#and even before that we were distant buddies at best

[magnusbae]

met someone from school at a mutual friend's wedding recently, after we didn't speak for like 7 years, a week later dude sends me an invite to his wedding that is in like, two weeks, and when i give him my congratulations but politely say i will not be able to attend, he answers "thanks! why?" WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHY. You don't just ask why oh my god. Thanks a lot bud, now i'll have to make up an excuse for the rest of the day. 🙄

[rninies]

✮ cuddle buddy - choso kamo

synopsis: choso loves cuddling you.

warnings: fluff, gn!reader, clingy choso — wc: 542

notes: CHOSO FIC DEBUT WHO CHEERED + my fics have been so short im sorry </3

choso was never one to like physical touch. he thinks it’s weird, suffocating even. but when you came into his life, that changed, literally. choso who was once distant, cold, and even unwilling to talk to people (you) has now become the opposite. instead of shying away from physical touch, he’s one to initiate it.

“choso, i need to go to the bathroom,” you say, struggling to get out of his hold. choso has his arms wrapped around you tight, and since that wasn’t enough for him, he has his legs wrapped around yours. “it’s not even going to be five minutes.”

“no.” was the only thing choso said before tightening his grip. “i’m already comfortable. you can’t possibly leave now.”

you sighed. “i need to leave now or else i will literally pee myself.”

choso manages to hold in his laugh. “no you will not. stop being dramatic.”

“cho, i’m serious!” you grumbled, trying your best to remove choso’s arm from you. but, knowing how strong he is, you gave up. “it will just be 20 seconds, i promise!”

choso removes his arm. “i’m counting. 20… 19…” you immediately sprint for the bathroom, and even though you know choso won’t get angry when you don’t come back in 20 seconds, you want to be back in his arms again. “4… 3… 2… 1…” you jumped into the bed as soon as he utters the number one.

“see! i’m… back.” you stopped to catch your breath. “seriously, why did you have to do a countdown? it felt like i’m in a survival show where if i didn’t come back in 20 seconds i’d receive a punishment.”

“yeah, well,” choso murmurs, his arms wrapped back around you, this time, tighter. “i’m probably suffocating you right now.”

you hummed. “i don’t mind. if i do happen to suffocate, just know i died happy.” choso laughs, placing a hand on your chin, making you look up at him. “what?”

“nothing. you’re just so cute.” choso says, smiling. “wonder where you got that cuteness from?”

you scoff. “of course it comes naturally! i’m just naturally cute.”

choso chooses to not reply to that, only humming in reply. he moves his position, making it more comfortable for you and him. your head is now resting on his chest, your arm wrapped around his waist. “now this is the best cuddle position.”

“yeah?” choso asks, and you nod. “then we should do this more often.” his right hand finds your left hand and intertwines it together, his thumb softly rubbing your hand. “you think we can stay like this forever?”

“we can. though we’d miss out on dates,” you replied. “i don’t want to miss out on our dates.”

choso chuckles. “yeah, i remember you coming home from work the day before our date and you were practically skipping around the house in excitement.”

“i was not!”

“was too. you almost bumped your head against the doorframe remember?” choso reminds you. “and you slipped in the kitchen, too.” your face turns red from the memory and you’re glad choso can’t see your face or else he’ll be teasing about this too.

“shut up.” you buried your face in his chest. “i hate you.”

“mm, i love you too.”

[evilminji]

Can You "Accidental Baby Acquisition" Yourself?

Like? Say you have a You... who is NOT You, obviously, but A You in the Multiversal sense... and their childhood suuuuuucked. Just? Truely awful for reasons beyond their control.

Such as the veil NOT being so easily peirced in their reality and humanity a bit more... Reactive(tm) to ectoplasm, due to the lower concentration of it in the Everything of their Universe. Which makes their parents research? Unattainable. Dangerous.

Ultimately fatal to their elder sister.

And then later, them.

Not that they were even the loving if wildly eccentric parents most of the other You's KNOW and have. Due to that very say research and their long-term exposure to their own samples. The Reactivity.

"Pit Rage" as some circles call it.

They weren't themselves. Stopped BEING themselves long before their children ever came into the picture. If they could think clearly, they would BEG for someone to save their children. From them. From their house of horrors. From what they've become.

And well? You exsist outside of Time. In the Zone. Maybe you have a wide and crazy adventure with this grizzled, worn, badass of a You. Figure he's pretty cool. Ask if he needs anything. And he laughs this broken glass in your chest sort of sound and says:

"Not unless you could give me a real childhood."

Like? Dude. Buddy. My buddy dude. Gonna have to explain that one. You can't just drop that and walk away. We Crazy Action Bros Adventure(tm) bonded. You can tell me. And reluctantly... he kinda does.

And... Look. You exsist outside of TIME. Your mentor IS Time. You can TOTALLY do that.

This.

But like? You realize... there wouldn't be TWO of you... right? If you take mini-Bamf out of the timestream at point A... you, big guy, stop existing at every instance of point B and onwards.

Yeah. Yeah, he gets that. Fully consents. His life was full of bad decisions and dramatic bullshit. He wants a real childhood. His sister back. Wants them BOTH out of that house and somewhere safe. If he could do it himself, he would. Call it his fucked up way of healing. Finally facing his trauma. It's haunted him long enough.

.....well then. Now You've got a baby and a fussy toddler. They have superpowers because of course they do. That house was OSHAs waking nightmares and deepest fever dreams. Jazzypants is hungy. And baby You did a stinky.

This is Fine(tm).

You're a King! You can TOTALLY handle this! Teeeeeemporarily. Since it's not like they can stay HERE. The Zone is literally uninhabitable long term for the living. So time to fire up the ol Brain Meats. Gremlin Ideas formulating. Loading... Loading... Loooooooading. Got it!

You kidnapped them.

Brilliant! FRIGHTY! Where's the Trenchcoat Booze Slu-...SLUHeuth. Sleuth! Totally what I was planning to say, Starshines! Don't curse. Cursing Bad~☆

The Detective Of Loose Morales in The Trenchcoat, who's Soul I Own, Frighty! Where's he at?? *Distant muffled answer* Close enough! Time to give him a heart attack! And throw a fight! Can you toss me a nightmare medallion? I need to instill mortal terror! Thaaaanks, Frighty! Also can you change diapers? *affirmative noises* Ancients, you're the best.

Smash cut to John Constantine. Busting up some cult, as you do. When? Oh fuck. The leaders heading for the store room! Not today, fucker! They fight. They struggle. It's Manly and Gritty and dramatic! When?

A terrible CRASH. Some artifact must have activated. What... have you DONE? *dramatic musical sting* swirling green and DEATH radiates out from a pin prick of nothing. A black hole in reverse. The cold oblivion of space, given bones to claw its way free. Eyes that sear in colors too technicolor and hypersaturated to be mortal. Green. Green! GREEN.

Ice and stars and death and a terrible, unspeakable Crown.

Two... two little sprogs. Tiny bits of nothing in a monsters hand. KIDS, wrapped up in something they never should of even had to nightmare about. John's eyes catch on red, red hair. A tiny little headband with butterflies on it. Pressed so close to dark locks, as she wraps herself around her little bits of a sibling.

The other ones dressed up in stars.

Someone SOLD their fuckin KIDS. Or this damned this STOLE them. It doesn't matter. Not now, not to John. Because this bastard isn't keeping them. He slides like breathing into the waves of luck and chance, odds and fate. Is on his feet and drawing attention. Whatever it takes, he's leaving here with those kids.

He laughs and it's not a kind one.

"Oi! A word if you will?"

@hypewinter @hdgnj @the-witchhunter @nerdpoe @ailithnight

[annisassintchaska]

please do toto wolff!! 🫶

Finally Together Again: Toto Wolff x Ex-Wife!Black!Reader

TW: Age Gap-Reader is 28 years old

Y/n and Toto had been married for six years and had a son by the name Silas Wolff who is now four years old. Their marriage was once the kind that authors would write about in fictions or romance novels and poets would write rhymes for, until it wasn’t. Y/n had allowed her family to push themselves in, convincing her that their age gap was too wide and that he was too busy all the time and that their child was being neglected because of it with a lot of other reasons that poisoned her mind against her now ex-husband. For Toto is was kind of a similar case where he was told that she was too young for him and that she’d leave for someone younger, that she would be demanding all his attention which would cause him to slack from his job amongst other things. This caused a huge split in their lives due to arguments and fights, ignoring each other and even leaving for days at a time on rare occasions. The last straw was a third miscarriage since they were trying for another child where months later they decided to call it quits.

Their baby boy Silas was deeply affected by this as he wasn’t used to living in separate houses and having to see one parent at a time and so his behaviour drastically changed for the bad. He was usually very talkative around his parents, making silly kids jokes and wanting to be apart of everything going on, yet these days he seemed to be distant and shy almost very uninterested and dull.

It was Toto’s weekend to have Silas seeming that he is homeschooled he’s able to travel anywhere. Toto had joke gotten him ready to go to the paddock and was putting on his own shoes when he heard his son sniffling. Looking back he saw the tears pooling me immediately picked him up. “Silas buddy, what’s wrong, you not feeling well? You don’t wanna go with me?” He asked fearing that it might be the first option. “I wanna go but I want mommy. I miss having her with us” The little one whimpered as the tears finally fell as he was now full on wailing in his daddy’s arms. Toto had no idea what to do in this situation so the best thing he could think of was to call the most needed person right now, his ex-wife.

Lewis had came and gotten Silas as Toto finally called, the phone ringing a couple time before being answered. “Hello, Toto is everything okay?” Y/n asked in concern as he never once called while he was the one on duty. “Not really, Silas had a meltdown concerning you not being here. It is possible that you could come to the paddock today so we could sort this out?” He asked not wanting to pull her from work. “Yeah, I have nothing to do today so I’ll be there in about an hour” Y/n replied before goodbyes were said and the phones hung up.

An hour later exactly, Y/n was spotted walking through the paddock as she quickly made her way to the Mercedes Garage. “Mommy, you came!” Yelled the four years old as he ran into his mother’s arms. “Hi my baby, where’s daddy and why are you out here without him?” She asked in panic mode that he was left alone but was calmed when her son said. “Your here with Sir Uncle Lewis, he took me on a paddock walk. Daddy is in his office” the child explained. Y/n made her way towards the office going straight in and closing the door behind her with the lock. “Hey, you finally made it” Toto declared as he observed how much more beautiful his wife had become. He admired her pretty bared face (her beautiful brown eyes and luscious full soft lips), her sumptuous full breasts thanks to pregnancy, her thick luscious thighs supporting her widely defined hips. “Yeah, I stopped on the outside since I saw him there.” Y/n replied as she admired the man that she was still in love with. His pretty unruly hair, his natural and beautifully aging face, his impressively sculptured body(his lean upper muscles including his printed abs through the team shirt, his long veiny hands and long legs that look like they could go on forever.

“Alright buddy, I managed to get mommy to come here, so you can speak to us now as we’re listening” Toto urged the young boy to communicate his feelings. “I don’t like this. I wondered why daddy wouldn’t come to the house after work but mommy explained that you two were divorced and so our family is divided. I don’t want that because I like having you both together with me. I see all my other friends online with their parents who fight a lot but they aren’t divorced so why are you different?” The little boy who was very wise for his age expressed, breaking his parents’ hearts as they didn’t want their son to be unhappy. “Bubba, daddy and I are separated because we fight way more than your friends’ parents. We are very distant and that isn’t a happy marriage. We were unable to stay that way as it would damage both mommy and daddy” Y/n explained as the little shook his head in understanding. “I understand, my happiness isn’t the only thing that matters so as long as my parents are safe I’m no longer sad” Silas said as he hugged his parents at once before running off to go find his aunty Angela or one of his uncles (Bono, Lewis or George).

The silence in the room was so loud that it was actually heard by the people occupying the space. “I can’t do this anymore. I thought about this before, about how stupid we were to let other people who didn’t know anything about our love ruin our marriage, but it just became real to me after listening to our son. I’ve always loved you and I still do, I also know that you still love me as well so why are we hiding from our feelings and playing around?” Toto questioned as he stared the 5’2 woman down. “Toto, I want to get back together but I can’t risk us hurting our son again. You saw how he is, just imagine what he’d be like if we made him go through this again?” Y/n spoke with fear in her voice at the thought of her son revisiting this traumatic experience once again.

“I promise you it won’t happen again, we’ll get back together but we keep it private, no one will know a thing. We reserve ourselves until our family is at home alone.” Toto suggested. “That sounds amazing, I would agree to that but we’d have to get married all over again” Y/n frowned not wanting t have to plan anything. “No we don’t. Just to let you know, we are still married as I never signed the divorce papers for it to be finalized” Toto boasted as he took the ring from his briefcase and slipped it onto Y/n’s hand as she stood there dumbfounded at his confession.

After this day, the couple stayed true to their agreement as they kept their reconciliation a secret from the world, including their families, just living happily and grateful that they are finally together again.

[glorious-spoon]

If you’re still doing the prompts, could I ask for 22? in a rush of adrenaline for Buddie?

thank you, and sorry it took so long! :D

-

For one wild instant after Eddie grabs him—bruising, frantic, the world all still too loud and too fast and too suddenly bright as the building comes down behind them, scattering pulverized concrete in their wake—Buck genuinely thinks that he's about to get punched.

Eddie would never. Eddie would never. But he's holding Buck's arm tight enough to hurt, and there's blood on his face and his eyes are wild as he yanks them both across the street in a dozen stumbling steps and shoves Buck against the side of the engine, and there really aren't a lot of other explanations for what the hell is happening right now.

"Hey, listen," Buck says, breathless. His voice comes out croaking and raw; he breathed in smoke back there. They both did. Him more than Eddie, after that last stairwell came down, cutting him off from the entrance for a few disorienting, gut-churning minutes before he stumbled out a side entrance and into Eddie and Bobby's arms. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay."

"Shut up," Eddie snaps, loosening his grip on Buck's arm. His eyes are red. His voice is hoarse, too. Buck remembers him screaming his name through the smoke-roiled darkness, an instant before the stairs came down. "Shut up."

"Okay, okay," Buck says, and lets his hands drop. Then lifts them again, thumping his palms against Eddie's shoulders and letting them linger there. Even through his turnouts, Buck can feel him shaking. "Eddie, hey. Come on. I'm okay. Barely even bruised."

"Just—" Eddie bites off the end of the word, shakes his head, then shoves at Buck's shoulders again, moving closer. And then his hands are on Buck's cheeks, dragging him down, and his mouth is hot, and—oh. Oh.

Eddie tastes like smoke; they both do. His cheeks are rough and grimy; there's a sharp sting where Buck must have split or bitten his lower lip. It's not a good kiss, not really, except for how it might actually be the best kiss he's ever had.

It lasts just barely long enough for Buck to start kissing back, and then Eddie is retreating. His hands are still on Buck's cheeks. Buck makes a noise of protest and chases his mouth, and Eddie kisses him again, softer. Then he pulls away again. Buck stares at him, and he stares back, and for a moment the entire world feels very distant.

Then there are footsteps on the pavement behind him and a deep, deep sigh, and reality percolates back in: specifically, the reality that they still are very much at an active scene.

Eddie winces slightly, lets go of Buck, takes a step back, and turns.

"Hey, Cap," he says, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

"Hi," Bobby says patiently. Behind him, the 136 has their ladder up; he can see someone—probably Stover—controlling the hose to put out the last of the burn. Beyond that, Hen and Chim are checking over the last handful of security staff that Bobby and Eddie must have escorted out while Buck was trying not to die in a ceiling collapse. None of it seems especially dire anymore.

Other than the fact that Bobby is here, and definitely saw… all of that.

"Uh, hi, Bobby," Buck says, with what is probably not nearly as winning a smile as he's trying for.

"You know, Buck, I'm pretty sure I have the section in our handbook on maintaining professionalism on scenes still bookmarked from when you were a probie," Bobby says in tones of deep exasperation. His mouth is twitching, though.

"That's on me, Cap," Eddie says solemnly.

"Hey, no, I was definitely—"

Bobby gestures sharply, and Buck shuts up.

"You have two minutes," he says, "and then I expect you both to go get yourselves checked out. And we're going to talk about this back at the station. Understood?"

Eddie straightens his shoulders like he's still in Basic. He used to do that all the time; now it's only when he thinks he might be in serious trouble. "Understood."

"So, uh, so how much trouble are we actually in?" Buck blurts.

"I said we'll discuss it at the station, Buck," Bobby repeats dryly, but he's definitely laughing at them now. "One minute. Then go let Hen check you over, or you really will be in trouble. And kid? I'm very glad you're okay."

He pointedly turns his back and walks away, so Buck doesn't protest that that was more like fifteen seconds than a whole minute. He's got Eddie to focus on instead: his smoke-stained face, soft brown eyes, the sheepish, lovely mouth that Buck was just kissing.

"Sorry," Eddie says, after a moment. "I didn't actually plan to do that."

"Yeah, well. Been a long time coming, right?"

He worries, in the instant after he's said it, that he's got this all wrong. That this—whatever it is—was just adrenaline for Eddie, just relief, just some weird, fleeting impulse and nothing more.

But Eddie laughs, ducking his head, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. When he looks back at Buck, his eyes are bright. He's blushing, visible even under the soot.

"Yeah," he says. "Yeah, it really has."

[in1-nutshell]

Human Buddy the senior liaison becoming friends with First Aid

SFW, platonic, familial, Human reader, implication of reader passing away of old age

MTMTE

Buddy is the human equivalent of Ratchet.

They are a Grumpy Liaison sent originally to keep Cybertronian and human relations good then later to watch Megatron.

They know that something is up all the time.

