#for freesia-writes

[arcsimper5]

Hehe, the first kiss prompts are irresistible! 😂💙 I’ve got a request, if you find it inspiring, and if not, feel free to ignore!

How about hands on the cheeks… with whomever you are most feelin? 🥹 Just that deliciously satisfying yearning finally coming to fruition? 🙈

Fun to read if you choose to write it! 💙

AHHHH I'm so sorry it took me so long to answer this, I've been so caught up in work and writing other stuff but AHHH I FINALLY DID IT!

I went with Hunter, because it just seemed right to me, I hope you like it!

Word count: 2626 Pairing: Hunter x Reader (no name) Rating: M (blood, minor injury, peril, darkness, lots of angst, pining, premature mourning) Please let me know if I missed anything! And thank you so much for the prompt!

“Look out!”

Hunter’s warning came too late for you to respond, the ground beneath you trembling with the force of the cave-in rapidly gaining on your position.

Damn Cid, you thought to yourself, panting for breath as you sprinted forward, Omega by your side, damn her and her stupid missions. The cache she’d bought the location for had been empty, and you’d already known this mission was going to be a disaster when the rain started pouring the moment you touched down.

Now, the rocks that made up the old cave system had finally buckled with the movement of the ground thanks to the water above, beginning with small creaks and groans, quickly turning into certain death, the rocks crashing behind you creating splintering crevasses in the ground.

You first felt your foot slip as the ground opened up beneath you, Omega’s shrill shriek ringing in your ears as the sensation of falling overtook you.

It wasn’t even a conscious thought as you reached for Omega, using all of your strength to grab ahold of her jacket and throw her away from the rapidly growing hole in the ground, her eyes wide as Wrecker caught her midair and turned to run, your footing failing you.

As Omega screamed your name helplessly, Hunter turned, watching in horror as your eyes met seconds before you slipped out of view, consumed by complete and utter darkness.

Rocks and dirt crashed around you, one last deep breath taken as you landed with a sickening crunch onto hard ground, eyes closing as you waited for the end.

The groaning of rock on rock above you made you flinch, like nails on chalkboard, screaming in your ears while tiny streams of dirt and pebbles pelted your face.

Raising your hand in defense, an utterly useless motion against tonnes of rock, you chastised yourself internally, you waited. And waited.

The noise of the collapse faded, the steady flow of dirt and rocks dying out as the world around you settled, no longer tickling your face.

Daring to open your eyes, you found the exercise useless; pure, pitch black surrounded you, blinding you to your surroundings.

Swallowing hard, you dared to move a little, breath hitching as a few rocks fell from the gaps in your armour onto the floor below.

Feeling around, your hands came to rest on a large slab of rock above you, tracing the jagged edges to the sides of the crevasse; it had been caught mere feet above you by sheer luck, your lungs burning as you inhaled a shuddering breath, barely holding back manic laughter.

You’d survived the fall, and narrowly avoided being crushed by the falling rocks, but now you were faced with another problem; escaping your new prison.

Slowing your breathing, your thoughts drifted to Hunter, Omega and the others, tears burning in your eyes.

They were safe. They’d made it out. But Hunter’s scream of your name when he’d seen you fall, the expression in his eyes as he’d watched helplessly… it only added to the regret building inside you.

You should have told him. You should have been honest. You should have admitted you loved him months ago, when you figured it out yourself, a night you’d spent watching stars with him on top of the Marauder, your head laid on his chest as meteors scorched through the inky blackness overhead.

His warmth had radiated through every inch of your body, sending pleasant shivers through you as his hands ran up and down your arms, trying to warm you even more.

You’d come so close to kissing him then, your eyes locked with each others, flickering down to his lips and his to yours, a question in his gaze you wanted so badly to answer.

But as you were about to meet, eyes fluttering closed, preparing to brush your lips together, you jolted apart at Wrecker’s shout as he came out to relieve Hunter of watch, clambering up onto the roof with you and joining in your star watching.

And now… Now you might never get the chance.

The thought awoke something in you, some deep determination you didn’t even realise you possessed.

You were not going to die like this. You were going to find a way out, back to your friends, you family. And you were going to tell Hunter how you felt.

As you nodded to yourself, a soft sound floated through the darkness, the loss of your vision enhancing your other senses to an almost painful degree. Holding your breath, you tilted your head slightly, hope flaring in your heart; it was water… Running water!

