#but the second she does it while they're in bed together BOOM

[wytchsbrew]

Is anyone tired of hearing my various headcanons yet? No? Good.

[panda-writes-kpop]

oh god, she makes me so upset!

a/n: happy (very much so) belated handong day! now that I'm temporarily caught up with birthday fics... I can focus on requests for a little while 😌

tw: implied drinking, brief mentions of diets and exercise, dumping people over text is UNCOOL behavior and i don't agree with reader's actions

♡ Masterlist ♡

summary: your partner's ex is handong, the prettiest girl you've ever met. luckily for you, she isn't the one who ruins your relationship... but she reaps the reward from it.

Handong. The belle of the ball. The prettiest girl you've ever seen.

Their ex.

Your partner's, to be more specific.

You didn't know why you were so obsessed with her - was it her perfect smile? her stunning sense of style? the way she effortlessly pulled any and all attention her way?

You shouldn't think of Handong this way - you have a partner. But it's normal to feel jealous about someone who once slept on the same of side of your partner's bed.

You need to get a grip.

~

Handong mingles effortlessly as she glides through the party. People part to make way for her as if she's Moses crossing the red sea.

You grab onto your partner's arm as they chatter with the person next to them. They pay you no mind as Handong approaches the two of you.

"You look great." She says to you in passing before heading to another room.

You wonder what you'd have to do to be like her. What diet you'd have to go on, how many exercise would you have to do?

You're upset over nothing - Handong and your partner haven't talked in months.

Cheap vodka ought to knock some sense into you - at least for tonight.

~

You can't explain the knot in your chest every time look at them.

They're supposed to be the one you love, but why do you feel so... lonely every time you're with them?

You can't blame Handong for your relationship 7 it's between you two, and you should solve it by yourselves.

You should take a step back, take some time to think about what you're going to do.

You send the break-up text without a second thought.

~

You thought you were jealous of her. She was utter perfection - you were much less than a fleeting thought.

You thought you were obsessed with her because Handong was your partner's ex.

Turns out, you were just plain obsessed with her. The prettiest girl who gave you a smile every time you crossed paths.

She made your heart flutter, made you feel something.

You shouldn't go to a party you know she'll be at, but you do.

You shouldn't drink to calm your nerves as you spot Handong in the crowd, but you do.

You shouldn't go up and ask her to dance with you for a while, but you do.

She shouldn't accept because exes of an ex aren't the most morally acceptable partners, but she does.

"I like you just the way you are," She shouts over the booming music as you dance together, "it's a damn shame that you and your partner didn't work out."

Handong should feel bad when her lips meet yours, but she doesn't.

Especially after you share more and more kisses throughout the night and long afterward.

[therapardalis]

[About the Ship Meme from @loyaltyandchaos(Part 1) ]

Dominoes/TheraEcho/Thera, Fives/Thera ------------

Throwing these all-in-one, because some things apply to the Twins both separately and together ;)

Who’s the cuddler? Fives. Individually and as a pair, he and Echo both need a bit of reassurance that it's OK. Once there Echo loves it but Fives ... any day in any way, he wants to be close to his girl, and if his Brother is there as well? Him too!

Who makes the bed? Depends on whose bed. If it's Thera's they'll probably leave it for her because they don't know what she would prefer. Individually, Echo would likely ask because it seems like a good thing for a boyfriend to do. Fives might reach that thought eventually, but not right away - unless he saw Thera doing it and realised he could help. If it's their bed/s, it'll be made up according to regulation!

Who wakes up first? If they're with Thera individually, one of the boys. If they're all together, Echo, closely followed by Fives. They might go back to sleep right after, but the routine would have them wake at the usual times regardless.

Who has the weird taste in music? Thera. The boys are still learning the different kinds of music, and most of their exposure to it has been what's played at 79s.

Who is more protective? Either a 2-way or 3-way tie, depending. The boys are more likely to stand up for Thera physically, but she's almost certain to tear literal and figurative strips off someone on their behalf. And then hit someone. Because let's face it, they've had to pull her off some poor fool more than once already.

Who sings in the shower? Fives - to Thera's amusement and Echo's embarrassment, depending!

Who cries during movies? All of them, but no-one wants to show it. They all have the 'big tough soldier/pilot' thing going on, and there's long faces but not necessarily tears shed.

Who spends the most while out shopping? Thera, but not by as much as in her main verse. The boys have their uniforms and so on supplied for them, and there's not much need for civilian clothes. So even if Thera's spending modestly, she's still outdoing them!

