#because the other half is her exploring/napping

[witchofthesouls]

GREETING! Imagine how delighted miko would be come optimus getting wings of his own. Do you think he'd take her for flights with him?

Optimus will gain a little, pink parrot. Miko will be constantly hanging off the mech by the reinforced edges. If he ever goes out or move towards the door or ground-bridge portal, then he needs to use force to pry smoll War-Forged off because she's very much flyflyflyFlyFLY.

Miko has a new favorite mech, and everyone else will be jealous. They can't even comfort themselves with a "she only listens to Optimus because of the Matrix" excuse. Miko is a rabid creature that yearns for the abyss via deep waters or skyfall.

[pbpressure]

capture | p.b

pairing: paige bueckers x fem!reader

warnings: smut, fluff (reader sounds a little clingy but its cute), fingering (reader receiving), oral (paige receiving), some yearning, hair pulling, slight dom sub dynamics but nothing too serious. lmk if i missed anything!

wc: 3.3k (slight pwp, cmon act like you know me)

summary: paige and reader are out of the country but want to be inside each other LMAO

authors note: i don’t even know what to call this, i barely proofread it. i’ve honestly been having such a hard time writing but hopefully this suffices for now! munch madness i mean march madness is upon us hehe

enjoy! x

when paige told you that she booked you two a getaway for spring break you had no idea that it would be this luxurious.

the room alone was huge. windows covering an entire wall from ceiling to floor. most surfaces were covered in beautiful decor and the bed faced the humongous pool that sat just beyond the deck outside. it was perfect.

you couldn’t actually fuss about the cost or how hard it must’ve been to book because paige was quick to hush you with a kiss on your forehead and mutter how she’d always “do anything for you.”

the vacation honestly felt more like you both ran away. off of your phones for days, with the exception of checking in with family and taking numerous photos. although it wasn’t intentionally secretive that made it even more enjoyable.

the beach, which you had visited every day thus far due to its close proximity, was perfect. the area surrounding your villa nice and quiet as well. 

of course with the extra rest time that comes with a vacation you had encouraged paige to rest, that’s all you wanted for the both of you. but after the first two days you realized that even you could only nap so much. 

today after a little more exploring the amenities of your villa you did lay down together and close your eyes for a bit. when you open them again you don’t know how much time has passed, but paige was knocked out of course.

you had been awake for a good 20 minutes. in your defense you did try to close your eyes again but it was unsuccessful.

your body was draped over paige’s, one of her hands resting naturally on your thigh that was slung across her hips. her bicep flexed slightly as it was propping her head up on the pillow. you catch yourself silently chuckling when you realize you were just staring at her in awe.

it was all so domestic. from the sleeping position to the way that one of the only noises you could hear were little puffs of air from paige’s parted lips. if you could capture the feeling into one world it would be complete. or maybe absolute.

you’re aching at this point from craning your neck to gawk at paige and you honestly feel ridiculous for how long you’ve been laying like this.

with the urge to bask in the sun and swim a little you gently turn over, lifting paige’s arm from you. you slip out of bed, careful not to wake her and you quietly get changed and head outside. 

the wide window in the room gave her a clear view of the pool. hopefully she’d wake up, see you perched in a chair, and come join you.

her nap actually lasts way longer than you anticipated and you were getting antsy. you read your book until you couldn't anymore and switched your lying position too many times to count. it had already been about an hour and a half since you’d got up from the bed and paige was still asleep.

the sun was starting to set and you hoped she would get up soon, but alas the impatience was becoming a bit painful. 

you pick up your phone deciding to text paige and immediately open the camera. putting a slight pout in your lips you take a selfie, tits perky and in frame. then you flip the camera and angle your phone down to get your entire lower body and the pool in one picture. you take the photo, press send and quickly type up something to emphasize on the amount of notifications she’d get. 

*buzz* 1 attachment 

*buzz* p, can you nap faster? i’m…bored.

*buzz* 1 attachment 

of course paige was still on dnd so naturally you pressed the notify anyway button. sighing in contentment you decide to get up off your ass (hardly) and sit in the hot tub that was adjacent, waiting for your girlfriend.

your texts didn’t wake paige, she had already started tossing and turning a bit ago signaling the end of her nap.

however, when she did pick up the phone after realizing you were no longer lying beside her she felt her eyes go so wide that they could have bulged out of her head.

she looks at both the pictures you sent and exhales sharply, running a hand over her face in disbelief.

the blonde couldn’t help but glance outside, eyes instantly making contact with your bikini clad figure. she bit her lip as her eyes ran up and down your body.

your hair had gotten wet and began to cling to your chest and neck that was now glistening and catching a slight glow from the fluorescent lights in the hot tub. your lips were glossy, as always, and they were parted while you let out what looked like a sigh.

she lifts her phone from the bed swiping the camera icon at the bottom of the screen.

these photos were for her, but also to show you how good you really did look.

your head is slightly tilted to the side when she snaps the photo. you’re standing to adjust yourself so your hips come up to the surface of the water. she almost drools looking back at the way she had captured you before she presses the blue arrow in the text bar. 

getting up and changing out of her clothes and into her swimsuit she hurries outside. 

when you hear the sliding door your attention is on paige as she makes her way to the hot tub.

your eyes light up and you grin, pleased to see her awake. when you notice that she’s getting in the water, you have to force yourself not to stare.

her abdomen toned and flexing with each step she took. chest exposed and already showing a tan as a result of earlier time spent in the sun.

“so you missed me?” paige breaks the silence once she’s settled into the water across from you.

“don’t act shocked.” you scoff.

“oh, i’m not. it’s just…cute ‘s all.” she says, lifting her eyebrow a bit and stifling a giggle when she sees you roll your eyes.

“i sat out here for almost two hours while you slept, it got boring fast. plus i knew you’d want to watch the sunset so i hoped you’d wake up in time.”

paige’s heart swells at the confession. she had just been a threshold away from you asleep and still the only thing on your mind. it was never a secret between the two of you or to anyone else how obsessed you were with each other. but that didn’t mean it got old. 

“as great as it is to rest, i'm glad i woke up in time to catch the sunset,” paige starts. “and you in this…this bikini?”

“what do you mean? it is a bikini.” you contest, raising your own eyebrow now and anticipating how paige would admit that your bathing suit barely covering anything was causing her own skin to run hot.

her cheeks are beet red and she purses her lips together to stop herself from smiling like an idiot.

“you know exactly what i mean.” she mutters, voice suggestive. 

you do fully giggle this time, leaning your head back. when you’re done laughing you unintentionally press your entire body forward for a second when you rest your arms on the sides of the hot tub. 

you watch the blonde across from you lick her lips as her eyes travel straight to your tits, back up to your face, and then to your tits one last time before she opens her mouth once more.

“I loved the photos by the way. can’t say they compare to having you right here within my reach, but you look amazing.”

“thank you baby. wanna say it again and look me in the eyes this time?”

tonguing her cheek to hold in a laugh she shakes her head. partially because she was caught ogling and partially at how bratty you were being.

“i can show you better than i can tell you.”

“yeah?” you taunt, tilting your head.

“get over here.”

you practically pounce on her with how quickly you travel from your end of the water to her lap. she wastes no time grabbing your hips so you’re comfortably straddling her.

you let out a hiss when she presses your hips down, forcing you to sit on her completely. you had been riled up since she stepped outside, the friction on your clit from the material of your swim bottoms wasn’t helping.

paige brings a wet hand up to cradle your chin, turning your head to face her completely. she pulls you closer, not kissing you yet.

“you really are so gorgeous, you know that?” paige mutters, lips ghosting over yours.

“p, have you seen yourself? cmon now–“ 

“this isn’t about me, baby.” 

she stops you mid thought with a soft peck on the lips. although it’s feather light a smack sounds between you both at how quickly it happened.

you whine when she pulls back and you don’t miss how she smirks at your reaction.

“don’t be a brat.”

“okay, then kiss me.” you groan, bringing your arms above the water to wrap around her neck, closing the bit of distance that's between your lips.

it’s already warm in the water that’s ricocheting against the walls of the hot tub and your bodies, but the way that paige moans into your mouth when she kisses you back heats you up more.

for a while you’re just kissing like horny teenagers. it’s sloppy and wet and you pull away panting a little. 

you run your hands through paige’s hair and study her features before leaning in to kiss her again, stopping just barely before your lips meet. she closes her eyes in anticipation but opens them after she realizes you’re not gonna kiss her. 

“like i was saying,” you whisper, struggling to hold eye contact when you feel her breath hitch against your lips. 

“i could look at you all day.” you lean in, intending just to give her a peck like she did you earlier. but the moment your lips lock one of her hands is holding you by the back of the neck, it was firm but she knew you weren’t gonna pull away.

she parts your lips with her tongue and it’s your turn to moan into her mouth. you can’t help the grinding of your hips, rutting against her eager for your clit to make contact with part of her somehow. she takes note of this and takes her hand off of your neck, it disappears under the water quickly. 

she uses two fingers to push your bathing suit to the side, immediately pressing onto your clit. you pull back from the kiss to gasp, eyes heavy as you try to keep them open and on paige.

“just look? i mean, i’m flattered but there’s a lot that i’d rather do to you all day.” she trails off, now circling your clit with her fingers, watching your reaction intently.

“f-fuck, you know what i m-mean. i always want to look at you, kiss you, touch and feel you. i’m so in love with you baby. you’re so good to me.” you ramble, bucking your hips to signal that you wanted her fingers inside.

“yeah?” she was mocking you. “sure you’re not just saying that because you want something from me right now?” 

her voice was low and her eyes never left yours. hearing her say that while her hand was between your legs caused you to clench around nothing.

of course it wasn’t true, and you both knew it, before you could give her any attitude her middle and ring finger were thrusting into your cunt. 

“p, oh my god–“ you don’t even finish your sentence.

the ease in which the heel of her palm met your clit was almost embarrassing. it was like your pussy was made to take her fingers. 

your jaw goes slack, and you struggle to breathe out for a split second. since you were on top of her she was already prodding at the spongy spot you knew all too well, each thrust making you shudder and clench harder around her fingers.

“‘s so good, so deep!” you pant.

“i know pretty girl,” she pants, placing kisses your chest. her tongue is hot when it comes in contact with the same spots she pecked. she uses her free hand to move your hips until you get the idea and start riding her fingers, already close to your release from how long you'd waited to have her.

“keep it up, i can feel how close you are baby.” she says, voice muffled by the skin of your tits that she’s still burying her face in.

it doesn’t take long for your hips to begin to circle messily, your eyes are squeezed shut and your entire body is on fire. 

curling her fingers as they drilled into your hole, paige uses her thumb to fondle your clit. not letting up on her thrusts she leans forward to tongue your nipple through your bikini top and your head falls back as you let out a sound that mimics sob. you take in one sharp breath before letting out a moan that’s borderline pornographic. 

paige’s eyes are on you, watching your face and body contort with pleasure. her lips are parted, eyebrows furrowed, and she’s moaning occasionally too with the way your cunt was fluttering around her fingers. she was getting off on this just as much as you were.

“shit! p-please don’t stop, i’m so close.” you choke, hands gripping onto her shoulders like she had intentions to run away.

“you wanna cum for me?” she coos, once again in a mocking manner.

you attempt to nod but paige starts making a scissoring motion inside of you with her fingers and you’re already feeling static from head to toe. 

you do cum, literally into the palm of her hand. she can’t hide how badly she’s into this shit and you can feel her smiling against your skin as she kisses any part of you that her lips can reach, milking you through the rest of your high. 

when you’re starting to catch your breath you feel paige curl her fingers inside you again. 

choking on a mixture of a scream and a moan you have to reach down and hold her wrist to stop her from stimulating you more.

“p that’s enough, what about you?” you ask, already licking your lips at the thought of getting to have your way with her next.

“what about me?” she responds, placing another hot kiss on your neck and making zero effort to move from her current position: beneath you with her hand between your legs.

“i want to taste you. please?” you whisper the last part. it came out as more of a plea than you realized but you didn’t care. 

on wobbly legs you stand, pulling paige to her feet as well. 

she towers over you, bending down to kiss you again. you kiss back hungrily and place your hands on her hips and guide her to sit on the edge of the hot tub.

she parts her legs for you and you grip onto her thighs with gentle hands. looking up at her as you kneel and begin to pepper light kisses on her damp skin. her breathing gets harder the closer you get to where she wants to feel you the most.

“you were just begging to taste me, don’t tease me.” paige groans, placing a hand on the back of your head to guide you. 

you place an open mouthed kiss on her clit through her swim bottoms and she shudders at the feeling. using two fingers you pull them to the side and kiss the same spot, this time skin to skin.

paige gasps, the hand that was on the back of your head threading through your hair for a better grip. 

you lift your other hand and use two fingers to part her lips. as slow as you can manage you lick sloppily from her clit to her hole and your eyes roll back into your head when you feel her gush into your mouth. 

“fuck!” paige whines, throwing her head back. 

you relax your jaw and stick your tongue out again, shaking your head from side to side, intentionally making a little extra noise to add to the crudeness of the act.

paige’s chest is rising and falling rapidly as she pants, simultaneously trying to watching you pleasure her. when you both lock eyes you moan and take her clit between your lips sucking on it messily. 

this sends her into a frenzy. 

although paige was never afraid to be vocal with you, this was possibly the loudest she had ever been during oral. you’re gloating mentally as you start literally making out with her cunt. 

it’s lewd and you love it, clearly she does too. you feel her thighs start to close around your head and when you force them apart you watch her throw her head back and reach up to play with her nipples.

“you’re doing so good for me baby, it’s almost like you were made for this.” paige groans, pulling on your hair a little harder than she had intended, almost cumming from the moan you let out against her.

“i was made for you.” you pull back and pant before lowering your head again and thrusting your tongue into her, using your thumb to circle her clit.

paige is a babbling mess and you can feel her start to thrash around slightly.

“f-fuck! i’m almost there.” she manages to spit out, a yelp following as her thighs start to shake.

it doesn't take much more and as soon as you can hear her you can taste her. she cums, hot and immediately coating your lips and chin. 

paige’s back is arched as she tries to close her legs around your head. you’re pussy drunk and have no intentions of pulling back despite the way that she’s nearly sobbing every time you flick her aching clit with your tongue. 

one final harsh tug at your hair causes you to pull away from her breathing heavily and with a groan. instantly she’s pulling you to your feet and against her body. 

when you’re face to face you’re obsessed with how fucked out paige looks. her lips pink and puffy, eyes glossed over, and hair a mess.

when she pulls you in your lips make contact and you smirk into the kiss at the thought of her being so eager to taste herself.

after a few more sloppy languid kisses you drop your head to her shoulder and she leans forward,

submerging you both into the warm water once again.

“that was so sexy.” you mutter, voice hoarse. 

“you need to wear this bikini anytime we are near a body of water, for the rest of this trip.” paige says, causing a giggle to bubble in your chest that pressed against hers.

“whatever you say, p.” you reply, tone singsong like.

your back hits the wall of the other side of the hot tub and paige wraps your legs around her waist and stands again.

reaching behind you towards your towel and other belongings you grab your phone, thinking of how much you wanted to capture this moment.

when the screen lights up and you see the last text you received your mouth opens in shock and you can’t help the way that your cheeks rise. you're grinning like an idiot.

2 attachments

i need that.

“paige!” you say, looking up from behind your phone to catch her already smiling back at you, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

“i mean...i got it, didn’t i?”

[ficsilike-reblogged]

Shelter - 7

Summary: You saved Soap's life. And Laswell has news.

Pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley/F!Reader (No use of Y/N)

Warnings For This Chapter: Continued military and safehouse inaccuracies, mentions and descriptions of suicide, canon typical violence/gore, guns, attempted accents, and more Soft!Simon

A/N: Thank you for all the love on the latest chapter. I treasure each and every comment and they really keep me motivated! Just three more chapters after this!

Previous Chapter

You spent a strange amount of time just poking at things in your room. There had been a secret door between rooms; surely there were other things for you to find. You’d given up on trying to nap after you stared uselessly at the ceiling for an hour, listening to the muted sounds of the city starting to wake and start the day. You were tired. Exhausted. Had been for weeks.

But you couldn’t sleep.

Couldn’t sleep because Simon had kindly offered to show you around a library. What was wrong with you? And how many times have you asked yourself that in the last handful of weeks? And you were so mad at yourself for wanting it. Wanting to see that library with Simon. You knew all of this was temporary. Even if they managed to kill or apprehend Makarov in a timely manner, where did that leave you?

He lived in the UK (when he wasn’t off somewhere around the world doing…whatever it is he does) and you had your life here in Chicago. Sort of. It wasn’t as if you had a job waiting for you. And your lease was nearing its end. And… You really needed to stop this train of thought. It would only hurt you. So, you turned over and shoved your face into the pillow and groaned before getting up and exploring your room a little more.

To your strange comfort, it seemed like your only surprise had been the door connecting your room to Simon’s. There were no secret compartments in your closet or bathroom. The one thing you did find was in the small drawer in the bedside table: a small red button tucked just inside. You knew better than to press it—red buttons usually meant trouble and you weren’t about to test your hypothesis when you finally had a small bit of peace.

Saving you from your boredom for a moment was a new text, chirping on your phone. It was a picture of Kirby and Pauline in the back of a car, bundled up and ready to go, the tiny yellow teddy bear tucked in beside the carrier. “Off on our first adventure!” The picture was probably taken by the post-partum doula or nanny Kirby had hired. Kirby had sent you heaps of potential resumes and then felt content with the two she’d narrowed it down to—and you’d felt a little more secure knowing she had help. She had steadfastly refused any other help you offered, telling you she was determined to do everything on her own. Were you nervous about that? Of course. But she had read every parenting book her doctor recommended, attended every single mothers’ birthing class, researched endlessly about each and every bit of furniture she could buy before purchasing, and went to extra therapy sessions biweekly ever since the situation with Julian blew up.

She’d have help and the money Julian coughed up would probably make everything a little easier. They’d be okay. You could be waiting in the wings if anything came up, and Kirby knew that. Kirby needed to be Kirby. And you needed to be okay with that.

Ugh. You did not need to be having all these emotions before breakfast. You typed out a quick, “love you guys!” message and deleted the perfunctory “stay safe!” you had first added and instead just added a single heart emoji. There. Nailed it.

As if on cue, your stomach rumbled. It had been a while since you’d eaten—a burger and one half of a chocolate bar you split with Kirby before dawn at the hospital hadn’t exactly been a complete breakfast. And thinking of the chocolate had you remembering Simon had been the one to buy it—not that you could ever forget any of this. Or him. And you knew it was stupid. Stupid to hope, to want…but you still found yourself going over to the hidden door and knocking. Maybe he’d get breakfast with you.

But the wall didn’t open and you tried to ignore how something ached in your chest because of it. Well, you could still get breakfast anyway. But first, you decided to give pilates another try, queueing up a workout on youtube and regretting it only a few minutes in. By the time you finished, your arms were shaking and your legs hated you but the shower felt nice. You slathered a bit more arnica cream across your throat when you finished. It would still take time for your neck to look normal, but the red in your eyes had steadily decreased.

You turned your attention to the extensive room service menu that had been tucked beside the sleek bedside table lamp and tapped your finger against the thick cardstock, mulling over your choices. You flipped the menu over, trying to make sure you knew all your options and instead found a small history of the hotel. Apparently it had always been “family owned” since its opening right before World War I. Interesting. Had it always been a safehouse? Either way, the matcha sounded good. Eggs Benedict, too. You ordered, feeling a little ridiculous—you’d never ordered room service before—but the person on the other end of the line was nice enough. It might have been the manager, but you weren’t entirely sure.

Your throat ached as you set the phone back in its cradle. All of the excitement yesterday definitely did a number on it all. Maybe tonight you’d actually sleep well… You weren’t going to hold your breath about that, though.

A knock sounded at your door a few minutes later (after Kirby had texted you back, another picture of Pauline, snuggled in her bassinet), it was probably your breakfast, but you still checked the peephole and felt a small bit of tension leave your shoulders when you recognized the manager on the other side.

She held out the covered tray with a smile. “Excellent choices, if I do say so.”

You returned her smile and took the tray, mouth watering a little at the smell of it. “I didn’t think you’d be the one to deliver it.”

She shrugged. “We don’t let just anyone up here. And the kitchen was busy anyway, two birds, one stone and all that.”

Briefly, you remembered how breezily she checked you all in, smiling at John the entire time. She really must have seen some stuff to not care that a known terrorist was looking for people who were hiding in her hotel. “Still, that was kind of you.”

She waved that away, too. “I’m sure Laswell said you could ask for anything,” she said, a knowing smile on her face.

“She might have said that to the guys.” Not to you. You were sure the no-nonsense woman you’d met back in the UK didn’t particularly want to think about you at all. You wouldn’t hold it against her; you hadn’t made the best of impressions.

She nudged her arm into yours. “Hate to break it to you, but you’re one of them right now. Maybe it’s just for now, maybe it’s just for a little longer, but for now, you are under my care and the hotel’s protection.”

A nervous laugh bubbled out of you. “Sounds like a bit of a steep promise.”

The manager shrugged. “It is. But my family’s been doing this for generations. I know how to keep you safe.” Her watch beeped before you could even attempt to process what she’d told you and she smiled again. “I’ve got to run. Please, enjoy your breakfast.” And then she was gone, disappearing down the hall and into the elevator.

What an enigma of a woman. Again, you thought of Price’s interactions with her. Just what had happened between them? Hmm. Oh well. Probably just another question you’d never get the answer to. You settled onto the overstuffed armchair in front of the giant television and tried not to think about the man on the other side of the wall.

Simon had spent an embarrassing amount of time staring at the hidden door that led to her room. Wondering if she actually fell asleep. Wondering if her short time with her sister and niece was enough to make her happy. Or settled. She’d once asked if he had anyone to get back to after all this was over. He didn’t. And after she had told him about what she had gone through, he thought about his own family. His mum. Tommy. Beth and Joseph. And for a moment, short and aborted, he thought about telling her what had happened to them. She might understand. There could be understanding there, instead of the pity anyone else who knew his story usually met him with. But, again, Simon pushed it away.

Pushed it down, ignoring how the thought echoed and ached.

But it didn’t really matter because Price called them all to his room, telling them that Laswell had called with news. That could have been good. But Simon knew better than to think this all would be over soon. And then a strange, selfish thought struck him, too, as he followed Kyle to Price’s room. This gave him more time with her. She’d been quiet after he offered to show her the library before he watched a small smile push at her perfect mouth. And he thought about it until Price had called them.

But any sort of hope was quietly stuffed away when Price fixed them all with that look that Simon knew well. And maybe he should have been expecting this. Something didn’t feel right. It was too quiet. Simon knew Makarov played the long game. But Laswell had been briefing them about how several more of his caches had been destroyed and more of his men had been killed but Makarov hadn’t been spotted. There was no chatter from him or about him despite Laswell, Farah, and Alex all hunting for him.

Laswell was waiting for them, videoing in on the laptop Price had set up on the small table in his room. Simon stood at the back, letting the others take the chairs closer to the laptop. Price turned toward Laswell, his mouth set in a thin line. “We’re here, Laswell. What do you have for us?”

Laswell sighed. “I found who leaked your location.”

“And?” Johnny said, leaning forward in his seat. He was chomping at the bit to get some sort of revenge. Their families had been targets. No doubt Johnny had wanted to make him feel exactly what his mother had felt. And Simon knew that he hated that she had been hurt. The feeling was mutual.

“He’s dead.”

“What do you mean he’s dead?” The question had an obvious answer but it needed to be asked, if Simon was being honest.

“I don’t know what else you want me to say.” Laswell shook her head. “The man I tracked down when I figured out who leaked where your team was located shot himself.”

Price looked at Simon who looked right back. “Confirmed, then.”

“I was the one who found him, John.” Her breath crackled over the line. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

No. She wouldn’t. But this still all stank of something he didn’t like.

“I’m still tracking down who he sent his intel to, but I hope to have news for you soon.”

It was someone Laswell had worked with, not necessarily trusted, but relied on in some capacity. That was a betrayal. A deep one. Shit.

The video disconnected soon after and they all seemed to just look at each other. Silently processing what they’d just learned, calculating their next move. What options did they have? Moves to be made. Risks assessed. Before any of them could voice their thoughts, the computer beeped again. Simon watched Price type in a code and then sigh.

“I need a bloody drink.” The captain rose, in search of the morning drink he wanted, and Simon slid into the chair he vacated.