If you could find your way to it, there may be an exit to the outside.

With one last firm nod, you steeled yourself, drawing a deep, shuddering breath as you scrambled to your feet and began feeling your way along the walls of the cave, following the sound.

*-*-*

“You must calm down, Hunter,” Tech ordered sternly as he watched Wrecker lift their brother away from the bloodied rocks that blocked what was once the entrance to the cave they had just escaped from, the sergeant’s limbs flailing wildly as he fought against the grip holding him, tears streaming down his face.

“No, no! I need… we need to get her, to get her out!”

Wrecker’s expression was one of pure anguish as he sat Hunter down on a rock next to Omega the young girl’s legs pulled up to her chest, her body rocking as she cried silent tears of her own.

“Your current emotional state is of no use to anyone,” Tech informed him flatly, bending down as Wrecker stepped away, his hands held out as if trying to placate Hunter, like he might bolt back to the rocks at any moment, “we need to think about this clearly and rationally.”

Hunter shook his head, hands trembling as Tech tutted, grabbing his medkit from one of the pouches on his belt and examining his brother’s tattered fingers, the nails broken and ragged from clawing desperately at the rocks, small red rivulets dropping onto the floor below.

“I should, should have been there,” Hunter gasped, wincing as Tech sprayed his wounds with disinfectant, quickly adding bacta and beginning to wrap his fingers one by one, “I should… should have stayed close. She… she’s…”

Wrecker’s breath hitched as he collapsed on the rock Omega was sat on, shaking his head.

“Don’t say it, Hunter,” he pleaded, opening his arm to his sister as she let out a sob, crawling into his lap seeking comfort, “please… don’t…”

“It’s my fault,” Omega sniffed wetly from his arms, every breath hitching as she cried into his chest, “if I hadn’t fallen, if she hadn’t come back for me…”

Behind them, Echo crested the small hill, coming back into view from his trip to the Marauder, a seismic scanner hung around his neck by a frayed canvas strap. He paused as he heard Omega’s sobbing, taking in the sight of his brothers, his jaw clenching.

“Hey, what’s with the tears?” he called sternly, moving to stand in front of them as Tech finished with Hunter’s bandages, the sergeant staring at the ground in despair. “I thought we were getting ready for a rescue?”

“She’s gone,” Hunter croaked, his tone utterly broken, “I… I can’t hear her. Can’t… can’t feel her heartbeat…”

He’d been straining himself since the moment he’d lost sight of her, the fear in her eyes scorched forever into his memory. The settling earth murmured beneath them, the clouds above swelled and flowed across the sky, the sound of a small river a few kilometres away drifted through the air, but that was it.

Every one of the Batch’s heartbeats rang in his ears, but not hers.

Echo frowned at him, waving the seismic scanner in annoyance.

“Why do you think I’ve got this?” he questioned, frustrated as he moved towards Omega, crouching down in front of her. “The rock is too thick for Hunter to hear through. She might have fallen in deep, but she’s tough, like us. We’ll find her using this, and we’ll get her out, yeah?”

Tech frowned, rolling his eyes at his brother.

“The likelihood of her having survived a fall and the subsequent rockslide, along with the risks presented by exposure and dehydration make her chances of survival…”

“Enough,” Echo snapped back at the engineer, snarling as tears conftinued to drip onto the dusty ground at Hunter’s feet, the cyborg letting out a sigh. “We’ve survived worse odds than this. We’ve been through the ringer, and we’re all still here. We’re not giving up, you hear? We’ll get her back.”

Omega nodded, sniffing away her tears and wiping furiously at her face, steeling her expression as met Echo’s gaze, nodding to the seismic scanner.

“I want to help,” she croaked, “tell me how.”

Echo smiled weakly at her, his own emotions welling in his chest. He knew the chances were slim, but so were his chances of survival the Citadel. And yet here he was.

“Atta girl,” he smiled, jerking his head back as he looked at Wrecker. “Tech will come with me. Wreck, stay with Hunter. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“Gotcha,” Wrecker managed, forcing a smile as he let Omega down from his lap, clapping a large hand on her shoulder in comfort. “Echo’s right, kid. We’ll find her, ‘kay?”

“‘Kay,” Omega replied with a weak smile, fighting back more tears as she latched herself to Echo’s side, the cyborg ignoring the pointed look from Tech as they moved towards the cave entrance, firing up the scanner.