They call it “The-Kids-Are-doing-Something -Stupid- Radar.” Buddy has a habit of calling a lot of the bots “Children/ Kids.”

Distant explosion

“Thoughs kids… I swear they are going to be the death of me…”     --Buddy

Even though every single one of them is older than him by a good millions of years.

Buddy senior is never too far from Megatron. They take their job seriously. Almost acting as a third shadow, the second shadow is Ravage.

On the off chance that they aren’t watching Megatron they are usually in the Med Bay or at Swerve’s. They relate to Ratchet the best out of all the crew and are often seen together talking about the most random things.

Buddy and Ratchet staring at each other.

“What are they doing?”—Bot 1

“I don’t know. Maybe they hate each other?”—Bot 2

Meanwhile Ratchet and Buddy are having a conversation with their eyes/optics about how dumb everyone’s injuries are today.

The dynamic does change a bit as the new introduction to First Aid.

Especially when Ratchet goes off to get Drift. Buddy senior meets First Aid after the dilemma at Delphi. First Aid is very intrigued by the older human.

“So… you’re a human.”—First Aid

“Last time I checked. And you’re a nurse?”--Buddy

“Sort of. I mean now I’m the new Chief Medical Officer.”—First Aid

“You’re what now?”--Buddy

After Ratchet’s departure is when the both start bonding a bit more. It first began with medical similarities between Cybertonians and humans before moving on to different more lighthearted subjects such as the latest gossip around the ship or First Aid subscription on the Wrecker’s log.

“So Aid… what’s this about Springer?”--Buddy

“What do you mean?!”—First Aid

“Aid I’ve seen your notes.”--Buddy

“…please don’t tell anyone.”—First Aid

“Kid, my lips are sealed, just tell me more about this Wrecker.”        --Buddy

Over time First Aid feels more comfortable around Buddy. Buddy as much as they hate to admit it First Aid begins to look like a son to them than just a regular co worker. Has referred to First Aid as their son before, but First Aid doesn’t exactly know what the meaning of the expression is.

“Did you refuel today?”--Buddy

“I will in a couple of minutes.”—First Aid

“You said that nearly half an hour ago, go refuel son.”--Buddy

“…”

“…”

“What’s a ‘son’?” –First Aid

When Ratchet does come back with Drift, First Aid does ask him what it means. Ratchet lets out a chuckle and points out that Buddy sees First Aid as their sparkling.

First Aid is happy.

He called them his parent one time at Swerve’s.

That was the first time any of the Lost Lighters had seen their senior Liaison crumple down in happy tears. There is a lot of explanation on how much joy they feel after that.

First Aid after that is rarely seen without Buddy nearby.

After a good two years on the Lost Light Buddy calls for a meeting with their close friends and Captains as witnesses. They express that they know that their time now is coming close to an end even more being in space and they wanted to give each a copy of their will in case at any point they were to pass they wanted all their things straightening out.

There are plenty of tears shed, especially from First Aid upon realizing how short the human life span is especially at the point where Buddy is at.

“Please don’t talk about that… not now.”—First Aid

“It’ll be okay First Aid. Everything will be okay.”--Buddy

“Can we just talk about something else? Please?”—First Aid

“…Okay Aid. What do you want to talk about?”--Buddy

First Aid expresses his feelings about their mortality to Buddy later that night. After a bit of tears from both ends, they both promise to have the next few days to be the best together before the end comes.

First Aid did keep his promise till the very end.

[whumpsday]

Me and my hunting partner just got back from duty, and my partner is injured.

I make Kane close the wound. He doesn't get to lick it directly, though, he might get a mouthful of blood. While holding him with an iron grip in his hair, I make him spit in my hand, then rub it on the wound to close it.

Then we lock Kane back up and leave.

liked this one so much i wrote a whole 700 word thing about it. enjoy!

Chronological masterlist / Writing order masterlist / Drabbles tag

content: vampire whumpee, starvation, begging, multiple whumpers, burns, magical healing, saliva, bloody injury described through the rose-tinted lens of a very hungry vampire

-

Kane always smelled the hunters coming before he saw them, but he usually heard them even before that. The sweet scent of human blood, flowing plentifully through their veins, hidden just under soft skin he would never get to break. In the beginning, he used to throw himself at the bars in a hunger-crazed frenzy, burning himself in the process. He'd learned enough self-control to avoid that, by now.

Today was different. He smelled blood first, before he even heard them. The scent was sharper, less muffled than when sealed behind human flesh, though distant enough for him not to fly into hysterics.

Someone was bleeding, and they were getting closer.

Kane picked himself up from where he sat huddled in the corner and placed himself near the door, kneeling respectfully. It was likely that they were just going to taunt him again, mock him for how he'd never receive food again by waving blood out of reach until he cried. But there was always a chance.

With time to prepare himself mentally, he dug his nails into his thighs and coached himself to stay sane. He wouldn't jump at the bars and burn himself, he wouldn't. He would kneel here, beg for food, and hope for the best.

He gritted his teeth as the hunters started making their way down the stairs, mouth watering at the tantalizing, unmistakable fragrance of fresh blood. He was so hungry. He would do anything for just a little bit.

The hunters hobbled down the stairs, one supporting the other. The injured hunter's jeans sported a slash in one leg, a shallow yet long gash running across it. The wound oozed blood, the finest ambrosia Kane could imagine. It glistened under fluorescent lights: a deep, rich, savory red, dripping from the hunter's thigh and saturating the fabric of his jeans. Its aroma permeated the room: it was everywhere, it was everything, he needed it more than he'd ever needed anything else in his entire life.

Kane pounced toward the source of it, his mind blank of anything other than the overpowering need for food, only to yelp and recoil back when his front lit up with pain- he'd leapt at the bars, again.

The uninjured hunter chuckled lightly. "Looks like the parasite thinks you're its new snack, eh, buddy?"

His hunting partner rolled his eyes. "Just get on with it before the guys try to make me go to the fuckin' ER. I don't want to deal with that shit."

After gently setting his peer on the floor in the hall outside Kane's cell, the uninjured hunter unlocked the door, quickly shutting it behind him as he entered. "Good news! You get to be useful today."

Kane fought to retain his rationality, whimpering as he looked up at the hunter. It took every ounce of effort he had in him not to pounce again, and he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to manage it, but the painful lines singed into his skin helped him stay grounded. "P-please. Please sir, I need it. Please?"

The hunter tangled his fingers in Kane's hair and gripped it tight, forcing his head still. "Tsk-tsk. You don't get blood, remember? Don't worry, you can still be useful." He held his other hand out, wearing a sturdy leather glove. "Spit."

Kane sobbed. "Please, please, I'll be so good, please let me lick the wound closed! I can help!" he cried.

The hunter rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't be able to prevent yourself from biting if you tried. Spit."

The worst part was Kane knew the hunter was right.

He had no trouble providing ample saliva to close the wound, his mouth watering excessively with the smell of food surrounding his starved body. The healing properties would wear off mere minutes after leaving him, but the injured hunter was right there. Kane wished it would wear off immediately, just so he'd have an excuse to get some blood in him. Even the smallest bit.

The hunter released his hair, mockingly patting him on the cheek. "Good leech."

Kane watched with ravenous, desperate eyes as the hunter applied vampire saliva to the wound, the delectable blood clotting to stop any excess from being lost.

The scent did not leave, even as the hunters returned upstairs. The injured hunter had spilled a small amount of blood in the hall without even noticing. Kane would do anything to have it. He would take any punishment if he could earn the opportunity to lick it up. He would die for it in a heartbeat. He would beg, but there was no one to beg to.

He amassed many more burns that night, fruitlessly throwing himself at the bars between sobs

-

taglist in reblogs!

[lavendertales]

Sweet lies: Chapter 2

pairing: Frankie Morales x f!reader

summary: when Frankie shows up unexpectedly at the reunion dinner, things get uncomfortable and awkward for everyone.

word count: 2.5k

SERIES WARNINGS: former friends who were in love with each other, angst, mutual pining, tension, eventual smut, jealousy, infidelity, wrong choices, kind of arranged marriage too I guess.

A/N: I NO LONGER USE A TAGLIST! If you want to be updated on my works, click “Get notifications” on this blog! Comments & reblogs are forever appreciated 💕

gif: @conveniently-available​ 

series masterlist | AO3

The coarse whisper of your name manages to awaken sentiments in you that you long thought of as dead and buried. You’re staring, too, but that you just cannot help.

It’s been an excruciatingly long and hard decade without that face. Time’s been kind to him, much to your dismay. Once a scrawny teenager, now he’s standing before you as a man: stubbled cheeks, moustache, eyes chocolatey and tired from time’s rough passage. He has the same kindness about him, the same warmth, and it only makes your heart ache more.

This would’ve been infinitely easier had he turned out into some kind of ogre.

But of course he hasn’t. Why would the universe make this any easy for you?

He’s just a person, you remind yourself with unsteady breaths. Just a person. An old acquaintance and nothing more. He means nothing more.

“What—what are you doing here?” he gets the courage to ask, visibly shaken by your presence. “How are you here?”

“Same way I left. Got on a plane. And I’m having dinner with the guys.”

You barely recognize your own voice as you flatly reply to him. It’s the voice of a woman who’s been disappointed and hurt far too many times, squashed of any hope.

Frankie hums, piecing everything together. He inches closer to you, and you pull away from him in an instant. Being too close means more heartache, and you refuse to put yourself through it again.

Be polite, nothing else. Keep him out.

“When did you come back?” he asks.

“A couple of weeks ago.”

“How long are you staying?”

“I’m back for good.”

He nods, hating how robotic and distant he sounds. Truth is, he is far too shocked to even smile at you or hug you or tell you how much he missed you. How much he’s thought of you over the years.

It hurts to even acknowledge that.

“What are you doing here?” you retort. “Santi said you were busy tonight.”

“Finished earlier, so I thought I’d join in.”

Heads turn back at the table, eyes widened in shock and panicked whispers exchanged.

“Uh oh,” Benny exclaims. “I thought you said he was busy.”

“He was,” Santiago admits, standing up swiftly and practically racing to you and Frankie. “Hey man, you made it!”

The look Frankie gives his best friend is hollow and accusatory, and Santiago knows why, but guilt isn’t on the list of things he’s worried about right now.

“I was… going to the restroom, excuse me,” you say, and make bigger steps to the ladies’ room.

Now alone, Frankie grabs Santiago’s arm as they approach the table. The grip is tight and firm, exuding nothing but sheer anger and betrayal.

“You knew she was back in town and you didn’t bother to tell me?!” Frankie groans.

“We wanted to tell you about it tonight, but when you said you were busy, we figured we didn’t have to yet,” Santiago says, breaking the touch.

“A warning would’ve been fucking nice.”

“Yeah, well, a call or text from you saying you were on your way would’ve been nice too.”

Frankie huffs, sitting down and rubbing his temples. The waiter returns, asking if he wants anything, and he immediately orders a glass of bourbon.

“We’re glad you could make it,” Mia says with a polite smile.

“I’m sure it won’t be that awkward,” Emily fortifies.

“Of course not, why would it be?”

“How about you sit way over there, buddy?” Will intervenes, gently guiding his friend to the end of the table, opposite of where your seat is. And just in time, too; you return from the bathroom, sneaking a single glance at Frankie, then avoiding him altogether.

You order another glass of wine, though that’s probably not the wisest decision given the effect wine has on you, particularly in the presence of someone you were once undeniably attracted to.

“How come you’re back in town?” Frankie asks, voice a little shallow and grave.

“I got a job here.”

“That sounds great.”

There is no follow up after that, and everyone at the table is feeling the tension running high. The only way to cope with it, since communication seems to come uneasy to both you and Frankie, is to drink. Everyone orders a second one, and soon a third one. By the fourth one, Benny takes it upon himself to lighten the mood, in spite of Will’s repeated insistence that he shouldn’t.

“What about my one year anniversary with Emily, huh?” he chuckles, cheeks flushed with the crimson burn of alcohol and love. “Who would’ve thought?”

“None of us did,” Santiago teases.

“Hey! I always wanted to settle down.”

“Benny, sweetheart, I love you, but even I know you were a huge ladies’ man before you met me.”

“It takes a special kind of woman to tame a lion.”

Will shakes his head, amused by his little brother’s antics.

“Oh, and Will and Mia got their half year anniversary coming up!” Benny continues. “Things are lookin’ bright for the Millers.”

Santiago exchanges a glare with Will, sensing where things are headed, and neither likes it.

“Alright, how about we talk about something more exciting?” Will suggests. “How about we hear more about our friend’s new job, huh?”

Will smiles at you, but Benny’s too tipsy to pick up on social cues in his pursuit to make the gang feel comfortable and happy.

“But we haven’t properly celebrated Frankie’s engagement,” he pouts.

The table goes silent as fearful glares are being exchanged. After a while, everyone’s gaze seems fixated solely on you, anticipating your reaction—except For Frankie. He keeps his head down, like a dog that’s been scolded for a mishap. You are fully aware of the fact that you are on a massive display, completely exposed, but you will not give into the moment and renounce your integrity.

Though it remains undeniable that on the inside, you are simply falling apart.

You expected this; you absolutely anticipated such a situation, even something more complicated. But no matter how much you would’ve prepared for any possible scenario, the reality still kicks you in the gut.

You stare blankly, only now gathering sufficient strength to search for Frankie’s face. When you find it, it’s riddled with guilt and sorrow, facts which you cannot fully comprehend. Why does he get to feel guilty? And for what?

“Oh,” you say at long last, your voice hollow. “You’re—engaged.”

You draw in a sharp breath that eventually gets stuck in your chest, and you make a mental note to yourself to sound pleasantly surprised instead of bitter and devastated.

“Yeah. Her name is Andrea. We’re getting married in June.”

You gulp, forcing a wide smile that’s meant to be polite and cordial at best. “Congratulations,” you whisper with the same happy mask on your face.

“Thank you.”

Frankie downs his drink and risks staring at you, but you’re back to ignoring him. He understands, of course; it would be foolish of him to pretend otherwise, no matter how much it would hurt to face the consequences of his actions.

He wishes he could tell you the truth, why he did what he did, but he knows you are far too stubborn and independent to believe him, especially after all that time. When he decided he was done, years ago, he closed every window and door there was to ensure his connection with you was truly severed. Too much time had passed without any form of contact, and it sent only one message: that Frankie did not care.

If only he would open his mouth now and confess that it was a lie, a ruse to help you and make you happy…

“I probably shouldn’t have dropped the news like that,” Benny whispers to Emily.

“You really shouldn’t have, you big blabber mouth.”

“As I recall, you don’t have a problem with my big mouth.”

Emily slaps him over the shoulder, audibly, and looks around the table. The tension is thick, palpable, and it makes everyone present disarmed in front of it.

“How did you two meet?”

All eyes are on you again, probably because nobody was expecting you, of all those present, to initiate a conversation about Frankie’s fiancé. But there you are, looking right at him, as friendly as you could possibly be. Even Frankie is taken aback, but he clears his throat and eventually speaks up.

“Uh, it was like... eight years ago. We met after one of Benny’s first matches, when we went out to eat. She worked there temporarily as a waitress to get through medical school. I asked for a bag of peanuts, she misunderstood, we had a laugh and became friends, and… here we are.”

Frankie realizes he’s oversharing and that you certainly didn’t want to know every little detail of his encounter with his now-fiancé, but it’s too late to stop it now.

“What about you, what are you doing back here?” he asks instead.

“I, uh—I got a job as an editor at a publication here in Boston.”

“That’s great. You always loved to write.”

Stunned, you look up at him, irritably fond of the fact that he remembers your favorite pastime. But you cannot go soft now, not when you have the man who stole your heart right there at the very table, stealing glances at you with big, soft puppy eyes. He needs to know, to understand, just how hurt you still are, how unyielding you are on the decision to remain simply cordial with him.

“Yes,” you reply cynically.

“Guys, I’m sorry I spoiled the news like that,” Benny says apologetically. “It wasn’t my news to begin with.”

“It’s okay, Ben” you smile.

“Yeah, she would’ve found out eventually.”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“Well, you’re pretty good at keeping people in the dark about your intentions. Maybe I would’ve found out when I saw you driving your kids to college.”

Will clears his throat, as if to put an end to the bickering that’s barely beginning to boil between you and Frankie. But the latter only feels worse looking at you, being in such close proximity to you after all that time. He’s perfectly aware that a mere apology won’t cut it, but he has to try now that you have re-entered their lives.

He has to, doesn’t he? Otherwise he would be exactly what you already think he is: a heartless, cruel man.

“I’m sorry,” he says with a lump in your throat, though enunciating your name in a sweet, careful manner. “If I knew you’d be here tonight,” he adds, side-eyeing the guys in an accusing way, “I wouldn’t have come.”

“Then what?” you demand.

The table goes mute once again, no one daring open their mouths now. The thing is, they all realize just how uncomfortable this situation is for both you and Frankie; they also know that this kind of confrontation is long overdue, except—well. Maybe now isn’t the most opportune moment.

But you feel anger boiling underneath your veins, spreading throughout your entire body like a poison that needs to be released immediately, or else you’d die with it in your system, damaged from inside out.

“You wouldn’t have come tonight if you’d known,” you resume. “Okay. What was your plan after you’d find out? Go on with your life as usual, avoid me like the plague?”

Frankie coos your name again, in an almost begging manner. “I would’ve found out that you’re back sooner or later, so—“

“So what? We’d just never speak to each other again? Like we’re just two random strangers?”

“No—“

You search in your purse for your wallet, taking out a few bills to cover your share of dinner. You take a deep breath in, trying your best to keep your composure and not lose all of your sense right then and there with everyone watching you.

“It was nice seeing you guys tonight,” you say with a forced smile. “I really did have a good time. Think I’ll call it a night.”