Simon didn’t blame him for wanting a drink. That was an appropriate response. Laswell had sent over a batch of pictures from the leak’s apartment. Probably taken when she’d gone to confront him. He clicked through the pictures, trying to tell himself that this was one loose end tied up in a neat bow. But there was a voice at the back of his head that kept whispering that something wasn’t right. There was more to this than one man’s apparent greed and Makarov playing him for a fool. Simon stopped, pausing on one of the photos of the man, his head back against the edge of his computer chair with blood and bone and brain spattered behind him on the white wall.

Everything on the desk was neatly arranged. Stacked. Organized. Now marred by the mess of his death. And yes, Simon knew death was messy. Could be messy. But people sometimes took care to make sure it wasn’t. And the more he looked at the surrounding room, Simon surmised that this man was a person who would take care to make sure his death wasn’t messy.

It didn’t fit.

The bruising, exit wound, and spatter might match all the hallmarks of a man seeing no other way out after committing treason. But it didn’t fit.

Kyle stepped to his side and bent down, just enough to look at the photos and Simon could see him working through it, too. He knew he would. “Staged. Someone else pulled the trigger. Held the gun beneath his chin while he hoped he could talk his way out of it.”

Simon nodded. Kyle had put the pieces faster than he had, but Simon knew he would.

Johnny was quick to take his place on Simon’s other side, reaching over him to click through a few pictures. “Is Makarov in the States?”

Simon glanced back at the picture before shaking his head. “We would have heard. Laswell wouldn’t’ve let ‘im slip by like that.”

Kyle’s mouth pulled into a thin line as he stood straight, crossing his arms over his chest. “Then there’s another problem.”

Simon almost hated that he was right. All of this just meant it was even more complicated than they had previously thought. And it already was a fucking nightmare. “There’s another person on the inside.”

Kyle grimaced. “Covering their tracks.”

Price walked in, half-empty glass of whisky in his hand and eyed them all. “So you see it, too?”

“Seems like it. Wasn’t acting alone.”

“I have no doubt Laswell saw it, too.” The glass clinked as Price set it down on the window ledge. “But she’s playing it quietly. No confirmation on anything else until she has answers.”

Simon knew that was the wisest way to do this but it still grated at him.

“How high does this go?” Kyle asked. Simon could feel the rage radiating off of him. But he always kept a tighter leash on it than Simon did. It was something Simon respected about him, one of the many, actually. And it was why he trusted him so implicitly in and out of the field.

Johnny frowned and then turned abruptly toward Kyle. “The lass’ flat was untouched, wasn’t it? When ye went to get her stuff?”

Kyle nodded. “Everything seemed fine. Wasn’t exactly looking for cameras though.”

Simon nodded, too. And everything had been in its place. He wondered how long it had taken her to make it feel comfortable. Not home, exactly. But a place she knew she could rest her head, like his flat in Manchester.

“But that bastard knew her name, no? Nearly killed her at the hospital in London. Why would he leave her flat alone?”

Simon chewed on that thought. He did know her name. And while there might be other people with her name but Makarov—or at least one of his men—knew she was American. If they’d taken her purse, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine they knew where she lived. But why had her flat been untouched? “Laziness, possibly.”

“And he knew we were hiding her. She wasn’t going home.”

But that small fact was still a glaring part of the picture that someone knew they had been moving her.

“Do we move again?” Johnny asked.

“Moving us now would just confirm that we are here. And if it doesn’t, we are out in the open until we get to the next safehouse.”

“What other options do we have, Captain?” Kyle asked. But Simon didn’t miss the way his eyes went to him first. “She is still an asset and a target. We are still targets and Makarov is in the wind.”

Price leaned forward, mouth pulled into a flat line. “Way I see it, we can move and take our chances or we stay put and get ready.”

They didn’t like running. And the plan had always been to lure Makarov into a trap. Why couldn’t they do that here? And the silent looks between the men seemed to show their quiet agreement.

And then something whispered at the back of Simon’s mind. And then he remembered the curve of her lip. Her smile and the way she simply wanted to see her sister and her baby. “We need to tell her. Get ‘er ready for it.”

Price grimaced but didn’t refute Simon’s logic.

“She deserves to know. She’s in this with us.”

He nodded, but he didn’t look pleased about it. “If you think she can handle it.”

“She will.” Simon had watched her outmaneuver Johnny and fight like hell to live against a trained operative. She could handle a bit of book camp. He knew it.

“And the manager might want to know what’s happening. You seem to know her best, Captain. Want to break the news?” Kyle asked, face straight.

Price sighed.

You were on the last dregs of your matcha when you heard a sharp knock…on the wall. You turned and watched the hidden door open. Simon filled the space, broad shoulders brushing the sides—and no, that didn’t make your mouth water. He wasn’t even wearing any sort of gear, just a hoodie and loose joggers, swapping out the jeans he’d worn to the hospital with you and he looked better than ever. (Shut up!)

“C’mere, yeah?”

You frowned, not expecting the invitation, but stood anyway and let him shuffle you into his room.

It wasn’t that much different than yours. Same color scheme. Same layout. There was just one large, glaring difference. The closet door was open and the entirety was filled with weapons. Mostly guns, but you spied a few knives, too. There were also a few vests, that you surmised were kevlar or something along those lines. It really was a mini arsenal. This hotel kept surprising you.

Gaz and Soap were waiting inside as well and you resisted the urge to think the worst and smiled, feeling it twitch on your face. “Everything okay?” The stretched silence that followed only made your nerves start to fray, like overused yarn.

“Everything’s sorted,” Gaz said, arms folded neatly across his chest. And you wanted to believe him. You did. You could trust him and the others to protect you like they’d done before. But something wasn’t right.

You glanced at Simon, and he was already looking at you over the edge of another surgical mask. Your heart did an embarrassing little leap behind your ribs. And then you looked at Soap. There was a bit of calculation behind those unnervingly blue eyes. “C’mon, Soap. Out with it.”

He smiled, a bit of pink touching his cheeks. But the smile didn’t last long. “We’d like ta teach ye a few things.”

“Things?”

He nodded, overgrown mohawk flopping a bit. “Just in case.”

And those three words had your stomach sinking. “Something happened, didn’t it?”

“It’s just a precaution.”

And that was how you found yourself in the hidden firing range behind another false wall down the hall (apparently you had been right about there being more to your floor than a few rooms on this floor). It was entirely soundproof with a small sparring ring tucked behind it and another wall filled with guns and other weapons. No wonder the manager seemed so sure she could protect you. Kyle was patient as he adjusted your grip on the small handgun he said would be a good fit for you and patient still when your arms shook as you focused on the target. You didn’t like guns. But when he pressed, gently and kindly with hints of his megawatt smile, you promised to keep the gun in the drawer beside your bed. They were doing this to protect you. They liked you at least enough to try and give you a fighting chance. This was a kindness.

Soap was next but didn’t last very long. “Would ye like to learn how to make a bomb? Just a wee one.”

“No, thank you.” Jesus Christ.

To your surprise, Price walked into the large room next and then handed you…a crowbar. He taught you a few moves with it, telling you to aim for the neck if need be. “You might lose a gun, miss a moving target. But you can always hit them with that.” Comforting.

Then, to prove his point he turned and waved over Simon, who had been silently watching along the back wall (not that you were always innately aware of where he was in the room).

“Attack her.” The captain waved a hand at you before clapping Simon on the shoulder.

“Let’s not do that,” you said, words falling out of your mouth before you could think of something else to say.

Simon, however, stepped closer and held his hands up a bit, as if he were making sure you knew he was unarmed. That wasn’t exactly comforting. “I promise I won’t hurt you. I’d never ‘urt ya.” His voice was low, almost a whisper, and you felt every syllable wash over you. He wouldn’t hurt you but he was trusting you to swing at him with a goddamn crowbar. He trusted you. They trusted you.

Straightening your shoulders, you tightened your grip on the crowbar.

And then he moved. No one that big should be able to move that quickly—it didn’t seem fair—and you were flat on your back. You swallowed the lump in your still sore throat as you looked up at him.

“Try again,” Price called out.

So you did. Again and again. You managed to clock Simon in the arm exactly once and earned a round of applause from the other men, all of them decidedly ignoring that you were supposed to be aiming for the neck. Your arms and legs were screaming at you (again) by the time Price called him off.

“Ye did good, bonnie,” Soap said with another smile. “Proud of ye.”

Oh god, you were going to cry. Tears stung and your battered throat ached with the effort to hold them back as you handed the crowbar back to Price with an uneven smile. “Thanks for keeping me alive.”

“Fair play,” Gaz said, clapping you on the shoulder. “Kept Soap alive. Kept us from eating through the house. You’ve been good to us.”

You cleared your throat, trying to swallow down the emotions. They didn’t need to see all that. “Just trying to-”

“Earn your keep?” Price asked, blue eyes near twinkling. “None of tha’. You’ve done more than enough.”

It wasn’t many words but you didn’t think Price was a man who used flowery prose or words to anyone. But that didn’t stop it from meaning the world to you. How many times has someone said you’d done enough? You could probably count them on one hand. So, you simply nodded and murmured, “yeah, sure. Anytime.”

Gaz, Soap, and Price eventually trickled out, leaving you and Simon alone in the large room. “C’mere.”

You walked to his side, a strange jittery exhaustion pulling at the edges of your mind.

“I want to show ya how to get out of a few ‘olds. Yeah?”

Like the guy who’d try to strangle you back at the safehouse. This training made sense—and no matter how well you (didn’t) shoot or swung a crowbar, you felt like this bit was more practical. And you felt safe with Simon. Simon with his dark, warm eyes and rough hands.

He led you through a few grapples and moves to break a stranglehold—he never aggravated your throat, his grip gentle if not bordering on nonexistent. He even muttered something about getting you more cream when you finished.

As strange as it was—he was pretending to strangle you—you never felt unsafe with him. Not when he came up behind you. Not when he charged forward. Not when he bent you across a bench and coached you through how to maneuver around it while your neck was tucked into the corner of his bent elbow. Never.

“You did good. But I want ya to do better, olright?” He asked as you broke another hold.

You nodded and then the broad expanse of his palm was dragging across your throat and he was pushing you back back back until your spine collided with the padded wall behind you. You tried to ignore how your chest brushed his with every breath you took. The attempt flew right out the window when he wedged a firm thigh between yours.

“Remember whot I told ya.”

Right. Focus. You turned in his loose hold and shot your arm up, remembering the move he’d taught you earlier. But he must’ve moved or you did something incredibly wrong (more likely of the two options) because when you turned to drive your arm down, meaning to break his hold, your finger caught on something and it snapped against your palm.

You watched, a little confused, as Simon’s mask dangled uselessly off one of his ears. A scar, old and jagged, stretched from one corner of his mouth up to his ear. Another bisected it on his cheek. More scars twisted across his mouth and down his chin and-

You smacked a hand over your eyes. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t mean to. I’m so sorry. I’ll buy you more masks. I-”

A now-familiar hand, gently pried your hand away from your eyes but you still kept them closed. He wore a mask for a reason. You weren’t about to betray him like that, even if it was an accident. You didn’t mean to. You didn’t!

“You can look. ‘S fine.”

“Not fine.” Eyes still closed.

“I’m saying ���s fine.” But it was the gentle swipe of his thumb against your cheek that had your eyes slowly opening again. He meant it.

You watched, almost transfixed, as Simon reached up and unhooked the other side of the small mask. The simple act had your heart leaping and racing beneath the cage of your ribs. Your fingers shook with every bit of skin now exposed to you. He had scars. Some big, some small. And you had been correct in thinking his nose had been broken before but you liked how it sat, a little crookedly, on his face. His brown eyes didn’t move away from you as he shoved the small mask into his pocket.

Your hand raised and then froze, uselessly hanging in the air between you. It had been a selfish want to touch him. You hadn’t asked and he hadn’t given permission. Shouldn’t it be enough that he trusted you with this?

Before you could apologize or try to covertly play off why your hand was halfway to his face, Simon reached out and his thick, scarred fingers circled your wrist in a gentle grip and he dragged your hand up up up. The tremor in your hand ceased as soon as your fingers brushed against the warm skin of his cheek. Your thumb traced against the scar that cut from the corner of his mouth and up toward his ear. A cruel slash. And he was so handsome.

Your heart ached when you felt him press a little more into the warmth of your palm. His long blond eyelashes fanned against his cheek as his eyes closed. He was so beautiful.

“Simon.” His name was a prayer. A promise.

He moved closer, the heat of his body bleeding across yours.

And then his mouth brushed yours. It wasn’t a true kiss. Not yet. Just his lips, scarred and cold, against yours. But you kissed him, pressing your lips against his with an embarrassing insistence that you couldn’t stop. But the embarrassment did not get a chance to fester, not with how his large hands framed your face and you could feel him smile.

“Olright?” He murmured as he pulled back the slightest bit, letting his large hands smooth lightly down the sides of your neck to rest over your shoulders, warm and heavy.

Your heart fluttered. He cared. “Yeah. This is good. Y-you’re good.”

His thumb and finger hooked your chin and he tilted your face toward his again.

Next Chapter

A/N: Thanks, again, for reading! Your comments mean the world to me and really keep me motivated.

[wickerwax]

Imitation, and Other Forms of Flattery (Codywan First Kiss Bingo 4)

There was a tubie on-board The Negotiator.

There should not have been a tubie anywhere near the star destroyer, not unless they were doing some sort of refugee carrying, or helping out with a- a- a migration or resettlement or something – there should very specifically not have been a clone trooper tubie on The Negotiator while they were in hyperspace after leaving Coruscant.

They hadn’t even been near Kamino in weeks!?

Cody felt like he was having a stroke. He was pretty sure the Kaminoans had bred those out but the tubie - and his General cuddling it - were winning that battle against Kaminoan engineering.

“Hello there, Commander,” said his General, continuing to cuddle the tubie. It looked at him with big, dark eyes, and something in him quailed that he could ever have been so small as that. This was not office-appropriate.

“General,” he replied, strangled. “Sir, what-”

“We had a stowaway, it seems.” the man interrupted smoothly, smiling. “Luckily we hadn’t gotten very far -”

The ship shuddered gently as it exited hyperspace.

“-Ah, excellent. We’ll have one of the Seeker ships out here in no time to retrieve her.” The tubie snuggled against General Kenobi’s neck, starting to giggle at the tickle of his beard. A small brown hand buried itself in the ginger-blond. He stared.

“Sir,” Cody said, because that only explained the barest tip of the iceberg of what was going on, “Why would – I mean, that’s a tubie. General.”

Kenobi looked down at the impossible creature and Cody watched that soft-eyed smile get wider. “Oh. Oh. My apologies, Cody dear. Zanah here is one of our younglings, she’s a clawdite – she’s been fascinated with your brothers. They do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

The tubie -Zanah – blinked hugely at Cody. Abruptly, she released his General’s beard and flopped sideways, both hands grabbing for- for him. “Co-ee!” she said, as Kenobi shifted his grip to accommodate her new orientation. “Co-ee, up!”

“Manners, Zanah,” the Jedi scolded fondly.

“Up, Co-ee, please.” she amended instantly, batting her eyes.

“You’re already as up as it gets without General Skywalker here,” Cody told the tubie. She seemed unappeased. He found the picture they made, his General’s freckled face close with that small, very familiar one, vaguely discomforting in a way he really didn’t want to explore. “I can’t help you with up more than the General can.”

Zanah scrunched up her face – his face, once – and tears welled up in those brown eyes.

“Please?” she half-lisped, and Cody broke. He stepped into their space, arms lifting automatically, and got a child to the chest before he was ready (he was never going to be ready. Not this child – not this close to Kenobi).

The tears vanished like magic as she squirrelled herself into his arms. She settled her curly little head on his shoulder and nestled in like she was -

“Oh,” Kenobi said softly, and Cody made the mistake of looking up. Neither of them stepped back post-child-transfer, and grey-blue eyes now filled his metaphorical viewscreen. “A nap is probably a good idea.”

He could tip his head forward and they would be touching. Cody adjusted his hold on the – on Zanah. “You said a Seeker ship was coming?” He kept his voice low and private – to avoid upsetting the tubie snuffling into his shoulder. Not so his General needed to stay closed in this moment with him just to hear. It was – strategic.

The Jedi hummed quietly. “They already knew she was missing – it doesn’t tend to take us long.” Smiling at close range like that was a kind of lethality Cody wished he had taken into account. He could see the shadow of a dimple beneath that coppery beard, the exact angle the corner of his mouth curled up. “So it was a matter of direction. I’d give it a half hour, at best. It took me nearly that to retrieve her from Waxer and Boil.”

A suspicious absence, now that Cody knows. “I’m surprised they didn’t follow you in here, General.”

“Ah, well, they mentioned something about an appropriate send-off.” Kenobi’s gaze dropped to the small, slumbering creature, who had apparently had a very exciting morning. “She does seem charmed by you, Commander.”

He should slide the fragile little bundle back into Kenobi’s far gentler, peace-knowing hands and go disrupt his senior officers almost-certainly out of control plans. He patted her back instead and allowed the oddly sticky grip on the neck of his blacks to remain. “She has limited experience, I imagine, sir.”

The Jedi laughed quietly at him. “Or, my dear Commander, you are simply a very charming man.”

While he was distracted over that, his General had clearly come to some sort of resolution. He laid a warm hand on Cody’s shoulder and nudged him down into his seat, as across the room the kettle lit up and started to heat. “If you are to play sleeping mat, darling, I can at least see you properly acquitted with chair and caf.”

Sitting, his arms occupied by cradling a Jedi youngling who thought their faces were fascinating enough to voluntarily wear – who so immediately classed Cody as a desirable holder and space to sleep – he had nothing to do but watch General Kenobi make the drinks. There was an economy of movement there – having done this exact thing so many times – and his face was lowered like he was focusing but – he couldn’t be really. Who focused that much on tea and caf when their hands so thoroughly knew their work? No, Kenobi was thinking.

He, too, might be considering strategies to avoid the worst of Waxer and Boil’s excess. Their idea of an appropriate send-off could be anything from a late-stage kidnapping to a hazardous-to-the-ventilation number of contraband balloons.

He hoped it was the balloons.

He could make them clean up that mess and consider the consequences of excess. Not – not disguising the tubie as one of the MSE droids or something ridiculous.

The cup of caf clinked as his General set it on the table and Cody jolted. The Jedi was smiling again, blue eyes gleaming cheerful amidst their multitude of irritatingly-appealing eye crinkles. He did not comment on Cody’s frown. Only touched two fingers back to his shoulder and murmured, “If you lean back slightly, you should only need the one arm to keep her stable – at least for as long as it takes to sip.”

Carefully, Cody shifted himself backwards. Zanah snorted into his shoulder, and he felt an unpleasant dampness forming as she drooled in her sleep. She kicked. Her tiny foot bounced off his ribs and he felt a completely disproportionate kind of pain at how little force there was behind the hit.

“There you go,” Kenobi’s voice was so soft. He looked like he was holding back from leaning in himself and Cody had no idea what to do with that thought. Slowly, he lifted the non-weight-bearing arm resting against Zanah’s back. She kept sleeping, and Cody got a caf mug deposited with great care into his hand.

“Thank you, sir.” Cody hesitated, then continued, “Will she get in trouble?”

The Jedi retrieved his own mug and took his neighbouring seat before answering. “Will she be punished? No, of course not. But there will be conversations with her carers about letting someone know where she is – about how we worried she was lost or hurt. Gently, at what level she can best understand. And – apparently she managed a rather impressive notice-me-not – her crèchemaster will be on the lookout for that sort of – well, it’s kind of like a gap in your senses, it’s far more difficult to add noise to properly cover that absence – ah, that is to say, we shall adjust to meet her where she is. There may be changes.” He sighed, staring down into his tea as though the faintly steaming liquid held answers and not floral complexities I find comforting when surrounded by all this durasteel, Cody dear. “It is easier when the Temple is less empty.”

Cody hummed, comforted himself by the now-familiar tangle of scents.

“So, no. She won’t be in trouble, Cody, not like that.” he finished, glancing over - smile ebbed away into regrettable wryness. Previous conversations – tiptoeing around Kamino and its approach to the raising of their units – lay between them like a napping kamoradon. He could almost hear the not like you were. The I’m sorry for what was done. The I would see every brother of yours given home and hope and childhood were it in my power. He chose to leave the kamoradon un-woken. It wasn’t him that those teeth were pointing at.

As well, it wasn’t like he didn’t know about the meetings with senators – Kenobi pulled him in on as many as he could, was hardly the only Jedi asking their troops for input on the progress and wording of bills. Was aware, as well, that the Jedi Order at large had had no idea of their existence until his General – his General – had all but stumbled across them. The Prime had a lot to answer for – it was probably the only uncomplicated reason he had for wishing sometimes that the man had made it off Geonosis.

Zanah hurked in a sudden breath that took all of her tiny body and he had to replace the caf tableward with a clink to stabilise her. Her face lifted up towards him and she slapped a hand to his cheek in a clumsy pat as he blinked at her. The hand was not any less sticky for having already grimed his collar. “Co-ee sad?” she said, looking like she would mutiny about it if he was. Little gods, his officers would let her.

“No, no, I’m okay.” he said hurriedly, half-aware of his General’s attention getting sharper. “I was – ah, I was worried about you, Zanah.”

Her face – vod but not – scrunched. She said, voice wavering, “Zanah sad?”

His lungs grew knots. “No – Zanah, everyone is okay. It’s all okay. You were having a nice nap, yeah?”

Blinking hugely – but not yet watering – she considered him from right up close. She patted at his face again, nearer his scar. “Face hurted?”

The relief was enormous. He breathed out like a flood scouring a wadi clean. “Yeah- yes. Yes, it aches a little. It’s okay now, thank you.”

That solemn little face observed him. He could see his Jedi in that expression, and on that face it ached. If he looked sideways he might see it twice over, so he concentrated on making himself look calm and peaceful for the tubie – the youngling.

She narrowed her eyes. Nodded firmly. “Needs a kiss better. Master Urlu says it kind- kindest sooda sting.”

“Kindness soothes the sting,” General Kenobi repeated smoothly, “Well done, Zanah. What if Cody doesn’t want a kiss?”

Cody was not looking. “Cody might want-”

“Hafta ask what’s their kindest. Kind-ness, Master ‘Nobi.” Zanah said, overlapping, wiggling excitedly at the Jedi Master, “What helps.” She arrowed back in on Cody as he swallowed. Master ‘Nobi. “What helps, Co-ee? Cody?”

“A kiss would help,” he allowed, ducking his head down. She planted a kiss over the scar with an enthusiastic smack. His General was poorly muffling a laugh. He was having altogether too many feelings for a Marshal Commander on a warship and none of them were about combat, save for that which he would indulge in if someone upset this tubie.

“Master ‘Nobi, kiss help!” Zanah said, doing more of her delighted wiggling. He was focused on making sure she didn’t overbalance and didn’t take enough notice of the laugh to his side strangling quiet. When she jabbed a hand out towards the General, he compensated automatically and followed her gaze to a paling Kenobi.

Cody suddenly registered the stare-down occurring. Zanah was dramatically furrowing her less-than-impressive eyebrows, while General Kenobi was raising his with an air of studied innocence. “Just so, your kiss helped Cody feel better.”

“Master ‘Nobi! You gotta ask.” she maintained. “Master Urlu-”

“Cody,” The Jedi said, pretending he wasn’t clinging to his tea, “It simply must be asked, it appears. What would help you, my dear?”

He had a mad, brilliant, shooting-star idea. He could space himself. His mouth said, his mouth repeated, “A kiss would help.”

Zanah crowed. Kenobi’s pale filled back in with pink. “Ah.” he said.

“Quite,” he said.

“Wonderful modelling, positive reinforcement around affection between friendly adults,” he said.

Cody had clearly lost his mind and all he could think to do was smile. Encouraging. Zanah crowed again, and his General put his mug down too loudly.

“Right,” he said, and leaned over. He ruffled Zanah’s curls until she giggled and did her ineffectual best to push him at Cody’s face. Still, the man moved his focus. Once again, this close, his eyes were sabre-bright. Lightning against storm clouds. Hard to look at without getting dazzled. “Last chance, Commander.”

“I’m looking forward to being soothed by your kindness.” he replied, utterly incapable of melting butter or any other dairy-based product. Too smooth – Kenobi’s legendary side-eye made an appearance, and also he seemed to be about a foot above his own head while somehow still almost nose-to-nose. “You asked, General.”

“I have been utterly railroaded and I’m not sure it wasn’t planned.” his General muttered, twitchy. He touched a hand to Cody’s shoulder again – barely felt, hardly worth a mention, burning – and ghosted a kiss over the scar curling Cody’s eye. “Better, Cody?”

“I’m not, uh, not sure I felt that.” he managed, half his voice getting lost in-between his lungs and his lips.