Hunter remained silent as Wrecker came to sat next to him, unsure of what to do. He’d never seen Hunter in a state like this, almost catatonic.

“Ya… ya doin’ okay, Hunter?” he prompted carefully, frowning when his brother huffed in annoyance. “Look, I know it looks bad, but Echo’s right! We’ve been through a lot. She’s tough. If anyone could survive…”

“I should have told her,” Hunter interrupted him, Wrecker drawing back a little to look over Hunter, confused by the statement.

“Uh… Told her what?”

“How I felt,” Hunter breathed, closing his eyes tightly, more fat tears falling into the dirt, staining the earth with his grief. “I… I had so many chances… and I… I couldn’t. She deserves better than a clone. Better than me. I let her down. I’ve done it again, let her fall…”

When he finally looked up, meeting Wrecker’s gaze, there was an utterly broken look in his eyes, one that caused Wrecker’s throat to tighten uncomfortably.

“I love her, Wreck… I love her, and I… I didn’t… I’ll never get to tell her. I… I’m so stupid…”

Falling back into silence, Hunter looked up to the sky, drawing in deep shuddering breaths.

“Ya can’t blame yourself, Hunter,” Wrecker tried desperate, laying a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “she knew what she was doing. She saved ‘Mega.”

“And I should have been there,” Hunter hissed through gritted teeth, anger growing from his sadness, “I should have…”

A sudden splashing sound caught his attention, distant, but clear.

Wrecker began to speak again, but quickly fell silent as Hunter shushed him, standing up and closing his eyes, listening intently.

Tech, Echo and Omega were still at the cave entrance, conversing lowly, the soft hum of the seismic sensor fading into the background as he focused on the faint sound in the distance, the sound echoing over the sand covered hills.

The splashing sounded again, this time accompanied by a gasp and a cough, spluttering and more deep breaths, a faint heartbeat vibrating through the air.

Hunter didn’t even speak, he simply opened his eyes and ran, ignoring Wrecker’s shout after him. He heard Echo, Tech and Omega call as well, their footsteps quickly joining to pursue him, but it didn’t matter.

Not when he could feel that familiar thumping, not when he could hear the clacking of plastoid.

He didn’t know how far he ran, nor did he care about the way his lungs burned with the effort, his legs trembling by the time he crested the hill just above where the sound was coming from, soft words beginning to float through the air, unmistakable.

“Havoc 1, come in? Havoc 2? Echo? Anyone?”

With one last push, he made it to the ridge, his knees giving out as he caught sight of her, the familiar outline, scent and voice overwhelming him.

*-*-*

A gasp of your name behind you made you jump as you pocketed your drenched comm, tutting in annoyance as water ran out of it, the electronics completely fried.

Wondering if you’d imagined it, you turned quickly, you breath hitching in your throat as you saw Hunter kneeled in the sand, his eyes wide, tears rolling down his cheeks as he panted for breath. He had obviously been sprinting, beads of sweat trailing down his forehead, his hair mussed, bandana askew.

“Hunter,” you breathed, the relief in your voice palpable. Scrambling towards him through the ankle deep water, you ignored the sting of the cuts and bruises that littered your body.

The escape from the cave system had been terrifying, being swept down an unground rapid system after wading through the river for some time, clutching at the walls in total darkness. And yet, you’d made it out, battered and beaten, but alive.

As Hunter called your name again, his voice broken with emotion, you scrambled up the bank, tears beginning to spill down your own cheeks as you got closer, his hands reaching out to you, as if he wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was real.

Within moments, you were out of the water, your clothes and hair still sopping wet, body trembling with adrenaline and cold, mere steps from him when he grabbed out for you, pulling you to your knees in front of him. A sob left his chest as he pressed his forehead to yours, uncaring of the water that still dripped from every inch of you, his hands coming up to cup your face, thumbs resting on your cheekbones.

“C-Cyare,” he choked, closing his eyes, breathing you in, “I’m so, I’m so kriffing sorry. I should have been there, I should have been with you…”

“Hunter, don’t,” you pleaded thickly, leaning into his embrace, pure relief rushing through every fibre of your being. “I did what I had to, I needed to get Omega out, I…”

Your words were cut off as he tilted his head back, his lips finding yours, crashing your mouths together with a passion that caught you off guard. You whimpered into his mouth as he clutched at you, fingertips digging into your jaw, holding you so tightly it might bruise, like if he let go you might float away.