“Are you sure?” Mia asks you, genuinely concerned. “We were thinking of going to a bar or a club after.”

“I’m sure. If you want to go, please, do. Have fun.”

“I should go, too,” you hear Frankie say.

The two of you stand up at the same time, locking eyes. Your heart instantly goes in your throat, dreading the idea that you might have to actually confront him outside of the restaurant, one on one. You falter, desperately looking around for some sort of help that fails to come.

“How about I take you home?” Santiago proposes, standing up.

You exhale with immense relief. Gratitude for Santiago was never bigger or more welcome than it is right now.

“Thank you,” you say, and you take one last look at Frankie, noticing how wrecked he seems in that moment.

But you still don’t cave in. You can’t.

“Congratulations on your engagement again,” you tell him, flashing another smile.

It’s a hollow one, and Frankie sees right through it. It might’ve been a while since he’s last seen you, but he is very much still capable of deciphering your every little tell, anything that your body language cleverly conceals from the rest of the world except him.

He doesn’t reply. He remains locked in the same position, standing up, and watches you leave with Santiago. He sees his hand on your waist guiding you gently through the restaurant, and then walking right out. His mind spins with endless possibilities that just about tear him into pieces. He’s never felt so tiny, so cruel and horrible.

“I’m really sorry, man,” Benny mutters at him.

“It’s fine. She would’ve found out sooner or later. This way… the bandaid is ripped off. It hurt, and now—“

It still does. So much more than before.

“—it’s done,” he lies.

He vaguely hears Will’s voice in the background, asking him not to leave, but rather to join them at a bar or something, but he doesn’t fully comprehend or listen. He pays for his drink and rushes straight home. His freshly renovated apartment that’s supposed to be part of the new chapter in his life. His and Andrea’s life, together. But right now, in this frozen moment, it all feels like a lie. A big, fat joke he’s been telling himself to make himself sleep better at night.

He’s always known he hurt you and fucked up everything, yet tonight, seeing the look on your face, nearly falling apart with sadness and anger alike, he knows the damage is irreparable. He knows you’ll never forgive him for the way he hurt you.

He won’t forgive himself, either.

previous | next

[thekristen999]

Newest:

Fight In the Shadows  33k

The 118 are summoned to a distant location in the desert, become trapped, have to fight for their lives, and Buck and Eddie finally realize they've been pining for each other for years. Now, if they can all make it out alive.

A Light in the Darkness 1k 

Post-apocalyptic vibes, future fic.

Whose Attention? 6k 

Tommy didn’t spend days chasing Buck. Or Tommy's pursuit of Eddie and the craziness that ensures whenever they're around his best friend.

Follow You Into The Dark

Buck kept a firm grip around Eddie’s arm as he was guided down hallways. They’d both experienced something like this before during the Academy: cadet’s exercises where both teammates were blindfolded and forced to depend on the other to escape burning buildings. This wasn’t unlike that experience, except of course this was real and Buck’s freaking eyes were swollen shut and Eddie was concussed and deaf.

(Or a serial arsonist terrorizes the city, plunging Buck and Eddie into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.)

Cutting The Ties That Bind -Complete Evan Buckley was a businessman, he had meetings and deadlines like everyone else.

Occasionally, he got threatened, but it was usually all hot air and ego. That all changed the day his breaks were tampered with. Enter Eddie Diaz, security specialist, who was not easily impressed by Buck’s expensive suits or financial conquests. That was okay. Buck enjoyed a challenge. AKA The Mafia AU.

bro·ken  

Summary: Forced to take shady side jobs to pay his bills, Evan Buckley doesn’t think he’s ever seen such rock bottom. Until he meets Eddie Diaz, a man even more desperate and alone. Season 3 AU. 

9-1-1/Buddie

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Healing/PTSD

Hold the Pain, Release Me   6k  Eddie is encouraged to explore art therapy.

Buddha's Arrow  4k. Buck helps Eddie navigate chronic pain.

Hand Covers Bruise  7k Eddie character study.

Are You With Me?  27k Eddie and Buck navigate a relationship post Eddie Begins.

Trying Hard to Remember, Trying Hard To Forget 25k Post shooting. Eddie and Buck shared a trauma, but undergo different healing paths. Struggles of recovery.

.

Hurt/Comfort

A Light in the Darkness 1k Post-apocalyptic vibes 

Tick...Tick...Boom    4k. Call gone wrong.

Beside You In Time  2k Post shooting. Pain meds.

Stand By Me 2k  Post shooting. Missing scene. Hospitals

Nothing Burns Like The Cold 2k Buck and Eddie get trapped in a freezer. 

Crash Into You- 3k Eddie gets struck by lightening. Medic!Buck (written a year ago)

There Goes My Hero, He's Ordinary  7k Post Eddie Begins.  Medic!Buck. Near drowning/Hypothermia    

We're In This Together Now  5k Meth lab fic. Medic!Eddie

Alone In The Dark With You 14k  Buck and Eddie get trapped in a cave-in and things go from bad to worse. Medic!Eddie Medic!Buck

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Action/Adv or Drama

We’ve Got Fun & Games   7k The Team competes in local Amazing Race  Challenge. Hijinks ensue.

Misadventures In The Great Outdoors  8k Camping trip from hell. (Action Humor)

The World Is On Fire And No One Can Save Me But You  6k Eddie and Buck get caught in a riot.

The Shape Of Water 9k T.  How water has influenced Buck’s life. Backstory. Medic!Buck

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AU

We Found Each Other (Over There) 46k  Epic WWII AU.

Lost  5k  Alt ending to The Searchers. Christopher is not found right away.

Whatever It Takes To Find You  5k   Eddie Begins AU.  Buck is a Pararescue (PJ) specialist sent to rescue the downed chopper.

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All Fic Links:

9-1-1/Buddie Fic

H50/McDanno Fic

Daredevil Fic

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Coffee Fund :)

[deobienthusiast]

something blue | choi chanhee

• pairing: best friend!chanhee x female!reader

• word count: 3.5k words

• genre: fluff, slight angst

• rating: PG

• warnings: weddings, reader is kind of being an asshole, fake friends, and our favorite curse words

• notes: *sigh* thank you to sana ( @heemingyu )for your not so serious but also super serious betaread of this. now that i know what really gets you going i mean continue to hit at that now😘😘 I LOVE YOU

• tagging: @deoboyznet

• synopsis: after getting into a big fight with your best friend the day before your wedding, you’re left wondering if he’ll even show up.

Whoever said your wedding day is the happiest day of your life is an absolute fucking idiot. What is there to be happy about if everything isn’t perfect. You wouldn’t consider yourself a perfectionist by any means, but when you have a vision for something you expect it to be pretty damn near close.

The process of planning your wedding didn’t start when you got engaged to your amazing fiancé Sangyeon. It started when you were a kid, sitting in your living room watching the Disney princesses who had happy endings and fairytale weddings. You knew you wanted a wedding similar to those of the princesses. Which princess didn’t matter, but as long as the wedding was to your standard of perfection, it would be fine.

Alongside your planning was your best friend, Chanhee. He wasn’t just your best friend. He was your person, or as your fiancé liked to say ‘your soulmate’. You had never really believed in soulmates, but when more and more people pointed out that you and Chanhee could be soulmates, you began to listen. It made sense. Chanhee was always there. From your earliest memories in Kindergarten to graduating college, to getting your dream job. Everywhere page in your mind was littered with your best friend. The small, skinny kid that would bring you pretty blue forget-me-nots every time he saw you. Chanhee helped you plan your dream wedding, combining elements of each Disney princess into one big wedding. He called himself your unofficial wedding planner. He made sure everything would go off without any problems, even threatening to throw out some of your work friends if they got too drunk.

Chanhee even planned your pre-wedding party. When you and your wedding party went out, Chanhee had everything covered. From the party bus, to dinner, to the club, your best friend was on it. Chanhee only wanted the best for his best friend, while you only wanted him to at some point let loose and enjoy himself.

The dinner you and your wedding party went to seemed like such a distant memory now. Despite having been only a couple of hours ago, the amount of alcohol in your system made it seem like dinner was months ago. You and your work friends were trashed, to say the least. Hopping from table to table, stealing people’s drinks, getting heavily belligerent with anyone that tried to stop you. You were on a wrecking ball, wreaking havoc across the club. People were starting to complain to the managers, and Chanhee was just trying to find your purse and shoes that you somehow rid yourself of in the midst of all the madness. His constant apologies were falling on deaf ears as all people wanted now was for you and your rowdy entourage to leave.

“Hey, why don’t we sit and have some water?” Chanhee asked you, having finally caught up to you.

You were once again at a table that was not yours as you took a shot from the hands of one of the guests occupying the table. “Water? I don’t need water, Chanhee. I need more vodka!”

Chanhee gave a sympathetic look to the other partygoers as he spoke. “I’m really sorry. I’m trying my hardest to get everything under control.”

The guest who’s drink had been stolen scoffed. “Try harder dude. This is ridiculous.”

The people at the table stood up, moving from the area as Chanhee began to get frustrated. You had never acted like this before. He always said your work buddies only brought out the worst in you, but you never listened to him. In fact, Chanhee couldn’t even spot any of your so-called work “friends”.

“Where is everyone? I want to hit up another party.” You yelled.

Chanhee grabbed your arm, ripping the glass from your hand as he began to drag you towards the exit. “They left! And that’s what we’re doing.”

On his trek towards the door, Chanhee spotted your shoes and purse, squeezing behind a nasty trash can that they were sitting behind. He let go of you momentarily to make sure your credit cards, ID, and cash were all still in your wallet. As his fingers slipped through the loops of your heels to pick them up, he heard a loud crash. Turning around, a table filled with bottles of vodka had hit the floor and you were now face to face with an angry patreon.

The girl was screaming in your face about how you didn’t need to be drinking anymore, while all you could do was yell back about how she wasn’t the boss of you. You were having a good time, why was everyone trying to stop you. Chanhee pulled you back to him, heading for the door before stopping.

“Shit, the tab.” Chanhee whispered.

You were still yelling over your shoulder to the girl as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his card. He wasn’t even sure what the final bill was, but he was willing to pay for it if it meant getting you out of the club in one piece. The bartender took the card, looking over the slumped over state of you as he shook his head. He swiped the card, pulled out a receipt and handed both the card and receipt to Chanhee. Your best friend let out a sigh as he practically carried you to the exit. When he got outside, he sat you down on the curb as he began to call someone.

“Where are we going?” You asked, your sentence is just barely able to be made out by Chanhee.

The boy looked at you as he rolled his eyes. “The hotel.”

You perked up. “I don’t wanna leave. The girls are still inside.”

Chanhee shook his head. “That’s too bad. They can find their own way back to the hotel.”

“I don’t wanna leave.”

“You are beyond drunk. You can barely stand, you have no shoes on, and you are so fucking lucky someone didn’t rob you. You’ve made a mess of yourself and this club, you have no choice but to leave.” Chanhee said sternly.

The alcohol in your system didn’t like the way he was talking to you. He had never talked to you like this before.

“Why are you being so mean?” You asked rather loudly.

Chanhee let out a humorless laugh. “I’m being honest. You need to go to bed. It’s three in the morning on your wedding day. You have to be up early for breakfast, you have to have your makeup done, you can’t stay out with them any longer.”

He heard you begin to mumble as he began to get impatient. All he wanted to do was get you safely to your hotel suite, and go to bed himself.

Why wasn’t the driver picking up his fucking phone?

“You’re just jealous of them.” You said softly.

Chanhee froze. “What did you just say to me?”

You looked up at the boy, eyes wide as you spoke louder this time. “You are just jealous of my relationship with the girls. I see them everyday, and we don’t see each other every day. They are better best friends to me than you are.”

The phone that was covering his ear was now down by his waist. “How dare you?”

You could only look back at the boy, the realization of your words now dawning on you. “Chanhee,”

“Do you know what I’ve had to go through to make sure your fucking wedding day is perfect? I’ve given up my own personal time to be here and plan EVERYTHING for you. May I remind you that I was the only one that helped you pick out your outfit. I helped pick out the food and recommended the bakery for the cake. I found the DJ, the place for dinner tonight, and the fucking club. I have kept you from getting arrested tonight on more than one occasion. I’ve canceled plans to be at your beck and call anytime that you have ever needed me. I’ve done everything for you from the time we met each other when we were five! No one, and I mean no one, will ever be a better best friend than me.” Chanhee yelled.

Before you could speak, he continued. “Do you think they are better than me? The person that has held your hand through sicknesses, the person who has been there to pick up the pieces through every heartbreak you’ve gone through with shitty guys. I introduced you to Sangyeon. He was my friend first, and yet he seems to be the only one appreciative of what I’ve done, not just for him but for you. Not once have you ever told me thank you for anything. Anything!”

He dropped your shoes, grabbing your hand from the sitting position you were in to smack your purse into it. Chanhee brought a hand up to his forehead, rubbing over it as he began to feel a migraine coming on. He could hear talking on the other end of his phone as he tossed it to you, making you flinch as it hit your chest.

“Find your own way back to the hotel. Or better yet, go ask your best friends since they are better to you than I am. They can get you back to the hotel, and they can help you out in the morning. I’m done!” Chanhee said.

He turned quickly on his feet, walking off in the opposite direction of the club. You felt tears well up in your eyes as you tried to get yourself up to stop your best friend. His legs carried him quickly to a bus that had stopped at a bus stop as he hopped on it. You watched the bus pass you as you let out a sob.

You didn’t sleep very well when you got back from the club. All you did was cry over what Chanhee had said, and your work friends were beginning to get annoyed. They merely dropped you off at your suite and left to continue their night. All you could do is sit against the headboard of the hotel bed as you looked around the lavish room that your best friend had spent his hard earned money on, reminding you that as the bride you “deserve the best”. Now you weren’t so sure.

The alarm on your phone went off, signaling that you needed to get up, but you didn’t really have the energy. In fact, you weren’t even sure you wanted to get married. You knew that wouldn’t be fair to Sangyeon, calling off your wedding over the fact that you got into a fight with your best friend. Although Sangyeon would’ve understood, you couldn’t do it to him. A knock at your room door pulled you from your thoughts as you groaned, dragging your body weight out of the bed.

You looked through the peephole on the door and groaned again, seeing the cheery face of your mother and future mother in law. Opening the door, both ladies squealed.

“Happy wedding day!” Your mother exclaimed happily as she pulled you in for a hug.

Sangyeon’s mom did the same before pulling back just slightly, whispering to you. “Are you okay dear?”

You looked at the woman, feeling tears well up in your eyes. You gave her a nod, trying to force a smile on your face. She wanted to speak again before your mom interrupted.

“You need to shower, and you need to be quick. Makeup won’t wait all day. And all day isn’t what we have time wise.” She said, pushing you into the bathroom.

The only sound that left your mouth was a sigh as you let your mother practically manhandle you into the shower. She was quick to pick up your pajamas that you don’t even remember getting into last night as she exited, leaving you to wallow in your own self pity as the hot water cascaded onto your skin. You slowly washed your body, attempting to scrub the dead skin, sweat, and the memories from last night off of your body and down the drain. You weren’t sure how long you were in the shower, having at some point zoned out. The water had gone cold, and you were beginning to shiver as you turned the handle, shutting off the shower.

When you pulled back the curtain, the remaining steam from the previously hot water was still fogging up the bathroom. You could see it get pushed around from the sudden release of cold air from the cold water. You noticed a towel and satin bathrobe set upon the countertop. Reaching for both, you quickly dried off and threw on the bathrobe before opening the bathroom door and letting your mother whisk you off to your makeup appointment.

The day dragged on. All your work friends managed to make it to the venue for hair and makeup. Strolling into the building wielding water, liquid IV packages, sunglasses, and a hangover, they didn’t look very pleased anymore about the time you chose for all of this. They let the artists get them ready with no complaints, just barely sparing you a hello. You weren’t all that thrilled to see them either, so this didn’t bother you a bit. Your mother was making her rounds, checking on each girl before one of them got sick, making her stop to tend to the one person that couldn’t handle her hangover. This gave Sangyeon’s mom a chance to check on you.

“Hey,” She said softly, catching your attention. “Are you okay? Truly?”

You couldn’t turn your head due to the makeup being put on so you opted to just locking eyes with her through the mirror.

“Is it that obvious that something is bothering me?”

She chuckled. “I’ve known you long enough to see a change in your moods.”

For the first time today, you cracked an actual genuine smile.

“I got into a fight.” You said quietly.

“With who? One of the girls?”

Shaking your head. “With Chanhee.”

“Oh sweetheart. I’m sure it wasn’t too bad.” She cooed.

You chuckled. “He’s not here, is he? Something tells me he’s not with Sangyeon either.”

Your mother in law frowned as she excused herself, pulling out her phone as she stepped outside the room you were in.

The artists were slowly getting everyone finished as each girl got into her bridesmaid dress. You were the last to be finished, and you could hear the shouting and greeting of your guests making their way into the venue hall. Your bridesmaids left you to go mingle with some of the single men that your future husband had invited to keep them controlled. Your mother helped you get into your dress before disappearing herself to greet guests.

The words Chanhee had said to you continued to run through your mind, making you zone out once again. You were starting to get upset as someone knocked on the door. You checked your makeup in the mirror as you walked to the door. You went to grab the handle to open the door before someone put weight on it, keeping it closed.

“Hey,” Your fiancé’s voice rang through the wood of the door. “Don’t open it. It’s bad luck for a groom to see his bride before she walks down the aisle.”

A sense of calmness washed over you at the sound of Sangyeon’s voice.

“I missed you.”

He chuckled. “I missed you too. I’m ready to marry you.”

This time you chuckled. “So am I.”

You both laughed before he spoke again.