Who kisses more roughly? Thera, but only comparatively. Neither of those boys would be rough with her.

Who is more dominant? Now, this is where Echo is a bit of a dark horse! It takes him a while to muster confidence, but once he does ... boom. Fives is more mellow, but if he thinks for a second it's what Thera wants, he's all for it! Together they're more into the 'teasing her' sort of being in charge, more fun and laughter than serious 'dominance' games.

My rating of the ship from 1-10. 1409 and 5555 ;)

[impaladolan]

Home Alone - Grayson Dolan

summary: after a long week of work, y/n needs some sort of relaxation and relief. although, her outlook on relieving her frustrations isn’t what grayson had in mind...

warnings: tid bit fluffy, swearing, vibrator use, & smut

a/n: been in my unfinished drafts for a bit..

"Are you sure you don't want to tag along, baby?" Grayson longingly questioned, his brows crinkled and his lips almost forming a pout.

"I haven't been able to do laundry all week. God knows it won't get done unless I do it now." Y/N chuckles, balancing a full basket of freshly dried clothes on her hip, watching her lover wrap his fist around the front door's handle.

Every other weekend, at the Dolan residences, the two brothers, and sometimes their wives, would gather with some of their friends and watch their favorite football teams. And later on, they'd play board games or watch some movies. Normally, Y/N would be the one begging Grayson to hurry up and get ready to attend the biweekly event, except this time.

Y/N has different plans...

It had been a brutal week at work, her boss was currently taking out her "divorce emotions" on her employees and Y/N was getting the rougher end of it. She was relieved when it was finally the weekend and she could stress clean, calm her nerves in some sort of self efficient way and relax after a tough couple days.

She hadn't even had the thought of a sexual release, until she had dreamt multiple naughty scenarios just last night during her deep slumber. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what all she had dreamed, but she remembers waking up with a dripping arousal and a sore ache at her very center. And though her husband was laid right next to her, perfectly capable of satisfying her womanly needs, she decided using other resources would be a better fit.

Don't get her wrong, she loves being pleasured by the only man who knows exactly how to, but she felt embarrassed. She didn't want to come across as a sex-crazed women to Grayson, even though it would never make a difference to him.

They're married, for goodness sake.

"I can stay back and help out. We could even have our own little movie night if you wanted," He began, releasing his hand from the door and taking a few steps toward Y/N, whose lips turned into a cheesy smile as he drew closer to her.

"Just you and me," He took the basket filled with clothes from her hip and set it on the floor, intertwining his large hands with her smaller ones, eliciting a short laugh from Y/N. He brought her closer to his frontside, creating a ballroom dance-like formation and began shuffling around with her in his arms. Like an old married couple, they slowly danced around the room, him twirling her in his grasp while Y/N admirably gazed upon him.

Her cheeks were rosy with admiration, finding his little act of affection adorable. "You get easily distracted, huh?" Y/N grinned, resting her chin happily on his shoulder, his minuscule beard hairs tickling certain parts of her neck.

"Well, you looked too pretty over here by yourself," He softly explained against her ear. "And I wanted to dance around a room with a beautiful woman like you. So, I am." He lowered his hands beneath her and slew her into a romantic dip, planting a sweet kiss upon her lips. She returned one back, feeling her heart grow two sizes larger, much like the Grinch movie portrays, if anything.

"Grayson, I know how much you enjoy football, especially with the boys," She was only making excuses, but he had tempted her to just cuddle on the couch all day and watch plethoras of movies and munch on various snacks. But the low rattle in the depths her core was motioning her in a different way, and she just couldn't survive the rest of the day without fixing her little problem.

"Hmm, you're right. But when I get back, we're ordering take out and watching movies. Got it?" He chuckles, bringing the both of them back up into a standing position.

"M'hm, be safe." Y/N smiles, planting another kiss on her lover's lips before leaving his warmth. She waved goodbye to him as he left their abode, sweetly grinning as she went back to finishing up the laundry before the real reason she was staying home, would begin.

Though the couple's intimate relations seemed innocent and loving, they each had a different side to them, specifically in the bedroom.

The two never shied away from new experiences and would most certainly dabble into different areas of the "sex world," if you will. They, of course, had their preferences and different kinks, but Y/N seemed to be more open and freeing for that sort of stuff.