Moaning as he slid his tongue over your bottom lip, he took full advantage, tilting his head to the side to deepen the kiss, your own hands moving to cord through his hair, remaining tangled in the thick, sweat soaked curls even as you parted, both panting for breath.

“Should have done that months ago,” he whispered, his lips brushing yours with every word, his eyes focusing on yours, warm swirling pools of molten chocolate causing a swirling deep in your gut, “I should never have waited. I… I love you, cyare… Forgive me?”

As the roar of the Marauder’s engines drifted through the air, the ship growing closer with every passing moment, you simply sighed as you pecked his lips again, tears of joy painting your cheeks.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Hunter,” you reassured him, pressing your foreheads together once more, a shiver running through you both. “And I love you too.”

[pinascreatorcorner]

Welcome to Piña’s Creator Corner

Once a week I will showcase a creator that I love in TCW/TBB fandom!

This week I want to shout out @freesia-writes 🥰🥰

Free writes such lovely fics and she has so much to be read!! She also has a spicy blog which will be showcased here later! From OC x Canon to x reader, Freesia is a prolific author and deserves so much love!

More than just being a talented writer, Free has contributed so much to the fandom. From putting together masterlists of artists and specific character fics to actively engaging others, she deserves so much love and recognition!

Just some of her work:

Howzer x OC long fic

Tech x OC long fic

Hunter x OC long fic

Compilation of Echo fics throughout the fandom

Please go check out everything she’s done. If anyone deserves the love, it’s Free!

Header by @gregorsmissingarmor

[perfectlywingedcrusade]

Hunter in the firelight 🧡

For @freesia-writes. Go check out her writing!

[mytyldotwav]

FREEEEEEEESIAAAAAAA

Freesia is a song from Guilty Gear XRD. But it could have been released in Strive and still hit just as fucking hard. That's because it's applicable to multiple aspects of the story.

Sol Badguy is one of the most powerful characters in the GG universe. At least, he's in the top 10 (probably??). Despite that, he's a grown man who is a grief-stricken mess and has questionable direction to his life.

In my opinion, this song is best interpreted as coming from Frederick. Not Sol, the Badass god-like gear that has saved the world on several occasions. Frederick Bulsara, the man that lost everything important to him.

The start of Freesia is someone reaching out to Frederick. Because really? Frederick does a lot of brooding and self-isolation. He wouldn't reach out to someone otherwise. His head isn't in the clouds, it's in space, drifting aimlessly amongst the stars.

But everything is fine, Frederick says. There's enough air for at least 2 people where he's at, and he's alone. So everything is ok. Frederick, or more accurately, Sol, has everything he needs. He's achieved great feats normal humans only could dream of achieving. He's reached greater heights than anyone ever has, and yet? Something is still missing.

There's enough air for 2 people up there. Boundless information. Wisdom beyond that of any normal human. But there's enough air for 2 people. And he knows why, but he can't bring himself to say it.

"The whole world is kind to me"

Yes, Sol has reason to be happy. Everyone has rewarded him for saving the world. Everyone appreciates what he has done in some way, and every day brings fresh start. The world has been ushered into a new era of peace; but there's someone missing. But Frederick can't bring himself to tell anyone what it is.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry..."

It'd be ungrateful for him to imply something was missing, or that something could be wrong. Sol apologizes, but laments his cowardice.

This next portion feels more like Frederick reaching out, or at least telling someone in passing about how miserable he is:

"The world may crumble down with just one piece missing"

Now, he is (to the best of his ability) trying to be genuine and honest about how life's trials have affected him. Frederick is saying that if he can't get that one thing back, if he can't reach his goals, why continue? Without this thing he's been pursuing for DECADES, actually being obtainable, his life has no purpose. He's just a shell of a man looking for comfort in the past.

This is where the dam breaks. This is where Frederick and Sol's lives converge into one. Frederick Bulsara is Sol Badguy and vice versa. He can't pretend that his reasons for fighting and living don't come from a place of loss and pain. He's not just bounty hunting for money, not just traveling the world because he can. His emotional strength isn't there because he's fixed all of his problems. His experiences have made him physically stronger, but mentally? He's exhausted and desperate for rest. Everything he has done up to this point has been for Aria Hale. But if she's gone, everything falls apart. There is no point.

That's why the song is named Freesia. A Freesia is a flower from South Africa that is commonly seen at weddings. They typically convey deep trust, friendship, thoughtfulness and sometimes purity.

