurt." You moved towards him, kneeling on the ground at his side. There wasn't a lot in his medkit. It seemed well-used. There was at least enough to disinfect, cauterize, and cover with a bactapad.

"Good." That made you pause. What did he say? Did he say good? Maker, did Karga stick you on a ship with a psychopath? Or… was it something sadder than that? Did he feel like he deserved it? As you moved to grab his arm, he stiffened up. "Sorry. Not used to… this. Getting help."

"S'okay. Just let me do my thing, Mando, and you'll be good as new." He relaxed a little bit, shoulders falling as he let out a breath. "This spray is gonna be cold. Just a warning." You grabbed the small bottle, giving it a small shake. Good. Mostly full. Although you figured you wouldn't need much, seeing as he literally said good to it hurting. You pointed it at the cut, giving it a spray.

"Dank Farrik! Fuck!" He jerked out of your grip, grabbing his arm and hissing with pain.

"Shit shit shit shit I'm sorry Mando I tried to tell you-" Fuck you had warned him right? He paused, and tilted his head towards you.

"Keep going."

"Say again?"

"Keep. Going." So you did. You gave him another spray, and you grabbed the cauterizer. Every sound you made caused him to stiffen up, and every time you grabbed his arm again he relaxed. It was a never-ending cycle of cusses and hisses and gentle shushing.

By the time you finished and applied the bactapad, his breathing had settled down to a normal pace. You looked up at him from your place on the floor. He was silent, which wasn't uncharacteristic of him, but you were worried. What if he was mad at you for helping him? He had asked, but still. What if he fired you, sent you back to working at a shitty guild bar and dealing with flirtations of douchey bounty hunters? You couldn't go back there. You wouldn't.

"Thank you." It was a small sound, a barely heard sentence. You weren't even sure you heard it come out of his mouth, until he turned to face you directly. His hands reached out and grabbed your shoulders, thumbs lightly stroking them.

"It's nothing, you were hurt… I couldn't let you suffer like that Mando." He tilted his head towards yours, the cold beskar of his helmet pressing against your forehead. You weren't sure, but you thought maybe this meant he was warming up to you.

"My name is Din. You should know that… if you're going to be my medic." Oh. Oh. You weren't even expecting a thank you out of him. And he gave you his name? You didn't ask for it; he bared it to you, just as he bared his soul when asking for help, when showing you his scarred and wounded skin. "Will you? Be my medic? I wish Karga had told me about your skills before… that piece of bantha shit keeps so many secrets." This was a new side of Man- Din. You had never seen him so talkative.

"I- yeah. Yeah Din. I'll be your medic. From now until you get tired of me. If that's okay?" You chuckled against his helmet, and if you heard right, he did too.

"Of course. Of course it's alright cyar'ika."

You never asked him what that meant.

thank you for reading!

[writingsofestella]

vespera - ch. 1

Apostate!Din Djarin x Ex!Jedi!OC -(no use of Y/N ) Canon Divergent - some plot changed for sake of story, the razor crest lives )

tws // general canon violence, usage of blasters and weapons, mentions of death, minors DNI 18+ only, angst, mature content, cursing, name calling, more tags to be added later on

a/n: thank you all so much for the love and support on the last chapter. it means the absolute world to me that you guys would read my silly little story. hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. it's setting up more of the plot this time.

wc: 2716

previous chapter: [here]

She was running. With quick weaves and bobbing, she was swerving through the marketplace. People were angrily yelling, but she paid them no mind as she pushed through. The more distance she put between herself and the bounty hunter after her, the better. Adrenaline filled her, as natural and seconded nature to her now as the Force that ran through her veins.

Another sharp turn, and she was darting down an abandoned alleyway, out of the crowd, out of the sharp sunlight. She could hear, feel the angry footsteps barreling after her, unrelenting and honed in on her.

With a quick glance, she was pushing herself up, climbing up the wall, feet digging into foot holes and hands grasping at barely there indents to pull herself up. Using the Force, she used it to push herself up faster, give her more strength than she felt she truly had.

A blaster shot fired right next to her ear.

It sent debris flying, hitting her in the arm she used to try and protect herself, as she slid down half the wall. Ringing exploded in her ear, feeling how her flesh burned in response to the close proximity. Digging in her nails, she dug in her footing, pushing herself up more frantically now, quicker.

She only got a few more feet up the wall before another blaster shot was firing toward her, this time trying to catch her. She narrowly avoided it, pulling herself up and over the wall, rolling away from the ledge.

"Stupid bitch!" The bounty hunter, a sleazy, worthless example of a man, shouted up at her. "When I get my hands on you, you're going to wish you were dead!"

She simply laid there, trying to catch her breath, chest heaving as she laid on top of the roof, sun and heat bearing down on her. But she was out of his sight. She was safe, for the moment. He wasn't a very good bounty hunter, but to sink so low to calling her names atop of that? She liked having a challenge, sometimes.

Suddenly, the heat from the sun, the light, was blocked from her vision. Her eyes jerked open, and above her stood him.

The Mandalorian.

He stood above her, broad-shouldered, blocking out any light with his beskar armor, head tilted down at her menacingly. Her own personal ghost.

Before she could move, could scream, his hand was darting out to grab her.

She jerked awake.