“I just wanted to check on you. My mom said you were a little down about not seeing Chanhee yet.”

You perked up slightly at the mention of your best friend. “Has he shown up?”

The other side of the door was silent before Sangyeon spoke. “He didn’t tell you? He got sick. He must have come down with something while he was out with you. He stayed back at my hotel so he wouldn’t get anyone else sick.”

Your eyes closed as you let out a sigh. You couldn’t believe it.

He wasn’t coming.

“Oh, okay. He must have just forgotten.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. He always bounces back, you know that.” Sangyeon told you.

You wanted to reply before hearing a loud yell from the other side of the door.

“There you are man! We’ve been looking for you.”

You’d recognize the voice anywhere.

“We’re stealing your husband back real quick. You’ll get him back when you walk down the aisle!”

“He’s not my husband yet, Eric. You can take him, though.” You said with a roll of your eyes.

He patted the door in response before Sangyeon replied.

“I love you.”

You could hear him get dragged away by the younger boy as you picked up your dress so it wouldn’t drag, walking back towards the makeup station you were previously sat at. Pulling out your phone, you pulled up Chanhee’s contact. Your finger hovered over the call button before you jumped.

The far side door opened, revealing your best friend dressed in a tux. He closed the door behind him quickly as you stood up.

“Chanhee!” You said happily.

When he turned to look at you, you quieted quickly. He looked dejected, hurt, as he made his way towards you.

“I was supposed to give you this last night. However, due to certain circumstances, I got distracted.” Chanhee whispered.

You swallowed hard, trying to gulp down the knot in your throat. He reached into his suit jacket as he pulled out a box. It was black leather, with slight tears in it. He handed it to you quietly, choosing not to say anything.

Gently taking the box from him, you opened it. You let out a gasp as you took in the beautiful sight before you. The box held a beautiful hair clip decorated in white gold with blue diamonds.

“It’s a forget-me-not. Our flower.” Chanhee uttered out.

He took the clip from the box, pulling you to stand centered in front of the mirror as he slipped the clip into your hair. The lights in the room made the blue diamonds sparkle as he spoke.

“I found it in a thrift shop. It was a family heirloom that eventually ended up in the shop. I figured you’d like it. Brides are supposed to have something old, something new, something used, and something blue, right? I guess it falls under every category.” Chanhee told you softly.

You couldn’t help but bring your hand up to your hair, running your fingers over the emblem. You should’ve told him it was beautiful, should’ve said thank you.

Instead you opted for this.

“You came.”

Chanhee nodded. “I couldn’t miss your wedding even if I wanted to. You're my best friend.”

Feeling your eyes start to water you whipped around, pulling him into a tight hug. Chanhee hugged back, just as tightly, as he let out a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry.” You mumbled out into his jacket.

You felt him shake his head. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t deserve you.” You mumbled again.

This time, Chanhee chuckled. “You’re right. That’s a conversation for a different day, though.”

You two pulled apart to look at each other as he spoke again.

“You look beautiful, by the way.”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

“Come on. Let’s go get you married.” He said, walking you to the door.

You let him lead the way before you both stopped. You took a deep breath before looking at your best friend. He gave you a smile.

“You're the best Chanhee! I love you.”

Chanhee chuckled. “Careful. Sangyeon might think you’re falling in love with me.”

You both laughed as your mom opened the door, greeting Chanhee happily as she told you everything was ready. As she led the both of you to the front of venue, Chanhee was ready to walk you down the aisle as he whispered to you.

“I love you, too!”

all written works on this blog belong to @deobienthusiast and are protected under copyright- absolutely no translating/reposting or claiming my work as your own.

[meganwiththeknees]

Distant

Summary:

You go out for an unexpected lunch and catch up with some old friends.

Chapter 5

It's been two weeks since the Hero Awards, and you have never been so drained. Being a hero therapist means whenever they get their ego bruised, they need reassurance. By that, you mean things like, ‘everything's gonna be okay, and ‘you'll get up there next time, buddy.' It's like communicating with toddlers, and you mean that in the most modest way possible. But the best part about it is your salary was pretty hefty during times like that. Still, nothing compared to what a pro gets paid but still a pretty generous amount. So when you have extra spending money, the best thing to do is, well, spend it. So that’s what you did.

You purchased some shoes about a week ago, and they didn't fit correctly, so you've been meaning to return them. Although dealing with your busy schedule and the fact that you got in a very expressive fight with Denki, you haven't had the time. With your day cleared and nothing better to do, why not go return them now?

You put on gray sweatpants, an oversized graphic sweatshirt, and some white air forces. You put your hair into a low bun with a slick back side part and did your edges. You picked up an extra coat just in case and grabbed the bag with the shoes, and headed out the door.

After driving to the mall, you make your way to the store to return your shoes. You return your shoes and decide to go to a couple more stores since you’re already here. You make your way out of the last store for the day until you hear your name being called from a distance.

You hear someone calling your name and look over to see Uraraka waving her hand signaling that she was the one calling your name.

You wave back, walking over to her, wondering what she could possibly be doing at the mall.

“Hey Ochako, what are you doing here?”

“I decided to come here since I had a day off today. I’m also going out to lunch with Deku, Iida, Todoroki, and Tsu.”

“Oh, that sounds nice. Well, you have fun on your day off and tell everyone I said hi.”

Ochako faced you with a bright closed-eye smile on her face that went ear to ear. Then she began to look with wide eyes.

“You know what? How ‘bout you come and tell them hi yourself. I’d bet they’d love to see you too.”

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude on your day off? I know it’s hard for heroes to get days off.”

“No, I insist you must come. Besides the last time we hung out, I was drunk out of my mind, and you never go to hang out with the guys, so think of this as another get-together. Just with fewer people.”

“Well if you insist that it’s okay, then I’ll come, but could you at least let them know that I’m coming first.”

“What’s the fun in that? I want to surprise them.”

You roll your eyes at Ochako’s last comment. It was already bad enough that she was practically forcing you to come to hang out with her and your old friend. To not even let them know that you would be coming was another.

“Okay, let’s not keep them waiting any longer!”

“What do you mean to keep them waiting? Are you late to lunch?”

“Only by like ten minutes, but who’s really counting?” Ochako says with a shrug.

Ochako begins to grab you by the arm and practically drag you out of the mall. You were honestly surprised that she was so strong, and she had a mean grip. You assumed it was from all the hero training, though.

“Wait, Ochako, slow down! You never even sent me the address to the place we’re going to.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right, my bad.”

You two stop in the middle of the parking lot, and she pulls out her phone. She begins to type something on her phone as a car honks at her. You two move out the way so that the vehicle can pass.

“I’m so sorry, mister. I didn’t even realize we were in the middle of the road,” Ochako gasps as she stares at the car.

At this moment, you wondered how in the world was Ochako a real hero when she was so clumsy. Ochako returns to doing whatever she was doing on her phone before putting it back in her purse. You feel a little buzz in your pocket, signifying that you got a notification on your phone.

“I just sent you the address to the place, so don’t be late,” Ochako states while pointing at you, letting out a small chuckle.

“Sorry to break it to you, but we are already late,” You respond with a finger pointed towards her and letting out a snicker as well.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you at the place,” Ochako says as she waves goodbye and walks towards her car.

You walk to your car as well and hop in. You pull your phone out from your pocket to look at the address that Ochako had sent you. You click on the link, and the address pops up along with the name of the place. You realize that you have never heard of the area before, but you were always down to try new things.

You pull out your parking spot and begin to drive. The place wasn’t very far from the mall, but you expected as much since Ochako didn’t mind being late. You arrive in less than ten minutes and begin to look for a parking spot. As you get out of the car and begin to walk, you notice that the place looks a bit fancier than expected and begin to think you are underdressed for the mini outing.

“Oh great, we got here at the same time. That's a relief. If we didn’t, then I would have to come to look for you, and that means we would be even later than we already are.”

“You didn’t tell me that we would be eating at a nice restaurant. I thought it would be like a cafe or something. I feel undressed.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine none of us are going to care. Besides, we’re already here so no turning back now.”

You look over at Ochako and notice that she was wearing rather nice clothes to just go shopping in. She had on a white turtleneck that clung to her frame, a white overcoat that stopped a little below her knees, and some pink business pants that hugged her thighs. To top it all off, she had some pink pointed-toe heels that matched her pants along with a white mini handbag. You questioned how you didn’t notice her choice of clothes before.

After you finish looking over her outfit, you begin to look down at yours. You were definitely a little more than underdressed; you were very much underdressed. You looked like you just woke up and walked out of the house compared to Ochako. Even though you felt like you were out of place, you still wanted to go inside and take the opportunity to catch up with everyone. Also, who were you to pass up free food? By the looks of the place, you could tell that the food was going to be exquisite.

You and Ochako walked into the building and stopped at the front desk to check on the reservation. Ochako begins to talk to the lady at the front.

“Goodaftern ma'am, how may I help you?” The woman at the desk states.

“Hi, good afternoon, Ochako party of six,” Ochako tells the women so that you two could be seated.

“Oh yes, perfect. Your party is waiting for you, right this way ma’am.”

You and Ochako follow the lady to your seats. As the two of you are walking, you realize that Ochako said six people instead of five. You turn to Ochako and question her.

“When did you make a reservation for me?”

“On the car ride over here. I didn’t want to show up here, and they say that you can’t sit with us.”

“Oh well, thank you.”

“No problem!”

“Your party is right here ma’am, please enjoy,” The lady says as she sets two menus on the table and walks away.

“Hey guys,” Ochako says as she walks up and gives Tsu a hug. “I’m sorry if I took too long, I had to stop at the mall, and I ended up running into her, so I decided I would bring her with me.” Ochako continues pointing towards you.

“Hello, it’s so nice seeing you this afternoon,” Iida says as he greets you.

“Hey,” Izuku says, giving you a soft smile. “I didn’t think I would see you after the hero awards.”

“Hi,” Shoto says, glancing at you then going back to whatever he was doing.

You collectively greeted everyone and made your way to the empty seat next to Shoto. Ochako pulled out her chair, sitting next to Izuku, and started browsing the menu.

“Have you ever been here before?” Izuku asks you looking up from his menu.

“No, I haven’t,” you say while looking up from your menu. “I’m not really sure what to get.”

“The Unagi Don is amazing here,” Ochako says, looking at the menu.

“I might have to try it then,” You say, looking over the rest of the menu.

You all continued to talk and catch up while waiting for the food to come out. The conversation veers to many different topics. From how everyone's jobs are going to what they have been up, to since the last time they had all hung out in a group setting like this. Somehow during the conversation, you and Denki had become the hot topic.

“Oh, after the party, where did you and Denki go?” Tsu questioned you with a puzzled look on her face.

You were at a loss for words. Out of all the things we could have talked about, why did it have to be Denki? He was a sore subject for you right now since you two hadn’t spoken since that night. You decide to just answer her question in hopes that she drops the subject.

“Oh, we just went to this diner down the street,” You say while trying not to glare at Tsu.

“Yeah, Momo said you were gonna be gone for 15 minutes, but you never came back,” Tsu said while grabbing her water.

You mimic Tsu and take a sip of your water. You were starting to get really tired of the topic at hand. Shoto interjects her and starts to add on to the conversation.

“Didn’t Denki used to like you?” Shoto says while checking his phone.

Your eyes widen at the sudden statement. “No, I never knew that-” you say while being cut off by Shoto putting his phone down to address something else.

“Izuku liked you too,” Shoto states bluntly.

Your mouth gapes open, ready to say something quickly interrupted by the continuous choking coming from in front of you. Izuku’s face is red as he pats Ochako on the back. You stare at Shoto, and you start to wonder what provoked him to say such things.

Your brain was going a hundred miles per hour as you seemed to have the whole conversation on loop in your head. You start to think of what Shoto said about the two boys. What he had said about Denki was a question but what he said about Izuku was a statement. Shoto knew that Izuku liked you back in high school.

“Oh, look everyone, the food is here!” Iida exclaimed awkwardly.

Maybe coming to lunch wasn’t a good idea, you thought to yourself briefly as your food was placed in front of you. You didn't even know if you were hungry anymore, the embarrassment making you lose your appetite. No one at the table knew what to say next, so you decided to break the silence.

“So, how’s everyone’s food?” You say while everyone directs their attention towards you.

They all speak over each other, saying that it was good, and it went back to silence again. You get a notification on your phone from your one and only savior, Mina. You open the text message and begin to read it. She texted you to come over because she insists that she dropped so much water on the stairs and slipped and fell all the way down the staircase. She says that you need to come to see her right now because life is too short, and she could have died at that very moment.

You text her back and tell her that you would be over right away since you suddenly had so much free time. You couldn’t have been any happier at that moment. You had to get out of that restaurant and fast, and Mina just offered you the perfect opportunity.

“I’m so sorry guys, but I just got a text from Mina saying she got hurt.”

“Oh my god, is she okay?” Ochako says worriedly.

“Yeah, she should be fine. I just want to make sure she’s ok,” you say while getting up and taking your wallet out to pay for your meal.

“It was so nice seeing all of you again.”

“Bye, it was very nice seeing you, and I hope that Mina will be okay. I would hate for this to affect her hero work,” Iida exclaims, waving goodbye.

You walk out of the restaurant, taking your keys out of your pocket. You then get interrupted by a familiar voice. You turn around to see Midoriya calling out your name as he ran up to your car before you could leave.

“What’s up, Izuku?”

“I wanted to give you this,” he held his hand out, which held the money you left on the table for your bill.

“I knew if I said I would have paid, you would have declined, so I waited until you were out of the restaurant,” he says while laughing softly.

You looked up at him with a questioning look, then proceeded to look back at the money in his hand. It took you a moment to process everything and mouthed the word ‘O’ before you began to speak to him.

“Izuku, you don’t have to do that.” You spoke softly.

“Yeah, I know,” he said while rubbing the back of his neck. “But after Ochako dragging you here and what happened at the table-“

“Thank you,” you interjected while smiling.

“You’re welcome,” Izuku says while reaching for your car door and opening it for you.

You thank him once more as you get in your car. You head to Mina’s house to give her a giant hug for saving you from the most awkward conversation you have ever had in your life.

Extra Notes:

Sorry for the late post lol

[charliedawn]

DEFECTIVE GOOD PART 21

JR received a call from the Resistance camp and Chewbacca decided to let her use the communication links of the Millennium Falcon to receive the call. As soon as she opened it, both Poe and Finn asked at the same time:

"JR ! Are you alright ?!"

"Yes," She said with a reassuring smile, her voice soft and distant. "I'm alright."

Poe and Finn exchanged a look of concern. They could sense that something was troubling her, something deeper than mere tiredness.

"JR. We heard you. You called for us. You seemed in pain." Poe said in a worried tone and Finn then added.

"How did you do that by the way ?! How did we hear you ?"

JR-6025 hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain what had happened... "I'm not entirely sure..." she admitted finally, "But somehow, I was able to reach out to you. Through the Force, I suppose."

Poe and Finn exchanged a look of surprise and wonderment. "That's amazing..." Poe whispered under his breath. "I've never heard of a Force-sensitive being able to communicate across such distances before..."

"Wait…So are you like…a Jedi too ?!" Finn asked excitedly.

Poe chuckled, amused at Finn's enthusiasm. "Careful now, don't get ahead of yourself, buddy...let's hear what she has to say first."

Finn nodded eagerly, barely containing his excitement. "You're right, you're right..." he admitted.

Rey, who was nearby, overheard their conversation and couldn't help but have a small smile on his face at Finn's childlike enthusiasm. Jedi or not, the Force was a part of all living things, and sometimes even non-Jedi were capable of using it without even realising it.

JR seemed hesitant as she replied.

"I don’t know. I just…I guess I was just so scared that I managed to call you two through the Force cause I thought that…I trusted you two to come save me or something."

She laughed awkwardly—not realising what she just said.

Poe and Finn looked at each other, a mix of surprise and admiration on their faces. "Well...I guess that answers that," Poe concluded with a chuckle. "You may not be a Jedi yet, but you're definitely beginning to show some Force sensitivity. And who knows ? Maybe with some training, you'll be able to do even more."

"Wait ! Hold up…" Finn seemed momentarily shocked before he grinned. "…So…You were scared. And the first people you thought about calling to get help was me and Poe ?"

Poe and Finn looked at each other again before grinning broadly. "Well, well, well...looks like you've got yourself a rescue team, my friend," Poe teased JR. "We're always ready to lend a hand, especially when it comes to saving our friend in need."

Finn nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. We're here for you no matter what. You can count on us, always."

JR smiled.

"I mean…Obviously I would choose the best pilot in the universe and a fellow ‘deserter' to come save me. Wouldn’t let anyone else rescue me."

Poe and Finn burst out laughing at her response. "Well, thank you kindly, ma'am ! Always a pleasure to be of service," Poe exclaimed with a wink. "We'll be sure to hang an oversized 'mission accomplished' banner above your head after all this."

Finn snorted in agreement. "And don't forget to add some fireworks to that banner !" he added. "Because that's how we roll, right ?"

Rey arrived just at that moment and smiled at the camera before saying.

"You two wouldn’t get to her in time. Besides, she called me too. I think I may be best qualified on the rescue team since I am also a Force user."

Poe raised an eyebrow playfully. "Oh, is that a challenge, Rey ? We'll have to test that theory sometime soon."

Finn grinned, a competitive glint in his eyes. "Oh, yeah, let's see about that. We'll have to see which is better—pilot's skill or a Force user's power. Let the best rescuer win !" he declared.

"Right." Rey playfully rolled her eyes. "Not much of a competition."

Poe and Finn playfully groaned, knowing that Rey was right. "Alright, alright...you win," Poe conceded. "But just know that we'll be ready for a rematch should the need ever arise !"