And then the line hits. You know the one.

This moment in the song is an outburst of love, both platonic and romantic. This is the moment where Sol can't hide that he's still Frederick. He's still human. And damn it, he still loves that woman-- as Aria or Jack-O.

"Here I am" is a resignation. He tried ignoring the emotions building up inside of him for so long, neglected his humanity, acted as nothing but a weapon for so long, and he is tired. The mask falls off. He is finally allowing himself to be vulnerable and honest with the world.

Sol isn't proud of it.

He shouldn't have isolated himself for so long.

He shouldn't have lied about his emotions.

He shouldn't have pushed so many kind people away.

If he had done those things, maybe there would be less blood on his hands. Maybe he would have lived a more normal life.

But he knows that's not true. Aria meant too much to him. Sol would still miss her as desperately, even if he continued down a different path.

Yes, he had reasons to feel the things he felt. But at the same time, there were also so many people willing to help him start again. and he sees it now, as clear as day. Aria had been his world for so long. But he was missing so many beautiful things because of it. Frederick had spent so much time trying to save Aria that he became single minded in his endeavor. It led him to become isolated. It kept him from living his own life and that's what Aria wanted for him so badly. She didn't want to weigh on his mind, she wanted the happy memories of them to help Frederick continue living.

So the apologies tumble out again for the last time.

Frederick was surrounded by, and floating through galaxies. Worlds of people surrounded him and yet everything was touch and go. A passing greeting. A quick handshake. Knowing glances. He had recognition, respect, power, and yet, when the fight was over? Sol would leave it all behind again and move back to Aria. But that isn't what she would have wanted.

Reading through the lyrics, I initially thought Frederick was saying that he couldn't protect or save Aria, and that was what the final line meant. But I believe that's not the whole message. Frederick wasn't able to prove himself to Aria: Sol didn't keep living on like she wanted him to. He forgot her final wishes in his grief, and for the first time, he sees that. Now, finally, Frederick is ready to fulfill them.

• ○ ● Thanks for reading! ● ○ ●

[subukunojess]

The Official Flowers of the Aidenverse

With the polls ended and going over comments, I have found lots of flowers that would help with symbolism with the main characters from my fanfic series "Aiding A Pal". After carefully going over each flower and suggestions, I saw that they all are great plants and if I were to do a bouquet for each character, they would get all the flowers. For the purpose of my fics, however, I narrowed it down to a few that will make it to my stories. So here's the official line-up of flowers/plants that will appear in my Aidenverse of Poppy Playtime Fanfiction and their meaning:

Poppy - The titular motif of the canon game which gets more of a role in an upcoming one-shot. (Sleep, Peace, Death, Consolation, remembrance)

Forget-Me-Not - This could be for the characters in general, but I mainly use this for Aiden's amnesia. (Memory, faithfulness, true love, respect, connection)

Fuchsia - Represents the protective nature of the main cast. (Trust, love, friendship, resilience, protection, patience, creative, confidence)

Purple Hyacinth - Aiden's flower. In the canon games so far, there is an emphasis about guilt, so I wanted a flower to represent that. (Deep regret, sorrow, forgiveness, playfulness, power, beauty, rebirth, renewal)

Yellow Freesia - Jack's flower. I wanted a yellow flower that represents innocence, so this one came to me. (Friendship, optimism, happiness, joy, innocence)

Orange Pansy/Montbretia - Matthew's flower. I know that Pansy won in my poll, but I love how Montbretia looks and its meaning, so I decided to compromise. Matthew starts out as Pansy but when he gets character development and bolder, his flower changes into Montbretia. (Pansy - Freethinking, warmth, hope, optimism, celebration, perseverance, compassion, love; Montbretia - Boldness, confidence, deep emotion, strong friendship, joy, passion, adventure, warmth, vitality)

Thistle - Kevin's flower. At first, I wanted a red flower for his rage, but I didn't want the flower to be taken out of context. I love the suggestion of a thistle, so I decided to stick with it and the poll result. (Resilience, Strength, Devotion, Determination, protection, pride, royalty, pain, aggression, intrusion, bravery)

And because of my love for plants/Little Shop of Horrors, all the flowers can turn into Venus Flytraps because WHY NOT!