This close, he thought he heard the Jedi say, you’re going to be the death of me, but then Kenobi was pressing his mouth firmly to his scar, soft and warm and impossible, and Cody lost the whisper in favour of replaying the touch as his General drew back, looking – unsure.

“Better?’ he asked again and Cody fished up a bright smile for him and for Zanah, bouncing against his shoulder and beaming upwards.

“Much.” he said, as something sunlit and fluttering went bacchanal in his chest. “Much better.”

The pink in General Kenobi’s cheeks darkened a touch. He sat properly back into his seat, averting his eyes and taking up his tea as anchor. “Excellent! Well then-”

His comm chirped loudly. Kenobi lunged for it. “Ah, the Seeker’s ship has arrived. Zanah, my darling, your chariot home is here.”

“Master Urlu?” she asked.

“Shall we go and find out?” he asked her. His shoulders had smoothed back out with a task at hand. Cody’s face still tingled.

Zanah squealed and reached for him and Cody’s tubie was neatly stolen away. His General paused - at the door before Cody’d even managed to get to his feet. “Perhaps, Commander, you might waylay our excellent officers before any especially extravagant plans come to fruition? I’ll delay so you, and they, can make their goodbyes, of course.”

Cody’s eyes narrowed. “Coward.” he accused.

Kenobi took the hit and grinned. “On this? Undoubtedly.”

@codywanfirstkissbingo number foooour is "uncertain kiss" and it's also my swapsie <3333 cl

[ramayantika]

I woke up just now but in half asleep summer nap state I will roll for Heermandi

1. I felt that Alamzeb's casting could be better. The girl was pretty but yet I could not feel the budding romantic expressions on her face and body language. Like that sharmana and poetry narration felt very forced.

2. TAJDAR WHY WHY WHY SLB I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU. No spoilers. Tajdar is very charming, amazing voice, very handsome.

3. Okay considering the history of tawaifs I was at times so mad at Alam and was about to hit the phone screen to say woman wake up to reality.

4. Lajjo and Zorawar's story. Why he left her, her addiction and Lajjo's story could have been explored more. You have such a brilliant actress and when SLB is noted for using actors and their character to their greatest potential, I felt he did not not do that with lajjo this time. We only see her enter in sakal ban, she is always drinking and thinking about Zorawar

5. Manisha was brilliant. The ruthlessness, the wit and slyness. And for a tawaif of those times whose existence and power is constantly challenged, by other tawaifs and rivals and then nawabs and British she has to be so clever, cunning and vicious. Yet her feelings for Alam especially by the end (spoiler free) did make me understand her stony heart more.

6. Aditi as Bibbo was charming, graceful and elegant. And goddamn the way she uses her skills to charm henderson so she may help her people to fight against the British.

7. Star villain Fareedan. I was looking forward to her schemes. And it was understandable why she hates Mallikajaan (manisha). The power play, the constant challenging was interesting to watch. Also sonakshi really acted well, both as Fareedan and as Rehana aapa. I won't say much because the way her character changed at a point where mallika was violated (watch the series for that) like it made me get an overview of these women. Women who were wronged since birth, clinging on to their art and performance, carving a distinct identity for themselves and yet having pride over who they are, and despite all the politics, inner enmity and betrayals, they still did not wish the worst to each other and later come together for they all share one pain.

8. The women if heeramandi coming together to fight for the British got me goosebumps. They decide to use all their money and life to fight for the country. Aditi's (bibbo) dialouge ek baar mujrevali nahi mulkvali bannke sochiye and another dialouge which meant that when the country is burning one does not organise lavish gatherings (mujra mushayra)

9. Songs were pretty good. Sakal ban was trending and I loved the other songs too. Reminded me of Pakeezah

10. Sanjeeda Shaikh as Waheeda. Bhai I used to feel so bad for her. She was betrayed everytime. Poor girl wanted power too like her sister but I understand why she wasn't given. Tawaifs cannot be put into a box. They aren't your gentle shy lover girl type women like we see in pakeezah, the lovely shy, sweet, pure sahibjaan. Their world is a golden cage and to survive here is a war fought everyday.

11. Tajdar ka baap kya gadha egoistic aadmi hai

12. End thoughts: aesthetics = 100/10. I was still looking for slb to explore more of their emotions and life and not just their opulence. Summing up everything, heermandi: 7/10

[fortheloveof-39]

Boyfriend! Iida x Black! Fem! Reader

Mdni, 18+, slight smut ,lots of fluff

Boyfriend!Iida who finds it adorable that you have your yarn balls levitating around you, like bright gumball planets. You are hyper focused on getting the yarn balls a certain size, which usually matched the size of your black and purple space buns…You call them space buns, but they remind him of cotton candy and smells just as delicious.

Boyfriend!Iida who makes sure that you eat because you find yourself so focused on completing your crotched sweater for the AU festival. You are determined to have it done before the festival, so it can match the secret scarf that you made for Iida.

Boyfriend!Iida looks at you lovingly when you fall asleep on the couch with the half of the 'secret' scarf you were knitting is laying on your lap. He gently picks it up to see what you knitted and saw the words 'Hott Rod' on it; he feels so lucky to have a beautiful, crafty girl like you in his life.

Boyfriend!Iida who tries to stifle a laugh when he sees that you've caught yourself in your own yarn and yelling for him to help you get untangled. He looks at how some of the  pink yarn has wound up your leg and has pushed a bit of your cute skirt up in the front, where he can see a little bit of your Baby Phat thong and how it has wound itself around your tiny waist and pushing against your pretty chocolate breast. The view made him feel a tingle in his core and slight tent in his pants. 'Iida stop staring at me and help me get out of this yarn chaos!' Iida walks behind you and puts one hand on your hip and tells you to lift your leg up.

Boyfriend!Iida carefully removes the coil of yarn around your leg, his hand moves from your calf-muscle up to the inside of your thigh, your body starts to react as you become flustered. Iida senses the change in your body and decides to take a risk and moves his hand under your skirt, he bites his bottom lip as he feels the heat from your pussy. He slides your panties to the side, as he slides one finger along your folds and your breath catches in your throat. 'Should I be doing this? She really needs my help getting untangled-but seeing her all tied up in this yarn…' Iida can feel heat roar up his body as his mind is pleading with him to be a gentlemen and just help you get out of the yarn, but the other voice-the lusty one- tells him to sink two fingers into your tight hole and have you cum all over his hand.

Boyfriend!Iida listens to the lust monster and slides two finger in your tight cunt and that earns him a moan from your lips and flutters around his two fingers. 'I see that she likes when I explore her', Iida whispers in your ear as his thumb finds your clit. His thumb makes little circles on your clit, and you feel the coil in your stomach tighten as your mind wonders who has taken over your mild-mannered, stickler boyfriend-who would never be so bold as to spontaneously tease me until I cum  or sound so rugged and sexy. 'FUCK' is all that you could say before you gush on his fingers, 'One down, three more to go' he says as he kisses down your neck and his free hand playing with your nipple ring through your shirt.

Boyfriend!Iida who after making you cum on his fingers 4 times, finally laid you on the couch and removed the rest of the string from your body. 'I think you may need a nap after that ordeal', he whispered into your ear.

Boyfriend!Iida who was plotting on using your yarn to make you his little rope bunny and edge you until you beg to cum on his dick all night long. The devilish grin only leaves his face when he brings your favorite blanket and Endevear plushie.

[marsplastic13]

'Complicated' (part 19) - Kaz Brekker x Reader

Idea - Kaz Brekker hires a prostitute to overcome his touch aversion, and be a better man for Inej, but things take an unxepected turn. Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Prostitute!Reader, (had to use y/n because I'm bad at names) Genre: modern AU, slow burn word count: 7.9k

@millercontracting @coldmermaidhologram @syd649

@luffysprincess @cryptidghostgirl @beekeepingageissome

@hufflepuff-16 @lukepattersin @jay-is-a-pinguin @le-clair-de-lune @theravenphoenix26

Kaz arrived home to find Y/N and one of her friends in an intricate position on the carpet. “What are you doing?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yoga and talking about dick,” Y/N replied with a smirk, making her friend giggle.

“Of course you are,” he sighed.

“Kiss?” she asked, looking up at him with a playful glint in her eyes. Kaz looked at her, noting she was half upside down with no easy way to reach her without inappropriately touching her friend. “Maybe later.”

He retreated to the kitchen, listening to their explicit conversation drift in from the living room. As he poured himself a drink, he heard bits of their chat.

“Wait, the one with the mustache?” her friend asked.

“Exactly, he likes when you do nothing, just lay there,” Y/N responded.

“Really? Why did you keep him until now?”

“Are you kidding? I even squeezed naps in between whatever he thinks he’s doing, he always takes hours to finish.”

Kaz’s mind wandered, pondering if she ever discussed him like that when he was her client, imagining her saying  to her roommates that he just wanted to hold her hand and didn't even manage to do that very well. He sighed, knowing that it happened for sure.

“Fine, I’ll take him,” her friend sighed. “But why are you leaving me that lawyer too? You always said he’s really good.”

“I guess now I have someone else that fucks me just right,” laughed Y/N, joined by her friend.

Kaz stopped mid-sip, taken aback. He wasn’t sure if that conversation was meant for him to hear or not. He couldn’t hide a proud smile; he still struggled with the thought of not being enough for her, and that was another reassurance he needed. Her words echoed in his mind, giving him a sense of validation that his efforts were truly appreciated. As he listened to Y/N continue her conversation with her friend, Kaz felt a surge of protectiveness and affection. He wanted to be the one who fulfilled her needs in every aspect of their lives together. The idea that she was willing to adjust her professional boundaries for their relationship was both humbling and gratifying.

“Is he that good?” asked the friend in a conspiratorial tone.

“Oh, he is, and he's a really fast learner.”

“Well, with a teacher like you…”

The girls kept laughing, and Kaz heard them shifting positions. He couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at Y/N's words. Despite his confidence in most aspects of his life, he still harbored insecurities, given her experience. Hearing her praise meant more to him than he could easily express.

“Can I try him?”

“No way, I’m not leaving him in your dirty hands” replied Y/N.

“Your hands are dirtier than mine,” laughed the other girl.

“Well, he’s my boyfriend,” pointed out Y/N.

“So you are jealous.” 

“No, I'm not,” protested Y/N.

“Ask him then.”

He heard her sigh, “Kaz! Do you want to have a threesome with us?”

Kaz paused, considering it. His mind raced through the implications and possibilities. On one hand, he knew Y/N liked to push boundaries and explore new experiences, and he wanted to support her in that. On the other hand, he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about being shared between the two girls. He decided to play along, if only to see where it might lead. “Sure,” he replied with a smirk.

He heard the noise of the girls falling on the ground, clearly taken aback by his response. A moment later, Y/N peeked into the kitchen, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Really?” she asked, clearly not expecting him to agree.

“No, love,” Kaz laughed at her expectant face, “not yet,” he winked.

Y/N made an amused face before returning to her friend. She always left hints, more or less direct, about what she wanted to try with him, but never made him feel pressured about them. It was one of the things he appreciated most about her—her willingness to explore and communicate without forcing him into anything he wasn’t ready for.

Kaz couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she was leaving some of her clients, which was unexpected. A small smile tugged at his lips at the implications of that. It meant she was slowly shifting her priorities, and he liked to think it was because of him.

“I've been asked to babysit tonight. I was thinking of bringing her here. Is it a problem?” Y/N asked.

“No, it's fine. I have some work to finish,” Kaz replied, his mind already shifting to the tasks at hand.

“Shower?” she asked with a smirk, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Shower,” he replied, letting her take his hand and guide him to the bathroom. They had purposefully chosen a really big shower to be able to share it comfortably. Kaz was feeling more and more comfortable with the contact with wet skin. He had stopped panicking when their fingers brushed while passing things, but they still hadn't gone much further than accidental brushes.

As the warm water cascaded over them, Y/N turned to him with a teasing smile. “Do you know who asked me out?”

“Tell me,” Kaz said, intrigued.

“Pekka Rollins.”

The bottle of body wash Kaz was holding slipped from his grip, crashing onto Y/N’s foot with a dull thud. She yelped in pain, reflexively grabbing his arm to steady herself.

“Kaz, fuck, that hurt,” she exclaimed, her voice filled with pain and surprise.

The sudden contact sent an involuntary shiver through Kaz, his body tensing. He took a long breath, fighting against the surge of instinctual panic that urged him to shove her away. He clenched his jaw, his mind racing with conflicting emotions. He didn't want to hurt her, but her touch was a stark reminder of his ongoing struggle with physical contact.

“Y/N, please let me go,” he muttered under his breath, his voice strained but controlled.

“Sorry, sorry,” she quickly apologized, releasing his arm and stepping back. Her eyes were wide with concern and regret, the pain in her foot momentarily forgotten.

Kaz’s heart pounded as he watched her, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. He hated how his past still had such a grip on him, how it could intrude on moments like these. He took another deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. 

“Pekka Rollins?” he repeated, trying to focus on the issue at hand. He turned off the water, the warmth of the shower suddenly feeling too overwhelming.

“Yeah, can you believe it? I said no, of course,” Y/N replied, her voice softening as she wrapped herself in a towel, her eyes never leaving his face.

Kaz stepped out of the shower, his thoughts racing. The implication of his attempt to ask Y/N on a date sent a fresh wave of anxiety through him. Was it a coincidence, or was it a deliberate move? He needed to know more. Maybe it was time to be more public about their relationship, to send a clear message. Or the opposite? Should they keep it even more private?

“Baby, are you okay?” Y/N asked, her concern evident as she moved closer, her hand gently touching his arm.

“Yeah, sorry,” he said, his voice distant. His mind was still processing the implications, the potential threats.

“Kaz, even if you didn't have history with him, and we weren’t together, I would have never said yes to him, he’s creepy.”

“I know, I know,” Kaz said, leaning on the sink. He looked at his reflection, seeing the tension etched on his face. Turning back to her, he asked, “Why are you leaving some clients?”

Y/N made a small smile, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. “I don't know, just felt like it.”

Kaz hummed, stepping closer to her, needing to understand her reasoning. “Are you sure you don't know?” He reached out, his hand gently cupping her cheek. He liked seeing her trying to stay vague about her intentions, but he needed clarity.

“Oh you know, I was making too much money, didn't want to make you feel bad,” she chuckled, and Kaz knew better than to push further.

A few hours later, they found themselves on the couch, Kaz typing rapidly on his laptop while Y/N and the little girl were engrossed in a Disney movie. The soft glow of the screen illuminated their faces, Y/N’s arm wrapped protectively around the toddler as she watched with wide-eyed fascination. Every now and then, Y/N would lean in, whisper something funny into the girl's ear, earning a burst of giggles that filled the room with warmth.

Kaz kept stealing glances at them, his fingers slowing on the keys as he observed the peaceful scene. They looked so comfortable, nestled together like that, and the thought hit him—Could this be his life? Evenings spent on the couch, kids’ movies playing in the background, worrying about bedtimes, schools, and being present. Being a father.

The notion unsettled him, not because he didn’t want it, but because it was something he never thought he could be. A father. The idea felt foreign, like trying on a coat that didn’t quite fit yet. How could he, with his past, teach someone how to be a good person? How could he be a role model when his life had been so full of darkness, crime, and survival at any cost?

But then, as he glanced over at Y/N, gently stroking the girl's hair as she drifted off to sleep, Kaz felt a flicker of hope. He had overcome so many obstacles he once thought impossible. He had built a life, brick by painful brick, out of ruins. Maybe, just maybe, he could do this too. Not alone—but with Y/N by his side, they could figure it out. Together.

Sensing his gaze, Y/N looked up, her eyes softening as she smiled at him. It was the kind of smile that made him feel grounded, like he could take on the world if she was with him. Kaz smiled back, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in a way that was still new for him. He tried to refocus on the deal in front of him, but his mind kept drifting back to the two of them.

Before thinking about kids, he needed to get one important thing done—proposing to Y/N. He hadn’t yet decided if he should pop the question on a random day, catching her off guard, or plan something more elaborate, like a weekend abroad where they could be alone, away from the weight of the city and his business.

Then there was the wedding. He didn’t want to rush her into anything. They’d take their time, make it theirs. After that, he would have to start extricating himself from the darker, shadier parts of his dealings. He couldn’t bring a child into the world with all that still hanging over his head. But the idea of a future—their future—was something he hadn’t imagined possible until now.

Kaz shook his head slightly, almost in disbelief. His life had shifted so quickly, and yet it felt like everything was falling into place in ways he never thought he deserved.

***

Kaz came home to the smell of cake lingering in the air. Y/N reached him in the entryway, linking her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. He smiled against her lips at her enthusiastic greeting, feeling the warmth and familiarity of her embrace. “Are you baking something?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I made three cakes,” she hummed, their noses touching as she spoke. Her hands wandered around his chest, tracing the contours of his muscles. “I'm going out, I have…” She took his lower lip between her teeth playfully, “13 minutes, what do you say?”

Kaz chuckled, his amusement evident. “I say that Jesper is right behind me.”

Y/N glanced over Kaz's shoulder and spotted Jesper standing there with a grin. “Fine by me,” she said with an allusive smile, making Jesper raise an eyebrow.

“Sure, love,” Kaz laughed, shaking his head. “Jesper is staying for dinner.”

“Alright, there's uhm, cake and beer I think,” she said, walking towards the kitchen with a casual sway in her step.

Kaz raised an eyebrow at Jesper, who shrugged at the peculiar menu. “If I don’t have to cook, it's fine.” commented Jesper. 

Following her into the kitchen, Kaz rested his hands on her hips as she checked the cake in the oven. “Where are you going?”

“Just home, girls' night watching the Kardashians,” she smiled, turning to face him.

“Did you eat?” Kaz asked, noticing a hint of hesitation in her demeanor.

Y/N hesitated, her eyes darting away for a moment. “Yeah, sure.”

“Y/N,” Kaz said more firmly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping a little. 

Kaz’s expression softened, and he cupped her face gently, his thumb brushing over her cheek. “Y/N-”

“I know,” she replied, looking up at him with a small, apologetic smile. “I’ll eat there.”

Kaz nodded, his fingers lingering on her skin for a moment longer before he let her go. He glanced at the cakes, the sweet aroma filling the kitchen. “That smells amazing, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Y/N said, a bit more cheer in her voice as she turned back to the oven. 

Jesper, who had been lingering awkwardly by the door, finally spoke up. “So, what’s the occasion? Or is it just a regular Tuesday cake?”

“Just felt like baking,” Y/N replied with a grin, pulling the last cake out of the oven and setting it on the counter to cool. 

After a while, Y/N excused herself to get ready for her night out. Kaz and Jesper settled on the couch, beers in hand. Y/N reappeared in the living room, dressed for the evening. She kissed Kaz passionately goodbye, her lips lingering on his just long enough to leave him wanting more.

"Have fun," Kaz murmured against her lips, feeling a pang of longing as she pulled away.

"I will," she winked, grabbing her bag and heading out the door.

Kaz watched her go, a slight smile on his face. He turned back to Jesper, who was already engrossed in a work document.

About an hour later Kaz and Jesper were immersed in their work, discussing plans and strategies for their next job. The room was filled with the soft clinking of beer bottles and the rustle of papers.

Suddenly, Kaz's phone buzzed, breaking his concentration. He glanced at the screen and saw a message from one of Y/N’s roommates: ‘Can you tell Y/N to answer her damn phone?’

Kaz stared at it, a knot of unease forming in his stomach. They were supposed to be together. His mind started racing, envisioning all sorts of scenarios. As soon as he clicked on the notification to answer, the message got deleted. Kaz frowned even more, feeling a surge of worry. He had no idea what was going on.

"Everything okay?" Jesper asked, noticing Kaz’s troubled expression.

"Yeah," Kaz replied, his eyes still on the now-deleted message. He debated whether to call Y/N or wait for her to get home and talk face-to-face. Was she lying to him? Where did she go? The questions bugged him, leaving him with a strong sense of unease all evening.

When Kaz heard the door open around midnight, he was already in bed, playing on her Switch. The familiar sound of her footsteps echoed through the apartment, accompanying the tension building inside of him.

Y/N peered into the bedroom, "Hey," she greeted softly, heading to the bathroom to take off her makeup.

Kaz tried to keep his composure, thinking about the imminent conversation. He wanted answers, but he didn't want to accuse her unfairly. His mind raced with conflicting thoughts, each one making him more anxious.

Minutes later, she emerged, half-naked, her skin glowing in the soft light. She climbed directly into his lap, snatching away the console from his hands to get his attention. Kaz's eyes couldn't help but get lost in the sight of her cleavage, particularly the new tattoo she had between her breasts that made focusing increasingly difficult.

"Hi," she said with a smile, guiding his hands to her waist.

"Hey," he replied slowly, his mind still on the text.

"How was your day?" she purred in his ear, rocking her hips slightly against him.

"Good," he said, his breath hitching as she bit his neck. He knew he had to ask her, “Love?”

Y/N hummed against his skin in return, her hands wandering on his body.

“Lia texted me, telling me to make you answer the phone,” he said, purposefully using the wrong name to gauge her reaction.

Y/N didn’t falter. “Lia? We were together. You mean Mia?” She corrected him without hesitation.

Kaz felt a mixture of relief and suspicion. She corrected him well, but was she just quick on her feet? “Yeah, Mia. She wasn’t with you?” He allowed her to guide his mouth to her neck, humming in satisfaction as he kissed her.

“No, she has this new guy,” Y/N explained, her hand sliding inside his boxer, skillfully working him up.

Kaz struggled to maintain his focus. “Why didn’t you answer her?” he asked, his voice strained.

“My phone was on mute,” Y/N replied, her hand’s movements making it increasingly hard for him to concentrate.

“Why did she delete the message?” he asked, feeling his resolve slipping away.

“I don’t know. She must have remembered that I wasn't with you,” Y/N said, her hand working him more intensely now, making him forget his doubts as pleasure took over.

Kaz’s mind fogged over, his earlier concerns buried under a wave of desire. He wanted to trust her, wanted to believe in their relationship. As Y/N’s lips found his again, he decided to let go for the moment, losing himself in her touch and the reassurance of her presence.

***

They spent the next morning in bed, between sloppy kisses and drifting back in and out of sleep. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over them. Y/N curled against Kaz, her head resting on his chest as his fingers lazily traced patterns on her back. They exchanged lazy smiles, savoring the rare luxury of a morning without obligations.

"Do we have to get up?" Y/N murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

Kaz chuckled, his hand moving to play with a strand of her hair. "Not unless you want to. We can stay here all day if you’d like."

She nuzzled closer, planting a gentle kiss on his chest. "Good, because I’m not ready to leave this bed."

Kaz tightened his arm around her, drawing her even nearer. "Neither am I."

They lay in comfortable silence, the only sounds being their steady breathing and the occasional rustle of sheets as they adjusted their positions. Kaz’s mind drifted back to the previous night, the lingering worries pushed aside by the sheer contentment of the present moment. He felt Y/N’s fingers dance across his skin, a soothing rhythm that kept him grounded.

"I love mornings like this," Y/N said softly, her breath warm against his chest.

"Me too," Kaz replied, kissing the top of her head. 

Their kisses grew more fervent, passion slowly rekindling. Y/N rolled onto her back, pulling Kaz with her. He hovered above her, their eyes locked in a silent conversation filled with love and desire. The connection between them felt stronger than ever, a silent promise of their commitment to each other.

***

But the doubts of the previous night crept back into Kaz’s mind when Y/N disappeared again that evening with another vague excuse. He had a work thing and returned home late, finding her already asleep. He stood in the doorway, watching her peaceful form beneath the blankets. She had once told him she cheated on all her previous boyfriends, but Kaz believed he was different. He thought he could be the one she wouldn’t stray from. He needed clarity, but he didn’t want to accuse her without evidence.

Her phone buzzed persistently on his side of the bed, pulling his attention. He knew it was wrong, that invading her privacy would be a betrayal of trust, but his doubts gnawed at him. With a heavy heart and hands shaking with guilt, Kaz reached for her phone.

He glanced at her one last time. She had an arm draped over the pillow, her face nestled into it, completely oblivious. He began checking her notifications: three were from clients, one was a payment confirmation. Kaz's tension eased slightly, but the unread messages from the tennis guy caught his attention. Fifteen unread messages, all asking to see her and seeking explanations for her sudden absence. This information eased his mind somewhat; it seemed she wasn’t with him at least. But still, there was no clue as to where she had been that evening.

Kaz's thoughts raced. He considered waking her to confront her, but he knew that would lead to a defensive argument and likely no answers. Instead, he decided to wait for the morning. He would ask her directly, hoping for honesty. He placed her phone back on the nightstand, gently, as if it might shatter under any more pressure.