It was with a choked gasp she took in air, hand coming over to clutch at her chest. Over her racing heart. Her wide eyes took in the woven, sealed roof of her one-roomed home, the familiar texture of the stone and wood of the walls.

Her few belongings scattered about, medical supplies on the table, herbs and other plants on the counter by the sink. Her staff by the door, waiting to be used. She swallowed thickly, letting these familiar things ease her back down from the panic of that dream. Let the adrenaline leave her.

The Force, always present to her, always around, ghosted around her, a warm fluttering feeling, reassuring in its silent way. She let it wash over her, calming herself and grounding herself in what she knew, what was real.

That dream had not been a memory. Nor did she know if it was a vision. It was probably just a nightmare, that worry and fear ever present of having to run again, of having to look over her shoulder.

She pushed herself out of bed, not letting herself spiral down those thoughts. She changed into her day clothes that were hung over the frame of her bed. Simple, loose pants, dark green tunic that hung down past her legs, her worn down boots she laced up and the belt and hat she slung onto herself. Her eyes traveled to that box she kept under the bed, feeling that familiar longing emanating from it.

The weapon inside called to her, another sense of security, another thing connecting her to that which she had left behind, long ago. Her old life she had to abandon in order to survive in this cruel galaxy.

The nightmare had put her on edge, but it was not the first time she had had a nightmare, let alone one with the Mandalorian bounty hunter in it. After her escape from Utov, she had seen him a handful of other times.

He'd almost gotten her once, so close to cuffing her, but she had managed to trick him, slinking away before he could grab her. His angry steps and curses following suit had told her that he didn't have bounties are tricky as her.

That had been almost two years ago.

She couldn't say she was lucky, considering all of the other bounty hunters that had picked up her bounty in that time, but she knew he was still around. She could hear whispers of his travels on the planets she had been on, of other bounties he had captured. It seemed that he just was focusing on the bounties he could catch.

She let herself feel a little bit of pride with that.

Leaving the weapon under her bed, she walked to the staff next to the door, slinging it over her shoulder along with her bag of medicinal supplies and other things she might need. Putting the large sunhat over her head, she stepped out of her little home into the early morning daylight.

She'd been on the planet of Amia for at least a few months now, enough to see the seasons change from their planting season to their growing season, rich in natural vegetation and wildlife. A forested planet on the outer rim that had only one or two major ports, ones which she was far from now.

There was still a mist on the ground, the little village she was set on the outskirts of still sleepy, still waking up. It had become one of her favorite times to walk, to gather her thoughts and herself before the day started. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, the little village set by the edge of the forests that surrounded this planet. There was a river that ran next to it, which led out to the sea.

She followed the worn trails into more of the heart of the village, her feet naturally following the path. It had become routine, almost, and while she knew routines were dangerous with her type of life, with what hung over her head, she found herself in a false sense of security. Not having to run, not having to fight every second for her life. The villagers here didn't exactly trust her, she was an outsider, after all, but they were friendly enough and made sure she was housed, had food, was able to survive on her own.

It was more kindness than she had received in a long time, the last being the older bartender Danthi on Utov, who she hoped was doing alright, even still.

She made her way through the village as it slowly woke up, greeting the other villagers as they woke up and came out of their own homes, some waving and smiling and others simply nodding at her.

Well. Some villagers were friendlier than others, she supposed.

She made her way to the large home in the middle of the village, surrounded by other smaller homes, a sort of meeting house for the village. Everything was made with the local stone, white, and the dark colored wood of the forests nearby. The planet provided everything they needed, really.

It only was this peaceful because of how far it was from anything else in the galaxy, all of the other conflicts and wars.

Pushing herself through the door of the meeting house, she found she was the first inside. Which wasn't unusual, she just liked being early. she went about her routine, setting up her medical station, setting out what she might possibly need to further treat injuries from yesterday and treat the wounds of today.

The planet might have been far from any conflict from others, but there were wild animals in the woods, and accidents happened.

It was her way of contributing to the village, to help make up for the kindness and what they had given her. It helped play into her story she had clung onto. A refugee from the war, a healer who had lost her family, seeking some sort of safety.

It wasn't entirely a lie, at least.

As she settled into her spot, the first of many for the day came in, asking for help with a wound. And her day flew by in a blur of helping people. She said a quick hello to the other young woman who helped with medicinal things, Ghinia, before she was soothing a young girl who'd twisted her ankle.

Telia, she believed her name was.

She soothed the young girl, along with the mother and Ghinia, wrapping it in bandages and making sure it wasn't broken. She was crying, but she wasn't screaming in pain, which was a relief in of itself.

Ghinia and Telia's mother conversed as she finished wrapping up the ankle, talking about fixing the hole near the edge of the village where Telia had fallen into. It hadn't been the first time this hole had opened up, and they couldn't figure out why it kept coming back.

It was this moment, while the two were distracted, that Fyra let her hand hover over Telia's ankle. "Now, I'm gonna tell you a little secret." She spoke softly, a reassuring smile on her face.

The little girl, with tear stained cheeks and big, red-rimmed, teary eyes, sniffled and looked up at her. There was a look of curiosity in her big brown eyes, wanting to know, as all children did at that age. "What is it?" She asked, momentarily forgetting about her ankle.