Honorable Mentions: Passion flowers, Rue, Red Columbine

[theoldhereafter]

Scene: when a ghost sees her first love picking flowers for her grave

The voice isn’t what surprises him, but Louis Ann’s reaction to hearing it. Ed looks at her, in the coat and dress he recently burned for her, and follows the path of her watery blue eyes. The woman—in her mid-forties, Ed guesses, with a lovely face and even lovelier hair—is perusing through the arrangement of Freesias near the flower shop’s entrance, a wicker basket hanging from her arm. She already has a bouquet of pink carnations in it, bright and sweet to the eyes. An employee, the one she probably talked to, has already turned their back and is returning to whatever they were doing beforehand.

It takes a moment for Ed to realize who she is, to recognize her, since all that he knows of this woman is from Louis Ann’s words, but he cannot deny that she hadn’t exaggerated her beauty. In fact, he might even argue she’d done her an injustice. Is there such a way for a woman to look as heavenly as she is lonely?

He turns his attention back to Louis Ann, now faced with that infamous frown of hers, with a scrunched nose and bitten lip. “What do you want to do?” Ed asks, voice quiet, because it wouldn’t do them any good if people started questioning why he’s talking to air.

Louis Ann sucks in a breath. “I don’t know,” she says, expression falling with a sigh. Her frown has turned resigned, and Ed isn’t sure which one is worse to see. “I’ve thought about us meeting so many times now, I even dreamed of it sometimes, but—” she falters.

“But?”

“Truthfully, I never was prepared to see her so old. She always looked the same in my head, that young, spriteful image of her when she was twenty.” Louis Ann gestures to herself then; her pasty skin, the lack of wrinkles due to her ‘youth’. “But that’s because I can’t even imagine myself looking fifty.”

A heavy silence lingers between them. Ed wishes he could comfort her, to ease some of her pain, but he knows Louis Ann won’t want it. She accepts hugs when talking about her murder, and pats on the back whenever she gets heated about Laurence, but the moment the name Helen Larkspur is said or even remotely implied, she balls everything up and silences herself.

Ed understands, in his own way. Helen is her wound. His father is his.

“I’m still stuck in that forest,” Louis Ann says, “even if I’m… I’m here, my body will rot there, and she will continue to live on without me.” She visibly bites back a sob, shoulders shaking with faint tremors. “She’s lived an entire life at this point.”

“Almost an entire life.” Louis Ann raises an eyebrow at him. “Fifty is still a young age, if you genuinely consider it.”

She scoffs. “I’m still younger.”

“Physically,” mumbles Ed. “Just physically.”

Louis Ann’s nose twitches in a certain way he knows means she’s bothered, so Ed stops and doesn’t poke anymore. He steals a glance at Larkspur once more, scrutinizing her and her flower of choice. She’s still picking between colored Freesias, and it has him thinking.

Louis Ann answers him before he can even ask: “She’s visiting my grave later.”

Well, that makes sense. Ed shifts his feet so that he’s more turned towards Louis Ann. That’s why we’re here too.

Her face is all gloomy and reserved now; she’s chewing furiously on her lips. The contrast to her cheek and warmth earlier when rambling to him about Alexander is jarring. Ed doesn’t like it—the reticence, her teary eyes, the pain nobody else can witness. It has him asking her a second time.

“What do you want to do?”

She shrugs with a head shake, dismissing him.

Ed takes the sight of her in, looks back at Helen Larkspur, and offers, “Use my body to talk to her.”

That drags Louis Ann out of her melancholy. “What are you saying?” she hisses out, smacking him on the shoulder, though the only impact it has is a chill down his spine. “Don’t you dare trick me, Ed. That’s low, even for you!”

“I’m trying to give you a choice, Louis Ann,” says Ed, the syllables of her name stressed. “It’s just a quick possession, what could go wrong?”

“What could go wrong—” she sputters at that. Ed can imagine her cheeks becoming the same copper shade as her hair. They don’t, truly. She lacks the blood to redden them. “Are you daft? No, do you think of me as daft? I haven’t forgotten your little schtick from last week’s mission, Ed. I said that would be the final time, so no more.”

Ed wrinkles his nose. “A one time mistake,” he says, “and you’ll hold it against me forever?

“A mistake that lasted thirty minutes, that could have killed you.” Her eyes are pained, still, but for a different reason entirely. “I don’t want your body, Ed. I don’t want to take your life away. You don’t get to use me to hurt yourself, Ed—that’s not fair. To me, to you. Just not fair.”