Finn chimed in: "Exactly ! We may have lost this round to the resident Jedi, but we'll be sure to step up our game next time."

Rey chuckled before waving them goodbye.

"Well, this Jedi is gonna go train with her lightsaber. Bye."

She walked out of JR’s hurt and JR smiled before looking back at the screen.

"I…kinda miss you."

Poe and Finn laughed at Rey's playful arrogance before she waved them goodbye. When she was gone, they turned back to the screen and both their expressions softened as they heard JR's confession.

"We miss you too, friend," Poe said, his voice filled with sincerity. "But don't worry, we'll see each other soon enough. And until then, just know that we're always thinking of you."

Finn nodded in agreement. "Exactly. You're never far from our thoughts, JR. We're a team, remember ?"

She smiled.

"Yeah. Am glad I got you all on my team."

Poe and Finn exchanged a look before breaking into more laughter.

"You've got that right !" Poe managed to say, still chuckling. "We're a pretty unbeatable team, if I do say so myself."

Finn nodded in agreement, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Absolutely. We've got the flying expertise, the lightsaber skills, and the desertion expertise all rolled into one great package !"

He raised his fist in mock victory. "Go team !"

She laughed and shook her head.

"Right right. Go team. Try not to annoy General Leia while me and Rey are gone, okay ?"

Poe and Finn chuckled in agreement.

"No promises there !" Finn teased, to which Poe added, "We'll do our best, but you know how it is with Leia—she doesn't always see our charm, as it were."

Poe and Finn pretended to be very distraught at the prospect as they shared an exaggerated frown.

"Right. Tell her hi on my behalf. And…we’ll see each other soon." She smiled.

Poe and Finn nodded, their expressions warm and understanding.

"We'll be sure to update the General on your progress, ma'am," Poe replied, a playful salute in his voice. "And we'll be waiting impatiently for that glorious 'mission accomplished' banner to be hung."

Finn chuckled. "And don't forget to add extra glitter when you hang it. We like our missions sparkly, you know ?"

"Pff…Okay. Alright. Enough. I am ending communication now." She playfully rolled her eyes. Her friends laughed.

"Fair enough," Poe said. "But we'll be here if you need anything, okay ? We're still here for you even if you're light years away."

"Exactly ! And we'll be waiting for you with open arms when you return," Finn added with a smile. "Take care, Jedi !"

The screen turned blank and JR stood there momentarily, feeling thankful for her friends. Even though she was far away, she had a team that she could always count on.

She wasn't alone anymore...

Her team...

Her friends...

Her people...

JR smiled as the thought crossed her mind. She wasn't just a mere anonymous stormtrooper anymore. She was part of something greater.

Part of a family...And her role was far greater than what she could have imagined. JR smiled at herself before standing up—not expecting to see Kylo Ren standing there. She frowned at his spiritual apparition.

"…What are you doing here, Lord Ren ?"

He tilted his head.

"…What ? Am I not allowed on your 'rescue team' ?" His lips curved upwards. "You called me too after all…"

JR raised an eyebrow, her face twisted in a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "Well, isn't that a surprise," she muttered tersely. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you ?"

Kylo Ren's smirk only widened in response, as if to confirm her accusation. "Of course," he admitted unapologetically. "It's not every day that someone seeks my help."

"…It was a mistake." She looked away. "Now, get out of my head, will you ?"

Kylo Ren laughed, a low and menacing sound.

"You know it's not that easy," he sneered. "The Force is strong, and it holds us together. Our bond is one that cannot be broken so easily."

He stepped closer to her, his presence imposing and imposing. "Besides...I don't think you truly want me to leave, do you ?"

She frowned.

"If it is Rey you are searching for, you knocked at the wrong door." She informed him before she tilted her head to the right. "Two doors to the right. You can’t miss her."

Kylo chuckled, a dry and raspy sound that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Consider me uninterested for now," he replied, his voice cold and menacing. "I'm after a far bigger catch...one that may take a bit more effort, unfortunately."

He took a step closer, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her shiver.

He was...intimidating. Even through a spiritual apparition. If anything else, he was a true Sith. JR's brows furrowed as she tried to keep her gaze from slipping. It was true that he was trying to establish a connection with her. Through the force...To feel her fear and ultimately, try to manipulate her.

She tried to think rationally.

But she couldn't deny the feeling of fear and weakness that came with his presence...

"You see, I've been watching you...watching your progress...and I must say, I'm impressed."

She grimaced.

"I am not sure if I should be flattered or creeped out by that…"

Kylo's smirk widened. "Take it however you'd like," he replied, his voice low and dangerous. "I merely find you...intriguing."

He took a step forward, his gaze intense, even through the holographic connection. "And I tend to be intrigued by what is mine."

"Yours ?" She bit back a laugh. "Now, you must REALLY confuse me with Rey. She is the one you care about."

Ren narrowed his eyes, his face growing cold at her words. "I don't know what you're trying to imply here," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "But I suggest you watch your tongue."

The Force around them grew tense and heavy as he took a step closer.

"…Lord Ren. I am here because you asked me to keep her safe. To protect her. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just…"

Kylo Ren's expression softened slightly as he heard her words. "I'm not offended," he said, his voice quieter now. "And I know you were just doing your job...but sometimes I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had chosen a different path...a different fate."

He trailed off, his gaze growing distant.

"…What do you mean ?"

Kylo Ren clenched his jaw before responding to her question. His voice was tight and controlled, but still, with an edge of emotion lurking beneath its surface.

"I mean," he began, "that no one else is better suited to protect her...to stand by her side, as you do."

He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, there was a note of vulnerability in his tone. "She trusts you. You are her friend, and she values you. And...so do I."

She remained silent.

"…You shouldn’t. I am always uncertain. Unable to make a choice…I care about both sides. I keep thinking about you and General Hux and the people of the First Order. And I keep thinking that I would never be able to harm you. Even when I was so afraid during Skywalker’s test, I called out to both sides to protect me. I just wanted to have you by my side. To know that you were all safe."

She felt her heartbeat increase slightly as Kylo said those words. She felt his presence...his emotions. She felt...compelled. She was aware enough to know that it was the Force at work, and the manipulation at play, but...

Why did it feel so right ?

As Kylo spoke, her gaze remained fixed on his face. His expression was hard, but there was something...

Human about the way he spoke.

There was then a silence that lasted for several moments before Ren's voice finally came through.

"That is...quite a dilemma," he said slowly, seemingly considering his words carefully. "And to be honest, it is one that I find quite perplexing. You wish to have both sides, but ultimately, you know that such a thing is not possible."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "It is a predicament in which you must make a choice. Ultimately, you must decide whether to side with the Resistance or the First Order."

"Both sides are calling to me. I understand both sides, and it is driving me insane…" She let out a sigh of frustration.

"I know...but you must make a choice," Kylo replied, a hint of urgency in his tone. "You can't have both. It's either one or the other...or neither."

"…I cannot. I cannot choose to hurt. It is not my goal. It was never my goal." She buried her face in her arms and even though she had the urge to look out the window and ask the stars for guidance—she stopped herself. She had only ever wished to help…but now, the universe seemed to tell her that the only way to do so was for someone she cared about to die ?

The stars, as they often did, gave her no answers—and the Force, as it often did, did not respond. She was left alone to ponder her fate in silence.

She looked up to look at Kylo Ren.

"…Won’t someone show me the way ? The way for just this war to end without pain ?"

Kylo Ren's face twisted in a mixture of conflict and rage, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "There is no such thing," he said, his voice sharp and biting. "In war, there is always pain. Always sacrifice. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll find your place in this struggle."

"…I told you. I refuse to see it the way you do."

Kylo's face twisted into a fierce frown. "You may refuse to see it, but it doesn't change the facts," he retorted. "War is not a place for cowards or fools who can't make tough decisions."

He took a step closer, his expression growing dark and menacing. "You can't avoid the pain forever...it's time to face the truth."

She frowned and faced him.

"…You know that I won’t choose your side if the choice was to be inevitable."

Kylo's face hardened at her words. "I know," he replied, his voice like ice. "But you'll be making a mistake if you don't. If you can't see that, then you're a fool."

He took a step forward, his gaze intense. "Do you think the Resistance will welcome you with open arms ? Do you think they'll accept you for who you are ? You're nothing to them but a tool...a pawn to be sacrificed at their convenience."

"Maybe so. But, I am not fighting for them. I am fighting for the people I care about. I am fighting for those who believe in freedom and justice." Her gaze softened. "This is why it is so hard…because I know that the people behind the First Order are not evil. You, me and General Hux were born into this conflict. And everything would have been so different if the Force wasn’t so complicated and the world so cruel…"

Ren's fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. "You're right," he said between clenched teeth. "It's not fair. And I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about what could have been...but that doesn't change the facts."

He took a step closer, his gaze intense as he stared into hers. "The war has been raging for years now. The First Order isn't going to go away. You can either join us or fight against us...but you can't have both."

Fight the First Order. Or join them ?

The choice seemed so simple, yet...it wasn't.

No matter how much she believed in the Rebellion, she simply couldn't deny the truth in Kylo's words. The First Order wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

She couldn't have it both ways...

Yet...

She didn't want to hurt the Rebellion.

Not at all...Not even a little.

"…Then convince me." She uttered in a whisper.

Kylo's face twisted in a mixture of frustration and longing. "You know I can't convince you," he replied, his voice trembling. He stepped even closer, until their faces were just inches apart, and reached out to cup her face in his hands. "You're stubborn and idealistic...but that's what I love about you."

He leaned in closer, his lips mere centimeters away from hers, as the tension between them grew thicker and more intense. Her breath hitched at his closeness and she screamed.

"LIAR !" She then pushed him away. Her sudden outburst caught Kylo Ren off guard. At first he stared at her with stunned silence.

But then a dark glare filled his eyes.

In that moment, all traces of the vulnerability that had filled his voice and mannerisms vanished in an instant, and a cold...even dangerous side of him emerged.

He glared at her...ready to strike back.

"YOU DARE CALL ME A LIAR ?"

He took a step back, his stance tensing as he prepared for whatever was about to come. The Force shifted around them, a tense and oppressive energy filling the air between them.

She glared at him.

"You love Rey. You’ve always loved Rey. From the moment you first laid your eyes on her. But since you cannot have her, you are trying to lie to me ! To make me believe in a love that isn’t !"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Kylo's eyes narrowed even more as he kept his gaze fixed on her.

The Force between them felt...

Tense...heavy...

Impending...

"You are a brave one," he finally said through tight teeth. His voice was calm...but there was a certain danger that hung over his tone. "...So you think you know me ?"

"More than you know." She looked at him and her eyes softened. "…I won’t accept your lies, Lord Ren. Please. I cannot."

His rage grew even more as he heard those words.

Her eyes softened.

She thought she knew him better than he knew himself.

The Force between them grew even more tense...There was a certain fragility about it.

"Oh really..." He seethed between clenched teeth. "...And what makes you so certain about that ?"

She didn’t hesitate before cupping his face and pressing her forehead against his.

"I have come to know more about you through your words. Every spoken word. You could be Kylo Ren or Ben Solo that it wouldn’t matter to me. I shall always care for the man who wears both names."

She had a point. She didn’t let his title scare her or intimidate her. She had no fear of him..

She was simply...there.

...With him.

Her words left him mute for a moment as he simply looked at her. Then, a certain tenderness came across his face. She instantly felt it and sighed before taking a step towards him.

"…Did he hurt you ? Supreme Leader Snoke ?" She asked worriedly.

His expression darkened for a moment at the mention of his master’s name.

"...Don't...don't bring him up. You...you don't need to know those things..."

His voice was dark.

He looked like he was trying very hard to appear unaffected...But his eyes gave him away.

She sighed before slowly and gently stroking the back of his head.

"Last time we spoke, I felt a dark force pushing you away from me. I was so worried. Was it him ?"

A brief flash of hurt crossed his face. He remained quiet for a few moments, before answering her question.

"He was..." He paused, struggling to maintain his composure. "...What do you want me to say ? That he hurt me ? That he was the reason I acted the way I did ? That he...Made me the person I am today ?"

The person I hate today. He thought.

She smiled before gently pulling his hand towards her and intertwining their fingers.

"And still…you came back."

He looked down at their joined hands and took a deep breath.

"Yes..." he muttered between clenched teeth, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Still, I came back."

She smiled again.

"I can feel it. You still feel the pull towards the Light, don’t you ?"

He sighed and looked away for a brief moment.

"Yes...I do." He looked straight into her eyes. "And I despise it."

She reached out for his chin and slowly forced him to look at her.

"Don’t. I felt scared too. At first. But…You do not need to despise the Light."

"I do." He tried to remove her hands from his chin, but his own hands were shaking. A tear escaped from his eyes.

He turned away.

"I despise it. I despise it all."

She smiled and pressed her forehead against his once more—her heart tightening at the pain and hatred she felt emanating from him in waves.

"Sssh. I know. I know. It hurts."

"It hurts." He leaned in close. "...It hurts."

The tension between them seemed to grow even thicker, the Force seemed to pulsate with even more intensity.

It was so close to snapping...

He reached up and brushed an errant strand of hair aside. And then he spoke in a whisper so soft...so small.

"I want it to stop hurting." He said as he tried to embrace the comfort she was offering him by her presence alone.

"It will…I will help you. I promise." She whispered.

He didn't speak. His breathing was shallow and fast and he was so close to her. His heart was beating fast. It was almost hard to imagine that he was an agent of darkness at all.

That he was even capable of hurting people...

He looked into her eyes, they felt like...warmth.

He reached his hands up and cupped her face.

Her breathing hitched.

Their faces were so close to one another...He looked like he was going to explode. He looked away and his jaw clenched.

"...I..." he whispered. "I am not..."

He looked up and their eyes met, their heads still inches from one another.

"I am..."

He paused and breathed in, his face growing paler and his hands shaking harder.

"I..."

She smiled and hugged him tightly.

"…It’s okay. Everything will be okay." She held his trembling hands in hers.

He felt the relief flood into his body as soon as she hugged him. His breathing slowed and his hands ceased shaking.

His body relaxed...

His heartbeat slowed...

"It hurts...I..."

He squeezed his eyes shut as his tears escaped and trickled down his cheeks.

"...I want it to stop..."

"I know."

He didn’t speak. His chest heaved as he tried to breathe and calm himself. And slowly, he felt the weight lifting off his shoulders and his breathing slowing...He held her tighter...as his tears continued to fall.

She stroked his back.

He shuddered slightly at her touch, but he also felt his muscles loosening.

His tears fell, but he stopped trying to wipe them away.

He gripped her even tighter and buried one hand into her hair.

"...I just want to...I just want to..." He was starting to lose control over his own tongue. There were so many things he wanted to say…but couldn’t.

"…I do not want to fight you. I do not want to be your enemy." She whispered and kissed his forehead. He stayed there for a few seconds...perhaps even more. The warmth of the moment washed over him. He lifted his head from her shoulder and looked back at her. He remained quiet for a few more seconds as he simply stared at her.

His hands were still interlaced in hers and he didn't want to let go.

"I..." he whispered and he added with a small smile. "I don't want to fight you, either."

A brief pause.

"I don't want to fight you, at all."

She nodded.

"In a different life..." he said in a small voice before pausing for a few seconds.

"Maybe we could...." He remained silent for a few more seconds, the emotions inside him too mixed to be named. "In a different life, maybe we could have..."

His voice grew even softer as he continued.

"Maybe we could have been more than enemies..."

"…Of course." She smiled. "We would have been friends. I am sure of it."

He remained silent for a few moments longer...

"Friends..." He remained silent until he finally spoke up again. "More than friends."

She didn’t say anything.

"...More than just friends," he added again, his voice growing even softer as he spoke. He was quiet for a moment, as if thinking about what he was going to say next.

"Maybe...in a different life," he continued, his voice taking on a slightly wistful tone. "...we could have been..."

A brief pause.

"...Lovers."

She sighed and looked away.

He remained close to her, trying to get a glimpse of her face. It felt like an eternity of silence as he waited for her to reply back, a million thoughts crossing his mind.

He wanted to know how she felt. And at the same time, he was so very afraid of the answer.

And so, he stayed silent as he waited for her to speak first.

She finally smiled sadly at him. "…I care about you. But…You cannot love me."

Everything in him froze.

His breath stilled, his heart slowed to a crawl...

He felt like he was about to drop to the floor.

It hurt.

"What ?" he finally whispered, his eyes betraying just how much it hurt him to hear those words from her.

"…You cannot love me because if you do, you’ll end up hurt." She explained rather unclearly.

"...I am already hurt. I’ve been hurt for a long time...and you know that. And..." He whispered and paused, finding it hard to get the next words out. "...You won’t hurt me—not you."

JR sighed and stroked his cheek. "I cannot love you. Not as long as you think love is weakness. It is the reason I will choose the Rebellion. Because I think the First Order just takes away any kind of love that could ever be…"

That broke something in him and his eyes flashed with an intense cold intensity. "Do not say another word," he warned, his voice tense.

She shivered at the shift in his demeanor. His anger was cold and hard, and she had never...

Ever

...Seen him this way.

He looked...dangerous.

She said nothing, keeping her mind quiet and her face expressionless as she tried to avoid triggering him. Then, with a swift movement, Kylo stepped up close to her and grabbed her by the arms, squeezing them so tightly that it became painful.

"W-What ?! Lord Ren ! Let go !"

Kylo Ren grabbed the back of her neck roughly, forcing her to look at him as he got closer, their faces so close that their noses were almost touching and his lips brushed against hers. Kylo took only a split-second to think before capturing her lips into a deep and passionate kiss, letting all the emotions of jealousy and hurt and longing pour out.