"Well, did you know that you're my only patient to come in with a sprained ankle not screaming?" She said, smiling, her hand still hovering over Telia's ankle.

The little girl's eyes widened. "Really?" She whispered out. "Even Big Henry screamed?"

Ah. Big Henry. The head of the outlook team here. A man her own age, large and broad and with an ego large enough to fill the entire village.

She simply grinned at Telia. "Yes. But you have to keep this secret between us, okay? You're my strongest patient."

It wasn't really a secret that Big Henry, as the children called him, was awful at managing any sort of pain. For being as large as he was and how he boasted about how strong he was, a simple shoulder dislocation made her scream, the whole village hearing it.

Telia nodded, eyes wide and filled with a new sense of respect for herself, believing she was strong. And that was all it took for Fyra's hand to subtly swipe across the girl's swollen ankle, relieving and healing it with the Force, at least partially.

Instead of being down for two weeks, she'd be off her feet for a few days, most. Which she knew Telia's mother would appreciate, having two other little ones to wrangle up and take care of.

It was hardly the sort of grand scheme or plan she was sure her old Masters had for her when she was a padawan in training, but she was using her natural gifts to heal people, even as little and simple as this.

"Mama, did you hear Miss Fyra?" Telia said, eyes wide and full of wonder as she looked up at her mother.

The mother simply smiled as she finished her conversation with Ghinia, tired, and shook her head. "I did not. What did she say?" She asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice, eyes darting to the healer in question, as if partially worried what the outsider had said.

"She said I'm her strongest patient!" Telia whisper-shouted, as if it was truly something secretive. "Because I didn't scream. At all!"

The mother chuckled, and then bent down, scooping her up off of the chair she'd been on. She settled the young girl over her hip, her daughter becoming almost too big to pick up. "Well, Miss Fyra is right. You are strong. And very brave too." She said, voice full of amusement and fondness.

The mother then looked to Fyra and gave a thankful nod before turning back to Telia. "Let's get you home and cleaned up. Your father and brothers are probably worried sick about you."

"We can tell them I'm the strongest so they don't need to worry!" Telia exclaimed happily, the pain in her ankle almost all gone, almost completely forgotten about. Telia waved from over her mom's shoulder, squirming almost. "Thank you, Miss Fyra! You're the best!"

Fyra felt a smile on her face, a warm feeling in her chest at the little girl's antics. She watched as they left and then she leaned back on her heels from where she'd been sitting in front of the chair Telia had been on.

A hand was offered to her, and she took it, Ghinia helping pull her up. "That's all she'll be talking about for weeks. Now all of the kids are gonna have a competition to see who can scream less." She snorted in amusement. "Clever thinking, girl."

Fyra shrugged, a sheepish but amused look on her face. "If it helps save our eardrums from early deafness, I'll take it." She commented, and brushed her knees of the dirt and dust from the ground.

"So will I." Ghinia chuckled, smiling. She stretched her back out and then glanced outside of the building they were in. "It's getting late. Probably about time to close up for the night and get some dinner."

Fyra nodded, and moved to start cleaning up her station, putting her supplies back away where they belonged, a comfortable quiet between the two women. It was hard to let herself fall into these routines, when her past had been filled with only running and surviving. But this was as familiar to her as the back of her own hands, healing people.

As they finished wrapping up, they closed up the building for the night and left, walking toward the mess hall, where many of the other villagers were walking toward. Torchlights were lit as the sun was setting past the trees, and within the confines of the small village, it felt safe.

Even still, she couldn't help the feeling of the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up. Like she was being watched. Her eyes moved toward the edge of the tree lines, where the torchlight didn't hit.

It was probably just a wild animal. There were many creatures out in the woods they did not mess with after dark. They kept their distance, and the animals kept their own. They roamed the deep woods and only ventured during the night, but they did not leave the woods.

It was why the feeling of being watched made her steps slow, her gaze on the treeline. Her eyes tried to focus, look through the dark, shifting trees, as if she could see… something. Something reflecting the torchlight as it shifted and moved.

Ghinia took notice of this.

"Fyra?" She asked, tilting her head, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "What's wrong?"

Fyra shook her head, trying to break herself out of the trance she'd found herself in. She blinked and whatever was reflecting the light was gone, disappeared as if it was never there. "Nothing." She brushed off the concern of the other woman. "Just lost in thought."

Ghinia patted her arm and led her toward the mess hall. "Well, food for thought isn't very filling." She retorted with a smile. "Time to get some real food in you."

With that, the two walked toward the mess hall, the glint of metal slinking away further and further into the trees, camouflaged and hidden.

Following and watching the runaway jedi.

all writing is my own. please do not redistribute, repost, or share on other platforms. thank you

[cherryc1nnam0n]

The Goddess of Love that lacks self love | PLus Sized!Reader x Brother!Thor and Brother!Loki

This is this request! Hope you like it sweets!

Summary: Y/n Odinson, the third kid of Odin, shadowed by her brothers she always felt like she needed to be more, to be at level with them, without knowing that they love her just the way she is...