She almost looks like Beatrice in her concern and frustration. It endears him, and it becomes easy for him to let the anger simmer before speaking up, determinedly. “It’s my body, Louis Ann, therefore I get to choose who inhabits it.”

“Not unless you want to die!” she screams, but no heads turn, because nobody else can hear her.

He grimaces, biting on her name, “Louis Ann—”

“You don’t get to do that, Ed.” She sounds betrayed. “You don’t get to turn me into a murderer!”

“Louis Ann!”

Ed tries to whisper, he genuinely does—but he fails. She’s always been a flint striker on his nerves, the one new fuse he gained after his father passed. So he yells this, her sweet name that people will only see on a gravestone. Ed feels the eyes of others land on him immediately. The workers, the other customers, Larkspur.

How does she look? He doesn’t ask this, just scans her face, gaunt and pale. Sees her eyes on her. Does she grieve at the mere mention of you like you do her?

Curiosity dies easily when nothing feeds the fire of it, and their gazes soon fall away, moving elsewhere. All but her, Ed believes; the weight remains steady on his back. They almost feel pleading, and he’s half-tempted to swerve around, stare right back at her, see the grief firsthand. He doesn’t. That would be cruel, too cruel, and Louis Ann would have his head if he ever becomes a cause for Larkspur to cry, even if she’s the underlying reason for everything.

“She’s staring,” Louis Ann grumbles.

Ed fires back, “I know.”

“Great, her attention’s on us because of your stupidity.”

“Her attention’s on me. Probably questioning if your death anniversary has her hearing your name in random flower shops…”

“Take out your phone,” she demands, impatient. “We’re talking, and I don’t want any more people seeing you speak to nothing and think you’re crazy.”

Ed softens at that. “You’re not nothing.”

“Compared to them”��she swings a wild arm to the rest of the shop—“I am nothing, Ed. Have been nothing for quite a while now.”

Despite the softened edge to his annoyance, Ed stays quiet, hands kept at his sides.

Louis Ann crosses her arms and returns the silent treatment.

Not much later, Ed sees Larkspur huddle away to a corner of the shop, a sickly sheen over her face. The ringing of her name must have died down. He’s not certain, but that’s how it was for Ed in the long days after the funeral, and even until now. His father’s name is a ringing echo, haunting, and he’d rather it be like this.

To forget it would be worse.

Only after Louis Ann has stopped staring desperately at Larkspur’s retreating figure does Ed speak again, and he whispers quieter than he’s had before. “Take the chance already. I promise I won’t stray far, and when you feel that you’re done, I’ll go back inside. No tricks, no excuses.” Ed wants this for her. The closure, the balm on festering wounds, the conversation that could heal. He’ll never have that, so he wants her to have it at least.

Though her forehead is all wrinkled up as she sneers, a persistent sadness lays on top of Louis Ann’s face. She is hesitant when opening her mouth, twisting and turning his words in her head, maybe trying to weed out any hint of deceit.

She will find none. Ed is genuine this time—and it wouldn’t be convenient for Louis Ann to be stuck in his body at a time like this. Not with DABDA right on their heels.

In the end, Louis Ann doesn’t concede with a harried “Alright” or even a threatening “If you’re lying…” like he expects. Rather, she goes about this the same way she did at the very beginning of their journey together: selfishly and guiltlessly as she presses against the walls of his consciousness.

The severance is cold, like always. The sensation of the Hereafter is discombobulating. Ed thinks of Beatrice to keep close as he promised, thinks of his father.

No matter the times they have done this exchange, it remains an experience seeing his body take the mannerisms of another, the blue of Louis Ann’s eyes over his own.

[maeshelix]

I hope this isn't rude or offensive to ask, but how many of you are there? And what're your names? :3

Anon. My dear friend.

Not only is this not rude at all, but we've been looking for the perfect excuse to make a little introduction post about us since we found out we were we!!!

At least, I have lmao. And you just gave me that excuse right now let's goooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

So!!! At the moment, there's about 10 of us, possibly 12??? Not sure yet, I'll let one of them edit this if I'm wrong and they exist lmao. But for now just operate on there being 10 peeps in here!!!

(Edit: It is actually twelve. Hello. I think I'll let Rokoko handle edits to the list proper though. She seems to enjoy that immensely-❤️)

(She seems to enjoy most things immensely lmao-💙)

(Edit edit: It's so many more now. It's been awhile since we updated this. Rokoko. ( `_ゝ´).)