Her eyes widened as tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to push him away.

"L-Lord Ren. Stop."

"No," he replied, his voice hoarse and rough. He pulled her closer, pressing his body against hers as he leaned down to capture her mouth in a fierce and possessive kiss.

Kylo Ren's hands moved to her back and he pulled her closer, kissing her deeply and desperately. He could feel the tears on her face and he finally released the back of her neck, instead holding her face in his hands as they kissed passionately. They stayed like this for several moments until he finally broke the kiss to catch his breath, gazing into her eyes.

Her eyes were filled with so many emotions, and she felt so powerless, so overwhelmed...

And even so, she couldn't help but be overcome by the surge of pleasure as his lips moved against hers with such hunger...His kisses were so powerful...so intense...She felt herself melting in his embrace as she tried to push him away, but it felt hopeless...

She didn't want him to stop...but she knew she had to somehow. When he did stop and looked into her eyes...

She was breathless.

"Who do you think you are ? Telling me that I cannot love you. When you DARED let Hux kiss you ! Tell HIM that you love him ! Letting that…CRETIN make you his when he doesn’t even know how to handle himself." He roared and her eyes flashed as his words stung her. And she could feel his anger at Hux growing by the second, but the anger she saw in his eyes...

It wasn't directed towards her...

It was directed towards Hux.

"…General Hux. You are acting…exactly like him. You think I am just a thing to own. You are incapable of loving anyone." She said with tears in her eyes.

Kylo Ren's face darkened as he heard her words. "Do not compare me to that weakling," he seethed, his voice low and dangerous. "I am not doing this out of some sense of ownership. I'm doing it because I can't stand the thought of you being with anyone else."

He pushed her up against the nearest wall, pinning her with his body. "And if I have to prove that to you, then so be it."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"You are no monster, Lord Ren. You would never hurt me…"

Kylo Ren's face twisted in anger and pain at her words. He released her, taking a step back as he tried to calm himself. "Do not underestimate me," he said through clenched teeth.

"I am not. I know your strength. But, I also believe that you wouldn’t hurt me, even if you could."

"You..." Kylo Ren's voice cracked slightly as he spoke. "You're right. I wouldn't." He reached out and gently cupped her face with his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "I love you," he whispered. "And I would do anything for you."

She started crying and her voice cracked.

"I wish…I could believe you."

Kylo's hand trembled slightly as he cupped her cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "I love you," he said quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

He dipped his head and captured her lips with his, kissing her deeply and with a sense of desperation that bordered on obsession. His body pressed against hers as he held her tight, completely lost in the moment.

Her eyes were closed as the kiss continued, her mind going blank as she felt a wave of ecstasy and desire wash over her.

His body pressed against hers, his hands on her waist...She felt his heart beat against hers.

Their tongues entangled with each other's...

...and she felt...something else.

Something that wasn't simply her heart, but her soul...It was a desire to be one with him, to be a part of him and to make her own the whole of him...

Kylo Ren's grip on the back of her neck loosened slightly as he felt her pain and the tears in his own eyes threatened to spill over any moment.

"Stop crying." He said softly but sternly, his voice hoarse with an emotion he couldn't fully explain. "You're only making this harder."

"Stop kissing me." She retorted.

Their breathing was heavy. The desire had taken control of their bodies, and the sensations of pleasure swept over them, leaving them lost in each other.

The desire...

It was overwhelming.

The want for more...

For everything.

She tried to push him away, she tried to stop the kiss...And yet, as she did, she found herself only falling deeper into his embrace, her body pressed against his, their breaths becoming one.

He reached out, letting his fingers grace her chin, as if to remind himself that she was still there. "Please..."

Her heart cracked at his pitiful please and her eyes filled with tears once more.

"You are not looking for love, Lord Ren. You are looking for someone to join your side."

"Join my side ?" Kylo repeated, his voice soft and wounded. "I don't want you on my side, JR. I want you to be mine."

"Liar."

Their breaths became heavier with that one word...

"Liar."

It wasn't simply a word of dismissal, It was an accusation, it was her doubting him and not believing him.

And it was...hurting him.

And the hurt in him grew into anger as he clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on her body once more.

"I am not...a liar." He grunted, his rage growing by the second.

"You want Rey…" JR uttered in a whisper.

Kylo's eyes flashed with an intense mixture of frustration and longing. "You could still be by my side," he said in a low voice. "We could rule the galaxy together...as partners, and equals."

He took a step closer, his hand reaching out to caress her face. "Stay with me," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "Let me love you."

Her heart ached.

"…I chose forgiveness and peace. You chose revenge and rage. That is why I cannot fight alongside you. I am sorry."

Kylo's face twisted into a mask of rage and pain. "I'm not asking for you to fight with me !" he spat out, his voice strained with emotion. "Just be mine ! It's not that hard !"

Those words hurt more than anything he could have said. She didn't understand this desire for love. A need for something that was more than a mere bond.

She simply didn't understand.

She would never understand.

His grip on her tightened once more as his anger continued to build.

He didn't want her to join his side.

He didn't want her to fight alongside him.

He wanted her.

"Why ?! Why should I be yours ?!"

Kylo's expression shifted from hurt and confusion to anger once again. "Because I deserve you !" he snarled, his voice laced with possessive rage. "I deserve you. I want you. And I will get you !"

He grabbed her roughly, pulling her against him, his lips crashing into hers in a fierce and almost feral kiss.

JR-6025 gritted her teeth before a force surged through her.

"LET GO !", her voice boomed and Kylo Ren’s eyes widened in shock as he heard her and felt the energy—pushing him back.

He wasn't expecting her to fight back...He hadn't realized just what she was truly capable of. He stumbled back as he released his grip on her. His shock and anger grew in tandem as he saw what was happening.

She was fighting back.

And she was fighting with…

The Force.

JR’s eyes were wide open and she was looking down at him with fear in her eyes. She had never feared him before…

JR sighed.

"You are jealous. It is the only reason you are here. You are jealous of General Hux. You are trying to take over my mind. To make me into something I am not !"

He...

…Wait…

He suddenly realised something.

She was…

She really was...

She was reading into his very thoughts.

Reading his jealousy...

He was silent as he listened to her, a mix of anger and astonishment on his face.

"Yes." He finally confessed. "I am jealous."

His voice was tight with a mixture of rage, jealousy, and fear.

"Of Hux."

JR looked away.

"…Of course. Of course you would want the same thing. You do not care about me. Not truly. It is just another part of your childish game of rivalry…"

"It is not a game." He snarled, the anger boiling over as he finally let the mask drop.

"I..." He stopped, forcing himself to take a breath. His voice was a mix of pain and anger as he spoke again.

"I thought that..."

He shook his head violently.

"...I thought that...if I had you, I could..."

She closed her eyes and sighed as she saw his struggling with his own words.

"I think…I thought…I want to help you. I want to help you. But, I do not know how…"

She was so sweet...

So innocent and caring...

He felt such...

Such....such anger.

He didn't want to feel that anger anymore...

He hated the anger...

"Then...Help me."

His voice was soft as he spoke, the anger gone, replaced with something...different.

"How ?" She sobbed and cupped his face. "Tell me. How ? Please. Tell me. How can I help you ? How do I help you ?"

"Just...Be mine." He answered softly, his words full of pain and desperation. "Let me...have you. Let me possess you. Let me own you..."

He swallowed.

"Let me love you."

The words hurt her. They hurt her deeply.

"…Have. Possess. Own. The words you use hurt me. Because they go against everything I desire. Everything I fought for…"

He couldn't deny her words. They went against everything she stood for. Everything he had tried to deny. She didn't fight for her own gain. She fought for the freedom of others.

They were the exact opposite of his desires.

He was the exact opposite of her dreams.

He couldn’t deny any of her claims…

And yet, he still...desired her.

She gritted her teeth and sighed deeply.

"How could I love a man I know would bring my own destruction ? You would destroy me and whatever freedom I have fought so hard to get…How could I love…" She looked up at him. "…Kylo Ren ?"

"Because I..." He bit his lip as he looked at her. "Because I..."

He squeezed her arms, trying to get a hold on himself. His breath quickened as he found that the only thing he had to hold onto was her. His words were quiet, almost a whisper.

"...Because I love you."

She sighed and shook her head.

"…I do not think you know what love truly means."

The words hurt more than any blow he had ever suffered. Especially from her.

"I..."

He choked on his words, his anger growing once again.

"Then...Educate me."

Her eyes widened at his request and she looked sorry for him as she replied.

"I cannot."

"Why not ?!" His anger exploded again, but he was trying and failing to hold it back for her sake. "I am desperate for your love…I am desperate to hold it…desperate to possess it and claim it for myself…"

Words he had struggled to keep in came out in a rush.

"And you’re going to turn me away because I don’t know how to love ?"

"It is not something to be taught, Lord Kylo Ren." She started and he took a deep shaky breath.

"...Then I will learn it through you." His grip on her arms tightened, his anger spilling out again. He was desperate to have what he wanted. "...To have you."

"Have. Get. Possess…" She shuddered as she uttered those words. "…You still only see me as a stormtrooper. You grab me, squeeze me, use words that I have been told all my life. You wish to receive more than just love, but blind obedience…"

"If blind obedience is what it takes for you to be mine..." He was silent as she spoke, her words sinking into him. He couldn't deny his desire for it. His need to be obeyed. "...Then...Then I'll take it."

A threat. JR sighed. He would truly never learn or listen to her.

"…Then tell me…How would Ben Solo love me ?" She asked and Kylo was stunned.

Ben…Solo.

"He would treat you with respect...And kindness...And dignity..."

He was silent as his anger rose at the thought of someone else treating her with such things...

"He would ask things of you..."

His grip tightened even more.

"But he would want what was best for you...And he would never ask you to abandon your morals..."

She took a shaky breath. Oh how she wished for such love…But she then looked up at him with a sad smile.

"But you are not Ben Solo. So tell me…how would Kylo Ren love me ?"

His eyes immediately darkened as he grabbed her head and looked deep into her eyes.

"...He would possess you..."

His answer was blunt as he met her eyes, his anger and frustration slowly simmering down.

"He would claim you. Take you whenever he wants you...Whenever he needs you..."

There was a hunger in his words that he could not deny.

"He would bend your will to his wants and desires alone..."

She closed her eyes.

"…Would I still be…me ?"

He was silent for a few moments as his gaze fell on her.

"...No..."

He couldn't deny her words.

Her will would be bent to his own wishes. He would claim her as his own. She would do as he bid her...She wouldn’t be herself.

"...No..."

She remained silent and Kylo Ren could feel her pain.

"You wouldn’t be yourself. You would be what I want..." The words hurt as he spoke them. It hurt him to know that she wouldn't be herself...But he couldn't deny it. "…Or I would make it so..."

He was silent for a few moments, his fingers tightening on her arms as he tried to process what he was saying.

"...You said you wished. That you hoped for such love..." He was hesitant. "...But I am not Ben Solo..."

His voice still held some of that bitterness he had before.

"...And I...am not a kind man."

She looked away and took a deep breath.

"…What if I asked you to be ? For me ?" She asked and looked back at him.

His grip softened slightly at her question.

He was silent for a few moments.

"Do you want me to be…Ben ?" His voice was careful as he spoke, the hurt in him showing ever so subtly. "Do you...wish for me to be kind to you ?"

"Would you be ? If I asked you to ?" She asked again but with more confidence. But, Kylo Ten seemed in pain. Because he knew the answer. And she wouldn’t like it.

"...I couldn't..."

This had to be the hardest thing he had ever had to admit...

"...To be kind...To be gentle...To treat you as an equal..." He hesitated even now, his anger still simmering beneath the surface as he spoke.

"Yes. I could want to..."

But the harsh truth came out at last.

"But...I cannot be that man...Not for anyone...Not even for you."

She closed her eyes at the harsh truth.

His grip on her arms tightened again as he saw the hurt in her eyes.

He knew his words had hurt her...

And yet...

"...You did ask me. I am being honest. For you."

He paused for a moment, struggling to find the words.

"...I wish..." He couldn't finish the sentence, but he forced himself to. "...I wish I was that man...I wish I could be that man for you."

Yet the wishes of a man mattered little.

She slowly leant forward to kiss his lips softly.

"…This is a kiss for Ben. And I hope he will feel it."

His entire body tensed as she kissed him softly.

For a brief moment, he felt it...A warmth, a gentleness, something that reminded him of another...

For just a moment...He felt as if she had kissed…

Ben Solo.

"I…am not him. Not anymore." He whispered, but she just kept softly kissing his lips…There was no hurry or violent passion that threatened to burn. It was her first true kiss. A kiss she meant. A kiss full of hope and love and care…

He did not want to feel the gentleness, the tenderness in her touch. He did not want to feel the warmth of her kiss.

But he found that it was...

Comforting.

"...More..."

More than anything he could possibly deny...Than anything he wanted to deny.

Her lips felt gentle. Caring. Warm.

Hope.

Love.

Care.

He had never known such a gentle, wonderful, sweet kiss.

She pulled away.

He hesitated for a split second as she pulled away, as if he was holding on to a dream that was fading away from him.

Then he realized that the dream was real.

The kiss happened.

Her sweet kiss.

"...Again."

His voice was a whisper as he spoke, the hunger in him for her touch threatening to overwhelm him.

"Do not demand, Lord Ren. That kiss was for Ben. Not for you…" She denied him and he gritted his teeth.

"...Then give it to me..."

His voice was tight.

He was desperate for that kiss...

He tried to hide it.

To hold back from asking...

But he couldn't resist.

His hands tightened behind her back.

His tone had become hard once again...

...No longer gentle, but demanding.

"...Kiss me..."

"You wish to claim something that isn’t yours, Lord Ren. That kiss. It was for him. For…the man that could have been. That could still be." She said.

"...Then make it mine..."

His grip tightened on her.

He wouldn't deny her words. Not at all.

But he needed that kiss.

He wanted it for himself. For Kylo Ren.

And he couldn't resist...He couldn't deny the hunger that was growing inside of him.

"Kiss me once more, trooper..."

Her expression hardened as he called her that.

"That is NOT my name. Or what I am. Not anymore."

"I said..." His grip tightened, but his hands were trembling despite his effort to maintain his firm and stern grip. He needed her to obey, but his words came out weak and shaky and almost pleading.

"...I said..." The hunger in him had started to spill over. "Kiss me again."

The words were a mix of rage and desperation.

"No."

He was stunned at her mere utterance of the word. He was so used to getting his way. And now here she was, denying him.

And he hated it.

"I SAID..."

His voice rose.

The hunger. It was growing within him...

He wanted...He wanted so desperately...

"That kiss was for Ben. Only Ben Solo." She said and Kylo Ren’s eyes darkened

"Then you will be disappointed."

He tightened his grip again, trying to contain his anger. The hate within him.

"That man..."

Ben.

"...Doesn't exist."

His voice was cold, cruel, and brutal as he spoke.

"The only man that exists..."

He squeezed a little tighter.

"...Is me."

His grip tightened on her and his knuckles were white as he squeezed...

Rage boiling inside of him.

"You're mine..."

It was all he could think of as he squeezed her arms.

"...You're mine if I say you're mine..."

The words spilled out of him like poison, his anger growing as she refused and his hold on himself growing weaker...

"...Do you understand ?"

JR glared at him and wrench away from his grip.

"No."

His jaw twitched at her refusal.

"Very well..." His words were hard to get out as the hunger inside of him grew even more. "...Then I shall take what I want by force."

He watched as she refused him to his face.

And he hated it.

That hunger. That rage.

It wasn't being sated, it was simply bubbling up and up as his grip on himself grew weaker...He stared at her with a hard, almost cruel look, the hunger still boiling up and up and up...

"...If you refuse..." It took him an effort to speak the words. "...I will hurt you."

"You wouldn’t."

"...Try me."

The anger in him was spilling over now as he gripped his fists. He was desperate to keep her...And if she wouldn't be willingly...Then he would take her by force.

"Try to resist me. See if I wouldn't hurt you..."

She frowned.

"You are only a guest in my head, Kylo Ren." She reminded him.

His grip on his sanity weakened further as he heard the words.

Her head...?

He was just a guest ?

His rage rose, and with it came the hunger within him...He wanted to show her that she was wrong...And to make her see.

"...So you think you're safe from me here...?"

He paused, a cruel smile playing on his lips as he spoke...

"...That you can just refuse me here ?"

"Don’t."

She was still refusing him. She still believed herself safe, despite the situation they were in...

"Don’t..."

It was an absurd thing for her to ask.

She was his.

The hunger inside of him was growing, and he was finding it harder and harder to maintain his hold on himself...

"Don’t..."

He wanted to laugh at her naivety. Did she really think her words held any power over him ?The hunger was growing, spreading, taking hold of him...and there was no stopping it.

He took a step towards her.

She took a step back.

Another step forward.

His grip on his willpower was growing more and more tenuous as he stepped closer and closer to her.

Another step...

"Do NOT take another step !"

Kylo Ren didn’t listen.

"...You cannot stop me."

His voice was low as he took another step towards her...She gritted her teeth.

"Please."

A flash of amusement flitted across his face.

"You know very well that I don't care for please..." His voice was still hard as he took a step backward. "Besides, I already have what I want..."

He was close to her, just close enough to reach out a hand and touch her. Suddenly, she raised her hand towards him and tried to use the Force to stop him. His eyes widened as he felt something tug at him. He took an involuntary step backwards, his eyes flashing with surprise and annoyance...

He was still trying to maintain his grasp on himself. His voice was a snarl. But he took her grip by the wrist, holding it in his hands...

He pulled her towards him.

He was furious.

The hunger was gnawing at him.

And he was starting to think...

Perhaps I should break your mind...

JR’s eyes widened in fear.