For the different occasions that they felt a bit more lustful and yearning for one another, they kept a locked trunk of knickknacks in their closet. You see, that's the one Grayson knows about, but Y/N keeps a smaller one, filled to the brim with all of her own toys, in a section of her closet that he never really pays attention to. If he had any idea that she kept self-pleasuring items for her own uses, he'd be absolutely ballistic.

Thankfully, he doesn't...

The moment Y/N threw the last bits of dirty laundry left, into the washer, she practically sprinted to their shared bedroom. After rummaging through the trunk filled with "accessories," she found a nice, pretty pink vibrator to do the trick, as well as a black silk blindfold to shield her own eyes. She was already rid of her clothes and sprawled across the wide bed in an instance, tying the piece of cloth over her eyes. 

Though, unbeknownst to Y/N, Grayson was already on his way back home. As soon as he had pulled into his brother's driveway, they had called to cancel— a certain emergency about something Grayson didn't really pay attention to listen to. He was thrilled that he didn't have to leave Y/N at home, all by herself to do chores all day. And luckily, their houses weren't too far apart from each other, so Grayson was back home within fifteen minutes of leaving it.

He didn't feel the need to text Y/N, she was probably busy anyway and possibly wouldn't respond. He figured she would hear the garage door open and expect that he was already home.

Little does he know...

As soon as he was parked and out of his vehicle, Grayson was trudging down stairs to the laundry room, in search of Y/N. He was surprised that she wasn't there, but he figured she might just be folding on the couch, trying to get ahead on one of the TV series the two were drawn into.

Grayson chuckles as he makes his way back upstairs, though his brows curtly furrow, his ears almost perking at the muffled sounds coming from the hallway.

Their shared room, to be precise.

With a pondering look upon his face, he kicks off his shoes and makes his way towards his bedroom, quietly twisting the door handle and pushing it inward. He opens the door wide enough to secretly look inside, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness that enveloped the entire expanse. The noises he had heard only seconds ago were more prominent, and his eyes had fallen on the object creating the aroused sounds;

Y/N.

She was laid out on their bed, legs wide open and shaking while her hands were constantly pressuring a fucking sex toy against her soaked pussy. Grayson froze, pure anger washing over him and turning his face a turbulent shade of red, washing away his pleasant mood. He almost stormed in there, ready to rip the stupid machine away from her hands and show her what a real orgasm feels like.

But he somehow contained himself, and instead, watched the scene play out in front of his very own eyes, vexation spilling from his entire countenance.

Y/N didn't hear the garage door open and close, or even the beep of Grayson's truck when he locked it.  She hadn't even heard his feet stomping up and down the stairs, or his lingering chuckles. She was so caught up in how she was feeling.

The artificial vibrations that buzzed upon her core made the world around her so euphoric and heavenly. She'd brush the toy upon her clit, forcing her entire body shake with deep pleasure and a soft moan to emit from her mouth. It felt so nice, and she was so close to the brink of releasing.

She was already feeling better, and naughty. If Grayson were to find her this way, masturbating  freely in the open and satisfying herself, she would never live to see another day. But she didn't care at this point, she just wanted to finally cum.

And she was extremely close.

Her hips began to buckle, while her backside rose from the bed and her free hand twisted at the sheets beneath her. "Mm- just a little more—" Her entire core was pulsating, so fucking close to just letting go.

So close..

"Don't fucking cum yet, slut." Grayson's voice boomed throughout the room, making Y/N's movements freeze in terror and shock. Before she could think of some sort of explanation or reasoning as to what she's doing, her blindfold is ripped from her eyes, while the vibrator that was once nuzzled up on her pussy, was taken away as well. Now, she felt so empty and wanting, edged to an almost release.

"Jesus- You're fucking dripping, for fucksake." His tone was harsh, and Y/N felt like crying. She held onto her tears as she watched him examine the drenched vibrator, still buzzing in his hands. Out of the loss of contact, she began to whine, squeezing her thighs together to create at least a little bit of friction.

"Grayson, please—" She began to huff, but her shuttering voice was interrupted by the aggravated man pacing in front of her.

"I don't think I fucking asked you to talk, did I?" He glared at her, though just the sight of Y/N's exposed body made him shudder with a tinge of want.

Against his wishes, Y/N continued her whines, her breathing still ragged and finally her own hand traveling down to her soaked heat. She didn't care if she'd be in more trouble, she just needed to unravel the knot inside her, whether she'd pay for that mistake later or if not.