Cw: Depression, bashful comments, dysmorphia, lots of fluff, comfort, angst, loving brothers, Frigga is a sweetheart, Hela doesn't exist for my own health and Odin is a good dad for once to all his kids, reader is loved but she doesn't see it until later

Being Odin's daughter meant you had a huge status in Asgard, carrying the heavy name that was Y/n Odinson, Princess of Asgard, Goddess of Love. An ironic name when it came to self love, which Y/n lacked her whole life.

As a kid she would always be a loving kid, making everyone feel loved and see their self worth, many times she separated her brothers from meaningless fights they had with just her calm aura and bright smile.

But unlucky for Y/n she could never manage to have a "glorious" figure, she had always been on the chubbier side, unlike her brothers, who grew up to be lanky and strong.

She would always bash herself for not looking half as good as Thor and Loki, always going on diets to try and lose the extra weight, but no little to no avail, since her mother always encouraged her that she shouldn't punish herself like that.

"But mother! Look at me! I look like a cow..."

"But dear sister, cows are magestic animals, I love cows!" Thor would say, making her roll her eyes.

"I meant that as in I'm ugly!" she picked at her food "I'm not hungry..." She looked at Loki who raised an eyebrow at her, detecting the lie "Don't" he raised his hands in defeat "Can I excuse myself mother? I don't feel okay" again Loki looked at her "Can you stop?"

"Yes sweetheart you can go" Queen Frigga, your lovely mother said, exchanging a look with your father

As you walked out the dinning room she sighed

"I'm worried for her, she is always making everyone feel loved, why can't she love herself?" Your mother said sadly "She didn't even touch her food"

"I'll talk with her, love, she's just in a bad mood..." Odin said, he knew what was wrong with his daughter

..........................................................................................................................

"Y/n sweetheart, can I come in?" It was your dad, you reluctantly sighed and allowed him entry "I wanted to talk with you"

"Father I'm not in the mood..." You said hiding in your covers

"Then just listen to me..." You heard him closer "You are loved, my everyone, by your mother, your brothers and by me even more, the kingdom loves you my dear daughter and you must feel that, as the rightful Goddess of Love that you are, you know it... You know the truth you just choose not to believe it... Hopefully one day you'll see it..."

A few moments of silence followed and then your door closing, you sighed

"I just... I'm not like them..."

.........................................................................................................................

"Come on sister! We'll have a great time!" Thor practically dragged you out of your chambers and out to the town of Asgard, saying you would spend a siblings day together

"Brighten up dear sister, it's just us today" Loki added

Exactly... Just us...

The problem wasn't them, you love your brothers to death, the problem was, you didn't like them to be seen with you, feeling like you might make them look less elegant with your bigger figure, you weren't small, you were a little big smaller than Loki, the problem was your big hips, stomach and thighs, your dressess hid those last ones but the others? Only accentuated them...

"Look sister! You love these don't you?" Thor held up some peaches, they looked so ripe and juicy, making your mouth water "They smell so good, we'll take 10 please" he said to the vendor, you were distracted by Loki examining other products

"What are you looking at Loke?" You said next to him

He showed you a beautiful bracelet, with a rose quartz in the middle

"Tell me Goddess of Love, what is this stone again?" He smiled at you, knowing perfectly the name of it

"It's rose quartz, it's for self love..." You sighed "Can you stop with that? I know I have issues okay?" You walked away from him and to another table.

A green shimmer enveloped your wrist, the bracelet appearing around it, you looked up to see Loki and his warm smile.

"You need it sister... For being the Goddess of Love you lack self love" he kissed your temple and you wanted to smack him.

"Sister, eat one of these, they always cheer you up" Thor offered you a ripe peach, rosy and delicious

"Thank you Thor" he then kissed your forehead

Your brothers really did love you...

"Sister look! You're the best at these games!" Thor said pointing at a shooting game "You have great aim, wanna play?"

You thought about it for a moment and nodded, putting your peach away in your pocket dimension, you had mastered your seidr with Loki for years and were really good at using it.

"You have 3 tries, hit the target and win any of these prices" The man announced showing all the stuffed animals hanging

"This should be easy" you grabbed the bow and arrow and pointed at the target, closing your eyes you fired and hit the center perfectly "Oh hey you were right Thor!" you smiled and both your brothers have wide open mouths

"Princess, you still have two tries"

"Oh right! Almost forgot" you shot the next targets and they landed perfectly too, earning you three prizes

A black cat plushie for Loki, a bunny for you and a cow for Thor, he really does love cows, should mention these plushies were big, really big

The day was amazing, you really felt loved by your brothers, and the people in Asgard would often come to you for love advise, walking away with smiles on their faces from being satisfied with your answers.

"See? You are loved, it doesn't matter your size, what matters is the size of your heart" Thor told you munching on a pork leg

"And the size of your actions, look around you, people smiling and feeling loved when you arrive" Loki added, making you feel even better about yourself

Now you could see it, you are loved, loved by many, there was almost no reason to hate you, no one could hate someone so lovely and graceful like you, and now you could feel it...

You were no longer the Goddess of Love that lacked self love...

[cobbssecondbelt]

Dincember 2023 - Day 9: Boots

Din missed home. The old apartment they had been cramming themselves in for the past two weeks was nothing like their house, their real house, where the kitchen always smelled rich with spices and the garden was always either blooming with flowers or full of fruits and vegetables. Mama had worked hard to hide the cracked brown walls with her tapestries and rearrange the rooms to make the place pretty enough, but it still stank of humidity and didn’t have a garden.