He undressed quietly and slid into bed beside her, careful not to disturb her. His mind replayed every interaction they had over the past few weeks, searching for signs he might have missed. He loved her deeply, and the thought of her betraying that trust tore at him. But Kaz also knew he had to be rational, not let jealousy cloud his judgment.

***

The next morning, Kaz woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast. Y/N was in the kitchen, humming softly as she cooked. The sight of her in one of his shirts, moving gracefully around their shared space, made his heart ache. He joined her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.

“Morning,” she said cheerfully, turning her head to give him a quick kiss. “I made your favorite.”

“Morning,” Kaz replied, his voice steady but his mind racing. Looking at her so at ease made it impossible for him to start the conversation. He decided to trust her, at least for now.

‘I’m babysitting tonight,’ her text pulled him out of the books of the Crow Club. Kaz couldn’t help but ask himself if it was a lie or not. He shook his head, the bittersweet flavor of doubt lingering in his mouth. If he had decided to trust her that morning, then why had he slipped an AirTag inside her car when he went out?

He checked her location obsessively. Y/N stayed home until around 4 when her car made the journey to her other house to work. At 7, Kaz received another text, ‘Just finished work. I’ll be home around 11, you?’

He contemplated his response. ‘Still not sure,’ he decided to reply.

About an hour later, her car started to move, and Kaz’s heart was about to explode. He came close to praying that she would turn toward her friends’ house to babysit, but she didn’t. Her car stopped in the parking lot of a hotel. A nice one, but not nice enough for her to be with one of her clients. His heart sank; he couldn’t believe it.

Kaz had no idea what to do. He didn’t want to confront her, didn’t want to accept the truth that it was really happening. He texted her that he wouldn’t be able to come back home that night and decided to bury himself in work and alcohol.

Kaz made his way home not too early the next morning, and he met Y/N as she was going to the gym. “Hi, love,” she greeted him with a smile, kissing his jaw. “Where were you last night?” she asked.

Kaz did his best not to scoff. Where were you?  he wanted to ask, but instead, he just shrugged, “Work stuff.”

Y/N hummed, her hand still on his cheek. “I could make it up to you after Pilates,” she said, batting her eyes.

“I’m probably going to sleep all day,” he said, and Y/N frowned, clearly taken aback by his rejection. “Are you free after dinner?”

Y/N made a tight smile. “I think I’m busy.”

Kaz nodded, his heart breaking. He didn’t even ask her what she had to do; he couldn’t bear to hear another lie. He just kissed her forehead and let her go.

As she walked away, Kaz felt a gnawing emptiness. He trudged to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, the weight of his suspicions pressing down on him. The AirTag had confirmed his worst fears, but he was still clinging to the hope that there was some explanation, some reason that didn’t involve betrayal.

***

After an entire week of lies, Kaz found himself outside the hotel, his heart pounding in his chest. All their conversations flashed through his mind—their shared moments of vulnerability, her doubts, the times she had warned him that she would only end up hurting him. Her ex-boyfriend’s words haunted him, taunting him with the prophecy that Kaz would become just like him. At the time, it seemed impossible, but now he was right there, having looked through her phone and stalked her location. Kaz laughed at the bitter irony, shaking his head. 

The ring was still waiting for her, carefully hidden away. What was he supposed to do if they broke up? Take it back to the shop? Sell it? Dramatically throw it in the harbor?

After about an hour, Kaz spotted Y/N leaving the hotel, a man walking closely behind her. They stopped to talk for a while, but when the man cupped her cheek with his hand, Kaz couldn’t take it anymore. He strode towards them, his anger boiling over.

“Y/N,” he said coldly as he reached them. Y/N turned, her eyes wide with shock. “Kaz, what are you doing here?”

A manic laugh escaped his lips. “Me? What are you doing here? You always said you didn’t work outside your house, so what the fuck?”

“Work?” asked the man, puzzled.

“Kaz, wait,” Y/N began, her voice pleading.

“No, Y/N, come on, not even six months?”

“Love-”

“Who is this?” the man asked.

“He’s my boyfriend,” she replied softly.

“I was about to fucking propose to you, Y/N,” Kaz shouted.

Y/N froze, but then a small smile spread on her lips. “What?”

“You heard me. Why did you have to do this?”

“Kaz-”

“I can’t believe this is happening, Y/N.”

“KAZ!”

“Why, Y/N-”

“This is my father.”

Kaz stopped dead in his tracks, his mind struggling to process her words. “Your father?” he repeated, his voice barely more than a whisper.

The man nodded uncomfortably, clearly sensing the tension. “Yes, I’m her father.”

“I know I told you they were dead, but—” Y/N began, her voice trembling.

“They’re not. Alice told me,” Kaz said softly.

Y/N looked confused. “When did you talk to her?”

Kaz felt a surge of embarrassment for the scene he had just caused. “When I asked her for her blessing to marry you,” he admitted, his voice tinged with regret.

Y/N’s eyes widened, then a laugh bubbled up, her amusement genuine despite the tension. “You asked for her blessing? You're so old-fashioned, baby,” she teased, reaching out to touch his arm.

Kaz and Y/N’s father exchanged an uncomfortable glance. Kaz wanted to disappear, feeling the weight of his lack of trust in her. As he looked closer at her father, he could see the resemblance between them—a shared softness in their eyes, the same determined set to their jaws.

Y/N took control of the situation, turning to her father with a reassuring smile. “So, this is my boyfriend, Kaz. I’ve talked to you about him.”

Kaz extended his hand, and they shook. He felt a bit under scrutiny, the older man's gaze assessing him. “My pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Y/N’s father said with a tight smile.

Kaz nodded, feeling both relief and unease. He didn’t know much about Y/N’s parents; she had preferred to think of them as dead. Now, he found himself unsure of what to say. 

“You went to Alice to ask for her hand—that's a nice thing to do,” her father continued, trying to bridge the gap.

“Thank you, sir,” Kaz replied politely, feeling the formalities help ground him amidst the turmoil. The awkwardness hung in the air, thick and palpable. He was acutely aware of the judgmental glances exchanged between Y/N and her father, each assessing the other’s significance in her life.

Her father nodded, looking slightly more at ease but still wary. “I appreciate that. It shows respect.”

Kaz forced a smile, trying to read the man in front of him. He knew so little about him, yet this stranger was so crucial to Y/N’s life and past. “It felt like the right thing to do. Y/N means a lot to me.”

Y/N’s father gave a small, approving nod. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Kaz nodded, understanding the weight of those words. “I know. I’m here for her, always.”

Y/N watched the exchange, her eyes darting between them. She placed a hand on Kaz’s arm, grounding him further. “I think we should catch up another time. There’s a lot we need to discuss, but not here.”

Her father glanced at her, then at Kaz, before nodding in agreement. “You’re right. We’ll talk soon.” He turned to Kaz, offering a hand again. “It was good to meet you, Kaz. Take care of her.”

Kaz shook his hand firmly. “I will, sir.”

Once alone, Kaz and Y/N locked eyes. The tension between them was palpable, the air thick with unspoken words and lingering emotions. Kaz took a deep breath, struggling to find the right words to apologize.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N, I—”

“I was acting shady, I understand, Kaz,” she interrupted, her arms hugging herself defensively.

“No, I crossed the line. I should’ve talked to you instead of jumping to conclusions.”

“I should’ve come to you too,” she replied, looking away with a sigh. “Usually, I love public scenes, but how about we go home?”

Kaz nodded with a small smile, relief washing over him. “I have to stop at work for a second, but I’ll reach you there.”

He turned to go to his car, but Y/N grabbed him by the arm, her serious gaze locking onto his. “Kaz,” she said, her voice steady and filled with emotion, “I love you.”

Kaz felt a weight lift from his chest at her words. “I love you,” he replied, squeezing her hand reassuringly before walking away.

Kaz didn’t go to his office. Instead, he went to buy flowers and those vegan chocolates Y/N liked. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him and how sorry he was for doubting her.

When Kaz arrived home, he found Y/N making drinks in the kitchen. She had changed into one of his shirts, which hung loosely on her and exposed her legs. The sight of her like this made his heart ache with love and regret. She looked up and smiled at him, her eyes softening when she saw the flowers and chocolates.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, stepping closer to her. He kissed her temple and handed her the gifts.

Her smile widened as she accepted them. “You didn’t have to,” she said, but Kaz could see the happiness in her eyes.

“I wanted to,” he replied, his voice earnest. “I needed to.”

They settled on the couch, drinks in hand, the atmosphere between them more relaxed now.

Kaz settled next to Y/N on the couch, feeling the need to clear the air further. “He contacted me a few weeks ago,” she started, her voice tentative. “Said he wanted to get to know me. I wanted to understand his intentions before talking about it.”

“Why?” Kaz asked, his brow furrowing.

“I don't know,” she admitted, looking away. “I didn’t want to jinx it, I think. I was afraid that if I talked about it, it might not turn out the way I hoped.”

Kaz nodded, understanding the fear of misplacing her hopes. “What do you think about him now?”

Y/N sighed, leaning back against the couch. “I still don’t know. He seems sincere, but at the same time, his family has no idea I exist. It’s complicated.”

Kaz gathered his thoughts, knowing he had to come clean. “I thought you were cheating on me,” he confessed. “I went through your phone one time while you were sleeping. I even put an AirTag in your car and followed your position.”

Y/N’s eyes widened slightly, but she remained calm. “That’s fucked up, love,” she said, though her tone was not accusatory.

Kaz cradled his head in his hands, feeling the weight of his actions. “I know. I’m so sorry. I was paranoid and I let my fears get the best of me.”

“I can understand, Kaz,” Y/N said softly. “I did everything I could to make you doubt me. I always repeated how unworthy of trust I was, so it’s not surprising that at the first sign of shadiness, you thought the worst.”

“You’re not mad?” he asked, lifting his head to meet her gaze.

“I mean, I didn’t think you would actually do those kinds of things, but I can understand why it happened,” she replied. Her eyes were filled with understanding and sadness. “I know you’re not a crazy stalker.”

Kaz pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He was immensely grateful for how things had evolved. “I’ll do better,” he whispered. “I’ll trust you, and I won’t let anything ruin what we have.”

Y/N nodded against his chest, her arms around him just as tightly. “And I’ll be more open with you,” she promised. “No more secrets.”

They sat like that for a while, the silence between them comfortable and filled with unspoken promises. Kaz felt a sense of relief wash over him, knowing they had come through this stronger. 

Kaz felt a surge of anticipation as Y/N's grin widened. “So, you were about to propose?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“I still am,” he replied, determination clear in his voice as he stood up. He walked to the safe, feeling the weight of the moment pressing on him. 

It wasn't absolutely the proposal he imagined, but with her, nothing went as he planned. 

With steady hands, he retrieved the ring, taking a final look at it in its box. It was perfect, just like the moment he had been envisioning, despite all the turmoil they had been through.

Y/N covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide with disbelief and joy. “Is this really happening?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Kaz nodded, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he dramatically dropped to one knee. He ignored the sharp pain that shot through his leg, focusing entirely on her. The sight of her laughter and tears mingling together filled him with warmth. 

“Y/N,” he began, his voice strong but filled with emotion, “will you marry me?”

She opened her mouth, uncertainty written all over her face, but he gently cut her off. “I want you to know that I'll wait for you. You said one day you're going to leave your job. I'll wait for that day. If it's tomorrow, or in ten years, I don't care.”

Her eyes softened, tears welling up. “Will you? Really?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Yes,” he affirmed, his eyes locking onto hers with unwavering sincerity. 

Y/N's face lit up with a radiant smile, her hands trembling as she reached out to him. “Yes, I'll marry you,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Kaz slid the ring onto Y/N’s finger, the smooth metal encircling her finger with a perfect fit. The moment felt suspended in time, the culmination of all their shared experiences and deep feelings. He stood up slowly, his heart pounding as he pulled her into a tight embrace, feeling the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against his chest. The warmth and intimacy of the moment were overwhelming, a powerful affirmation of their love.

Y/N responded by kissing him deeply and passionately, her lips pressing against his with an intensity that conveyed all the love and commitment that words couldn't fully capture. Her kiss was both a promise and a celebration, a silent testament to the depth of her feelings.

They pulled back slightly, their foreheads resting against each other, eyes locked in a gaze that spoke volumes. “I love you,” Kaz whispered, his voice filled with tenderness and relief, the words almost a sacred vow.

“I love you,” Y/N replied, her eyes shining with happiness, reflecting the joy and gratitude she felt. Her voice trembled with emotion, each syllable laced with sincerity.

Kaz looked at her, his gaze softening as he took in the sight of his fiancée, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Taking a shaky breath, he couldn’t help but tease her gently. “Are you crying?” he asked, shoving her slightly with a smile.

Y/N laughed nervously, her tears slipping freely down her cheeks. “Yes, I’m fucking crying,” she admitted, her voice trembling as she met Kaz’s gaze. “No one ever showed me this kind of respect before. I always thought I wasn’t worthy of it, you know? I never expected someone to be so committed, so... real with me. It’s a lot to take in.”

She took a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady her emotions. “It’s just... I’ve been through so much. I always felt like I had to fight for every bit of validation, every ounce of respect. No one ever really took me seriously. I was always the one who had to prove herself, to show that I was worth something.” Her voice wavered, the vulnerability clear as she continued. “And I ended up doing it to myself too, you know? I learned to doubt my worth, to think that maybe I wasn’t deserving of something real.”

Her eyes shimmered with fresh tears as she looked at Kaz, the weight of her past struggles mingling with the joy of the present. She swallowed hard, trying to steady her voice. “It’s a bit overwhelming,” she said softly, her breath catching. “I never allowed myself to believe I could have something like this. I’ve always held back, convinced myself that I wasn’t deserving of this kind of happiness.”

Kaz’s heart ached at the sight of her vulnerability. He gently cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away the tears that continued to spill. His gaze was intense and full of emotion as he spoke, each word measured and sincere. “Thanks to you, I’ll be able to have a normal life,” he began, his voice carrying a profound sincerity. “I thought I would never be able to be so comfortable with someone. You might not realize it, but you’ve changed everything for me. I wasn’t able to hold someone’s hand without feeling like I was suffocating before meeting you. I couldn’t get kissed without throwing up from anxiety.”

He paused, taking a deep breath, trying to capture the gravity of his feelings. “You’ve made me feel things I thought I’d never experience. You’ve shown me what it’s like to be loved without fear, to be with someone who understands me and accepts me completely. I’ll be grateful every single day for this— for you.”

Kaz’s thumbs continued to caress her cheeks gently, as if trying to imprint the moment in his memory. “You’ve given me a chance to live a life I never thought was possible. And every time I look at you, every time I hold you, I’m reminded of how lucky I am.”

She managed to laugh a bit, her voice carrying a light, playful edge. “You ruined my reputation,” she teased, her eyes still glistening with emotion.

Kaz chuckled, his fingers gently drying a tear from her cheek. “How are you going to survive?” he asked, his tone light but filled with affection.

“I guess we’ll find out,” she replied with a wink, the playful spark in her eyes returning.

Kaz scooped her up effortlessly, though his limp was more pronounced as he carried her toward their bedroom. She playfully protested, giggling and squirming in his arms, but he just smiled, determined to make their moment special. 

They stumbled onto the bed, laughing and catching each other in a deep, lingering kiss. 

“Can you believe that we’re engaged?” Kaz murmured against her skin, his lips brushing over her shirt as he kissed her nipple through the fabric. “I won, love.”

“You won?” she hummed, scratching his head affectionately. “I didn’t realize it was a competition.”

“Of course it was,” Kaz grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’m here to claim my prize.” He lifted her shirt with a flourish, trailing kisses down her stomach, reveling in the way she arched under him.

“My friends won’t believe it,” she whispered, her voice a soft murmur as she relaxed into his touch.

Kaz smiled against her warm skin. “Why not?”

“Let’s say I always had strong opinions about how boring committed relationships are,” she admitted, her tone playful yet sincere.

He bit gently at her hip bone, making her hiss in response. “Are you bored?”

“Not yet,” she teased with a satisfied smile.

“You always said you wanted children,” Kaz said, his curiosity piqued. “How did that fit into your plans?”

“Oh, it was good,” she replied, a mischievous glint in her eye. “All four of us were supposed to have the same sperm donor and raise our children together in a big, confusing family.”

Kaz hummed against her inner thigh, mulling over the unconventional plan. It didn’t sound all that bad. “Can I send it to them?” she asked, holding up her phone to show him a picture. 

Kaz glanced at the screen, seeing his head clearly positioned between her legs, but the explicit part of the scene was partially obscured by her hand that displayed the engagement ring. He grinned, thinking it would make a great wallpaper for his phone. “Just to them, and to me,” he agreed with a crooked smile, returning to his affectionate attention.

“We could use it for our engagement party invitations,” she laughed, tossing her phone aside as she surrendered to the pleasure, her head falling back against the pillows.

“Matthias would carve his eyeballs out,” Kaz laughed.

Kaz increased the rhythm of his tongue, his fingers working in tandem, sensing her growing restlessness and the mounting pleasure.

“Are you going to tease me all night?” she whined, her voice tinged with frustration and desire.

“Yes,” Kaz replied with a smirk.

“I’m sorry for the neighbors then,” she moaned loudly, her voice thick with pleasure as Kaz gently nudged her clit with his teeth. Her moans filled the room, mingling with the soft rustling of the sheets and their shared breaths.

Kaz’s heart raced at the sound of her unrestrained sounds, each one a testament to the pleasure he was giving her. He loved how vocal she was, her cries of ecstasy echoing off the walls and cutting through the silence of the night. 

Her reactions were music to his ears, each moan and gasp a reminder of how alive she was beneath his touch, silencing the voices in his head. With every cry she released, Kaz felt a sense of liberation.

He reveled in the way her body responded to him, how her hips arched and her breaths came in quick, uneven gasps. Her hands gripped the sheets tightly, and he could feel her heart racing beneath his fingertips. It was a visceral, intoxicating experience, and he found himself lost in the sensation of her warmth and the sound of her voice.

***

The next morning, Kaz was jolted awake by a cacophony of voices coming from the hallway. Groggy and irritated, he threw on some sweatpants and stumbled toward the noise, which was clearly escalating into a full-blown argument. As he got closer, y/n’s voice cut through the chaos with a sharp edge.

“I’m so sorry if your husband can’t get it up anymore!” y/n shouted, her tone laced with mocking.

Kaz rubbed his eyes and shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. He could hear the muffled responses of their neighbors, but y/n’s voice was the loudest, filled with defiance.

“You know what? Maybe if you didn’t spend so much time eavesdropping on us, and more getting down on her, you wouldn’t have to be so uptight!” she continued, her voice rising.

Kaz reached the hallway and saw y/n standing with their disgruntled neighbors, their faces a blend of shock and fury. The couple from next door were clearly at their breaking point, their eyes wide with indignation.

Kaz leaned against the doorframe, an amused smirk playing on his lips as he surveyed the chaotic scene unfolding before him. “What’s going on here?” he asked, barely containing his laughter.

The husband’s face was a deep shade of red, his anger palpable. “Your noise last night was out of control!” he roared, his voice shaking with frustration.

Y/n, clearly at her limit, threw her hands up in exasperation. “Oh, please! Have you ever had good sex in your life? Maybe if you did, you wouldn’t be such a stickler about it!”

Kaz struggled between laughter and embarrassment. “We got engaged last night,” he said, trying to provide some context, “we were celebrating.”

The wife shot him a look that could have frozen fire. “It’s not just about one night! It’s about being considerate! You’re disturbing everyone!”

Y/n’s eyes narrowed, her temper flaring. “It wasn’t even that long!”

The husband’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “You went on for almost three hours! We were trying to watch a movie!”

Y/n’s smirk widened as she turned to Kaz, clearly enjoying the moment. “Almost three hours? Good job, baby.”

The neighbors scoffed, their faces a mix of shock and indignation. Kaz, now thoroughly red-faced, tried to hide his grin, feeling both mortification and amusement.

The wife’s face contorted with frustration. “This is absolutely ridiculous! You can’t just make everyone else miserable because you’re celebrating!”

Kaz couldn’t hold back any longer. “You’re the only  one complaining, just turn up your volume a bit.”

The husband glared at him, but Kaz’s easygoing demeanor seemed to infuriate him even more. “We’re going to the building manager with this. This isn’t over!”

As they stormed off, Kaz turned to y/n, shaking his head with a mix of disbelief and amusement. “That was something.”

Y/n laughed, stepping closer to him. “I’d say they needed to get a life. They can’t handle a little excitement now and then.”

Kaz grinned, pulling her into an embrace. “They were right.”

“They were absolutely right,” agreed y/n laughing.

notes: hope you liked a bit of a rollercoaster here:) I'm sorry to say that next part is going to be the last, we've made this journey with them and they kept us entertained all summer but now it's time to let them live happily.

[spookyspecterino]

Left Behind

Sam Coe x GN! Reader

GN! Reader. Use of They/Them pronouns, no use of Y/N, or reader descriptions. Reader is referred to as Captain sometimes, like in the game.

Characters: Sarah, Barrett, Sam Coe. Mentions of Cora Coe and Lillian

No spoilers for the end of game or Sam's romance questline

A little bit of angst, but with a happy ending, language, a sprinkle of pining. No official romance with Sam has started in this fic, but the hint of one forming is there.

Seemingly out of nowhere, you ask Sarah to go out exploring with you instead of Sam one day. He’s clueless as to why, until he talks to Barrett. After realizing his mistake, he’s determined to close this rift between you and him.

This idea came to me while playing the game and going through the many different conversations about Sam’s ex-wife, Lillian. I’ve since finished his romance questline, and needless to say, I loved it and the whole thing was worth it. More is on the way. I have written many outlines. I have a particular feeling that I'm going to need a starfield masterlist here soon.

Florescent lights in the interior of the Frontier. You’d have to change those, because now more than ever, you wanted to be anywhere other than here. Every action was spurred by this increasing desire to get the hell out. Things were shoved half hazard into your bag. You took only a few meager supplies, rationalizing that more could be scavenged from the temperate planet.

A deep voice over your shoulder only makes you frown harder. “Hey, you ready to go? Looks like a good planet.”

Maybe it wasn’t the lighting that made you want to leave, but it didn’t help.

“Yeah—uh, actually. Sarah—”

Your friend looks up from messing with the ship’s calibration. “Hm?”

“You wanna head out?”

She’s unsure what to do. Her eyes flicker to Sam. “Oh, er—sure.” Slowly, as if waiting for you to change your mind, she gets up to start collecting her gun and some supplies.

With a halfway look over your shoulder at Sam, “Gonna take Sarah with me today. Spend some time with Cora, or, I don’t know, play cards with Barrett.”

Or go think about Lillian

Sam doesn’t move. Doesn’t say a word. With your pack slung over your shoulder, you’re already heading toward the exit. “Ready Sarah?”

“All set Captain.”

The sound of the hatch opening and closing marks your speedy dismissal. Sam is left where he stood. Brows pinched. The ship is deathly quiet and oddly empty without you.

And Sam does what you suggested. He sits with Cora, listening to his daughter describe the books she’s reading, listens to all her theories on what the books’ themes are, listens to her feelings on the books’ authors—it takes up only a few hours. And he likes it, he always does, but somethings’ missing. Somethings wrong.

And you’re still not back. He’s bored to tears and can’t shake that funny feeling. It’s probably nothing. Right?

After a few more hours, when he tried to take a nap and couldn’t, he got up and decided to scan the planet. And then rescan it. Then scan the system, then rescan it.

Why’d you leave him behind?

Yesterday you were fine. Looking at him with those bright, happy eyes of yours. You were such a good listener—the way you leaned in, focused all your attention on him. It made him want to keep talking. Sam sighed, maybe a little louder than he intended, and leaned back in his chair, leg bouncing.

“What’s wrong, friend?”

He snapped out of his thoughts as Barrett appeared. “Not sure what you mean.”

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me. You’re shuffling around the ship like a kicked puppy.” He leans in a little. “You missin’ the Captain?”

Sam crosses his arms. “That’s none of your business.”

This makes Barrett grin even more, as infuriating as that is for Sam. “Oh sure, sure…I just can’t help but notice they decided to take Sarah today.”

“No shit.” Sam mumbles, looking away.

“Does that…bother you?” He holds up his hands in defense. “Not trying to be nosy, just attempting to help.”

“You’ve never asked if something’s bothered me before—or if you could help with it.”