She didn't get far, because Grayson caught her wrist before it made it all the way down to her center, and brought it up to the headboard. He wrapped a leather strip around both of her wrists, mumbling incoherent spews of anger, doing the same with her ankles against the bedposts.

"I-I, I thought you were gonna watch football.." She began, but a low growl sounded from Grayson, and the blindfold was placed back over her eyes, while a different type of cloth was shoved in her mouth. Y/N feels the numbing slap across her thigh before hearing the connection's sound, an exasperated scream muffling out of her filled mouth.

"I'd stop talking if I were you. Unless you want to be choked by Daddy’s fucking cock, darling." His voice rattled her insides, and she dared not to make another sound, already dug far too deep in a hole anyway. "Get ready princess, m'gonna edge the fuck out of you. Maybe then, you'll remember to ask me for permission to use your fucking toys." His voice soon faded from her ears as a higher vibration than before was nudged right up against her swollen clit, making her figure convulse in imploding pleasure.

It took an entire hour for Grayson to edge Y/N twelve fucking times. She was a mess, sweat droplets dotting her hairline while her pussy remained in slippery shambles. He didn't say a word, and Y/N held her tongue from shouting profanities after the several losses of contact. She hadn't came yet, but if she didn't soon— she would find a way to get out of her restraints and finish off what she had started herself.

It had been several minutes since Grayson had pulled her to the brink of an orgasm, and she was starting to think that he'd never come back. She had heard the sound of a zipper earlier, and she couldn't tell if he was doing something to ease his own pain while she laid there, so high strung and breathless. She was about to call out his name, but the warmth of his tongue wrapped around her bundle of nerves and she let out an exasperated sigh, pulling on the cuffs tied around her wrists.

He slipped his tongue in skillful motions, his hands pushing up underneath her thighs as he lapped up her liquids. Y/N was so sensitive to touch, anything that remotely stroked her could heighten her arousal and make her lust for more.

Within seconds, her hips were shaking and her back arched above the mattress, her toes curling under the pressure. And his voice finally sang the heavenly words she had been waiting for the entire time;

"Cum, princess."

Y/N released all over his lips, a high-pitched scream sounding from her mouth as she finally unravels, her legs bucking against their restraints. She spits out the cloth from her mouth and heavily breathes, murmuring praises to the man between her legs.

"I'm sorry, Grayson."

a/n: did this completely suck? i haven’t really written in third person in awhile, so i need honest opinions..

[artxyra]

If you're still taking requests, I got another one! So, Marinette was out getting icecream, but got chased by a guy for a mile. Nobody was near until she reached a park. Damian is by a tree when he saw her. Marinette goes up to him and acts like they're dating and makes an excuse. While pretending to clean his face she explains and Damian decides to play along, but his brothers hear and see everything. After the guy is gone Mari asks to get coffee, they start dating, then explain to the fam.

Note: Alright school is no officially over. Stress levels are down and now I’m battling the mindset of wanting to do nothing when I want to do something (yay summer brain). I hope you enjoy. Might make small changes here and there.  

Have anyone told Marinette that she would find her forever by running away from a stalker, she would have awkwardly laughed in their face and run off into the distant. Well, that is exactly what happened.

Her day was simple, she had a commission that was due any day now, a paper to write for a class assignment, and had to help her parents with the bakery. So, when she began to feel accomplished for the day, she decided that getting ice cream would be the best reward during this nice day. Originally, she was going to invite her closet friends to join her but knowing them they always have plans when she needed them the most, so that made her decision clear.

Walking down the familiar path to the nearest ice cream parlor, Marinette hums the latest Jagged Stone hit song. Had she paid attention to her surrounding, she would have seen a large silhouette off to the distant following her for the past block.

Paying for her strawberry ice cream cone, Marinette was on cloud nine. The cold dessert in her mouth felt like all she did today was worth it. Sadly, that ice cream cone only stayed in her hands for a moment before following to ground.

The ice dessert melts away as a shadow looms in the background.

Had someone told Damian al Ghul Wayne that he would meet is forever by pretending to be her boyfriend, he would have slit someone’s throat and told them to never talk to him again. If only that was the case.

The Wayne family decided to come to Paris, France to talk about expanding the business overseas. Bruce had been in meetings all day alongside Tim which left Damian at the mercy of the most annoying of active brothers, Dick, and Jason. He wishes that his sister would join them, but they opted to stay in Gotham in case their active villains decided to run rapid with the Bats temporarily gone.