Their new bedroom was not comfortable either. The thin mattress laid on the floor, barely large enough to fit all three of them. It technically wasn't, and Papa often woke up on the ground in the morning. He never complained about it, like he didn’t complain about anything.

Din laid awake in the empty bed, unable to find sleep. There was too much noise, between the neighbors stomping over them, shouting besides them, laughing bellow them. Mama was talking to somebody on holocall in the living room, which was also the dining room, which was also the kitchen. It was dark, only a thin stripe on yellow light coloring the floor of the corridor from under the door to Papa’s workshop. Din stared at the light, trying to ignore the uncomfortable crawl in his skin and the uneasiness building in his chest as he listened to the wind whistle through the gap in the window seal.

Din hated being alone.

Clutching his teddy tooka in his small hands, he left the cold bed and went quietly to the half-closed door. Once the perimeter seemed clear, he tip-toed his way into the workshop. Silent as at loth-cat, Mama would say.

The warm light was an automatic reassurance. Then, the smell of drying leather and cut wood. Unfinished lutes and guitars laid across every table while freshly dyed pieces of leather hung over the stand in a corner. It was a lot smaller than the one at home, but still felt relatively the same. At least one thing did.

Papa was sitting at the smallest table, hunched over his work under the wavering glow of the lamp. He didn’t seem to notice Din, not until he tapped his shoulder, causing the man to jump.

‘’What are you doing awake?’’ he asked quietly, not sounding upset, and not impressed either.

‘’Scared.’’

‘’Come here.’’ Papa turned over on his stool and sat Din on his lap. He was fixing Din’s boot, he could see now, the one with the broken sole from the pair he had made him a few years ago, when the cold season got particularly harsh.

‘’Can you fix it?’’

Papa smiled. ‘’Everything can be fixed, with a little bit of patience.’’

Din watched him work for a handful of minutes, leaning his head against his shoulder when his eyelids began to feel heavy. He always enjoyed watching him work; the ballad of his fingers was nearly as soothing as Mama’s lullabies.

‘’Papa?’’ he asked.

‘’Hm?’’

‘’Can we go home?’’

Papa didn’t speak for a while. He carded his fingers through Din’s hair.

‘’This will have to be home for now.’’

‘’Why?’’

Papa moved Din on his knee so he could face him better. His face was soft, but his eyes were searching for something.

‘’There... is a lot of people, having big fights right now. They fight in the plains, with their big ships and their weapons. Like they did on Opa’s and Oma’s land. We are safer within the city, where the walls can to protect us. They won’t reach us here.’’

Din frowned. That wasn't what they had told him, when they packed all their belongings and hurried to leave home without a word past ’Don’t worry, just don’t forget anything’, two weeks ago. They didn’t visit the city much before, until a few months prior when the neighbors moved there, then Din’s aunt, and Mama’s parents, and cousin Frida, and them, at last. It didn’t make sense at the time, didn’t make much more now, and Din thought about a word he’d overheard a few times in the streets.

‘’Why are they fighting?’’ he asked instead.

Papa sighed. ‘’I don’t know, Dinino. I wish I understood, too.’’

They didn’t talk again until the boot was done fixing. Papa put down his tools and lifted the shoe under the light with a satisfied hum.

‘’Here, like new!’’

‘’Thank you, Papa.’’

Papa ruffled Din’s hair again and planted one of his usual kisses on his temple. ‘’I told you; everything can be fixed.’’

Din shuffled to curl up against his chest, body growing heavy with sleep. He let his eyes fall shut as he felt Papa hugging him tight to rock them back and forth, just like they used to in his old chair in their real living room. His robe smelled like dry wood and Mama’s handmade soap. They swayed quietly, listening to the neighbors laughing over them, stomping besides them, shouting bellow them. Next door, Mama ended the holocall.

Papa embraced him tighter. He murmured against his forehead, talking for and to all three of them,

‘’It’s going to be okay.’’

[occasionallyprosie]

"Take A Break"

Chapter 2: "Take A Broken Hope"

Legend was the Veteran, he had experience in all things related to being a hero. However, he didn't have experience with losing hope, yes he's lost hope in others before, but he has always been able to trust himself to get him out of situations, and normally he was the kingdom's hope. Not this time, this time he had no chance of getting himself out and as things progressed he lost hope in anyone else doing it.

Febuwhump 2024 | Prompt 7: Suffering in Silence

<<Previous | Next>>

Event Masterlist

Read On AO3 Warnings: torture, graphic violence

Legend did not know when he lost consciousness, but then he was waking up and he was dazed and his body felt heavier than even after a too-long night's sleep.

When he finally did wake up, he realized he was bound and blindfolded, and... maybe stupidly, he panicked a bit.

He startled, jerking on the ropes tied tightly around his wrists and he hissed softly. His ankles were tied together, like his wrists, but his wrists were tied to something else behind him with extremely little wiggle room.

"Ah, you’re up." He startled, twisting his head and ears to pinpoint the location of the voice.

"Where am I? What do you want?" Legend demanded, snarling a bit. He heard footsteps, wood floors, echoed but not that much, so... a decently sized room, maybe a bit bigger or just mostly empty, wooden floors meant it was a building...