"Lord Ren. Please…No."

"I will do what I please." He seethed and lifted her hand to do just that. The hunger inside of him was growing, just like the rage. His grip on her wrist was tight. He didn't want to hurt her if he could help it...But he was growing weary of her refusal to submit to him.

Perhaps if he just showed her...what he could do ?

"K-Kylo Ren. P-Please." She felt tears in her eyes as pain spread through her mind. "Don’t. You’re not a monster."

His grip tensed as he saw the pain and heard her words. He was almost ready to stop...almost tempted to release her.

...But the rage inside of him was growing.

"You don't know what I am..." He hissed as his grip tightened on her wrist.

"I know. I know that you think yourself irredeemable and that you feel there is no one you can trust and everyone is seeking to hurt you. But, I know there's some good in you. I know it."

His response came out almost instantly without a thought.

"There is no good left in me...I am what I am..."

His grip went even tighter...

"And you will learn to accept that fact..."

"Never." She still felt his mind clashing with hers and threatening to crush her. "I won’t…ever…stop believing."

He paused for a moment at her words.

Her resolve...

Her absolute belief that there was some sort of light left in him...

It was...disconcerting.

"...Then your beliefs will prove to be your undoing..." She felt his grip tighten on her just a little bit more. She suddenly reached out for his face and gently ran the back of her fingers over his scarred cheek.

"…So beautiful." She felt him trying to crush her but her eyes revealed nothing but love.

His mind was faltering as her fingers ran over his scarred face. The hunger and rage within him was starting to be overwhelmed by something else. He was trying to regain his focus, to maintain it. But her touch on his face. There was something...soothing about it.

Soothing and warm and gentle.

And she wasn't even trying...

She was just...

Touching him.

She kept touching him gently and smiled softly at him. Her eyes glassy and her thumb stroking his scar before she leant forward.

"…You wanted a kiss, Lord Ren ? Here it is."

She kissed his scar.

His grip on his sanity was gone the moment she kissed his scar.

She wasn't trying to tease him.

She wasn't trying to appeal to his desires.

And yet he found himself wanting something more, something he hadn't wanted or desired or needed since...

...It had felt like a lifetime ago...

His eyes fluttered closed as the kiss continued on his scar. She had finally kissed him...

She peppered the rough skin with kisses, her lips seeking to soothe all his scars. Her gentleness was almost torture for him…a sweet torture.

It was torture. And yet he craved it like nothing else. His mind was growing fuzzy as her lips touched him. The hunger and the rage were beginning to disappear. The sweetness was taking hold of him...

And he wanted more.

His hands ran through her hair...

Cradling her head as the kisses continued.

More...

She lifted her hands to grab the back of his head as her lips kept their tender assault on his scar. His grip tightened on her as she grabbed the back of his head. His mind was growing foggy as her lips kept up their assault on his scar...

More...

His mouth opened a little and his lips pressed against her cheek. There was no need for her to respond, no need for her to do anything at all.

Just let him drink in her affection...

Let her show him how gentle she could be...

She shivered at the sensation of his lips against her cheek and let her lips linger over his brow…

"I shall heal you…I shall heal you…I promise." She uttered in a whisper against his damaged skin.

He was breathless as her lips lingered over his cheek. His hands found themselves in her hair...

I shall heal you..

He was overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed by her soft touch and her words...Her confidence in him, her faith that he wasn't an irredeemable monster...He needed her to keep it up...

Keep up this...

Gentleness...

To keep showing him that he could be healed...

He needed her to keep it up...

Keep it up...

He suddenly pulled her closer and hissed in her ear.

"You are wasting your time trying to heal me. There is nothing left to heal. It is all gone."

She held him fearlessly.

"No. I will mend and fix and heal. It doesn’t matter if it hurts or takes me a lifetime. I will not give up on you."

His grip tightened around her as his voice was a low, harsh growl.

"...You will never succeed..."

His face tilted so that his lips were almost touching her ear as he spoke...

"...I am beyond repair..."

He pulled her closer.

Beyond healing...

"It's a waste of time..."

"There is...nothing..." He choked out as he pulled her closer to his mouth, his words growing more harsh and more bitter..."Nothing to heal. The time for healing passed a long time ago."

He was panting as he heard her words.

"There is nothing left to heal."

The hunger boiled up inside of him once more...There's nothing left to heal. The words pounded in his head.

His grip on her tightened as he hissed once more...But still she held him, refusing to give up on him even as he continued to refuse her. He wanted to punish her for her obstinacy. For her self-righteous refusal to believe him.

She dug her fingers into his shoulders as she kept him close. His grip on her tightened as his hissing grew into a growl.

There’s nothing…

Nothing left to heal.

Nothing left to heal.

The words repeated in his head like a mantra as his mind was growing hazy. The rage he felt at her stubborn refusal was growing into something else...Something he barely recognized...His hands ran through her hair, his fingers running through her soft locks.

His mind was growing more and more clouded. The anger and rage were bubbling up and up inside of him...His hands started to shake with the rage that he felt boiling up and up and up...

He wanted...He needed...

His eyes closed, and his breath was coming in short, harsh puffs as the rage and hunger continued to bubble and boil up. She was digging and digging and digging into his shoulders...But he was trying to get away...She wouldn’t let him.

His hands started to shake more...His breath coming more ragged...The rage was threatening to become unbearable...

...The hunger...

The need for her...

His grip tightened on her as he tried to break free of her stubborn grip...His mind was foggy and haze as he tried to tear himself away...But all efforts were useless as he felt himself grow even more enraged.

"LET ME GO !"

"NO !"

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME GO ?!" He was shouting now, his anger burning hotter as every second passed. But there was something else he was feeling beneath this rising rage...

Need.

He pushed her hands away and tried to pull away from her...But every movement felt as if an anchor was tied around his limbs.

His breath was coming in short, harsh puffs as his face distorted in rage...

She let out a scream of determination and held on to him with every inch of her body—tackling him to the ground and wrapping her legs and arms around him. The scream cut through him as he felt her grappling onto him...

He screamed too as he tried to break free.

Her grip was too strong ! She was too strong !

He couldn't break himself free. His mind was cloudy.

"LET ME GO !" He forced himself to demand once more.

Let me go !

He pushed back, his hands gripping her legs and body as he tried to pull her off of him.

"NEVER !" She held on stubbornly.

"WHY ?!" His voice was filled with rage as he screamed, his grip on her tightening. "WHY CAN'T YOU LET ME GO ?!"

"BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU ! BECAUSE YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE ONLY DAMN PERSON THAT I COULD CONFIDE IN AND I CAN SEE YOU IN PAIN AND IT IS KILLING ME !" She shouted back. She was tired and she just wanted him to understand that no matter what…She wouldn’t give up.

Her words hit him and stopped him dead in his tracks. No one had ever confessed such feelings towards him. No one had ever told him that he had been someone that they could confide in...

"You're lying." His voice was harsh as he said the words, his grip tightening as he tried to push her away again.

She held on strong. No matter how desperate he was and tried to get her off him.

"I WON’T LET GO ! YOU MIGHT AS WELL KILL ME RIGHT NOW !"

"SHUT UP !" He screamed in a blind rage, but there was something in his mind...Something that told him she wasn't lying to him. His grip on her grew slightly weaker...

"NO !" She buried her face against his neck.

His grip continued to slacken as he tried to push her away. But her grip was still too strong.

"...let me go..." His voice was barely a whisper now as his demand turned into a desperate plea.

"…No…" She took a deep inhale and grabbed a handful of his hair and pull him closer to her—but her grip was soft as not to hurt him.

He flinched as she pulled him in closer, holding onto his hair. But his eyes were beginning to grow softer. He was staring at her.

But he said nothing.

"…Never." She repeated—holding his gaze.

His gaze slowly softened. His face began to relax. He looked as though he were relaxing in her grip. As though her presence were something welcome, an anchor that prevented him from flying off the edge...

She smiled and restrained tears.

"Never."

Suddenly his grip loosened and his hands ran through her hair.

So soft...

He moved his forehead to hers.

"Never never never…" She kept repeating over and over as her grip on him grew stronger and more intense.

"Never never never..."

She wouldn't let go. And he wouldn't make her. He wrapped his arms around her, buried his face in her. He had no choice but to finally accept his fate.

She let out a sigh of relief and smiled before kissing the top of his head.

His arms squeezed around her, burying his head in her chest...

"Never never never..." He repeated the words. But this time, they were said with comfort and relief...

Never never never...let me go.

He thought and tightened his grip on her. She closed her eyes and held him as if she was afraid of losing him…as if she would never let him go…as if she sought to keep him safe forever.

He had never felt such comfort and reassurance. Such safety and relief...All her presence told him was:

Home.

He was safe.

She would keep him safe.

He buried his head deeper into her chest, clinging to her with a tenacity he had never shown before. She huffed a laugh at how calm he seemed now and she wrapped her arms around his head as she laid her cheek on top of his head and gently caressed his wild black locks.

His arms only tightened around her.

And he felt content.

He felt safe.

...And that's what he had craved all along.

His hair was as soft as silk...the strands of black, curly locks, curling loosely around her fingers.

He tilted his head back and looked at her. She was so…

...Beautiful.

He tilted his head back more, his gaze focusing on her lips...She noticed and smiled as she saw something else in his gaze. She was now certain that it wasn’t Kylo Ren in her arms right now…

She stopped and smiled down at him before uttering softly—as if she was talking to a scared kitten ready to run away at any moment.

"…Hi there, Ben."

He didn't answer her with words. Instead he moved his forehead forward more. Touching hers...And then his lips were moving along the curve of her cheek...her jawline...her chin...Before her lips were found.

She smiled before kissing him softly.

He kissed back, softly at first, trying to keep this tender and gentle. But soon it became more feverish, more desperate. He pulled her closer, gripping her tightly as he pressed his lips harder against hers.

She met his kisses with a soft smile on her lips.

His lips explored hers. And his hands continued to grip her, pressing him close to her, their bodies together now, their hips touching as their hands roamed each other's bodies...

A breathless chuckle escaped him as a smile spread across his lips too...

She smiled back and looked him in the eyes. She found a whole new soul there and one that was worthy of being loved…She kissed him again. Her lips were warm and soft and gentle and they teased him. They teased him into pressing back harder, teased him into holding her tighter. His body moved against hers as their hands roamed each other. He was holding her in every possible inch of him...not allowing her to escape his grip, while their lips explored each other.

She smiled and even though she had trouble breathing, she still kept kissing him. He moaned against her as his grip tightened around her, his hands starting to roam all over her body.

And the breathlessness began to hit her too.

They were both breathless as they kissed, their lips pressed together tightly as they both gasped for air.

She pulled away and breathed out a laugh.

"Just…Just a second. Give me…"

His eyes remained closed as a blush spread across his cheeks. His breath was still shaky...

"Alright...."

But his hands had their own agenda. They gripped her tight and pulled her back against him, his hands holding her to his chest as their bodies remained in contact...

She chuckled.

"Clingy much ?" She teased.

"Only when it's you..." His voice was still wobbly as he smiled and looked up at her. He tilted his head up and pressed his face against her neck, kissing the soft skin, his breath warming her as he did so...

"What if I just…?" She moved barely an inch away.

His grip tightened around her as she moved.

"Do not."

His voice was low and hoarse as he warned her. He buried his face into her neck again, moving to another spot, before his mouth found another patch of skin, planting a few kisses over it...

She chuckled.

"Okay okay…Sorry."

"Do. Not. Move." He spoke a little more forcefully and his grip tightened around her further as his voice dropped an octave. He continued planting kisses around her neck as his hands found his way to her hips, their hands and bodies still completely pressed together.

She smiled.

"Alright. That’s ONE command I’ll follow."

"Good girl...." His voice was husky as he spoke, his grip loosening just a bit. He planted a few more kisses around her neck before leaning back and looking up at her. "Now stay."

"…With the way you’re holding me. I don’t think I’d be able to do much moving even if I wanted to…"

Ben playfully rolled his eyes before holding her closer.

"Mmmph..." A small chuckle escaped him as he pressed his face against her chest.

He chuckled as well as he continued letting his hands roam...

"What a shame..." His arms remained wrapped tightly around her and he kept holding her. But he continued to plant kisses on her. As he moved his lips...to her jaw...And then to her ears.

Her ears were scarlet red.

He chuckled as he took note of the redness of her ears. He planted a kiss on one of her ears and then another on the other. He moved back once more, smiling cheekily, as he asked.

"Do they always get flushed when you're aroused ?"

They became even redder and she looked embarrassed.

"I don’t know what you are talking about…"

"Mmm-hmm....." He chuckled as he moved to kiss her on the tip of her nose. "I think you do..."

His hand ran over her cheek as he spoke. She humphed before suddenly reaching for the hair covering his ears—attempting to see them.

He felt her hand reach for his ears and suddenly his head was being forced to the side as she tried to take a look at his ears, trying to see if they were red as well...

"What do you think you're doing ?" His voice was hoarse slightly tense as he spoke. He glanced over at her, his eyebrows raised as he saw what she was doing...

She didn’t reply and only pulled back the hair behind his ears to look at them. She smiled.

"I knew it. They’re red too !"

"They are not red !" He spoke with a growl as he moved to cover his ears again but was pulled back again by her. His breath became shaky again as he spoke, but he was still trying to put on an angry expression. But the way her hand was pulling at his hair made it impossible to hold the facade for too long.

"…Don’t cover them." She said and smiled. "Please ?"

He thought about it for a second before slowly lowering his hands from his ears. And then, reluctantly. Keeping his eyes on her the entire time. He let his hands fall into his lap and sat still, letting her look. She looked at them and her smile widened.

"They’re big. And red. But…they’re also very nice."

She then pressed her forehead against his and smiled.

"And that way…we match."

Match...

The word hung there in the air for a moment between them...

Match...

The way their ears were red.

The way their lips were red.

"Yes. I guess you could say that..." He sighed and his arms went around her again. "…we match."

She smiled before resting her chin on his shoulder. They remained like that. His arms wrapped around her, her chin resting on his shoulder. Their bodies together as they stayed quiet. In that moment, there was nothing but the two of them in the galaxy.

No First Order...

No Resistance...

No Rey...

And definitely no Kylo Ren...

All there was was two red-eared lovers.

She smiled and kissed his cheek.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as she kissed him. She was the only one that could make him behave like this. The only one who could turn him from the Supreme Commander of the First Order into just...

Ben

She squeezed herself tighter into him as her arms remained around his back.

"Now who is being clingy ?" His voice felt hoarse once more as he whispered the words in a tone that was somewhere between teasing and affectionate.

"Me." She admitted unapologetically and looked at him with a small grin.

He chuckled softly and hugged her even tighter.

"Yes...Now stay still." At this point he was just looking for an excuse to touch her more. He kissed the side of her neck again. "Or else...I might have to make you."

"That sounds like a threat." She grinned.

"It was. It is. And you better listen." His voice was huskier now as he spoke. "Now stay still..."

His grip on her tightened once more as he reiterated his threat.

"...Or I will make you..."

She chuckled.

"Is that so ?" She kissed his red ear. He shuddered at the sensation and his grip tightened around her as an instinctual reaction.

"Yes..."

His breaths were shaky as he spoke...

"And I'll keep making you until you stop teasing me. So stay...still."

She grinned.

"Sorry…"

She then held him closer and sighed.

"…Ben."

He felt himself melt as she said his name...

Ben...

She said his name in such a loving way...

This is who I am to her...Ben, her Ben.

In her arms, with her around him, his world felt right...She smiled at the loving gaze he gave her and only repeated the name again.

"Ben…"

He sighed as he felt a soft shiver run all over his body. How could she do this to him with such simple words...? With just one name ? His breathing became even more shaky.

"That’s right. Say it again."

"Ben."

"Mmm..." That was all he could manage at that moment. He pressed his face against her chest again. "Say it again..."

"Ben…" She kissed the top of his head.

"Again..." His voice was so quiet and weak she had to lean down to hear it. But she heard it all the same...

"Ben." She repeated once more and proceeded to caress his head with a loving smile.

He let out a sigh as her hand went through his hair and over his ear.

"Again..." His tone was husky, desperate, even. He wished to remember that name. To remember it until he could never forget it again. "...Just once more..."

"…Ben." She cupped his face.

A soft gasp escaped him as her hand ran across his face. And she cupped his face. He was powerless here.

Nothing but a boy. A boy who had finally found a home.

"Again..." He was on the verge of tears. He muttered the words but they were barely audible as he spoke.

She opened her mouth to say his name again when she suddenly felt like she didn’t have a voice any longer. And her eyes watered as she suddenly felt an invisible force tightening their grip on her throat. Behind Ben, she could see a tall dark figure standing there…Supreme Leader Snoke.

He stood there and suddenly, both her and Ben were thrown off each other and she tried to scream—but no sound came out.

The force holding them apart was so strong, so impossible to fight...Neither of them were strong enough to budge themselves even an inch. His grip tightened around her throat and she suddenly couldn't breathe. Her eyes were watering, her voice was silenced. He could sense the terror in her. He could also sense his own fear.

How had he failed to sense Snoke's presence...?

Suddenly, the connection was cut and JR was brought back to the island with Luke and Rey while Ben was brought back to the ship.

"BEN !" JR screamed…But he was gone.

And worst part was ?

She couldn’t even feel their connection through the Force anymore…Someone had cut their connection.

[helyiios]

WAIT NO Benthan + “you really are extraordinary” instead

One thing about Benji Dunn is that he likes to talk. No, not even talk, he likes to speak.

Which, honestly, isn't his fault, not entirely : he's been brought up in a rather distant environment, and none of his achievements got his parents' saying more than a 'good job,' or getting him a handshake. A handshake !