Damian also wishes that they had brought Titus, as the Great Dane would have loved the open park to enjoy, but instead, the dog is in the hands of Alfred back at the manor.

Everything was fine until a hand touch on his shoulder causing him to reach for his hidden knife.

“Please pretend to be dating me, someone has been following for that last mile.” A voice told him in French. He turns to see a panic teen around his age looking at him with pleading eyes. Side glancing to the side, he sees a silhouette looming over the fence staring in his direction. Tsking, Damian lowers to her ear and whisper, “Qui.” The girl’s eyes widen, and she grips onto his arm tighter.

“I’m so glad I found you, mon amour. You should have come with me to get ice cream; you would have loved it.” She said loud enough for her voice to carry across the park.

“I’m sure I would have, Angel.” He replies before guiding her over to the picnic set up that Dick had made before chasing Jason when the anti-hero made crude jokes. He glances back over to the fencing; the silhouette is still lingering causing Damian to tsk again.

Picking up a sandwich, he hands it over to the mysterious girl, who takes it with a smile before ripping it apart and pretends to feed Damian. Begrudgingly, Damian takes a bite and pulls the girl closure in the process. Her eyes widen at the sudden gesture, but she relaxes as if it was second nature for her.

“We should do this more often; you know I love a romantic picnic in the park.” She says leaning into his chest. Oh, how much Damian hopes this doesn’t become a public outbreak.

“Angel, I’m sure we’ll have more dates like this. How about a sunset dinner next to the Seine?”

“I would love that.”

Together they pretend to be a happy couple. The stalker never leaving their sight. The girl was growing anxious as they continue to keep up their act. To Damian he wonders why he even agreed to be this girl’s pretend boyfriend, he never does something like this. Maybe it was the hero (excuse me vigilante) in him? He truly doesn’t know. The girl would glance back every ten minutes like clockwork as does he because the minute the stalker was out of sight, they would stop this charade and go on acting like they never meet.

For Marinette, this was a whole new feeling. The moment she felt something was off, she dashed away leaving the rewarded dessert. Looking back, she saw that she was being followed at a similar pace to her own. Her eyes dart around looking for someone that could potentially help her. She found no one. The streets practically dead, an odd sight for a city usually booming with life.

Marinette ran for over a mile, thank kwami for her Ladybug training, as she would have gone off the deep end and crash for how fast she was running. Coming closure to the park, she spots a dark-haired male standing overlooking the park. He was perfect. Glancing behind her, Marinette sees her chaser slowly closing the gap between them. Making a mad dash for the male, Marinette grabs hold of his arm and quickly explains the situation.

A wave of relief past through her when the male replies with a yes in French. Little did they both know, that yes locked their futures together.

Marinette swears that pretending to be someone’s girlfriend had to be the most stressful of jobs. The chaser didn’t leave for over an hour. She and the person she randomly claimed spoke about romantic dates, the scenery around them, and even ate someone else’s picnic meal. To which Marinette feels very bad about it.

Her cheeks flush red that could match her Ladybug suit when she ended up taking a napkin and wiping away crumbs of food. The male became stiff when she did that, but thankfully it was enough to get the chaser away from the park.

“I’m so sorry, I dragged you into that.” Marinette proceeds to ramble, getting a slight chuckle out of the male to which cause a loud gasp from two males from behind them.

“Did she really get the Demon Spawn to laugh?” The tall one in blue asks with wide eyes as if he just saw the biggest moment since whenever.

“Nah, I’m pretty sure she did some dark magic or something.” The one with a strand of white replied causing her pretend-boyfriend to tsk and look away.

“What are you two doing back. I would I thought Todd had killed you or something Grayson.” He said standing up and offering a hand to Marinette.

Marinette looks between the three males and awkwardly rubs the back of her neck. Her phone dings to life. The three males engage in a somewhat heated conversation, well it more like the two males ganging up on the pretend boyfriend.

“Shoot.” Marinette cries out looking over the message. She then quickly turns off her phone and gains the males’ attention.

Walking over to the male she spent the last hour with, she smiles and says, “How about I offer you some coffee as a thank you? But I really need to leave, so if you want some…” She tries to make sense of her conversation but ends up failing, badly.

“Tsk. Angel, I would love to take you on that offer,” He replies sending a chill down her spine, but it was a good chill.

“C’mon.” Marinette grabs his hand and they dash out of the park. “By the way, my name’s Marinette.”

“Damian.”

“Sweet, you’re going to love the coffee.”