"It doesn't matter, and revenge." His hair was grabbed and his head slammed into what felt like wood behind him. Legend grit his teeth to keep any noise of pain escaping him.

"Revenge?" He snarled. He hadn't done anything here.

"Not on you. On that so-called hero. He got our friends and family killed all because he wouldn't marry some lady. Now we'll kill his friends and family as revenge until the day he dies."

Oh. They're after the captain.

"Don't you touch him," he growled.

"He isn't the one you should be worried about," they said, and Legend could feel them moving closer. Their hand in his hair let go and promptly grabbed his chin, he froze as he felt their breath on his face. "You were fun to kiss when you couldn't fight back, I wonder how much better you'd be when you can."

Oh goddesses no. He could take torture but Farore, goddess, please don't make him--

"Oh, I always thought those over-dramatic stories were just that, dramatic, but I can taste your fear." Their breath still ghosted over his face.

He opened his mouth to tell them to get away, to bite at them, to headbutt them, something dammit! But their grip on his face tightened and, goddesses above, he could hear the grin.

"They said I could do what-ev-ver I want to... We'll have some fun together, won't we... What's your name?"

The grip loosened and Legend snarled, begging his rabbit heart not to control him. "Go jump off a cliff."

Nails dug into his cheeks. "Oh, you most certainly will be a fun one, won't you."

Legend has been stabbed before, he's been cut, he's taken hits while high on adrenaline and while half asleep. He's been struck by lightning for Farore's sake.

Tortured? He's had training to withstand torture, to never give a hint of any information. He was taught that screaming wasn't a sign of weakness, that it was the safest and least harmful way to endure pain--better than clenching teeth, biting tongues or cheeks, or digging nails--however, begging was a sign of weakness.

As a warrior, and as a hero, he couldn't show that much weakness. That was admitting defeat and he was never to admit defeat.

But Din, Farore, and Nayru--he was so close.

He had tried not to scream when his skin was surgically sliced open and needles were driven carefully beneath his nails. He did well to keep silent for what had to of been a couple of hours.

Then the burns started. They cauterized each wound--long cuts from his wrist to his elbow, careful slits in his bicep and thighs, one under his chin that felt moments away from breaking into his mouth--with a red-hot knife.

He screamed then, and when they forced him to drink some kind of poison that felt as if it was burning him alive, sending him into a seizing state and only giving him an antidote at what was probably the last second possible... then only waiting for him to wake back up to put ice on the untreated, still painful burns?

He wasn't okay. He had done a lot of things, he had taken a lot of pain, but the burns and ice were the worst of all of it. Even drowning had been better than this.

"You're something incredible, darling," his torturer purred, Legend hated how kind he managed to sound while tearing apart every last strand of sanity he had. "Nobody else has made it past the fire and ice without begging. You must be trained for this kind of thing... a real child soldier."

"I--" Legend screamed when something electrified was driven into his ribs.

"What was that?"

"I'm--I am not a soldier," he rasped, his throat burning at the words spoken.

"Adorable, really." 

Their fingers trailed over his freezing burns and it felt weird, the nerves were gone but the skin untouched between each new scar was alight. He was still blindfolded, and it was because of that sensory deprivation, he felt everything else that much more.

"You’re doing so... well."

Another scream ripped from his throat as his nerves burned. Electricity tore through his body, his lungs, burning everything in its path and golden three, he took it back. He had just forgotten how awful that lightning strike had been and suddenly he was reliving it.

His screams just failed, they trickled out, his voice broken and throat raw. 

At some point, he couldn't even scream, his throat so raw not a sound escaped him.

The fire, ice, and electricity continued, but the psychopath decided to do all at the same time in addition to that burning poison and...

If he could, he would be begging, no matter what training he had.

"Oh, you cry so well, little soldier."

He hated it. He hated that condescending tone. He hated being called a soldier because he was not a soldier.

Soldiers were followers. Soldiers followed a set of fallible rules. Soldiers could be corrupted, influenced, and controlled. Soldiers followed the money. He was no soldier. 

Another silent scream was stolen, another attempt at begging for a reprieve cried out and left unheard.

It didn't stop, but suddenly his arms were unbound and his body roughly dragged. It sent the pain into overdrive and for a moment he floated. For a moment it all blinked out.

Then he came back, held limply against what felt like a chest, and he felt the blindfold be taken off.

Light didn't assault his eyes, everything was muted, but the world he saw was bloody and awful. A table soaked in blood and various items he realized had been the tools used to chip away at him.

The door swung open and Legend felt a surge of relief.

Warriors stood in the doorway, eyes blazing something terrifying and sword drawn. He froze where he stood.

The chest behind him shook, Legend took too long to realize it was laughter.

The captain's eyes completely slid over him, he moved to the table and called over his shoulder.

"Rancher! I got blood here!"

Why didn't he see him? Why--

The shadows always felt close, but Legend realized belatedly that the person who held him was hiding them both inside the shadows.

No. No, no, no. He couldn't--He was so close! Captain!

Nothing more than a high rasp escaped him.

The chest shook harder.

Then Wolfie entered, padding into the room and raising his nose in the air to sniff. Legend internally begged, for the first time in his life, that the hound would find him.