“Well, it’s no secret the captain prefers to take you along.” He waggles his eyebrows. “As in they take you everywhere, man. Even Sarah was surprised when they asked her instead. It was more than a little awkward.”

Sam only groans and rubs a hand over his face.

“Did you two get into a fight?” Barrett leans in. “A little lover’s quarrel?”

“No! No—we’re not even…it’s not like that—there was no…I…” Sam’s jaw twitches. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

“Doesn’t seem that way to me.”

“I don’t need you to be my counselor, Barrett.”

“Alright. Alright. Have fun trying to figure out why you’re stuck on the ship. Who knows, maybe you’ll figure out the reason they’re mad at you…in a month—or two.”

Sam frowns. “How do you know they’re mad at me?”

“I thought it was obvious.” Barrett laughs. “You don’t even know you’re in the doghouse? Oh, you’re doomed.”

“Damnit.” Sam hisses. “Ok! ok. Barrett…” Sam grits his teeth as his friend slowly turns to face him with a grin. “Please help.”

“Say no more friend.” He claps his hands once, sitting across from Sam and getting comfortable. “Ok, how bad was the fight?”

“I told you, there wasn’t one.”

“You didn’t fight? Not even an argument?”

“Nope. Everything was normal yesterday.”

Barrett runs his fingers through his beard, deep in thought as he concentrates. “What did you last talk about?”

Sam sighs. This was already more than he bargained for. “Lillian.”

“Oooh, ex-wife troubles, huh?”

“Watch it, Barrett.”

“Alright, alright. What about the conversation before that?”

“Lillian, again.”

Barrett gives him a look. “Annnd the one before that?”

“Uh…I think it was…it was about Cora and Lillian.”

“How many times have you talked about Lillian with the captain?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to explain what Lillian’s like and what we’ve been through.”

“So, I’m guessing there’s been quite a few?”

“Sure, you could say that.”

The all-knowing Barrett nods. “There it is.”

“There’s what?”

“You two obviously have feelings for one another—” He holds up a finger as Sam tries to interject. “—don’t bother denying it, I see the little glances you give each other when you think no ones’ looking.”

Sam’s face tints a light shade of red despite his frown.

It delights Barrett and he continues on. “And since you two wanna be together and do all that sappy, lovey-dovey stuff, don’t you think constantly bringing up your ex-wife is a bit of a buzzkill?”

“I’m just trying to express how I feel. Can I help it that I’m constantly mad at Lillian?”

“That’s ok—I mean you obviously need to see a professional about it—but don’t bring it up every conversation. Especially when they’re trying to be sweet with you.”

“Sweet with me?”

“The lingering touches, the glances, the way they laugh at your jokes even when they’re terrible.”

“My jokes aren’t that bad.”

“Do you see Sarah and I laughing?”

“Erm…no, no I guess not.”

“Maybe ask them how they’re doing or ask them about their life. Lend an ear if somethings bothering them, but also, don’t try to fix it for them. Sometimes people just want to vent.”

“But that’s what I was doing—venting about Lillian.”

“You were doing it too much.”

“So, vent, but don’t do it too much? You’re not making any sense, Barrett.”

Barrett shifts into a straighter posture in his chair. “Let me run you through a scenario.”

He leans to the left as Sam watches with a raised eyebrow. “’Hello, Mr. Sexy Space Cowboy, how are you today?’” He makes over-exaggerated doe eyes to really sell it.

He shifts over to the right side of his chair and adopts a deeper, over the top, gravelly voice. “’I talked to my ex-wife, the mother of my child, last night. Here’s the specific details of our relationship and our history.’”

“’Oh, well, that’s nice. What if we talk about something else—’”

“’All I think about or talk about is Lillian.’”

Sam waves a hand, stopping Barrett. “It’s not like that. Plus, I’m not gushing over Lillian–I’m not even talking highly of her.”

“The fact that you keep bringing her up sends its own message.”

“What kind of message?”

“The sort of message that says you’re not over her.”

“But I am, I really am.”

“Have you explicitly said that in these conversations you’re having?”

“…Not exactly.”

“Seeee? Ok, let’s put you in the opposite position. The captain starts bringing up one of their old partners, constantly. They vent and they tell you all the horrible things about them, and all the good things too, but it’s like every conversation something about their partner comes up. How does that make you feel?”

“Wait, were they in a serious relationship?”

“Oh yeah. The most serious. Picket fence with a dog kind of relationship.”

Sam grips the handles of his chair. “When did they tell you this?”

“No, no, no this is for the demonstration. But do you see what I mean? I could tell you were getting a little on edge there.”

Sam clicks his tongue, leaning back and looking away. “I was not.”

“You looked like you were about to jump out of your seat.”

“…Ok, maybe I was.”

“Now imagine if that was real, and they brought them up as much as you do with Lillian.”

A hard pit forms in Sam’s stomach. “Alright, you’ve got a point there.”

“Doesn’t feel great, does it?”

Sam runs a hand through his hair with a long sigh. “I get it now. But how do I fix it? By bringing it up, isn’t that still talking about Lillian?”

“In a way, yes. You just have to get over that first hurdle and then let the love flow.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Let your feelings out!”

“That isn’t…that’s not really my style.”

“You’d better change that. Cause if not, you’re gonna get left behind more often, you’re going to grow even more distant, and someone else is bound to show up, you know that. The captains’ a catch.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“So just go out there and explain how you feel. And while you’re at it, confess you’re in love with them.”

Sam chuckles nervously. “That’s way too soon.”

“Ok, if the time isn’t right then maybe save that for later, when you inevitably mess up again. I will admit I like the dramatics a little too much.”

“What do you mean mess up aga—”

“It’ll happen. But we should really talk about if your approach doesn’t work.”

“Why wouldn’t it work?”

“The damage might’ve already been done. The captain may think you’re not over Lillian.”

“But I’ll tell them I’m not.”

“It might be harder to convince them than simply saying a few words.”

“So, what do I do?”

“You gotta let them go.”

“What?”

“You gotta give them their space and some time. Let them mull it over. You can’t force someone to be with you, and you certainly can’t force them to stop being mad at you. It would only make things worse.”

“You’re suggesting, if I talk to them and they’re still mad, I just…let them figure it out and step away?”

“If you love something, set it free. If it returns, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it was never yours to begin with.”

“Ah, clever. You had to sneak a phrase in there didn’t you?”

“It’s been too long since our game, friend. You spend all your time at the front trying to catch the captain’s eye.”

Sam’s head was starting to hurt and the pit in his stomach only grew when he imagined you exploring without him on a regular basis. He closes his eyes. “I don’t know if I could lose them. It would… it would tear me apart. I don’t know what I’d do with myself.”

“That’s love.”

“I’ll talk with them when they get back. Or do you think I should go out there and find them?”

“The dramatic part of me wants you to do that…but the practical part says no.” He looks out the ships’ window at the sunset and mumbles, “Plus it’s not even raining.”

“What does rain have to do with anything?”

“Confessions in the rain always have more umph to them. Best to wait.”

Sam groans. “I’m gonna go stir crazy in here.”

“Just relax, think about what you’re going to say. In the meantime, shall we play a few rounds of our game?”

Their game of back-and-forth sayings has Sam feeling better, or maybe it was simply talking with Barrett, but it was late into the night when they finished, and you were still nowhere to be found. Feeling defeated, Sam went to bed, tossing and turning endlessly before falling into a restless sleep. The little dreams he could remember consisted of trying to find you, and chasing a ghostly figure that wouldn’t stay still.

It’s late into the next morning when Barrett registers you and Sarah on the ship’s scanner. Finally returning after your scouting expedition on the planet. What Sam would have given to spend the night out under the stars with you, it makes him burn with envy at the thought.

However, he quickly forgets about it as you come into the Frontier laughing and smiling with Sarah. Talking about some weird rock formation you saw on your travels.

“Certainly odd shaped.” Sarah laughed.

“Never seen one that big. Rock or otherwise.” You replied grinning, sending Sarah into another fit of laughter.

Sam almost didn’t want to spoil your good mood, a wave of uncertainty threatened to knock him over. In fact, he was so jostled seeing you happy and laughing without him that he avoided looking at you. Preferring to mess with the straps of his holster or fiddle with his jacket out of insecurity. Maybe you would be happier without him. Maybe he should just let you go—

“Hey, Sam. Can we talk?”

Your heavenly voice is both music to his ears and the reason his heart pounds out of his chest. He looks up at you, startled, confidence wavering, and sees your gentle eyes and smile.

“Uh, sure.”

You nod toward the hatch. “Let’s go outside.”

Sam catches Barrett’s encouraging look as he leaves. The fresh air helps, a little, after being cooped up in the ship for a day. You’re wringing your hands together and kicking a branch around as he joins you. Seeing you so anxious ties Sam’s stomach into painful knots.

You stand up straighter, shoulders squared. “Thanks for agreeing to talk.” Sam prepares for the worst. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

An apology? He wasn’t expecting it and his reaction said as much.

“The way I acted was rude and inconsiderate. I should’ve said something to you much earlier, rather than letting you rightfully assume you would be joining me instead of Sarah. For that, I’m sorry.”

He took a step closer, fighting the urge to fidget. You looked just as nervous as he was, and for a brief moment he wondered why. The apology did help, but his biggest question was:

“Why did you leave me behind?”

Your jaw flexed, eyes skittering around the landscape before taking the plunge. “I…I needed a break, I think—from talking about Lillian.” You were quick to raise your hands. “Not that I don’t want to support you and let you talk about your problems…I was just…”

Pinching the bridge of your nose, eyes squeezed shut, you started over. “I care for you. That’s no secret. But sometimes I have my limits. Hearing you talk about Lillian—I want to be able to help you, and I don’t see any way that I can, when it comes to her. And that hurts. It makes me feel like lending an ear and my support isn’t enough—like I’m not enough. And the way you talk about her sometimes…” You trail off with a crestfallen look out into the distance. “What I’m really trying to get at is that stepping away from it for a day really helped. I have a clearer mind now and I’d like to resume our usual exploring together.”

So, Barrett was right—not that Sam was ever going to tell him. He starts slowly. “Well, I think it’s time for me to apologize now.”

“N-No, you don’t have to—”

He smiles, good-naturedly. You were always so kind to him. “Hang on now, let me finish.” He’s feeling more confident now, the fidgeting is gone. “I was a little hurt from yesterday, but now that I know why I wanted to say thank you for listening to me vent so much about Lillian, and I’m sorry that I went overboard. You have no idea how helpful it is to have you listen and support me. I’ve never had anyone do that, and it means the world to me.” He takes another step closer. “If you need to take some time for yourself, then take it. It would be unfair otherwise. I care for you, so much, and I want you to do what makes you happy.”

Sam thinks he sees your lip quiver a bit, but your eyes are full of nothing but adoration.

He continues on. “I’ve never said anything specifically about this, and I’m just hoping that it has some weight to it, but I’m not interested in Lillian anymore. I know I talk about her too much. But I haven’t harbored any feelings for her in a very long time, and I certainly don’t now.”

“You don’t?”

He chuckles. “Absolutely not. And I never meant to give you that impression either.”

A mixture of emotion spreads across your face, one moment you laugh—the next your mouth is twisted into an anxious and nervous tilt—and then you’re laughing again.

“I feel like an absolute dumbass.” You murmur, placing a hand on the back of your neck.

The grin is slow to spread across his face. “Don’t tell me you were jealous?”

You spin to face him. “Uh…well…jealousy is an unfortunate human emotion that’s inherent in every one of us—”

“Yeahh, it sounds like you were jealous.” He laughs, his brilliant smile beaming at you.

“It was only a little bit.”

“Mhm, yes, of course.”

You laugh and throw your hands up. “Come on, can you blame me? With you talking about her having the, and I quote, ‘voice of an angel’, how was I not supposed to be?”

Sam groans, half in pain and half playful. “I didn’t say that, did I?”

“I just quoted you. You totally did.”

“Well, I’m obviously the dumbass then.” He makes a great, joking bow. “Allow me to apologize—”

“No, no—” You’re grinning delightfully. “I won’t have any more apologies today. I will, though, have a hug.”

“Ah, much better.” He opens his arms wide. “Come ‘ere.”

Without hesitation you’re in his arms, burying your face in the crook of his neck. He can feel your smile against his skin as you pull him close.

The rift between you both has closed. And Sam felt whole again.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

One time in Stockholm (and Gothenburg… and another city!)

A fic where the dcla characters go to Sweden. This first chapter followed the Violetta characters exploring Stockholm. They experience baby fever, sharing hotel rooms, having a Swedish fika and nerdy book stores. Enjoy!

(Read on ao3 instead)

It was around 19:00 at Arlanda Airport. It was early in May, and the sun was still up. It was shining right onto the 7-month-old’s face, causing them to wake up from their nap, thus causing them to immediately whimper.

“Shh…” Camila hushed, patting her baby. “We’re here now. You’re gonna get to sleep in a hotel room soon, in a real bed and not an uncomfortable plane seat.”

“Why couldn’t we ride first class?” Ludmila muttered.

“Because travelling is expensive as it is,” Violetta said, “And we wanna spend some money here, right?”

“Vilu, we’re millionaires!”

“Still.”

“We’ll get first class on one of the flights home,” Diego reminded them. “We can afford first class on all of them, but just because we can does not mean we should . You always gotta spend money carefully even if you have plenty.”

Leon looked out the window. “Are you ready to see Stockholm?”

“I’m ready to sleep first,” Francesca admitted. “Maybe tomorrow.”

Ludmila grinned. “Well, luckily I booked the hotel and it’s one of the best in the city! We’ll sleep like royalty!”

It was a strike of luck that everyone managed to get May free of work: Violetta, Leon, Francesca, Diego, Ludmila, Naty and Camila. Since all of them were free, they decided that it would be fun to go on a trip together. They thought about a country in Asia at first, but they couldn’t decide on what country. Half of them really wanted to go to Japan (they claimed they wanted to see the country, which of course was true, but for most of them, they wanted to find merchandise of some animes they grew up with… both Italy and Latin America LOVED to air animes back in the days, so they grew up with plenty). The other half wanted to go to South Korea, except for Camila who wanted to visit India. Eventually, they just gave up on deciding on an option that would make everyone happy.

So, they instead discussed the countries in Europe that they hadn’t been to yet. The Nordic countries, the Balkans and Eastern Europe came up as options, and they decided, why not one of the first ones? Thus, Sweden was an obvious choice. It was in the middle, so if they wanted to visit any other of the Nordic Countries, it was just to car trip or take a boat. Or fly, if they wanted to go to Iceland.

Violetta looked down at her belly. She was afraid she might be too far gone to go on a flight, but the baby wasn’t due until august, so she took her chances. Both she and Francesca had researched a ton beforehand on when it’s the most risky to fly while pregnant. Francesca was likewise knocked up, although her baby was due in late september. The friends were excited to have gotten pregnant at the same time.

Camila already had a child. Her little Kim. This was the first trip they ever took overseas.

Right. Kim, like all babies, got assigned a gender at birth. However, Camila thought it was wrong to impose gender roles on a literal infant, and to not risk accidentally doing it herself, she decided it was for the best to raise the kid non-binary until they were old enough to be able to decide a gender for themselves (or they wouldn’t need to pick any gender at all! It was a free choice!)

Camila was raising Kim alone. She had never really gotten along with anyone long enough to have a long lasting relationship, and claimed that she had too much of a need for control to let anyone else co-parent. Thus, she had a baby with herself. 

Now, of course she wasn’t all along in raising Kim. She had a big support system, including her family and her friends. On the plane ride alone, all her friends helped her with Kim, whenever they got fussy or needed to be comforted, letting Camila rest a bit. Violetta, Francesca, Leon and Diego especially offered to take care of them, seeing it as a good practice for the babies they were gonna have later this year. Naty and Ludmila gladly also liked helping out, although Ludmila had a hard time with all the grosser stuff that babies do…

A travel agency bus stood outside, waiting to pick them up. After the flight, everyone was almost too tired to concentrate a lot on what the bus driver said, but they did like the scenery as they entered Stockholm’s city. 

Finally, they arrived outside the hotel that Ludmila had picked out. She was the only one excited over it. The other ones were just happy to be at a hotel. 

”Hello!” Ludmila exclaimed in as good english as she could. ”We have booked rooms here! Vidal, Ludmila!”

”I don’t think I ever get used to you saying my last name…” Naty said (in Spanish). 

The check-in went pretty smoothly, until it was time for them to get their cards to their rooms.

”Wait… we only got two cards…” Francesca noted.

”You only booked two rooms,” the worker by the desk replied.

”That can’t be… we’re supposed to have four rooms,” Leon noted.

The worker checked the computer. ”No, I’m sorry. Only two rooms have been booked.”

Everyone glanced at Ludmila, who started to awkwardly chuckle. ”Uh… oops!”

”Listen, we have two more rooms available,” the worker said, ”But not until tomorrow. Is it possible you wait until tomorrow and share the rooms tonight? There is a foldable bunk bed in one of the rooms!”

”That is fine,” Violetta said. She honestly just wanted to sleep right now.

”Okay. Apologies for the inconvenience.”

”No inconvenience!” Diego assured the worker, and then glared at Ludmila again, ”It was us that made a mistake in the booking.”

—

Leon, Diego, Francesca and Violetta decided to share a room for the night. As they came inside, it was only one bed. 

”Didn’t they say there was a foldable bunk bed?” Leon asked. 

”Here!” Diego pulled down a bunk bed that at first glance looked like towels stuck on a wall with sticks. 

”The bed looks way more comfortable than that!” Violetta said, and laid down. Francesca laid down next to her.

Diego and Leon decided to also lay down.

”You know…” Leon said, ”Technically, all four could share the bed. We just have to be a little creative.”

“Yeah, maybe we can sleep like sardines!” Diego suggested.

“Or we’ll do some acrobatics…”

“Here’s what we’ll do. Our beautiful wifes, who carry our children… they’ll get to choose their spots first.”

“Why, thank you!” Francesca replied. She went to the left side of the bed and laid down. Violetta then went to the right side of the bed.

Leon nodded, and crawled up next to Violetta. But instead of lying on the same side as her, he instead grabbed a blanket and pillow, and decided to sleep on the other side of the bed, his feet facing Violetta.

“If Violetta moves in her sleep, and the baby faces me, then my knees will get folded instead of my stomach,” he explained, demonstrating it by folding his knees.

“Smart,” Violetta said, “We should do this at home, so you don’t accidentally get knocked out of bed.”

“The baby loves to kick in the middle of the night, I don’t know what it is!”

“Well, we’re in another time zone, so maybe she’s sleeping.”

Leon placed his head gently on her belly, trying to listen. Then he smiled softly. ”Yeah, I think she’s fast asleep.”

”I wonder if ours is sleeping too,” Francesca said.

Diego, instead of gently putting his head on his wife’s belly to listen, decided to yell at it. ”Hey! Are you sleeping?”

Everyone went silent.

”Yeah, she’s sleeping too,” Diego concluded. 

-

Camila, Ludmila and Naty got to a room with two beds, including a crib they had put out.

”Ok, I really wonder how it went when you booked the rooms,” Camila said, ”But I appreciate you at least considering I had a baby with me.”

She put Kim into the crib, and they immediately started whimpering. 

”Maybe you can sleep in bed with me,” Camila suggested, lifting them up again. ”It’s easier if you wake up at night.”

”Aww, cuddling with a baby all night…” Naty said. ”How cozy!”

”You can cuddle with me!” Ludmila said, hugging her.

”You’re not a baby.”

”I can be.” 

Everyone gave Ludmila a weird look.

”I didn’t-” Ludmila shook her head. ”I just mean I can cuddle with you like a baby, not that I want to-”

Naty and Camila started laughing, much to Ludmila’s embarrassment. 

Then Kim started to whimper.

”Aw, you’re tired,” Camila said. ”I’m tired too. Let’s get you into pajamas, and then a bottle, and then I’ll sing you a lullaby.”

”We can all sing you a lullaby!” Naty suggested.

”Yeah, you’ll get a whole choir.”

Everyone changed clothes, brushed their teeth and got ready for bed.

As Kim had finished their bottle, Camila started to rock them slowly.

This is when Kim started to realize they were very tired, and instead of just trying to fall asleep, they started crying. Camila however, seemed to be fully prepared for this.

”It’s time for the lullaby,” she told Naty and Ludmila.

”What should we sing?” Naty asked, ”What do you usually sing?”

”I sing whatever.”

”What if we sing Peligrosamente Bellas ?” Ludmila suggested.

”Well, it’s not exactly a lullaby song,” Naty said.

”It could be! We could do a lullaby cover version!”

And with that, Ludmila started singing a much slower and softer rendition of the song. Immediately as Kim heard her voice, they stopped crying and looked at her curiously. 

Naty started to sing her part of the song, singing just as slowly and softly as Ludmila.

Camila started to join them in the chorus, as she gently rocked her baby. 

And as they all finished singing, Kim had shut their eyes and fallen asleep.

Camila hushed the others and put the baby down next to her in bed. 

”We better get to sleep too…” Naty whispered.

Ludmila was already ahead of them, having completely passed out within a second after finishing singing.

Camila continued stroking Kim for a moment, to make sure they really fell asleep. Then she and Naty both fell asleep as well.

-

Francesca woke up, feeling well rested. As she opened her eyes, she noticed Violetta facing the opposite end. Their bellies almost touched, like the babies were trying to reach each other. Francesca smiled, and already planned on telling her daughter how Violetta and Leon’s daughter already met her in the womb. 

She sat up a bit, and realized that Leon and Diego neither looked that well rested. Diego had fallen down on the floor, yet was sound asleep. Leon was sleeping on the edge of the bed, almost using Violetta’s feet as a pillow. Francesca was not sure how they ended up like this, but she was impressed how they managed to sleep. 

Ludmila meanwhile woke up, and immediately noticed Camila sitting in the other bed, nursing Kim.

”Good morning,” Camila said.

”How long have you been awake?” Ludmila asked.

”Only an hour. Kim slept through the night! They must have been exhausted!”

”I’m gonna shower…” Ludmila admitted.

Camila wished she could shower, but someone needed to take care of the baby. Hm, she could just shower after breakfast, and let someone watch Kim in the meantime. She was hungry now. 

She finished nursing Kim, and burped them. 

”So, are you ready to go?” she asked.

”Huh?” Naty suddenly woke up. ”Good morning!”

”Good morning!” Camila replied. ”We were just heading for breakfast. Ludmila is showering.”

”Ugh, does she have to shower…? I left my comb in there.”

”Your hair looks fine. You can tie it up during breakfast, and then you can fix it when we go back here.”

”I guess so…” Naty quickly changed outfit and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn’t look too bad, but she still wanted to fix her hair a little bit… oh well… when Ludmila stepped into the shower, she never came out, so it was just to go.

”Oh,” Camila said, ”Can you hold Kim? I need to hold onto the room card so I don’t drop it.”

”Of course!” Naty happily took Kim from her. She beamed as she felt the little baby in her arms. ”Hello! You’ve slept well tonight! I didn’t wake up from your cries once!”

Camila opened the door, and was about to take her baby back when she noticed Naty’s smile as she held them.

”You can hold them on the way down if you want, too.”

Naty got even happier. ”Thank you! I mean… sure!”

-

They met up with Leon, Diego, Violetta and Francesca at breakfast.

”How did you sleep last night?” Diego asked.

”Fine,” Camila said. ”Kim passed out practically all night, so the rest of us could also sleep.”

Kim sat in a high chair, biting a teething ring.

”Me and Francesca also slept ok,” Violetta said, ”But… our husbands not so much.”

”I slept okay!” Leon admitted. ”My neck hurts a bit, but I can just sleep in that bunk bed instead!”

”Or we’ll get our own rooms today,” Naty said. ”Even though I’m also fine with staying in our current one…” She petted Kim softly. 

”Should we just do that?” Francesca asked. ”Should we just stay in our current hotel rooms? It’s cheaper that way anyway.”

”Yeah, and once again, there’s extra bunk beds,” Diego noted. ”We just tried to all share one bed. Now we know that’s too tight.”

”Wait, all four of you shared a bed?” Camila asked. 

”Yes…” the four of them replied.

”Cozy…” 

”Ludmila has arrived!” Ludmila announced. 

”Good,” Camila said, ”I need to shower, and someone needs to watch Kim in the meantime.”

”Of course, we’re a village!” Violetta said. ”Everyone’s helping with the kid!”

”Who’s gonna watch the kid, then?” Ludmila asked. 

”Well, we share the hotel room, so us two,” Naty said. ”Or… just me, if you…”

”No, no! That’s fine.”

”Thanks, guys!” Camila kissed Kim on the cheek and then went upstairs.

”Ludmila, we thought about just keeping the rooms we got,” Diego explained.