Their first official date just so happened to be that Seine date they had pretended to plan just days before Damian was scheduled to return to America. They stayed in contact through Skype calls, text messages, and private social media accounts. It was Damian who invited her to Gotham just a year after dating and countless visits to Paris. Marinette took that moment to get to know his family and she was in a huge shock when she found out that he was the Damian Wayne from Gotham. The family, of course, had a good laugh that would go down in the family history books. Demon Spawn’s girlfriend had no idea who he was for an entire year of dating.

“Well kids, that is how your father and I met.” Marinette says tucking in the twins into their beds. Damian watch from the doorway with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. It was moments like these he is forever grateful for agreeing to say yes on that day. He found his forever just like she found hers.

Turning off the lights to their kids’ bedroom, Marinette takes Damian’s hand and kisses his cheek.

“You know the next time we go to Paris, let’s visit that park again.”

“Of course, Angel.”

Embracing each other, thy walk to the direction of their bedroom for the night.

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[voidendron]

Star wars AU, bragging competition. Like a chill night on the starship and they're all trying to outdo each other with stories.

(( set later than previous SW fics where they actually like. can stand each other. it ended up WAY longer than I anticipated, but So. Worth it. It was a lot of fun :D ))

Words: 2′327Warnings: Alcohol, Drunkenness (mild), Swearing

Chase had dropped off a prettylarge shipment earlier, which left the cargo bay of his ship withplenty of room. With an empty crate acting as a makeshift table, theyall sat around it, some with more distance between them than others.It had been Chase’s idea, because of course it had been.

Jackie was looking at his drinkskeptically (probably wondering if Chase had come by it legally ornot) while Sam pouted at the fact Marvin wouldn’t let them haveany. …Which was funny considering that, while they were theyoungest there, they were as much an adult as the rest of them.Jameson had waved off the offer, not wanting to remove hisvocoder—vocabulator?—whatever it was; Chase had heard multiplenames used for the things.

Chase might have been a littletipsy at that point and he could feel Schneep eyeing him. He waswatching himself, though, and at least his astromech could pilotwhile he was unable.

“Anyway,”the Bothan said as he threw a hand up, “that’s how I accidentallypissed off a governor and got an assassin sent after me!”

Marvinmade a noise akin to some sort of hissing laugh. “I think I’vegot more questions than I started with.”

“Yeah…”Jackie took a testing sip of his drink as he leaned back against anempty pallet. “What was that part about getting stuck in the wrongvent again?”

“Doesn’tmatter—mytime’s up! Who can one-up that?”Chase pulled his best rendition of a grin that he could with a snoutfull of sharp teeth.

“Eh,I’ll give it a shot.” Marvin adjusted his legs and patted hishelmet to make sure it was still resting at his thigh. “This wasback when Sami was a teenager, but… Heh. You remember that Acklay?”

Theyounger Mandalorian immediately perked up and started grinning. “Youtold that story for weeksafter!”

“Hey,that’s where I earned my signet—‘course I’d keep telling it!”

“Acklay…”Jackie rubbed at his chin. “You mean those freaky six-leggedbuggers that try to spear ya?”

Marvingrinned; his feline fangs were even sharper than Chase’s andglinted in the light from overhead. “Oh, yeah. And those legs aresharp,dammit.” He traced a line over his breastplate up to his shoulderand added, “Got a nastyscarhere from it, and proud of it!”

“Sowhat about the Acklay?” Schneep actually…tilted his head alittle. God was he expressive for a droid.

“Allright. Let’s see if this one-ups Chase’s ship-crash of anexperience, huh?” He took a swig of his drink, then settled backcomfortably. “I did a lot of our clan’s supply runs—especiallyif it was into dangerous territory. I had to go to Felucia for someplant. Not a botanist, so don’t remember what it was or what it wasused for, but whatever. We needed it and that’s all you need toknow about that.

“So,I was searching for this plant, watching my back for dangerous fauna,and then I heard it.” He gnashed his teeth together, making poorSami jump at the noise. “It was aboveme,on one of the…root-things all over the place. Just watching me. Andthe thing was huge.I’d only seen them from a distance until that point, but one goodstrike would’ve speared one of its legs straight through me.

“Whenit shifted, the entire root creaked under it. It must’ve beenwaiting there long before I got there ‘cause there was no way Iwouldn’t have heard it walk up there.” He muttered something inMando’a and chuckled to himself. “So I did what any impulsiveMandalorian would do and started shooting at it.”