He tapped Warriors' leg twice with a paw.

Warriors snarled. "Find them."

Hounds couldn't follow shadows. They wouldn't find him. They wouldn't find him!

No! No! 

Wait no. Stop! He wanted to scream, he tried to scream but nothing came out. His throat burned from the overuse but it wouldn't work.

He was hidden in shadows--No, he was in control of shadows. His magic wasn't wholly depleted, he could break them free, please!

"Captain!" He wanted to scream, he tried to scream, but nothing broke past his throat.

"The wall... don’t tell me it was a portal," Warriors asked Wolfie, who whined pitifully.

No! He was right here! Please!

The chest shook and a voice whispered into his ear. "So close... yet so far. I'm sure you wish you hadn't screamed so much."

 Wolfie twitched, growling lowly.

Please. Please. He couldn't-- He needed--

Twilight stood in Wolfie's place. "They had to of used a portal or something that let them get through this wall. But this..." his hand hovered over the table, "this was the veteran."

Warriors growled. "The wall? Think we could break it down?"

"Probably. I smelled dark magic on it, so maybe we should call the Traveler over first."

Please. Please don't leave him. Please...

"Traveler!" Warriors called loudly.

A moment later, Sky and Hyrule came skidding into the room.

"Did you--Oh Three." Hyrule covered his mouth and retched. "Please tell me that's not his."

"They care, how adorable." Warm breath grazed over his ear and Legend sobbed, they were right there and he couldn't--he needed them to notice.

Warriors didn't respond. "There's dark magic here. Can you figure it out?"

Hyrule frowned. "I... Well, I'm not really good at tracking other people's magic and all. But it feels like... like Ravio and Wolfie to be honest, not totally dark but definitely not light, a sort of in-between, shadowy magic." His eyes glazed over pink. "I can--"

He froze, staring directly at Legend and flicking his eyes behind him.

"NO--"

The shadows converged on them and Legend could only meet Hyrule's eyes before he was dropped onto new, cold ground, listening to the laughter of the psychopath and the celebration of their escape.

He had been so close...

The pain burned through him, but even so he tried to stand. This was his one chance, wasn't it? He couldn't depend on others to save him, he had to save himself. This was his last shot, he wasn't bound, surely he could--

"Still fighting? And I'd thought I'd broken you."

Next>>

[lovebirdgames]

Peter staggered a step backwards as though Samuel had struck him. When he spoke, his voice was strangled by tears. "What do you mean...you mean that monster we killed at the start of all this...that was--?!"

Cadence felt the same sorrow welling up from within, piercing her heart. She couldn't imagine what Peter felt. She squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears, recalling the peacock-like beast they had killed without a second thought. The unblinking eyes that decorated its tail feathers. The needle-sharp talons that tore at their skin. The way its neck twisted into a saxophone instead of a face.

How did she never realize?

She could feel Tom and Clark on either side of her, trembling as the truth settled over them.

Samuel stepped forward and grabbed Peter's shoulder roughly. "I'm so sorry, Peter," he whispered.

Peter didn't meet his eyes. He stared past Samuel, his eyes unseeing, tears rolling down his face. His entire body shook.

"We didn't know it was him!" Cadence burst out. "If we had, we would've done everything we could to try and bring him back...!"

Still, Peter said nothing. Cadence felt a sudden surge of dread.

"Listen, Peter," Samuel said, his voice soft yet firm. "You can't blame yourself-"

"How can I not, Sam?!" Peter shouted angrily, tearing away from Samuel. "He came to me for help and I abandoned him! If I had stayed by his side...helped him master his instrument like a half-decent older brother...!" A scream tore from his chest. "HE'S DEAD AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

In the same instant, Peter's angel wings burst from his back, scattering droplets of blood. He screamed in agony.

Ice-water filled Cadence's veins. This wasn't Peter's final attack. Instead of glowing bright, his trumpet appeared dull. Black cracks snaked across its brass surface, seeping a strange darkness that curled like smoke. Something was terribly, dreadfully wrong.

The earth began to quake. A low rumble drowned out Peter's cries. Darkness and wind began to swirl around him, cutting off the others.

"No, Peter!" Tom roared, giving a start towards his best friend.

Clark threw out an arm, stopping Tom from going any closer. "Samuel, get back!" He shouted. Samuel looked from Peter to Clark, clearly torn on what to do.

"PETER!" Cadence struggled to make her voice heard over the din. "You can't lose hope! Or else you'll meet the same fate as him!"

Peter met her gaze, but his eyes were devoid of their usual fire. Instead, they shone with pure grief. "If my little brother isn't alive to see the new world...then what's the point?"

Cadence opened her mouth to respond. She wanted to beg him not to give up on his friends. To live on, as Alex surely would want him to.

But the wind doubled in intensity, whipping their hair and capes. Cadence cried out as she was blown off her feet. Her knees painfully struck the ground. She looked up just in time to see Peter's bloodstained wings closing in around him, enfolding him...

The light in his eyes had died. They were dark with hopelessness. She saw his lips move one more time, whispering, "There is no point."

The trumpet in his hands shattered to pieces. The darkness burst forth and consumed Peter completely, drenching his angel wings in crimson. Cadence screamed his name, but could no longer hear her own voice over the sound of the calamity.