”What? Why?”

”Because it’s cheaper that way.”

”We’re rich?”

”It’s also more convenient,” Leon noted.

”Yeah, especially for Cami,” Naty said, ”It’s great someone else shares a room with her so someone can watch her baby if she needs to do something.”

”Well… I guess…”

”Come on, Ludmi! Don’t you want to share a room with this little nugget?” She pressed her cheeks against Kim’s, who let out a coo. Everyone chuckled.

Ludmila shrugged. ”Alright. Fine. We’re not here for the hotel rooms anyway, we’re here to see the city.”

”Right!” Violetta said, ”Do we have a plan on what we want to do today?”

”I want to visit the old town,” Francesca said.

”I really wanna see the Vasa museum,” Diego said. ”Imagine, they have retrieved a whole ship and preserved it!”

”I’m fine just eating somewhere good,” Leon shrugged. 

”You know what we should try?” Naty asked. ”That ’Swedish fika’ thing!”

Francesca started snickering as Naty said this.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Francesca said, still grinning.

“Is that when you just go to a café and buy pastries?” Leon asked. “Cause that sounds really cozy.”

“I could really go for a pastry right now,” Violetta said. “I heard they have quite good pastries in Sweden.”

“Yeah, they’re not so much a food culture,” Francesca chuckled, “So I guess they use it all for pastries instead!”

“Hey, they must have some dishes,” Diego said.

“Of course, but like… not like we do.”

Ludmila glanced at Kim, who appeared to stare very concentrated into thin air.

”What are you looking at?” she asked.

Kim just grunted in response.

Diego smirked. ”I think they’re taking a dump.”

”Huh? In the middle of breakfast?”

”Babies don’t care where, they just do it,” Violetta shrugged. 

Ludmila looked at them weirdly. ”And you’re all just acting like nothing is odd about them just… using the bathroom right in front of you?”

”Yeah, I mean, it’s a baby,” Francesca said. ”Not a grown person. That would be weird.”

”We’re having babies of our own soon anyway,” Violetta chimed in, ”You just have to get used to gross things.”

”Are you done?” Naty asked Kim. Kim looked at her curiously.

Naty sniffed on them slightly, and wrinkled her nose. ”Yeah, I think you are. Let’s change you.”

”Wait, why are you changing them?” Ludmila asked. ”I want to eat breakfast with you.”

”I’m done eating, and besides, the diapers are in our hotel room. Come on, Kim.”

As she walked away with the baby, Violetta chuckled. ”I think Naty has a big case of baby fever.”

”Naty is not pregnant,” Ludmila replied. ”It would be impossible.”

”Usually people get pregnant because they have a baby fever,” Francesca said. ”Honestly, it’s probably no coincidence me and Vilu got knocked up with so little time apart. Both of us have always wanted kids, but once Camila popped that baby out… we just really wanted to have one of those of our own.”

”Yeah, Camila was an influencer in a way,” Leon said. ”A baby influencer. I mean… not that we weren’t trying for a baby before-”

”I don’t wanna hear any details!” Ludmila exclaimed.

Leon grinned. ”… but Camila having her kid kinda got us into the mood to try harder for one.”

”Stop! You can get all the babies you want, I just don’t want to know the process.”

”Don’t worry, we might just settle for only one kid… when we told Germán, he beat me up , so I think I might need to get a vasectomy. For my own safety .”

Violetta patted him sympathetically. 

The others around the table weren’t sure if he was joking or not, but knowing Germán… it was likely close to the truth. 

-

“There we go, all clean again!” Naty said, putting Kim’s pants back on. Right then, Camila came out of the bathroom. 

“Oh, hello!” she exclaimed, going up to them. “Here’s your comb, Naty.”

“Thank you. I had to take Kim up because they needed a change.”

Camila blew raspberries at her kid. “You pooped your pants in the middle of breakfast? Haven’t I taught you better manners?”

Naty laughed. 

”Thanks, Naty. You’re the best.”

”Aw, it’s just fun taking care of the little one! They’re so cute.”

”Who knows! Maybe you’ll have a baby of your own one day.”

”Oh… I don’t know.”

”You could make a little partner for my kid, and we’ll have an arranged marriage.”

Naty snorted. “Sure… I have always wanted kids, but… I don’t know how Ludmila feels.”

Right then, Ludmila came inside the hotel room. “Ok, the others are figuring out how the subway is working. They’re waiting for us at the entrance.”

“Alright!” Camila put on a baby carrier, and put Kim inside it. She then checked her bag she was bringing with her that she had everything in it. “I’m ready.”

Naty quickly combed her hair. “Yes! I’m ready, too.”

As they met up with the others, they discussed where to go first.

“Maybe we should go to the Vasa museum first?” Leon suggested. “Then we’ll find some fast food place to eat lunch, and then we can go explore the Old Town.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Francesca said. “Which subway train should we take to get there?”

“I’m looking it up,” Diego said.

-

“They keep playing that Hold me closer song all the time,” Camila commented as they were getting off the subway. “Seriously. They played it in the hotel lobby, I heard someone at breakfast play it from their phone, and now someone is playing it on a speaker.”

“It’s the song Sweden is sending to Eurovision!” Francesca explained. “Did you know Eurovision is in Italy this year?”

“Yes, you have mentioned it only every other day since last year,” Ludmila noted.

“Måneskin confirmed my bisexuality,” Diego admitted.

“I think they confirmed everyone’s bisexuality,” Violetta chuckled. “I’m glad you guys forced us to watch Eurovision. It was so fun last year.”

“Where’s the boat?” Naty asked.

“Over there, I think,” Diego said, pointing at a building further away.

“So is the whole museum just on this one boat?” Ludmila asked. “Nothing else?”

“This ship sank, and was retrieved from the ocean and got renovated! I honestly think it’s kinda cool!”

“And why didn’t they do this to the Titanic?”

“Maybe because the Titanic sank 3000 meters deep?” Violetta suggested. “The Vasa ship sank like… just outside of Stockholm.”

“Yeah, I think I read it sank basically as soon as they set sail,” Francesca chimed in, trying to not giggle. “Ok, it’s horrible, but like… how bad can you be at making a ship sustainable?”

“The 1600s were a different time,” Leon said.

As they got into the museum, they immediately noticed you could take guided tours, in Swedish or in English. But the group rather wanted to walk around themselves.

You could, if you wanted, take an audio guide completely for free, if you just went to their website. Naty checked it - yep, they had an audio guide in spanish. Perfect! She and Diego immediately got their headphones on, and started walking around. The others kind of wondered what they would look at first.

However, it didn’t take long before Kim started to whine. 

“I’m going out with them,” Camila said, “They’re overwhelmed by the smell, all the voices and lack of bright colors.”

“Are you sure it’s not just you who feels like that?” Francesca asked, giving her a smug face.

“Well, I… kinda feel that too, but Kim definitely feels like that!”

She walked outside the museum, taking out her baby from her carrier.

“It’s alright, sweetie. You don’t need to see more of all those brown and beige colors. Back in the olden days, they didn’t have pastels. Everything looked so boring…” She kissed them on the cheek, as she continued walking.

Then, by complete accident, she bumped into a woman.

“Discúlpame!” she exclaimed, and then immediately realized she wasn’t in a Spanish speaking country. “ E-Excuse me! ”

“Wait, do you speak spanish?” the woman asked, in spanish.

Camila lit up. “Yes! Yes, I do! You do, too?”

“Yes! I studied in Spain for a semester, and I studied Spanish back in middle and high school.”

“They teach you Spanish in Swedish schools?”

“Well, in 6th grade you can choose a language between German, Spanish and French. I picked Spanish.”

“Interesting!”

With the woman was a man, who seemed a bit bored by this conversation. He spoke Swedish with her.

“Vem är det här? Nån du känner?”

“Nej, hon kunde bara spanska, så jag kände att jag kunde använda mina spanskakunskaper för att prata lite,” the woman answered him. She then turned back to Camila, speaking Spanish again. “This is my boyfriend.”

“I see! Do you two live in Stockholm?”

“No, we’re only here on a trip. We live in a city one hour away, and took the train here for the day.”

After saying this, she explained to her boyfriend in Swedish what she had just told Camila. He nodded.

“Kan du fråga henne vart hennes man är? Hon verkar vara helt ensam med en bebis.”

“My boyfriend noticed you have a baby!” the woman said, “He’s wondering where your husband is.”

Camila started laughing. “Oh! I don’t have one. I’m on my own.”

“Hon är ensamstående,” the woman explained to her boyfriend.

“Aah… hur säger man ‘jag beklagar’ på spanska?”

“Jag kan säga det åt dig.” The woman turned back to Camila again. “My boyfriend says he’s sorry about that.”

Camila shook her head. “Oh no, it was completely by choice! I don’t need any man, I had this kid all by myself!”

The woman explained this to her boyfriend, who seemed to roll his eyes about it, as if something was bothering him about that. Then he asked his girlfriend to ask Camila another thing.

“My boyfriend wonders if your baby is a boy or a girl.”

Camila was used to this question, and just smiled. “I’m above assigning a baby into gender roles, so I have decided to raise them gender neutral until they’re old enough to decide for themselves!”

“Wow! I love that! Very progressive. You’re right, we do impose gender roles far too early without realizing it. Sweden is very progressive when it comes to gender studies and equality, queer rights, you know… all that.”

“Vad säger hon?” her boyfriend asked.

Suddenly, the woman got a bit more uncomfortable, as if she knew what he would say once she translated. Nonetheless, she did. “Hon säger att hon bestämt sig för att uppfostra ungen ickebinär, tills det att hen är gammal nog att bestämma kön själv.”

Hearing this, the man sighed. “Jag trodde att det bara var PK-Sverige som blivit såhär, men har det nått till Sydamerika också? Herregud, vart är världen påväg? Hon är säkert lebba också… Inte för att det är nåt fel med det, men alltså!”

“Shh! Du behöver inte prata så högt…”

“Hon fattar inte vad jag säger ändå! Jag tycker så synd om den där ungen, att behöva växa upp helt förvirrad om sitt kön för att mamman inte är tydlig…”

Camila saw in the woman’s eyes that she didn’t seem too keen on translating what her boyfriend was saying. 

“You don’t have to say anything,” she assured her.

The woman let out a deep breath. “I promise, he’s a nice guy… but… well, you know how Sweden is progressive and stuff? It is… but…” She glanced at her boyfriend, “Some people think it’s getting progressive a bit too fast and think everything out of the norm is scary and reacts defensively.”

“I’ve met the type like him,” Camila chuckled. “And you can assure him that me not having a man and choosing to raise my kid gender neutral will not affect anything about his life.”

“Snackar ni skit om mig nu eller?” the boyfriend asked, and then got hushed by the woman before she continued speaking to Camila.

“Between you and me, I think in this year’s election, my boyfriend and I will vote very differently…”

Camila looked at her pleadingly. She kind of wished she could tell this girl to just dump him, but she didn’t know her at all. Instead, she decided to change the subject.

“It was interesting talking to you. I heard most Swedes are cold and love their personal space.”

“We do!” the woman chuckled, “But I got so excited over being able to use my spanish skills. But if you were a Swede, I’d probably not even speak to you.”

They laughed.

“Well, I gotta go,” Camila said. “How nice to find someone who understands Spanish out in the wild!”

“Yeah! Bye, bye!”

Immediately as they walked away, Camila noticed the boyfriend seeming to bicker with her. She hoped they broke up soon.

“Promise me you’ll never date someone like that,” she told Kim.

-

As the others finished going through the Vasa museum, they decided to get lunch.

“They have Mcdonald’s here,” Leon noted. “How about that?”

“We should try a Swedish restaurant,” Violetta said.

“How about Max?” Francesca suggested. “I’ve seen commercials for it everywhere! It seems to be similar to Mcdonald’s, but with Swedish meat.”

Everyone thought that was a good idea.

Getting to the Max restaurant, Ludmila let out a sigh of relief.

”Oh, they have ordering machines! Great, I don’t have to speak to people and make them misunderstand me when I try to order!”

They noticed almost no one was ordering by the desk. It seemed like no matter if you were from the country or a tourist who even struggled with English, you preferred to order in private in front of a screen.

”They have so many different hamburgers…” Violetta said. ”I could eat everything.”

”I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a hamburger as much as I do now,” Francesca admitted. ”Almost as if I want to order two…”

”Listen… we’re eating for two. It’s valid. I think I’m gonna order one, but a large one. Look, they got double burgers.”

”Oh my god… and with bacon! I need a bacon burger! My daughter needs a bacon burger.”

”What do you want to eat?” Camila asked. She had gone to the kids menu section, and planned on letting her 7 month old baby choose for themselves. However, Kim immediately clicked on the ”limited edition” section, and pressed the largest, most expensive burger. 

Camila however, just shrugged. ”Ok, but we’re sharing that!”

”I’m gonna try their original burger,” Leon said, ”Maybe a boring option.”

”I’m gonna try the original one too,” Naty said.

”All of these sauces…” Diego said, ”I don’t really know what any of these mean.”

”I don’t even understand how the currency works!” Ludmila admitted. ”Is 95 kr a lot or a little?”

”You can google and convert the money to pesos.”

”Oh!”

They sat down at a large table. 

”Alright, let’s see how well they make burgers!” Diego exclaimed. 

Then everyone took a bite of theirs at once. 

”Mmm!” Violetta and Francesca exclaimed, their eyes widening as they started to take more frequent bites of their burgers.

”Try the fries!” Naty said, ”They’re really crispy!”

”Isn’t Kim eating?” Leon asked. Kim looked like they desperately wanted a taste of Camila’s burger.

”I just need to eat a bit first,” Camila replied.

Leon handed over some fries. ”Here you go, little bug.”

Kim happily took them, and Leon patted their head as they munched on them.

“Aww!” Violetta cooed, “Are you eating fries?”

Ludmila frowned. “Yes, you see they are? Why do people do that to babies? No one is doing that to me when I’m eating fries.”

“You’ll get it if you have kids,” Francesca said, also staring adoringly at Kim.

Camila noticed this attention, and decided to bring the cuteness up further. She cut a small piece of her hamburger, and handed it to her kid.

“Baby’s first hamburger! Cut down into small pieces, but still!”

“Aww!” everyone except for Ludmila exclaimed.

-

After lunch, they headed towards the Old Town.

“Wow! I don’t know where to begin!” Francesca exclaimed, looking around.

“We’re here for a while, we can come back tomorrow and explore even more,” Diego noted.

Ludmila looked at Kim, who was sound asleep in Camila’s carrier. “How can they sleep with all these noises?”

“It’s just like walking around in Buenos Aires,” Camila shrugged. “Big cities have a lot of noise! And frankly, this is pretty quiet in comparison. Kim can sleep through a hurricane!”

“I have heard a lot of people really liking the science fiction bookshop,” Leon said.

“Science fiction! Up your alley, Ludmila!” Diego exclaimed, looking smugly at her.

Ludmila crossed her arms. “Sure… why not.”

It was a bit hard to find that bookshop, but after accidentally walking past it several times, they found it. 

Going inside, they noticed quickly that, despite the name, science fiction was far from the only thing they were selling. Practically the first floor was just manga in different genres.

“Oh, how interesting!” Violetta commented. “I wonder if there’s anything here I recognize.”

“I can tell this place is for the nerds,” Diego chuckled. “Ooh, look, they sell board games!”

“There’s a second floor!” Leon noted. “Vilu, can you walk up?”

“I’ll try…”

Ludmila tried to keep her cool, but everyone could tell she was excited.

“I wonder if they have any Isadora Starfighter merch here…” she said. That had been her favorite book series since childhood. It was one of those series that everyone seemed to have known about or encountered in their lives, but most fans just seemed very casual, or just thought of it as something they liked when they were small and not anymore. Not Ludmila. She kept loving the series even up to adulthood, and loved re-reading the books. She even still wrote fanfiction about it on occasion, and had been praised by people online because her passion had both inspired people to start reading them, but also for old fans to rediscover them.

Diego and Ludmila went haywire in the store, looking at every single thing - even the things they weren’t that interested in, nor were familiar with. The others, however, quickly realized there was nothing here they really wanted to buy. So, they were wondering if they should go explore other places.

”You guys go,” Naty assured them. ”I’m here guarding the fanatics.”

”We thank you for your service,” Leon said. ”Ok, ladies? Where do you wanna go?”

”I’m thinking we’d just walk down the street and see where it leads us,” Violetta suggested.

-

Besides the science fiction bookshop, that didn’t even have that much science fiction books, there were a lot of little stores to explore. Souvenir shops, sculpture shops, small boutiques with various items… it was honestly just fun looking through all the windows they passed. Kim had woken up from their nap now, and looked in awe at everything around them.

Suddenly, Francesca stopped her tracks. ”Look at that!”

In a window, there was a bunch of merchandise for Pippi Longstocking . All of them were familiar with her, as it was basically the only Astrid Lindgren character that was famous outside of Europe (or, correction: Outside of Europe and Asia. Asia also seemed to at least keep track of some other stories by her, considering Japan did an anime adaptation of Ronja the Robber’s daughter… but we’re getting side tracked). 

”Aw, I had that movie where she goes on the run on a VHS,” Camila said nostalgically. ”I loved watching it, and then my sister broke it.”

”Oh, you were looking at Pippi?” Violetta asked, ”I was looking at the Moomintroll.”

Indeed, in the other window, next to the Pippi merch, they had put out a bunch of Moomin merch.”

”Isn’t Moomins Finnish?” Leon asked.

”They can still have merch of it in Sweden, can’t they? And it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re just as big here as they are in Finland.”

”Of course.”

”Oh, let’s go inside!” Francesca exclaimed, ”I hope they got one of those mugs with a Moomin character on it!”

”I’m not too familiar with Moomins,” Camila admitted, ”But I’ll gladly look at Pippi merch!”

Walking in, they noticed this store truly had these characters on everything. Pippi and Moomin water bottles. Pippi and Moomin socks. Pippi and Moomin mugs. Pippi and Moomin plates. Pippi and Moomin plushies, all in different sizes. Francesca really wanted to buy a giant Moomin stuffed animal, claiming it was to decorate her daughter’s room, but then realized it was way too expensive. 

”I should buy something for Paula,” Violetta said. Paula was Angie’s daughter, and was turning six. 

Camila found a cute little Pippi costume for young kids. ”Aww!! Wait, I wonder if Kim can fit in this.” 

She took out her baby to measure and compare. ”I think so! Kim, do you want this?”

Kim just cooed in response.

”Great! Because I really wanna dress you in this Pippi wig!”

When it wasn’t Pippi merch, it was merch of other Astrid Lindgren characters, very specifically a character named Emil. None of them were quite familiar with him, but he was apparently very well appreciated in Sweden. 

When it wasn’t Moomin merch it was just… random Sweden merch. Socks with Swedish cinnamon buns or dala horses on them. They also sold both mugs and trays with the caption ”Swedish fika” or ”Fika time”.

”Right… should we go try that ’fika’ thing?” Leon asked. 

”Sure!” Violetta said, ”There’s plenty of café’s around us.”

”Oh, we shouldn’t try the café’s in Old Town. We should find a bigger café.”

”What’s wrong with the café’s in Old Town?” Francesca asked.

”So you know how I had a friend from the US? Ross Lynch? Well, I kind of have friends from all across the world. And I have a Swedish friend too, who has told me some advice about Stockholm…” He suddenly stared into thin air, as if he was speaking to an invisible audience. ”If you want to try a Swedish fika, avoid the café’s in Old Town. Many of them are super small with little to offer anyway. They are also extremely expensive. Trust me, a slice of mudcake should not cost 120 kr. And you won’t even know it cost that much because they refuse to put the prize on display. It’s a tourist trap. Try some local cafés in the city instead.”

”Ok, but… did he recommend any good café’s?” Violetta asked.

”No, because he lives in a city an hour away, so he only knows the ones from there. But I guess we’ll just head to the city and see if we find anything?”

”Sounds good!”

-

They got into the city, and Francesca noticed all the clothing stores. She planned in her head on going back here another day to go shopping. 

They had to walk a bit to find a café that they deemed perfect. Many café’s were these hipster, Starbucks like ones, with smoothies and frappés with too much whipped cream. It didn’t feel authentic enough.

Then, by a corner in a smaller street, they saw a café that was decorated with old couches and armchairs, and overall had the aesthetic of an old house. Excited, they went inside.

Looking at all the different pastries you could buy, the group knew they had come to the right place.

Violetta bought a Budapest pastry, which despite the name had nothing to do with Budapest. She also bought some juice, thinking she’d get thirsty. 

Francesca bought a princess cake slice, and a pepsi max.

Leon bought a chocolate ball, and a coca cola.

Camila decided to buy a Swedish mud cake with whipped cream on the side. She decided to try their raspberry soda as a drink.

They sat down at two couches surrounding a table.

“Well… are we having a fika right now?” Camila asked.

“Yep!” Leon nodded. 

”Mmm!” Violetta exclaimed. ”God, I needed this…”

”Can I taste it?” Francesca asked. ”You can taste my princess cake.”

”Sure!” 

They leaned over with their spoons, tasting each other’s pastries. 

”It was good!” Violetta said, and then frowned. ”But my kid doesn’t seem to like it as much…” She tried to hold herself from spitting up.

”Only one bite of it, too!” Leon said, ”She’s gonna be such a picky eater when she’s born…”

Camila sniffed on Kim. “I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”

“Put them in the Pippi outfit!” Francesca suggested.

“Oh, you know I will!”

-

Diego and Ludmila walked out of the science fiction book store with bags full of merchandise they bought. Naty also had to carry some, even if she didn’t buy anything herself.

“Ok, they’re at some café…” Diego said, looking at the phone. “They sent me some directions.”

Ludmila and Naty just followed Diego. On the way, they looked at a lot of different stores.

Naty took a deep breath, wondering if they might need to buy an extra suitcase with just all the new clothes Ludmila especially would want to shop.

Suddenly, she noticed Ludmila had disappeared.

“Diego…”

Diego stopped, turning around. “Where’s Ludmila?”

“That’s why I stopped you.” 

They looked around at the shops nearby. Through the windows of the clothes shops, they couldn’t see anything.

Suddenly however, Ludmila stuck her head out from a candy store. “Hey! Look at all the candy they got!”

Diego and Naty exchanged glances, and then started snickering as they walked up to her. 

“I’ve heard Sweden has a lot of candy,” Diego commented. “They even have this thing where they tell kids to only eat candy on Saturdays, because otherwise they’d eat candy all the time!”

“My parents had that rule for me, too…” Naty noted. “So it’s not just Sweden. I remember feeling rebellious when I ate candy on a Wednesday.”

”I need to buy some!” Ludmila exclaimed.

”Later,” Diego said, ”They’re waiting for us in the café.”

”Yeah, we can go back here later,” Naty chimed in. 

Ludmila looked at them with pleading eyes. ”But what if I forget later…!”

Naty and Diego sighed.

”Alright,” they said in unison.

-

Camila came back grinning. ”Guess who I met in the bathroom!”

She then held up Kim, who now was dressed as Pippi Longstocking, complete with the little wig (who they immediately grabbed and took off).

”Aww!” the others exclaimed.

Camila tried to put the wig back on, but Kim kept taking it off.

”Oh well. I’m still gonna leave you in these clothes, because you’re adorable!”

”They must have a theme park or something for Astrid Lindgren’s stories,” Violetta said.

”They do!” Francesca replied. ”Two places, actually. The biggest one is in Visby, so it’s far from here sadly. But there is this slightly smaller place here in Stockholm called ’Junibacken’! But I looked it up, and they’re also focusing on other Nordic children’s media, like Moomins and ’Pettson and Findus’.”

”Is that the one with the old man and his cat?” Leon asked. ”I’ve seen pictures of that.”

”Yes.”

”We should visit that actual amusement park with roller coasters!” Camila suggested. ”I’ve heard screams from it afar.”

”We’re here!” Naty exclaimed, as she, Diego and Ludmila walked into the café. Ludmila was munching on candy. 

”Did Kim change clothes?” Naty asked. Of course, the baby was the one she gave attention to first. 

Camila smirked, and once again put on the Pippi wig on them. ”Guess who I met!”

”Oh, I love that!”

”We were discussing that amusement park,” Leon said. ”I think it’s next to a zoo, which feels a bit odd. But it’s also next to the ABBA museum.”

Suddenly, both Naty and Camila’s eyes widened.

”The ABBA museum…?” they asked in unison.

”We should visit that, too!” Diego said, ”But I agree about the amusement park. I’ve seen from afar that they got several drop towers. Looks so cool!”

”We can’t ride anything,” Violetta explained, looking at herself and Francesca. ”But we’re still excited to go, too.”