Jamesonstartled Chase—as well as some of the others by the looks ofit—when he suddenly piped in. He hadn’t expected the guy toactually listen enough to contribute. “Acklays have exoskeletons. Ablaster such as you carry would do little.”

Marvinfrowned a little at Jameson, but at least he wasn’t baring histeeth this time. For once? “Yeah. And I remembered that fact onlywhen it lumbered off the damn root and nearly speared me under it.

“Thatwas back before I got my jetpack, and carried a vibroblade instead ofmy electrostaff.” He patted said weapon where it laid next to him.“So I was stuck on the ground with somethin’ a whole lot fasterthan me, with more reach, and those fuckers are scary agile, too. Iwas alone with the only things I’d have a chance with being a fewgrenades and my blade.”

Jackiearched a brow. “…You say that like ‘a few’ grenades are justa casual thing.”

“Well,yeah.Mandalorians are usually armed to the teeth.”

“Fangs,”Chase corrected with a chuckle. “’Cause you’re a Cathar, soyou’ve got fangs.”

Marvinjust snorted. “Someone get him to bed—”

“—I’mnot that drunk—!”

“—Anyway.So I’ve got this Acklay that’s way bigger than me trying to knockme over, spear me, chomp me, whatever it can. It broke some of mystraps, so I was left without a breastplate or right pauldron, lostone of my blasters, I’m dragging my sash in my hands since that gotcut, too, and I reallywantedto keep my grenades with me, all while I’m trying not to let thisthing make a meal of me and it’s screeching in my ear.

“SoI’m trying to duck around plants and dive for areas it can’t fit,but it just plows through or destroys them to leave me flounderingfor a new spot. I can see my ship, but this thing’s driving mefarther and farther from it, then I trip, and all I see is one of itslegs poised to impale me. I roll, but it still catches me,” hetraces the line on his chest again, “so now I’m bleeding, can’tmove one arm, and this thing reaches down to chomp me, catches myother pauldron instead and pulls it off so I scramble to my feet.

“I’mcovered in mud and pollen and my own blood, my visor’s so filthy Ican barely see. I pull a grenade off my sash and activate it, ‘causeat that point I’m thinking I’m about to die and I’m desperate.So I throw the fucker, and the Acklay snatches it out of the air andswallows it.

“Boom. Iwatched the thing get blown apart, grabbed my stuff and the plantafter looking around for it again, and beelined it for my ship.”

Samshook their head and grinned. “When he got back to camp he was amess.He was dragging the armor that was pulled off by its straps and hadhis arm against his chest. His collar bone had been broken and hedidn’t even sling his arm! The medical droid scolded himso bad. Andthe first thing he does? Pull off his helmet, grin a hugegrin,and give the plant to our leader all proud of himself!”

“Hey,I had a right to be proud!” Marvin turned to show the marks on hispauldron; sure enough, it was an Acklay head. “That’s how Iearned my signet!”

“…Damn.”Chase shook his head. “I’ve heard those things can kill groups oftrained soldiers if they’re caught off guard.”

“Impressive,”Schneep agreed. “Very impressive!”

“So.Anyone wanna one-up that?” the Cathar challenged.

Jackieshook his head. “I thought I had a story. No way it tops that.”

“Let’shear it anyway!” Chase said.

“Yes,please,” the droid agreed.

“Eh.Well.” He rubbed the back of his head. In the dimmed light of thecargo bay, it was almost eerie the way his red eyes glowed as he castthem around the room. “I was in my Y-Wing when Vader joined abattle?”

Chasechoked on his drink and was left coughing for a solid thirty seconds.“You survived anencounter with him?!”

“Ispotted his TIE from a distance, but it didn’t really…register?that it looked a little different from the rest? Soon as my squadleader saw it, I swear I was gonna go deaf. She flipped.Out. Orderingthe squad to retreat immediately.It was right about then that a star destroyer came outta hyperspace.

“Weknew that was it. We didn’t have a chanceofwinning that battle, so we fell back in the hopes of not losingmultiple squads.” Jackie frowned. “Half my squad was killed—allgood men, friends—when Vader showed up. Pretty sure he’s the onewho got to ‘em. I’d never been so terrified.  Heh. And I nevereven got close to it—just saw it on the other side of the battle.Even now, I don’t think anything’s scared me so damn bad asseein’ that one TIE.

“Iwouldn’t fly for daysafter that, and none of us would shut up about seeing it. We didn’twin that battle, but surviving that sorta encounter at least deservessome bragging rights. Right?”