Peter was gone.

[bloodandgunsmoke]

@full-of-mercy

Tempestuous winds whipped the sand up outside the ship in a near impenetrable whirl and as he turned his hood up to step outside, Vash found himself immensely grateful for whichever of his friends it had been that dragged them back Home in this mess. It certainly wasn't an easy or comfortable task to accomplish on one's own, let alone with an unconscious person, or persons, in tow. An awning like overhang hung just over the entrance to the ship and around the tilted curve of it to one side. Due to the angle, the entire area beneath the hull allowed for several yards of clear protected space between it and the sand storm. It looked precarious, but those residing on the colony ship knew better. If over a century and a half of gravity and gale force winds hadn't tipped the vessel on its side yet, there wasn't much else that would any time soon.

Vash turned his head one way then the other, as if checking for traffic before taking a tight right, gripping the lead that would keep those who stepped outside from straying to far from the ship. He didn't need to follow it too far before reaching his intended destination, The Thomas pens. What used to be a loading bay had long since been repurposed as a shelter for the birds. Stalls stood on either side, with shelving and supplies along the far back wall. Two thick, semi transparent plastic tarps hung between the climate controlled pens and the din outside and Vash ducked between their part to look inside.

He'd always made a habit of visiting the bird when he'd been younger, at first fascinated by the novelty of real, non simulated wildlife, and then appreciative for the company of beings that didn't gawk at him like an oddity or with outright suspicion, Long gone were the days that he'd felt uncomfortable around members of the crew, but his affection for the Thomas remained. “Knock knock”, he greeted the pens at large, hoping that it wasn't just the usual occupants he would find tucked away within. Part of him would have liked to accompany Meryl and Roberto to the field with Luida to see their reactions, but this... This was more pressing. There were other concerns to considered. What had happened on the humpback.... That man- Livio. it didn't take a seer to see that he had been someone to Wolfwood, someone important. It would have been bad enough, all had taken place before the steamer veered off course- but then to have to contend with the loss of someone he loved on top of that. In such a gruesome way- Only to meet that loss head on with the very real prospect of losing his home and still more of the people he treasured. His heart ached for Wolfwood. He didn't harbor any delusions that the man would be willing or even want to talk about what he was going through at the moment, but Vash intended to at least give him the opportunity.

[ooops-i-arted]

Look, I know only like 5 people including myself care about Cara Dune The Character, but season 3 really missed a chance to give her a good character arc that could mirror a "redemption" arc for Din. (This assumes the show actually goes into that instead of solving it in two episodes.)

Cara may only be a secondary character but she's been one of the more significant ones, and she has had a lowkey character arc + character development each season.

Season 1: Drifter with no purpose/no longer caring finds something to stand for and rekindles her desire to fight the Imperials. She goes from an opponent to a trusted friend for Din. At the end she starts to set down roots on Nevarro.

Season 2: She's been actively helping clean up Nevarro and has found purpose in helping protect its people and continuing to fight Imps. She accepts a role of New Republic Marshal despite previously leaving the New Republic because she felt it "wasn't what she signed up for." She still prioritizes Din over her New Republic duties.

In season 3 we get the see the New Republic up close. Cara would've been the perfect character to see it through. She knew the Rebellion and fought for the same future as Luke, Han, and Leia. We could have seen Coruscant through her eyes, perhaps starting with her being honored for capturing Gideon. At first she sees the good intentions and glitter on top, but slowly the layers are peeled back. Perhaps she sees conflict in what to do about Gideon and is ignored when she says how dangerous he is. Maybe she mentions Nevarro, or the scattered Mandalorians, and is told "the Outer Rim isn't our business" and she questions why they're bothering to patrol it. She gets a medal for her actions but her input isn't valued by those in the Core Worlds. She starts to get disillusioned again - she has been "redeemed" in the eyes of the New Republic, but she sees the same things that caused her to leave ("protecting delegates, suppressing riots" instead of fighting the evil of the Empire and its ideals) creeping back and no one is listening to her try to help her friends back in the Outer Rim by offering the perspective of someone who's been there.

Cara potentially could've faced conflict if the New Republic went so far as to take up a position against the Mandalorians or she was required to go against her friend Din in this season or future ones. Maybe this once again leads to her striking off on her own - but this time she isn't a lone drifter but has a community to return to. Maybe Greef funds her own independent anti-Imperial militia based on Nevarro. Or, Cara becomes an ally working with the Mandalorians with Din vouching for her. This could also mirror an arc of Din learning to walk his own path, on his own terms, as a Mandalorian.

Perhaps Cara could even choose to become a Mandalorian herself, and finally finds peace in belonging in a new community in a way she hasn't experienced since she was on Alderaan with her own people. If the showrunners decide they have to have a romance, this would slot in a LOT more smoothly imo than "Bo and Din are allies using each other and things are tense whoops Bo's character suddenly got half-erased so we can pretend she was always straight heroic and now she and Din are friendsies." (Tbh my first choice is ace Din in canon, but I do like some Caradin and it's because they have a strong friendship.)

Anyway I'm really sad about Cara Dune being written out of the show because I think they could've done some really exciting things with the character. Cara Dune's song was not ready to be ended. Although season 3 in general makes me kinda glad she escaped.