”Yeah, we can be the bag carriers,” Francesca added, ”And the babysitters.” She looked at Kim as she said the last part.

”Why can’t you ride anything?” Ludmila asked. ”We went to that place in Buenos Aires and you could ride everything there!”

”Well, we’re pregnant now,” Violetta explained. ”And not just a month or two, we’re well into the second trimester both of us. It’s simply too risky.”

”Safety first! It’s a bummer you don’t get to have fun on the rides with us though,” Diego said.

”Are you kidding?!” Francesca asked. ”I hate going on rides. I think I’m gonna die on every single one of them, even the little toddler ones. 90% of the rides I’ve gone on have been due to peer pressure. I’ve hated every single moment of it. Being pregnant is the best perk I have right now, because now I have a legitimate reason to skip out!”

”Fran, you could have skipped out this whole time, you know that!” Camila assured her. 

”But it’s not fun to just wait for you while you queue for rides, all alone… so I went with you, despite hating it!”

Violetta put a hand on her. ”Now you’ll have company. I’m to be honest not that big of a fan of theme park rides either. I do like some, but the rest of you are crazy. I’ll never forgive you for when you put me on that roller coaster you ’promised was mild’! I almost fainted when I saw how high up the drop really was!”

”Yeah, we’ll keep each other company!”

Ludmila glanced at Kim. ”You do look adorable in that dress.”

Kim cooed at her, making her grin.

“Yes! You’re adorable!” she giggled, tickling them. 

The others watched Ludmila with smug faces. The second she noticed that, she frowned.

“What?”

To make things cuter, Kim decided to pat her nose with their hand.

“They like you!” Naty exclaimed.

Ludmila scoffed. “Of course. I’m awesome.”

Kim started laughing, for reasons unknown to all the adults, but they started laughing with them. Ludmila couldn’t help but chuckle a bit too.

“That laughter of theirs is contagious!” she admitted.

“Baby laughter is always contagious!” Violetta admitted. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear my own baby’s…”

“I can’t wait to be the next viral dad who makes their baby laugh by making funny noises,” Diego said. “Remember that video? Or that other video with the quadruplets that all laughed in unison?”

“The cutest thing is when they look like you!” Camila said. 

“I would love a mini version of myself…” Ludmila said. “A small little supernova.”

“Right?” Naty chimed in, looking with sparkling eyes at her wife.

“Of course… if I had a baby, it would be even cuter than Camila’s.”

That’s when Kim stopped laughing and suddenly, without warning, threw up.

Ludmila’s softened gaze instantly turned into a disgusted one.

However, the others just snickered.

“I’ll clean them up for you,” Diego offered. “Come on, buddy. You’re way cuter than Ludmila’s potential child.”

“Hey!” Ludmila exclaimed. Diego just playfully stuck his tongue out to her.

As Diego walked away, Ludmila shook her head.

“I don’t know what you see in babies. They lack any social skills, and are just gross.”

Naty sighed, causing Ludmila to raise an eyebrow.

“You’ve been a baby once,” Camila reminded her. “You also lacked social skills, and threw up on people.”

“And after seeing how your mom was to you, I’m wondering if she ever changed your diapers,” Francesca noted. “She honestly gave me the vibe that she was too fancy to even let herself give birth.”

“My mom did say that she only nursed me and put me to bed,” Ludmila recalled. “My dad was the one changing my diapers.”

“That explains a lot…” Leon said. 

“Anyway!” Violetta exclaimed, “Ludmila, Naty? You wanna taste this Budapest pastry? Apparently it’s Swedish despite the name! It was good, but I can’t eat more of it or I’ll throw up more than Kim did!”

“Sure!” Naty said.

There was a lot they did in just one day in Stockholm. But they would be here for more days, packed with even more activities.

What they were unaware of was that in another city of Sweden, hours away from Stockholm, some other people from Buenos Aires had arrived. And they had quite a packed day as well!

Maybe we should see what they were up to over there next time?

[dracarialove]

Secret Desires

Rouge enlists Shadow to go on a treasure hunting journey, where a mishap in an underground cave coaxes her to reveal the romantic feelings she's been harboring for him.

(Reversal of Buried Desires)

Ship: Shadow/Rouge

*Originally published April 20th, 2024

A/N: This story exists thanks to @yokaishinari who gave me a more fleshed out idea for this reversal plot 💜

[Chapter 1: Come With Me]

Comforting darkness wrapped Rouge the Bat in a cool blanket of night air under a swath of stars twinkling in the vast indigo sky. She stared up at the thousands of tiny white specks glittering faintly behind crawling wisps of gray clouds.

A soft smile rested on her lips, and one heart-toed boot dangled off the side of her makeshift hammock; made from giant leaves and vines off the nearby trees, the hand-crafted bed kept her aloft between two solid oak trunks.

How tranquil it was, to be out in nature for once, never minding the noise of a city and letting the sights and sounds of wildlife fill her eyes and ears.

Crickets sang unabashedly, boasting creaky chirps from unseen places in the grass below. Fireflies floated about, doing nothing but adding a bit of golden light to the greenery.

And when a breeze blew by, leaves from the bushes and trees rustled together in a soft symphony of natural serenity, whispering secrets to each other that the bat would never understand.

It was rare for her to be out where she was now – by the plains; near the forest; just a half-day's trip from one of the biggest and least-explored mountains on the planet.

It was a tower of earth, that mountain, looking so obtainable from where she lay because it filled so much of the sky. It appeared to be just over the horizon, if one allowed themselves to be fooled by the illusion.

In reality, the gargantuan mound of dirt and stone was daunting when it was nearby, dangerous and looming, the sheer size of it enough to ward off many climbers and treasure hunters.

But to think of the jewel-lovers who'd been intimidated by the mountain's near-impervious outer edge, Rouge had to consider the ones who wouldn't be turned away.

How many had succeeded in exploring such an impressive mass of earth? A mass that was likely to be a tomb for many animals – and perhaps even explorers – who tried and failed to survive it.

If she tried, would she be a success or a failure? Would she make it out alive, with a bag of undiscovered gemstones and rare minerals to add to her very own gleaming collection?

The thought brought a sharp grin to the sly spy's mouth. If the mountain held treasures for her, she had to find them… after a quick nap in this peaceful place.

***

Now, if she was going to go on a jewel hunt in risky territory, it would be best to bring someone else along to keep her chances of survival high. Awakening from her nap between the trees, that was the first thing on Rouge's mind as she stretched inside her hammock.

She sat up and flattened out her wings on either side of her figure, flexing them to prepare for the trip, and raised a finger to her ear to activate her communication device.

"Shadow – come in, Shadow."

It was a gamble on if he would be awake or asleep at this hour. Sometimes the hedgehog stayed alert for much of the night, wandering or thinking; he could also be lounging at Club Rouge, helping himself to some of her stock; or, he could be slumbering in her spare bed, practically dead to the world.

But he was the best person to accompany her on this personal mission. What other options did she have, really? Omega was wholly uninterested in gems. Sonic and his friends weren't the jewel-plundering type.

And the only other treasure hunter who could match her skill, well… he already wasn't fond of her company. She wouldn't really want to share her findings even if he was up for the challenge, anyway.

Shadow, though – he could be persuaded to assist her, and he wouldn't ask for a percentage of whatever she found. Plus, his speed alone would make the 12-hour trip into a trivial one. For a moment, the line was quiet, and she thought he might not answer. Then, the Ultimate Lifeform's voice came through.

"Yes, Rouge? You don't sound like you're in trouble."

"Well, not yet," she answered back, lying against the big leaves and throwing one leg over the other. "And I won't be if you do me a big, gleaming, courteous favor."

"I don't like the sound of that…"

He gave pause for her to make her request, which she voiced in the sweetest tone she could manage. "Would you accompany me on a… well, I was going to say a 'little' treasure hunt, but… it's not really so little."

"Do I even have to ask why?"

"Not if you don't want to hear the same thing you did last time."

Another pause as Rouge's lifted foot bounced up and down in the air. A smile played on her lips, the one she always held when she knew she was about to get what she wanted.

Shadow inquired, "How dangerous is it this time?"

"Hmm, well…" She looked over at the distant dark mountain, just a silhouette in the midnight sky. "The location is one of the biggest mountains in the world. So, dangerous enough that I shouldn't go alone. Of course, I will if I have to, but I might not make it out alive without an exceptional lifeform looking out for me."

"Wait, one of the biggest mountains… where are you right now?"

"About half a day's trip from that cluster of tall peaks past the Forest Expanse. What is it called again?"

"The Macabre Cliffs… and you can guess how it got that name." There was a dark seriousness to his tone, but the bat was used to him sounding grave, so she paid it little mind. "Rouge, you should not go there. Why are you that far from the city, anyway?"

She answered casually, "I decided to be out in nature for once. Made myself a nice little spot between the plains and the forest, and I'm looking up at the stars right now! Pretty beautiful out here; all the more reason for you to join me!"

He sounded a little more annoyed when he asked, "You said you would go on your own if you didn't have backup?"

"Sure! You know how determined I am. Just thinking about all the potential treasure is enough to motivate me. So, how about it, Shadow? Will ya meet me?"

He huffed in irritation so she could hear his lack of enthusiasm. "Fine. Only so you don't die doing something stupid."

"Hurray, I knew I could count on you," she casually praised. "Let me owe you for it."

"That's a given. It seems you ask for a favor every week."

She clicked her tongue. "No, I don't. We help each other, that's how it's always been. Now get over here quick so we can start traveling ASAP!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied sarcastically, and she could picture his eyes rolling as he said it.

***

The faint sound of shuffling grass grabbed Rouge's attention. She turned left in her hammock to scan the plains and spotted her partner on the other side, near the opposite border of another forest.

She watched him for a second, amused at the hedgehog looking around on the wrong side for wherever she was lounging. Then, the charming lady cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted out to him, "Are ya lost, handsome? Your date's over here!"

She saw his head turn, and squinted to recognize a bit of surprise on his face before it changed back into indifference. In a streak of orange light, he rushed to the grass beneath her, wind from his brief travel rustling the foliage in front of him and causing even her hammock to sway a bit.

"Woo, careful, Shad!" the bat teased. "Wouldn't want to knock me out of the nice little seat I made!"

"Can you just come down here so we can get going?" He was frowning up at her, eyes fiery red and impatient.

Rouge sighed and hopped off the giant leaves, floating down to his level and crossing her arms. "Jeez, have a little fun, will you? We're about to take on an exciting treasure hunt."

"Exciting for you," he grumbled, slipping one arm behind her back and the other under her legs to sweep the spy off her feet.

She enwrapped his neck and clasped her hands atop his shoulder, beaming at the hedgehog in a way he found to be smug; but it was also charming, the way her eyes sparkled at him while the curl of her pink lips shimmered, and he couldn't defy that look when she struck him with it.

Rouge knew that, and she used it every time she asked him to go out of his way for her. To keep the Ultimate Lifeform around was to achieve two things: complete whatever task she'd set for herself twice – and sometimes thrice – as fast; and spend more time with her favorite person, using her aspirations as an excuse to hang out with him.

She hadn't told him yet how he really affected her. That his presence made her feel warmer than anyone else's, even as he seemed cold to most people.

She thought there would be a right time to reveal it, some special moment where it would make sense to open up that deeply to the most reserved guy on the planet.

Rouge wasn't sure he felt the same, and she kept telling herself that she'd get it done eventually; that if she just said it, she'd be able to move on from the lingering longing that persisted to annoy her with its nagging, tugging insistence to confess, confess, confess!

But she hesitated, and tried to ignore the fact that she was nervous about being snubbed. It was easier to lock up her heart than to bare it to the one man who might be able to break it.

She didn't know that her caution was unnecessary. He was struggling with feelings for her, as well. And as if the ball of tangled emotions that formed in his stomach when he held her wasn't enough, that look of sly charm she gave him made Shadow shiver inside.

He had to focus on the destination ahead, on the tall shadowy peaks waiting in the distance, to keep from thinking too much about the plumpness of her thighs against his palm, or the intimate wrap of her arms around him.

But unlike the bat's slow progress towards being honest with him, he was stagnant. Emotionally repressed, he found it difficult to express feelings that could get him hurt.

He would find confessing any romantic affection to be easier if rejection was a purely physical pain – if it came in the form of a punch to the face rather than a strike through the heart.

The emotional pain he'd felt in his life was far more agonous than any hit he'd ever taken. He wouldn't be able to stand that kind of hurt if it came from her.

They arrived at the base of the mountain in record time, and Shadow realized when he looked up at the towering peaks that dark stormy clouds were creeping towards them. Keeping that in mind, he asked, "So, where is this fabled treasure you were talking about?"

"Deep underground," she answered, leaving his arms, then added, "supposedly."

"For your sake, something worth our time had better be there." He followed his partner along the jagged walls of the mountain, studying the stone and dirt building on each other.

"I've found jewels in some of the most unlikely places before!" Rouge chirped confidently. "Just look for an opening, a dip; anything that could lead us inside."

They walked around the mountain's edge for a bit, hearing the rumble of distant thunder slowly getting closer. If this trip ended up getting rained out, they would have to consider it a wash and leave – something the gem-hungry woman really didn't want to do.

Scanning the cliff sides with tunnel focus, she eventually spotted a section of the earth that looked uneven. Not naturally so, as if it built that way over time, but dented inwards with lots of rubble on the ground nearby.

She trotted over to it and discovered a pile of sizable rocks crammed into the crevice, arching on the edges as if they were stuffing a cave entrance.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed, her wings fluttering excitedly.

Shadow watched her brace herself against the rocks, turning her head and pointing one ear at the pile. It was interesting to see how she worked when she was hunting for treasure, utilizing her senses more than usual.

After a few seconds, she pulled away and took some steps backwards. There was an adventurous glint in her eyes when she looked at the hedgehog.

"Stand back, handsome. We're breaking in!"

He hopped away from the stones and watched as Rouge launched herself in the air, spinning into a Screw Kick before hurtling towards the mountain.

Her rapid, powerful kicks blasted the rocks away from the crevice, pushing most of them farther inside the cave they'd been concealing. She jumped back from the entrance in case it triggered a collapse of some kind.

When it didn't, her attention was drawn by steady clapping beside her, and she looked over to see Shadow giving her an impressed smile.

"Not bad," he said, bringing a touch of blush to her cheeks with his unexpected compliment.

She chuckled, "I'm so glad you recognize my skills!" and approached the mouth of the cavern.

Looking inside, it didn't seem too dark with the natural light spilling in. Though, that would change the deeper they went. Rouge didn't have a light source with her for this impromptu search, which made her wonder if her friend had something on him that could help when she was no longer able to make out shapes in the darkness.

That led her to mindfully question how much light one of his Chaos Spears casted before tucking the thought away to be brought up later.

Walking in first, her large ears twitched in multiple directions, picking up the sounds of wind bouncing off the walls and water dripping somewhere farther in. Her heels clacked and shifted dryly on the stone and dirt beneath her, and her colleague's footfalls followed.

"Normal-looking cave," she noted, spotting the narrower path off to the right that would lead them elsewhere.

Shadow appreciated status reports, especially as their tag-team treasure hunts weren't a regular occurrence. He knew he could trust Rouge to say what was typical or atypical during their time in a dark cave.

After all, it was sort of the least she could do to make his time assisting her easier. If there was danger, he'd be the first confronting it. He stayed near her as she entered the thin path, minding how close he could get without bumping into her if she stopped suddenly.

"Looks like it gets even narrower up ahead," she informed him as their light source became more distant.

"Be careful," chimed Shadow, keeping one hand in front of him in case she reached back to grab it.

He wouldn't want her to fall down an unexpected opening, or accidentally advance too far ahead of him when the darkness overpowered his vision.

Once they got to the progressively thinner part of the path, he just barely made out Rouge's posture turning sideways to slip between the rock walls.

He followed her lead, but before long, a knot formed in his stomach at the inevitability of not being able to see. The places they'd hunted in before were much more spacious than this.

He squinted at his partner's barely visible figure and said, "It's getting too dark."

"Oh, uh… okay, there's a bigger space up ahead. When we get there, I want to try something. But until then, here – take my hand."

He noticed a brief swish of gray as she waved her hand in the small gap, then it disappeared when he reached for it. He couldn't see anymore, but after a second of searching, his fingers found hers and they locked together.

They shuffled through the cramped, uneven hall of stone for a daunting stretch of a minute. Rouge could see why people would get discouraged having to go through here to explore the mountain, and she could guess it was similarly unnerving any other way in.

The bat was having more trouble seeing, but she could hear water dripping up ahead, and she knew they'd make it out of the tight squeeze before she needed more light.

Shadow was completely blind, seeing nothing but blackness no matter where he looked; the only thing that grounded him was their shared grip. And it helped to calm Rouge, too, knowing she was going through this cavern with the man she could trust more than anyone.

"Almost there," she commented, slinking out of the last foot of narrow path.

She kept a tight hold on his hand while he worked his way out, then looked at him when he stepped next to her. "Okay, now I want to know – how much light would one of your Chaos Spears cast?"

He gazed in the direction of her face, but couldn't make proper eye contact. "I'm not sure. I suppose we could try it."

"Please do."

She let go of his hand and took one step away from him, careful not to go too far in case there was a drop-off she couldn't see. Then Shadow quickly flicked his wrist towards the ground, wrapping his gloved fingers around the golden Spear that flickered into existence.

Yellow sparks of Chaos energy danced around the arrow-shaped bolt, giving off a bright glow that illuminated a few feet of the cave around him. Seeing that it wasn't much, he conjured a Spear in his other hand to make the area brighter.

"I can work with that," said Rouge, studying the space they were in and seeing there was indeed a drop-off not far from where they stood.

She cautiously approached it, as did Shadow, and he repositioned the Spears at different angles to try and see how deep it went, or anything beyond it. Unfortunately, it was too deep, and the stretch ahead was too wide, so nothing was shown to them.

His partner eyed the energy bolts and asked, "Would it do too much damage if you tossed one to see what we're working with?"

"There's only one way to find out. If it does, we can always escape back the way we came."

She gave him a smile and crossed her fingers, then he gently tossed one of the Spears down the cliff. Free-falling sideways instead of hurtling straight down seemed to work in not destroying anything; it revealed the steep drop of a stone wall, falling a long way before hitting the curved bottom and disintegrating into electric shards.

Shadow then made a new one and tossed it straight ahead. The arrow tip landed on a bronze-colored structure and caused a small explosion, which made Rouge gasp. A light rumble echoed through the cavern, but there weren't any signs of collapse or falling debris.

"Damn," Shadow said, then looked at the treasure hunter. "Sorry."

"I think we're okay." She waited a few seconds, listening for tumbling rocks or shakes in the earth, but heard nothing besides water dripping. "Just, no more throwing. But it looks like this drop-off leads to a cavernous dip in the earth. There must be tons of stone above us keeping this mountain sturdy."

"Should we search the area?"

"Yeah. I'll fly us." She turned and held out her hand for him to take. "I want to see what that thing was."

He held her hand again, keeping his other grip on the Chaos Spear, and allowed her to lift him off the ground. They slowly made their way across what seemed like a chasm, while Shadow gently dropped his Spears to illuminate the area without damaging anything.

They saw more glimpses of bronze, and it didn't take long for Rouge to recognize that the structures she was seeing were deliberately shaped.

They weren't just natural formations of the earth, and when she landed them in the middle of the chasm, her mouth dropped open at their discovery.

"Ruins…" she revealed softly, staring up at the arches and columns all around.

Holding up two Chaos Spears, Shadow lit up the space for her, watching Rouge graze her palm against a solid obelisk. Her voice was a near whisper when she spoke, "Incredible… these are undiscovered ruins of… something. A lost tribe? An ancient civilization?"

"Gods?" he suggested, receiving a surprised glance from his companion.

"There's no markings… no way to know…"

Exploring the area, they didn't find anything that would suggest who or what had erected the structures. What they did eventually run across was a dip in the center of a stone platform that covered the ground.

The dip led to an opening, where the earth seemed dug through like a tunnel. The brave pair looked down at the new entrance that led to something further unknown, then Rouge gave Shadow a coaxing smile.

"We haven't come across any real danger yet. Wanna roll some more dice?"

He shared her stare, feeling an adventurous sense of tension between them at the admittedly thrilling prospect of discovering more mysterious things with her. "We've gone this far. There might be treasure down there, right?"

Her smile widened into a grin – a pleasantly mischievous expression he'd really come to like – and she caught a flutter in her heart at her best friend being so committed to hunting jewels with her. She positioned herself behind him, hooking both arms under his shoulders so his back was against her front.

"That's my Shadow," she purred, and he could've sworn she was being sultry on purpose, because the smooth cadence of her voice made a shiver run down his spine.

She lifted the hedgehog off the ground with the powerful flap of her wings, holding onto him as they descended carefully down the earthy tunnel. It smelled much more acidic, the dirt looking more red than brown, but there was nothing else to be seen or smelled until they reached the bottom.

Once they landed on solid stone, they found the space being lit up was another cave; this one smelling of unclean water and plant life. And what they saw made Shadow absorb his Spears into nothingness, both of them staring silently in awe at the natural light source they'd discovered.

Rouge had never seen cave walls glow and glitter so beautifully before.

[torao-chan]

So you've all met Shiro!

My lil' Heart's Pirates therapist half-mink. My lil' doomed-in-every-other-timeline boy who's paired with Luffy and Law, and is a few degrees off a SI like far too many of my OCs?

Well, I was re-exploring his character after a period of a dead zone in my brain and decided that just wanting to punch his dead siblings parents, and trying to find them, wasn't enough. My little stable, therapist stoat was too stable y'know, like I'd designed them to be 😏👌— so I decided they need a little shake up.

Something to upset them…

Like their dead sibling not being dead after all, and now is part of the force that killed their entire island 😈

ENTER DAX!!

…who was originally designed for an entirely different fandom and a female sibling in the original drafts, but I decided to re-purpose him. And also his second in command, too, but that's another post. As are a few other details- keeping it simple for this post 🫠

And so this is Dax!

Dax is Shiro's younger sibling, who was kidnapped by the Marine's that destroyed their home islands and fed enough propaganda as an orphan that, as a young child, he couldn't tell truth from fiction anymore. Which… really became an overwhelming theme in his story, now that I think about it.

Where Shiro's story is about defying destiny (being that it only survives in 0.01% of timelines), Dax's story is about being unable to outrun fate. Dax lives in a world where he's constantly lying to himself, accepting the lies told by others, and being both aware of and in denial of those facts.

He's a Marine captain at least when he finally learns Shiro is alive, and it ruins his life, because he's finally forced to confront some of the founding lies that built the life he leads now.

But more on that now— here's some small fun facts about him!

Dax wields hybrid knife-pistols as his primary weapon.

His crew is tasked with hunting underworld mercenaries as a (mostly propaganda driven) mission.

He has a little companion bat called Crockery. She's a cheeky little thing, and the reason why all his personal rooms are dark with only orange-red lighting. And he carries a blackout pouch for her to nap in, too.

He ate the Echo-Echo Fruit under military direction, and is now an Echolocation Human.

As a result, he can aim without looking!

Dax is an aromantic pansexual. Because I can 👈😏👈

[justabigassnerd]

hey y’all I just wanted to try something out so I wrote this little Ethan Hunt x daughter!reader fic on the car journey I was on earlier to just practice & explore their dynamic/characterisation.

this was inspired by this tiktok & was furthered by talking to @horseslovers2016 & @maverick-wingman

1k words

Warnings - mentions of kidnappings & death/murder

“Dad, you really need to take a nap.” Ethan looked up from where he was intently staring out the window of the safe house to where you were watching him with folded arms and a raised eyebrow.

“A nap? What am I, three?” Ethan retorts with a light scoff, returning his gaze to the hustle and bustle that was happening outside the window. Sometimes he longed to be like the people outside, ignorant to the IMF and their missions, living their happy lives with no worries.

“You hardly sleep through the night. You’ve been doing nothing but stare out the window since we got her despite the fact you’ve got no orders. You’re almost willing something to happen. You need rest if you want to stay on top form.” You say, crossing to the window and leaning against the wall as you watch him carefully.

“y/n, if I’m asleep and something happens-”

“Dad, you literally made sure I have Benji and Luther on speed dial. Hell, I have Ilsa and half the IMF on my phone if I need to contact someone. I just want you to get some rest. It’s been quiet since we got here we should take advantage of it.” You say softly, your eyes giving away the worry you had for your dad. You knew your dad was on edge, the last mission had taken a lot out of him, a lot of them did and you wished he’d use the time you had now to rest rather than worrying about something else happening. Ethan turns his head to look over at you, softening when he sees the worry in your eyes.