So yes, to make up for this crippling need of approval, Benji Dunn likes to speak, to say anything and everything, and hopefully then someone would like what he has to say. Maybe.

Which leads him to now, walking in the middle of Paris with a bleeding Ethan who had a concussion, resting on his shoulder and his unrelenting need to fill in the silence.

"And then I was like, hum. Well, okay I don't exactly remember what I said, but it was not nice, and the guy looked at me really meanly, and I—"

"Benj," his friend softly interrupts, barely conscious, "someone's walking up to us."

"Huh ? Oh, shit. Avert your eyes."

"Don't think I can even keep them open."

"L'est pété ton pote ?" (Is your friend drunk ?) one of the guys who was walking towards them asks, something like mockery in his tone, "ça fait toujours la teuf, à votre âge ?" (Still partying at your old age ?)

"Don't look at them, don't look at them..."

Ethan's bodyweight is affecting him a little more than he'd like to admit, and he's doing his utmost best not to collapse. The mission had him getting a nasty cut on his left arm.

"HÉ OH, J'TE CAUSE !" (HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU !)

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Thing is, he knows Ethan can speak French, because he's read his file and he's heard him do it before. And it was really attractive. But right now, Ethan isn't in any shape to do anything else but fight for his survival, so it was up to him to manage.

"Vous savez comment c'est, Pigalle..." (You know how it is, Pigalle...) he blurts out with a gulp, the small trace of an English accent in his voice. Maybe those intensive courses in Oxford did find their usefulness. "On a peut-être trop bu." (Maybe we had too much to drink.)

"L'a l'air en bien mauvais état ton poto," (your buddy looks in bad shape,) another man adds, eyeing him from head to toe. "Si j'te disais de vider tes poches là, tu f'rais quoi ?" (If I told you to empty your pockets, what would you do ?)

Okay, this was getting really fucking ridiculous. They were NOT getting mugged right after a shitty mission. He did not have time for that.

"J'sais pas," (I dunno,) Benji carefully replies. "Non, je pense." (No, I think.)

"Tu penses ? Il se prend pour qui, le rosbif ?!" (You think ? Who does the Brit think he is ?!)

"Allez mon reuf, fais c'qu'on te dit," (c'mon bro, do what we're telling you,) the first man grins, taking a small pocket knife out of his puffy jacket. "Sinon..." (Or else...)

"Benj ? We need to go," Ethan is mumbling against him, and the blood is still pouring and coating his hair. "What..."

"Allez, file ta thune !" (C'mon, give us your money !)

"Non, j'ai pas envie," (no, I don't wanna,) Benji replies with a loud sigh, clearly irritated. "Dégagez." (Get lost.)

"FILS DE—" (SON OF A—)

Suddenly there's a gun in the agent's hand (his own, actually,) and he's brandishing it annoyedly at the three men in front of him.

"Non, sérieux. Dégagez." (Nah, for real. Get lost.)

"Les gars—" (Guys—)

"J'ai passé une soirée de merde," (I just had a shit night,) Benji continues, and Ethan's looking at him with stars in his eyes, "alors sérieux, barrez-vous." (So seriously, get the fuck out.)

There's a few seconds where the men seem to gauge him, but then their apparent leader just turns on his heels, taking off in the darkness, the two others right behind him. He lowers his weapon.

"Okay, we really need to get you to the van," he mumbles as he puts it back in his pants, "you're going to lose all your blood at this pace."

"I didn't know you could speak French," Ethan simply notes, completely dazed. "You really are extraordinary."

"Sure, mister-I-speak-15-languages."

"You sound hot when you speak French," his friend grins, his smile slightly loopy. "Very attractive, you should do it more often..."

"Je prends note," (I'm noting that down) Benji snorts before making him rest against him more comfortably. "Learnt it at uni, with Russian and Italian. I wanted to sound cool."

"Well, I like discovering new things about you."

[felice-jaganshi]

Alastor's Leash

Chapter 7

(We're in the end game now~~~)

They managed to drag Vox to the hotel, and Charlie was successful in getting Rosie to join. Everyone was surprised when they saw Vox, Angel even getting out a gun. 

“You outta your mind Z?! What's wrong with you? Vox is literally his worst enemy!”

 

“Did he actually call me that?” Vox grinned and blushed a little, like a teen girl asking after their crush.

Zariah rolled her eyes, “Dusty, calm down! He's helping, that's what matters.”

Charlie smiled, “She's right, this could be the start of Vox's path to redemption, and we need to be supportive and give him a chance!”

 

Vox visibly cringed and whispered to Zariah, “So this is the princess? And Alastor willingly follows her?” Zariah elbowed him in the side.

“Be polite.” She whispered back, before addressing the group. “Alright, now we have enough firepower to stand a chance. Let's get to planning…”

 

 _-_--_-_-_-_-_-_

The rest of the day was spent scheming and arguing, everyone getting more and more frustrated. By the end of the night, they were no closer to a real plan, so Vox and Rosie agreed to stay the night in the hotel.

 

Vox went to the bar, and Husker poured him a glass of whiskey, neat. “The way the boss likes it.”

Vox sipped it, “Yeah, I know. I was his drinking buddy before he ever fucking met you…” 

 

Zariah came over and sat beside Vox, Husker making her a screwdriver. “I've been rejected before too, you know.”

Vox looked over, confused, “Where the fuck is this coming from?”

 

“Oh shut up and lemme speak… I had a friend in highschool, my very best friend after moving states… she… was my first girl crush. And I told her one day. She said if I ever said ‘that gay shit’ to her again, she'd have her brother put a bullet in my head.” Zariah had tears in her eyes now. “It still hurts to think about, even if I don't like her anymore. It left a scar that will never heal. I know it won't.” 

He frowned, “Is this your way of saying I'll never get over the pain of his rejection? Because I already fucking know that.”

 

“No, I'm just saying I see you. We're like a mirror, in this at least.”

“A mirror… huh. Yeah, maybe. Except you're the ‘good side’.” He sulked.

“Then how about I pull you through? Then we can both be on the good side. I mean it.” She offered Vox her hand.

He turned away, “Let's just get our damn deer back. Then I'm going back to my tower where I belong.” He finished off his drink and left for his room.

~The next morning~

Alastor came back to reality as an icy chill gripped his soul like sharp claws. Shit, Lilith was back for round number… ah hell, he'd lost count already? He took a deep breath and faked a yawn, like he was just sleeping. He smiled pleasantly at her, “Ah, I see you've returned, my queen.”

“Hmph, quite the attitude shift. Have you decided to behave, my pet?” She looked him up and down.

“What bidding would you have me do, my queen?” He asked, acting sweet as he could. She leaned in close to his face, and whispered.

 

“Your new orders are to kill Lucifer and Charlie.” She smiled as she said it. Feeling nothing for the family that moved on without her.

“Hm, I see.” He looked contemplative for a moment, then spit in her face! “There's my rebuttal to your orders.” 

She growled and clawed across his eyes, blinding him. Alastor only grunted in pain, gritting his teeth in a tight smile.

 

“You worthless-” Suddenly, there was a loud boom drawing her attention away, the sound of distant explosions. “Ah, a rescue party? How nice it must be to be so loved.” Her tone was bitter, filled with jealousy. “I'll leave you for now, I want you to hear the screams as I kill your cute little friends.”

She then turned on bright white lights in the room, further blinding him if his eyes regenerated. “Stay put, my little fawn.”

--_-_-_-_-_-__--__-_-_- 

 

“Good job with the bombs Cherri! That's sure to get her attention, now get the hell outta here before she sees you.” Lucifer smiled at her. 

She laughed, “Yeah fuckin right! And let the rest of you get all the fun?! ‘Sides, heroic sacrifice got that snake boy topside… who's to say it won't work for me?” She looked away with a slight blush for a moment, before shaking her head and slapping her own cheeks to refocus herself. “Now let's dance with this crazy bitch!” She grinned.

Lucifer was surprised, but smiled back. “You sinners are as crazy as ever, but it's an honor to fight beside you.” The earbud he had in one ear buzzed on and Vox's voice could be heard in it.

 

“Alright, looks like Rosie is in position to back you up should you need it. Charlie and Vaggie are with her. The rest of the cannon fodder-”

“Oh fuck you!” Angel yelled into the mic attached to his suit.

“Ugh, team hotel , is that better? Are you fuckers in your positions?”

 

“Yeah, we're golden.”

“Great, then as soon as she comes out, Zariah and I are gonna sneak in while you all distract her. We'll have to go silent on the comms until I can assess her security systems. Once we've secured the objective, Z will heal him and we'll meet you outside to wrap her up in his freaky tentacles and my cables so you all can get the kill shot.”

 

Lucifer's face fell at those last words… kill shot… on Lilith… could he really do this to her? He had loved her for ten thousand years. He fell from heaven for her!! But… she betrayed him. Took away his friends and family. Now he had someone who truly loved him, and didn't just want his status or power. Yes. He could do it. He would do it.

 

The doors to her lair opened, and a figure stepped out…

[kaisacobra]

Sam and Kate??? *gasp*

I would kill for that, I would DIE for that. Teeny-tiny one shot or hcs about this please? 🥹🙏

Ok, so...

Sam Carpenter x Kate Bishop HCs (in Second Best au!)

It all started when Kate began hanging around the core four + you and Anika more often, mainly because she wanted to be sure that you'd be fine near Tara again.

Also because she became gym buddies with Chad rather quickly.

At some point, she started to notice that Sam was... really, really attractive. Kate was all for her "tough guy" persona and everytime Sam wore a tank top you swore you saw Kate sweating.

And my girl, Kate Bishop, isn't subtle at all and tbh she never wanted to be. She started flirting with Sam, spending more time around her when you guys did something together, offering to teach her a bit of martial arts and self defense. (she stopped offering when Sam beat her in an arm wrestle in less than 5 seconds, but Kate had been fairly distracted ogling Sam's biceps)

At first, Sam just didn't really cared (?). Like, she thought maybe Kate was just playing and kind of shrugged her attention off as if it was just a joke.

But Sam wasn't blind. She knew that Kate was gorgeous and she even liked her dorky self behind all of the "Rich Heir" poise. And then Sam started to notice more things, like how dedicated Kate was to her friends and her job and how she managed to balance her responsabilities and her studies.

Basically, Kate had a golden personality and seemed to be a stable and driven person. That was exactly Sam's type.

But, since nothing in sb!au is easy, of course we would have some miscommunication to spice things up.

Sam would kind of steer away from Kate because she was trying really hard to make her feelings go away.

First, because she thought Kate deserved better than someone as messed up as her. Second, because she'd seen how a bad relationship could ruin a group (cough, cough, Tara.) and she didn't want you guys to go through something like that again.

On Kate's side, she noticed Sam getting more distant and she took it as a sign to give up her attemps. She respected it, of course, but she started sulking and pouting everywhere, like a kid without her candy.

At this point, everyone else in the group could tell what was going on BUT the two of them and, as the good friends you were, you just had to intervene.

I'm not gonna give too much details but just know that alcohol, a closet and a key on Mindy's pocket was pretty much all that was needed for this mission.

Anyways, they are a cute couple with the usual sunshine x grumpy trope. Kate is big on PDA and is always holding tightly on Sam's arm even though she can handle herself just fine.

And Sam is grateful for that because, while she does love taking care of Kate, she also loves knowing that Kate could do the same for her, if needed.

Sam proposed the idea of them going to the gym together once, but Kate got so distracted with her on the first day that she missed Chad's swing when they were sparring. Sam couldn't hold back her laughter while applying ice to Kate's bruise.

Also, you and Tara actually had an improvement in your own relationship because of them, as both of you had to spend more time together (mostly talking about how sweet and disgustingly cute they were as a couple).

They complete each other very well and they have a very stable and loving relationship that all of you are very fond of. (although Anika did threatened them if they ever thought about getting married before her and Mindy.)

[neonthewrite]

Learning to be Friendly

Today's prompt "Rainy Day", brought me back to the cyberpunk au featuring Elias Dawn and their little android buddy. Fifty is coming right along with learning how to be a good friend, and Elias is coming to really appreciate having him around.

Previous stories:

Error 50 | Personal Assistant

~~~

The rain used to mean so much. El used to feel it, used to be able to follow the progress of every drop from the cloud to the ground. From gentle drizzles to raucous storms, they had once had a grasp on it all. Storms, weather, the balance of energies between the sky and the earth, that had been theirs.

And somewhere deep inside, they supposed, it still was. But ever since their hands had been numbed, so many of their other senses had fallen dim too. 

“I anticipate this rain will let up within the hour,” came the small, somewhat tinny voice from their shoulder. Fifty was a slight weight there, originally made of sturdy but lightweight metals and wiring for the easiest portability. El imagined his original specs had seemed quite luxurious for whoever had paid for the little assistant droid. He’d still ended up down in the scrapyards, though. El doubted he even realized he’d been rescued.

El smiled and turned away from the grimy window, the one view from the attic level of the small shack they’d broken into for shelter. “Oh yeah? You manage to connect to the weather network, Fifty?” they asked, trying to catch sight of the small droid standing on their shoulder.

The small droid, only six inches or so tall, had a surprising sense of balance where he stood. He barely wavered from El’s normal movements; his little gyroscopes must be in top shape despite his consignment to the scraps. He had his hands clasped politely behind his back. He shook his head. “I have not attempted to connect to the forecast network,” he admitted matter-of-factly. “I am equipped with predictive algorithms in case of offline needs. As you have expressed reluctance to connect to the government-sanctioned networks, I have refrained. This is friendly behavior, correct?”

El grinned. They reached up to gently brush a fingertip over the small swoop of metal meant to mimic a tidy hairstyle atop Fifty’s head. “Good man, Fifty. Only independent education networks, just to be safe.”

As Fifty lifted a hand to thoughtfully touch his head, El found themself drawn back to the window, staring out from where they sat leaning against the wall. They’d used a lot of energy climbing the service ladder out of the scrap level, and it was a wonder they hadn’t dozed off. The rain, an unexpected little reprieve from the harsh sun glancing off all the glass and metal of the city above, had invigorated them in some small, distant way that they almost forgot existed.

“El,” Fifty spoke up again, his little voice quieter than before, but using that almost programmed friendliness that probably came with his artificial voice. “I have some questions. They are not related, and I do not anticipate I will find them in the educational databases. May we discuss them?”

El smirked faintly. “Sure, Fifty. Come here.” They offered a palm at their shoulder, and once the small droid stepped onto it, ferried him around to face him better. “I’ll do my best to answer.”

Fifty nodded and placed his little hands over his chest where his heart would be if he were organic. Instead, El imagined the small power crystal somewhere beneath the layers of doll clothes and metal plating. “I am grateful, El. My first question: I do not see you without your gloves often. Why is this? My second question: Are you … saddened … by the rain?”

El stared at him thoughtfully. Sometimes, depending on the dim lighting the odd pair found themselves in, a faint blue reflection shone on Fifty’s metal plating, indicating El’s constantly-glowing eye. It was a constant reminder that they were truly an unlikely pair, and yet there they were together. El had suggested that Fifty could be their friend; asking casual questions about someone fell into that category.

“Saddened,” El repeated, intrigued by the little droid’s choice of get-to-know-you questions.

Fifty held up a hand with one finger extended to aid their prompt explanation. “A state of having been made unhappy by something.”

El snickered. “I gotcha, buddy. I was echoing you while I thought about it.” They didn’t mind explaining the nuances of conversation to the little droid, even if something like that might seem obvious. If nothing else, they wanted to see how much of it would stick in the little guy’s understanding of socializing.

“Understood!” Fifty said, his little green eye lights flickering in acknowledgement. “I await the response.”

And he did seem content to wait for however long it took. El only took a short moment to figure out how much he wanted to say. It wasn’t like the little droid had any loyalty to someone else. “Your questions are actually related, Fifty. Even if they don’t seem like they are. But before I give you the answer, I need you to promise you’ll keep it a secret.”

Fifty straightened, if it was even possible from his already prim and proper posture. “Of course, El. To reveal information given in confidence would be unfitting behavior for a friend.”

El nodded. “Exactly.” Then, they brought their free hand to their mouth to grip the glove with their teeth. Tugging it free, they revealed their hand and arm, where their brown skin was shiny and warped with layered burn scars. After spitting their glove to the side, they brought their hand close to their still-covered hand, palm up to mirror it. “My hands don’t have much feeling left in them. The gloves and bracers are to protect them from getting hurt without me noticing the damage.”

Fifty stared at El’s scarred hand for a moment before cautiously stepping across the gap between their hands, alighting on the bare palm. As they’d said, El barely felt the little footsteps. Fifty looked up from his small metal feet, and though he couldn’t make expressions on his face, El imagined an expectant look. “And the rain? How is its effect on your emotions related to these scars?”

El’s next smile was a little less beaming than usual. “I used to be able to feel the rain. Not like someone feels it falling on them, getting them soaked. It used to be a connection I had to different weather stuff. And the same people that caused my hands to be burned and numbed also numbed my connection to the rain. It’s still there, but it’s harder to reach. That’s why the rain makes me a little sad. But I still love it.”

Fifty took that in for several quiet, still seconds. The patter of the rain on the window made the backdrop of his processing. Finally, he held out his hands placatingly. “I am sorry about these things, El. I am also sorry for asking such sensitive questions. That was not friendly.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” El laughed. “You didn’t know, and I don’t mind you learning these things about me. You’ve been a good friend.”

Fifty paused again, and then turned his attention up to the window. “I am glad I’ve been a good friend. May I stand near the window? I would like to watch the rain with you, and understand the way it makes you feel. If you are willing to tell me more.”

El shifted where they sat, but something like gratitude crossed their face. “Sure, buddy. Let’s watch the rain together.”