“Wow!”Sam leaned forward, hands on their knees. “I’ve only ever heardstories of him, but that sounds scary!” They were…grinning, asthey said it. Of course they were, Chase thought with a chuckle. Heswore those two Mandalorians were addicted to danger. Maybe he was alittle, too, but hey.

“Okay,we’ve got a game goin’ now,” Jackie said. “Someone’s gottago next.”

Schneepshuffled awkwardly, then offered, “I was stolen by pirates?”

“Hey,now.” The Chiss frowned despite the story he’d just told. “Werescued you. Can’t hold that over our heads forever.”

“Oh,no, no!” He put up his hands, shook his head. “You saved me fromthe third time! But I’ve been stolen before.”

“…Third time?”

“Bypirates, yes.”

“Thatimplies you’ve been stolen by things other than pirates, too,”Marvin muttered with a huffed laugh.

“Dude,”Chase grinned, “you’ve gottellus about the first time. Or second—whichever’s more interesting.Please?”

Thearms set into Schneep’s back for more fine-tuned work shifted andclattered and his eyes brightened a bit. Maybe he couldn’t makefacial expressions, but he had other ways of showing how he felt. Itwas frankly adorable how expressive he actually was.

“Thishappened during the Clone Wars. I was a Republic medical droid—”

“I…hadforgotten how old you were,” Jameson said.

Jackiescoffed. “Youforgotsomething? You’ve got like. A literalcomputerattached to your head.”

“Itdidn’t seem like important information, so I disregarded it.”

“Guys,”Chase scolded, “don’t interrupt him.”

Hisextra arms fidgeted even as he tried to remain still. “I had beenstationed at a small outpost to tend to the Clones there. It was toosmall and not well-defended—in a very bad location, as well. Verybad planning overall. That is what I was told. Pirates were able tooverwhelm it.

“Theytook hostages, stole the droids and supplies, and fled back to theirship before reinforcements arrived.” He put his hands on his hipslike he was disappointed, but also chuckled. “They tried to shortme out! But they shocked themselves instead—is very funny toremember. They cursed and jumped around while their little machinezipped and zapped. The astromechs they stole found it hilarious andwould not stop chittering!”

Chaselaughed. That seemed to make Schneep a little more confident—hewasn’t used to talking so much about himself, it was clear, but theBothan hoped he would start loosening up like this more often.

“Thepirates were incompetent. They overwhelmed the outpost with sheernumber and firepower, but I swear, far dumber than a battle droid.The Clones complimented one with insults—right to his face!—andhe took it as genuine!

“Theyfloundered around each other like the fish out of water! Oneaccidentally released one of the Clones and the poor man was soconfused that he just sat there waiting to be cuffed again, andanother nearly shot his buddy while cleaning a blaster and having itgo off. It was maddening! They wanted to sell us droids and ransomthe Clones, but the truly frustrating part was watching them all bethe idiots! I do not even think we were worried for our ownwell-being they were so nonsensical!”

Mostof them were laughing, now. Even Jameson had his head tilted like hejust couldn’t make sense of pirates. One of the lights on his AJ^6was even blinking very, veryslowly.

“Dude.”It took Chase a couple tries to actually get any proper words outthrough snickers, “I’m actually afraid of the answer, but… Howbadly did you embarrass them to get away?”

Thedroid cupped his hands over his face and laughed again. “The Clonestricked them into undoing their binds, but they were still locked inthe cell. So the astromechs—they ambushed a pirate and stole thekey from him!”

“Oh,god. Didthey not know how freaking feistymechscan be?! You don’t tick them off—‘speciallynot a group of ‘em!”

“Apparentlynot! They zipped and zapped and pinched until they got the key andreleased the Clones, and then they took over the ship! The pirateswere locked out of the cockpit and the mechs found us the nearestRepublic fleet. We all had such a hard time believing it actuallyhappened—and no one would believe us!They could not believe someone could possibly be thatincompetent!”

Samilooked like they were having a hard time breathing they were laughingso hard, and both Jackie and Marvin had covered their faces.

“…Ithink Schneep wins for most entertaining story,” Chase suggested.The others only nodded. “Unless Jameson..?”

“Ihave nothing interesting to tell.”

“…Oh-kay.Our dear droid with the freakin’ comedy goldofdumb pirate stories wins.”

Schneepclasped his hands together, something in his chest chirping.