“y/n/n, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. It’s my job to worry about you. Not the other way round.” He says, resting a gentle hand on your shoulder and squeezing it softly.

“These missions are exhausting you more and more dad. You need to rest. Just for an hour or so. I’ll call Benji and he can keep watch with me while you rest.” You say, eyes pleading as you look up at your dad. Ethan lets out a soft exhale through his nose at your insistence. You were too stubborn for your own good. Too much like him.

“I’ll rest. I won’t sleep but I will rest.” Ethan attempts to bargain, watching as you fight the urge to roll your eyes.

“You will sleep because you need it. You’re going to go in your room and get in that bed while I call Benji. If you’re not in there by the time Benji picks up I’m asking him to bring a damn sedative.” You say firmly, folding your arms once more as Ethan lets out a soft chuckle.

“You really are my kid aren’t you?” He says fondly with a gentle shake of the head.

“Absolutely I am. Now get into bed.” You order, making Ethan hold his hands up in mock surrender as he crosses to the door to his room.

“You know I’m the parent here, right?” He says with a laugh as you roll your eyes, pulling your phone out of your pocket and dialling Benji’s number as Ethan disappears into his room. After calling Benji, you put your phone away and cross to your dad’s bedroom door, carefully opening it and pausing when you see Ethan sat up in bed, studying a newspaper for any hints for something that could lead to a mission.

“Dad, I swear you have one job right now and it’s to get some sleep and not think about whatever your next mission could be.” You scold, taking the newspaper from his hand, folding it up and placing it out of his reach.

“Come on, it won’t kill me to be updated on what’s going on.” Ethan argues, stopping himself from saying any more when you gave him the death glare he’s almost certain you inherited from him.

“I know you have nightmares. I know sleep isn’t something that comes easy to you. But is there anything I can do to help?” You say softly, perching yourself on the edge of his bed before your eyes light up with an idea, quickly kicking your shoes off and curling up into your dads side.

“What’s this?” Ethan asks with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around you as you curl up.

“I remember when I was little, I wouldn’t be able to sleep unless I was with you. Maybe I can help you the way you helped me.” You say, eyes slipping closed as you felt Ethan press a kiss to the top of your head. It took you a matter of minutes to find sleep, your slow and soft breaths bringing a smile to Ethan’s face as he felt a sense of calm he hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever wash over him as he allows his tired eyes to close, sleep claiming him almost instantly.

“y/n?” Benji calls softly through the small safe house as he enters, concerned when he receives no response nor seeing any evidence you were in. Benji immediately had every worst case scenario running through his head. If you were missing, Ethan would kill him, revive him to help him find you and then kill him again. Benji crosses to Ethan’s bedroom door, hoping if Ethan’s in, he’ll get some answers. Benji stops in his tracks after carefully opening the door and being greeted with the sight of you curled up in your dad’s arms, both of you fast asleep with the faintest of smiles gracing your faces. With his mind now at rest, Benji carefully closes the door and returns to the small table in the middle of the main room, sitting down at the table and putting his laptop on the table and opening it up to keep himself occupied. As he unlocks his laptop his eyes flick down to his bag and he lets out a soft chuckle.

“Guess I didn’t need the sedative.”

[tryingtimi]

22, for the Spotify game 👀

@bloodlessheirbyjacques

Sunday Kinda Love

I wanted this to be a Liahn x Yune one but ended up writing another depiction of the sweet domestic life of Odena and Lonel after the events of the story. So, here, enjoy some Dad!Lonel content because I'm seriously lacking in this department.

DYNAMIC EXPLORATION | DOMESTIC FLUFF | WC: 1,500

“Stop moving!”

“I didn’t.”

Ever so slowly, Odena came to herself. She sighed as sleep still weighed her eyes closed and her mind tried to scramble into the present from her dreams.

“You did! Stop iiit.”

Odena shifted in the bed, weakly tapping the space beside her. She took an afternoon nap with Kaira but couldn’t find her daughter’s little form anywhere in the sheets. Odena sighed again, willing her eyes to open slowly.

“Ugh, fuc—“

“— Daddy!”

“Sorry, sorry, baby. I’m not swearing, just keep the eyeballs, okay?”

The hushed voices filtered inside the small bedroom through a tiny crack in the door. Half-asleep, Odena chuckled silently as she realised whom the gruff and the little girl nagging belonged to. She turned between the sheets, leisurely stretching through the bed. She noticed the quiet, upbeat murmur of the music channel in the background, a constant headache they would leave turned on whenever they did something.

Odena heard some small clutter like plastic knocking to plastic. She watched as golden hour slowly ticked onto her ceiling, bathing it yellow and orange, while she listened to Kaira’s soft grumbling.

“I’m not a baby,” she protested somewhat absentmindedly, voice still high and juvenile. “I’m eight and a half! I can go to school alone and I can ride your back without falling off.” Odena smiled wide as she practically saw Kaira’s pout before her eyes. “Stop calling me a baby.”

Lonel huffed a chuckle. “How should I call you then?”

The muffled rumble of the city kept cheering Odena on to gather her mind. They pulled her fully into the present, and the voices through the thin walls intrigued her enough to sit up. She gently scratched at her scalp, stifling a yawn.

Kaira thought only for a second. “Like before.”

“I thought you didn’t like Giggles,” Lonel’s low, quiet voice purred. He hissed the next moment but did not curse or complain.

“I… but I do! And I’ll paint your fur with this next.”

“That’s my beard, not my fur.”

Odena let out a voiceless laugh and carefully walked up to the door. She leaned onto the wall, peeking through the little crack.

Lonel sat on the carpet with his face to her, eyes closed and half-painted with thick layers of her eye shadow and her blush. The strokes didn’t make sense, some gliding through Lonel’s forehead, while others drooped down his cheeks like teardrops. Even his moustache was stained.

Kaira stood before him, half of her profile visible to Odena. She admired her little pink tongue slightly poking out in concentration as she did her best to pull a wobbling black line over Lonel’s eyesockets.

“But they look the same,” she said, pale grey eyes laser-focused on her work. One side of her peach dress stuck under her belly, while her long black hair sat dishevelled on her pretty little head, veiling her view. Clearly, she didn’t wake up so much before Odena.

Lonel hummed, frowning then smoothing out his face when Kaira whined and tried it with her hand first.

“Well, they’re different.”

“Why? Are they not coming from the same place?”

Odena revelled in their conversation, the sun’s setting rays outlining their form from behind. Kaira’s round features turned amber under the light, a subtly excited glow contouring them. Odena caught them rarely like this, so she stayed hidden for a little longer.

Lonel shifted, seemingly rearranging his likely cramping back. “No, that’s why they’re different.”

“But where do they come from then?”

“I don’t know, Giggles.”

Kaira frowned, cupping his face to angle it a little bit. “Then how do you know they’re different?”

Odena chuckled, pride warming her chest. Her smile etched onto her face from Lonel’s clumsily painted face and hair clip littered blond hair under Kaira’s insistent work. He breathed a ‘huh’.

“Good point,” he said, opening his eyes when Kaira told him to.

His cold blue eyes did not notice Odena. He watched Kaira’s reaction to her creation as if the world’s fate would have hung on it. Tender adoration spilt from those always tired, always a little sad eyes, and Odena couldn’t help but lean her head against the wall in blissful relief.

“So,” Lonel started, while he adjusted Kaira’s dress and pulled her closer by her torso. She let him, studying his face seriously while he brushed back her hair with his fingers into a ponytail. He reached over the mess of a coffee table, somehow finding a tie immediately, and started to tie back the soft locks. “How do I look?”

Kaira tilted her head to the side, pouting. “Ugly. Really, really ugly.”

A heartbeat later, Lonel burst into laughter. His shoulders shook just like Odena’s in her hiding place, but he quickly lowered his voice as he pulled a leg up beside Kaira to settle an elbow over his knee.

She visibly panicked, pushing a little hand over his mouth, another gesturing before her lips. “Shhh, Mama’s gonna wake!”

“Yeah, sorry,” he said under her nail polish-stained hand, still chuckling.

Odena couldn’t contain her own joy, so she opened the door a little and walked out anyway.

“Hey, pretty things, what are you doing?” she asked, smiling with the clear message that she saw everything. Kaira’s expression withered, big eyes shooting at Lonel.

“I told you!”

“I was already awake, don’t worry Pigeon.” She earned a still worried huff from her daughter. Odena left a kiss on her forehead and sat beside Lonel with crossed legs. She eyed him with a twin grin as their glimmering eyes met. “What did you do to him?”

Kaira fidgeted a little before she plopped into Odena’s lap, melting into it and crumpling her skirt’s fringes between her fingers.

“Nothing…” she mumbled, playing with the fabric. “I just… wanted to give him a makeover for you.”

“For me?”

Odena hid her chuckle as she locked eyes with Lonel. He shook his head, smiling, too.

“Yes, because you said you like handsome men and he’s not that. But Papa is, and he sometimes uses make-up, too! So I thought…” she trailed off, slouching into Odena’s embracing arms.

She left a kiss on the crown of her daughter’s hair, soft laughter scratching her throat. “You’re so sweet, Pigeon, thank you. But why do you think I don’t like what Lonel looks like?”

The said man buried his eyes in his palms, shoulders yet again shaking when Kaira turned back at Odena with a grimace that dripped from utter confusion.

“Do you?” she asked, and Odena cupped her cheeks to leave a chuckling peck on both little plumps.

“Of course I do.”

“But he looks old! Even smells old!”

“Hey, I quit last month, Giggles. It just takes time before the smell dissipates.” Lonel’s comment earned an interested peek, and from the small movement of his nose, and the very subtly triumphant smile, Odena could tell he knew he awakened something curious in her.

“Or you just need a wardrobe change. I washed those shirts so many times that they’re basically paper napkins now. And they’re still reeking,” Odena added good-naturedly.

He hummed in contentment, watching them with a gaze uncharacteristically mellow. That expression found him more and more, and she loved basking in it until it would become as mundane as coming home beside them.

Lonel said, mock contemplative, “Maybe I should change it.”

Kaira climbed into a sitting position, leaning over Odena’s thigh to be closer to Lonel.

“Can I come? Can I help?”

“Sure you can,” he grinned, which, admittedly was anything but a heartfelt sight with that added make-up. Kaira stumbled out of Odena’s lap, vigorously pulling his cheeks back into a relaxed position with her palms.

She was serious when she said, “Don’t do that. It’s gonna scare Mama away.”

The light in the room began to dim ever so slowly, but the warmth of it lingered as Lonel barked another laughter, joined by Odena. He grinned nevertheless, ruffling Kaira’s hair despite her protests.

“I’m not that easy to scare away, Pigeon,” Odena said, yet held Lonel’s eyes instead. The black contours on his face made his eyes pop, while the blush turned his pale skin into the kind of burnt that only the sun could cause.

Lonel kept her stare as Kaira started to struggle against him, so he reached for the desperate measures of tickling. “So it’s not that bad?” he asked without real concern.

“Oh no, it’s hideous. It’s my virtue, not yours.”

“Right.” He caged Kaira, who fell into his lap, trying her best to turn the tables and find a spot on Lonel’s side that was sensitive enough for tickling. Her thrilling child laughter filled the room, and it sparkled in that afternoon light. Odena watched them with her slumber completely chased away, and her worries muted into nothingness. It was the picture she’d dreamed of so many times, throughout so many years. Even though she experienced something similar before, she could feel this was different. This was it. This was lasting.

This was them.

[ken-dom]

Come Back To Me

Holland March x Mrs March

Summary: Nightmare or dream? Why not both.

Author's notes: Written as part one to @heresthestorymorningglory's heartbreakingly gorgeous Holland x reader fic, Of Dreams And Dances, which came about after she had a dream that eerily coincided with the contents of a deleted scene I was watching from what turned out to be one of our favourite films. Of which the main theme is coincidences. Coincidence or not, it resulted in us teaming up to explore Holland as a husband and a father, and what his future could look like.

Warnings/content: fluff, angst, mentions of pregnancy (and conception — one nsfw line from holland midway through), alcohol

It had been a quiet Saturday. All three of them, taking advantage of some rare time at home to relax together.

Holland had a case. Technically. It wasn’t one he was particularly worried about, just a simple problem he could string out for more cash while doing the bare minimum. And with a relatively new baby at home, who could blame him?

Well, Holly wasn’t really a baby. Holly was three and a half years old now. But he still called her his baby, wishing the time hadn’t moved so fast since she was born, hoping that she wouldn’t grow up too fast and have to take on the horrors of responsibility in the real world too soon. He wanted to protect her for as long as he could, be a better dad to her than his own father was to him. Let her have the childhood he wished he’d had.

So he would take the money, regardless of the morals involved, and use it all for her, to build her a future.

He still remembered the moment in the hospital when his wife had looked up at him, glowing after a horribly long labour, and said, ‘She’s perfect. I want to name her Holly. After you.’

His heart broke every time he remembered that moment, because already, at three years old it seemed too long ago. But he wanted to live in it forever.

Today had been almost as perfect, the entire world shut out as they enjoyed their perfect little bubble in their perfect little house, Holland not even bothering to dress properly and his wife feeding him chocolates and making him tea “the English way” — whatever the fuck that meant — reading to each other and to Holly, playing hide and seek with her between naps and lazing around. It was heaven. He was in heaven.

‘Holland, darling, put some music on!’ His wife cooed when she appeared from upstairs, finding Holland slumped over the kitchen table. She tugged at his shoulder. ‘Come on, let’s dance.’

Holland didn’t budge for a moment, lost in a haze of melancholy nostalgia. His life was completely perfect, he knew that, so why couldn’t he live in the moment and just fucking enjoy it instead of lamenting how three years had passed so suddenly? Four, if you counted the pregnancy.

‘Holland, darling, what’s the matter?’ his wife pressed, sitting down on the chair beside him and laying her head on the table too.

He loved that about her. She always got on his level, always managed to soothe him back to her so easily.

He slowly lifted his head and his big, round, blue eyes locked on hers, glistening with something unreadable. ‘I wanna have another one.’

‘Another one what?’

‘Another baby.’

‘Oh-’

Before she could even really answer, he had sprung up, his chair crashing to the floor behind him, and he had offered his hand out, pulling her close to him when she took it, and breathing her in as she pressed close. She felt so warm against him.

‘You can’t name the next one after me, too, though. It’s gonna get silly.’

She chuckled against his chest, swaying with him. ‘Why, how many little Hollands are you planning?’

‘Oh, hundreds. I was thinking, we should try for twins this time, get two in one go.’

‘Steady, Holland, you’re not the one carrying them. Besides I don’t think it works like that.’

‘I’m serious — what do you eat to get twins?’

‘I’m not sure…’

‘Whatever it is, I'll find out and I’ll make it for you every day,’ he leaned closer to her ear, whispering, ‘and I’ll pump you full of me every night until your belly is full with our children.’

She giggled, slapping him playfully on the chest. ‘I would have a hundred children with you, you know that?’

‘Wanna start tonight?’

She looked up at him, smiling at his dumb but seductive expression. ‘Yes I absolutely do. And I’ll do my best to get you twins.’

He kissed her tenderly, arms tightening around her shoulders as they swayed.

There was no music. There didn’t need to be. He hummed, though, low against her ear, the tune of her favourite song, gradually adding in the words until he was serenading her.

‘Dad-’

Holland looked up, toward the stairs but Holly hadn’t appeared at the top, looking for him.

‘Dad.’

‘Honey? Was that-’

But his wife was silent, face buried against his chest.

‘Dad!’

Rubbing at the wedding band around his finger with his thumb, he closed his eyes, it was there. It was safe.

When he opened his eyes again, Holly was in front of him.

He grasped for his wife, arms flailing in front of him, but there was nothing. She was gone. So was the ring.

And Holly was… older. Almost ten years older by the look of her. 

Had he fallen asleep dancing with his wife? He needed to get back to her, needed to snap out of whatever vision this was.

‘Dad, wake up!’

‘Believe me, I’m trying,’ he slurred, mouth struggling around the words. ‘Why am I wet?’

‘Because you’re in the tub again. I told you to get undressed next time. You’re gonna ruin all your suits!’

Holland groaned. The water was cold and he was shivering. It felt real. This was no vision, no dream. This was real.

‘You need to get up, Mr. Healy’s here to see you.’ Holly growled with frustration and turned on her heal, storming out of the bathroom to carry on making breakfast.

‘Tell him I’ll be out in ten minutes,’ Holland grunted, flopping back into the cold water and closing his eyes. ‘Come back to me,’ he breathed, her song playing on loop in his mind all the while, ‘come back to me. We were gonna make twins, come back-’

[adamsuniverse1144]

I’m a theorist, I have so so so many headcanons it’s ridiculous. This could also be called ‘I explain questionable theories and you get upset because I managed to keep it in universe’.

One of my headcanons I’m exploring right now is kink/*wink wink* with my book Darkest Desires 🩷💙 (Genuinely writing it has been so hard and I’m losing resolve but it’s coming along!)

Now, when you think of our cinnamon roll couple you probably don’t go to the same place I do mentally so lemme break it down:

⭐️ As a person who is throughly traumatized and hangs out around a generation almost exclusively traumatized, I can say without a doubt most of us have multiple kinks (and shady ones at that).

Resulting headcanon: Bruh come on. These two are so traumatized, especially Steven. Sure he grew up pretty innocent, but trust me, innocence is sadly (and thankfully) not forever. Of course Steven still cries at everything and loves to sing and gets excited over nothing and he’s ADORABLE but well… once he is introduced there’s no telling what the hell is going to happen but it’s bound to be interesting.

⭐️ Connie is a sci-fy nerd. It’s in her blood, she loves to read, she’s savvy and smart. They literally acted out The Familiar Unfamiliar. Connie is nothing short of a dork and we love her for that.

Resulting headcanon: Connie totally writes and/or reads fanfiction. In Dark Desires, that’s the segue into kink because on one of Connie’s tabs is a bunch of saved kinky stories.

⭐️ Steven is a giant puppy boy. He’s playful and tries to be cheerful and his puppy dog eyes are a direct attack on you specifically. He’s so so cute 🥺 Someone who possess all that strength and is yet so gentle is just super powerful to me. Like he could destroy a whole lot before anyone got close to taking him down, and yet he chooses kindness almost all of the time.

Resulting headcanon: Steven is a power switch. He’s kind of a selfish lover, and I totally 98% believe Connie accidentally becomes a pillow princess most of the time. He likes to do the work to make her feel nice, it rarely ever crosses his mind to help himself along. Her pleasure is his, so it would make sense to me that regardless of the position, Stevens the gusto. The ones you’d expect to be gentle lovers are the ones with the most bang to their buck often, and Steven is a very passionate and expressive man. That would totally translate into “snuggle time” with Connie. *exhales* Wow keeping that PG-Debatable was hard.

⭐️ Connie is finally in control of her life after picking up that sword and swearing allegiance to the Crystal Gems. She doesn’t need to wield one anymore (not really) but she’s one of the bravest and fiercest knights in Gem Culture (and how can she not be with not dying in her weak human skin suit). Stevens hyperaffectionate, sweet and genuinely starving for her at all times. She’s independent so sometimes it can be too much, but she most often humors him with those cheeks still soft with baby fat and his cute face.

⭐️ Resulting headcanon: Submissive leaning switch. Period. COME ON, the people who fight the hardest in their everyday life could never be a full submissive, just like Steven probably isn’t a full dominant. Puzzle pieces. Of course she likes teasing and bossing him around (with consent) and of course Steven would do anything she asked him to do if he can find a way to do it. But sometimes your giant half alien boyfriend/fiance/husband is stressed and needs to release some stress in a healthy way that ends with cuddles and nap time.

I guess this is where my headcanon maybe diverges from things based on factual personality traits but I think Steven grows up to be a little jaded. It often happens when a lot of people your age just don’t relate to the things you’ve been through. You chameleon (mask) to match people’s energies if you can find the tolerance for it, but you never really truly feel like you fit in unless you’re with other traumatized people. Plus, hanging out with humans is gonna round him out a little, and he’ll pick up on human things especially geared towards men (though I personally think our Stevens closer to Gender-Fluid just leaning on masculine pronouns as preference).

⭐️ Resulting headcanon: Stevens a terminal flirt once he hits his middle to late 20’s. He likes when Connie blushes, he thinks it’s adorable so I’m sure Steven would spend a lot of his time flirting with her (now whether or not it’s working is the question) using his Universe Charm~ 😂 I’m positive Connie would find it hilarious with him shooting finger guns and being a goofball with curly hair and baby cheeks.

Anyways, no one asked for this and I’m screaming into the void but I had to get this out or I would die.

[fast-moon]

Star Trek: Picard Season 1 Thoughts

So, after finishing and thoroughly enjoying Deep Space 9, I wanted to pick up a different Trek series because at this point I had gotten used to marathoning a few episodes every evening. I wasn't too eager to try watching Voyager all the way through due to the Maquis involvement (my second-to-least favorite recurring plot in DS9, with Mirror Universe being the least), but I read that Picard followed up on the ending of DS9 in season 3, so I figured, why not.

Gotta get through seasons 1 and 2 first, though.

So, first off, going from something made in 1993 to something made in 2020, was certainly a jolt. Widescreen format, CG everywhere, and no one's enunciating for the microphones anymore so you have to have the subtitles on to know half of what anyone's saying.

I'm not going to be doing an episode-by-episode recap of this like I did with DS9 due to it being in the "8 hour movie broken into chunks" format that's common with streaming shows nowadays, so the content of every episode kind of blurs together, anyway.

Right off the bat, I have a similar overall issue with this as I had with Harrison Ford coming back for the Star Wars sequels: He's just too old to be doing this anymore. He sounds so out of breath in every scene to the point that it's uncomfortable, and I just want him to sit down and take a nap.

I did like that the premise of Season 1 was basically "We're going to take the episode 'Measure of a Man' and then expand on that theme of whether androids have human rights or not." What I liked most about DS9 was its penchant for political allegory and devoting entire episodes to thought experiments and debating novel or morally grey legal concepts.

So Picard S1 set up two moral questions: "Do androids have human rights?", and "Are you obligated to aid the people of an enemy nation when they're facing an extinction-level event?"

And then proceeded to devote very little of its runtime to exploring either of those questions.

What it did devote most of its runtime to was "look at how cynical everyone is and how much baggage they have". Yes, characters need flaws and challenges to overcome, but they also need to be someone I can root for. What I liked about TNG and DS9 were that, even though they regularly got into emotionally heavy stuff, there was still this sense of adventure, optimism, and camaraderie among the crew. The whole theme of "Things suck now, but we can fix it and make it better, and everyone around you wants to help."

But now it's just fallen into that gritty, edgy sci-fi that makes it feel altogether generic. Where if they didn't say things like "Romulans" or "Federation" or "Borg", it would be unrecognizable as Star Trek.

The only real underlying sense of "fun" in this season was Rios's crew of holograms, which were the high point for me. We need campy silliness to endear us to characters so that we can actually care when bad things happen to them. If they're in a funk all the time, what makes this latest crisis worth special attention?

The other high point was the Riker family lodge, since it was another instance of "look at how happy and fun people are, and this is what we're trying to protect". And I was SO worried the series was going to make something terrible happen to them (although, there's still two more seasons). They brought Hugh back just to kill him off in a random pointless way, after all.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Seven of Nine (pretty much the only character on Voyager I liked, and she didn't show up until that show was halfway done), although the "Coming up on Star Trek: Picard" reel at the end of episode 1 spoiled both her and Riker's appearances in the series, which bummed me out.

I found the season finale to be 50% heartwarming and 50% absolute bullshit. So, Picard at the beginning is stated to have a ticking time-bomb in his brain that will kill him eventually. Then at the end, he settles everything with a speech, but the stress causes his brain to go boom and he dies. But! Thankfully he just happened to be on the planet of artificial bodies and they just finished their procedure of transferring a human consciousness to one! So he died for a completely contrived reason, then was immediately brought back to no ill effect, to the point of why bother in the first place?

But, the heartwarming aspect of it was for him to be able to talk to the soul of Data, and hear Data's wish that his remaining consciousness be deactivated so he can die like a mortal. Very reminiscent of Vision's request in the Marvel comics, that he be allowed to die instead of constantly being rebuilt and reactivated, so that his life has meaning (and, side note, I read that the director for Picard Season 3 is heading up the Vision Quest D+ series, which was another reason I was curious to watch it and see what Vision's story might be in for).

So, all in all, I thought it was... okay. A bit too dark and cynical for what I want from Star Trek, and I hope in the subsequent seasons they can let themselves have more fun with it.