(Anyways. Stay tuned for an update. Someday. - F.E.)

More after the break (^-^)

First up on the list is meeeeeeeeee :3c Rokoko is the name and fun is my favorite game!!! I'm the resident clown-bot-girl of this particular system, a certified Delight here to spread joy and positivity in whatever ways I can!!! Usually through jokes!!! Though mostly because our body couldn't do half the shit I can do internally if we tried and also all of our friends are in completely different states and countries so we couldn't even hug or dance with any of them if I wanted to. And goodness knows I want to!!!

Next up is Salem!!!!!! My best buddy Salem!!!!!! She's basically the polar opposite to me lmao. She's a Protector who's perpetually tired and bitter cause the world kinda sorta sucks alot lmao. She's super sweet and kind if you get on her good side though!!! Which is harder then you think to get on but easier then you'd think!!! She's also a big tough werewolf girl who wants to look both cute and badass!!! Like a big metal spike wrapped in cute red ribbon ^_^

Next, there's Zero!!! She's a super cute robot girl like me!!! Except she's not really into the whole having emotions thing like I am. Like, she still has them (can't really completely avoid those while stuck in a human body after all) but she'd really prefer if she didn't, and she's told me that herself!!! Nonetheless, she's a logical and loyal little perfectionist AI who loves us just as much as we love her 💝💝💝. We're not really sure what her role within the system is (and honestly we don't really sweat it when it comes to roles in the system. Some of us know it instinctively but others don't and that's honestly fine!!!) But we know she's really witty and really smart!!! When she wants to be. She's also kind lazy, heehee :p

There's Daisy, who's a total sweetheart honestly. So much so that she's usually kinda sad and scared of the world around us which, fair lmao. She's a teeny tiny plant girl who just wants to be happy and loved and who's willing to help out in whatever ways she can. She's also adorable and again, soso sweet omgggggg you have no idea!!!

Marking the midway point of this list is Freesia!!! The suave moth demoness of our little family!!! She's an incredibly kind and loving woman who would probably help you move houses if you asked her to. I think she's a Caretaker??? Again, we don't really sweat labels here but it definitely fits with her in my opinion!!! She doesn't really come out often though, which sucks!!! @our brain, let the gal out every now and then she deserves time to herself!!!

Sleepy is next and we know basically nothing about her!!! Mostly because she rarely comes out, at least lately. Despite that though, we know that she's a big ol' goofball who says the most random shit sometimes and honestly, i love that aboit her (^ー^). Also fun fact!!! She's actually the one who originally tipped us off to being us in the first place!!! In that she was the first one to notice that she was different from whoever was in front at first one day and went "huh. Damn that's weird bro." I think she also miiiight controls when we feel especially ready to sleep (hence her name!!! I think. It could also be that she's just really really tired most the time, I honestly dunno!!!) so that's cool!!!

Next up, in no particular order, is Miranda!!! And next to Sleepy we probably know the least about her, except that she formed after a point in time where we played nothing but Elden Ring for like a month, after a particularly stressful point in our life!!! As such, she speaks like a fusion of Melina and Ranni and kinda looks like one too!!! With four arms and everything!!! She's really into fantasy media, and I'm sure she's gonna have a ball whenever we get around to playing Baldur's Gate 3 (let's be honest girls, it's an inevitability at this point, we just gotta pick the time lmao).

Heading up the rearguard is Hana!!! She's a super chill grill with attitude( ￣▽￣). Almost as much of a jokester as me, she's just focused on relaxing and hanging out. She's a kinda fictive??? It's complicated, and not for public speculation!!! All you need to know is that she's got multiple wings like an angel and is super into DOOM!!! She's the best I love her o(^o^)o

If you're looking for a definitive fictive, then F.E. is the girl for you!!! I don't think she wants me to tell you what she's a fictive of, so I won't say her full name, but like. She's not really subtle about it let's be honest lmao. She's the one who usually comes to front and takes care of our body whenever our brain is just far too exhausted (emotionally or otherwise) for any of us to use it!!! Or whenever we're on painkillers. Either or lmao. We actually thought she was also Zero for the longest time since they both kinda have a similar "emotionless perfect being" thing going on, though eventually F.E. found out she's definitely different from Zero and here we are now!!! She's a nice and steadfast gal with a little bit of a mischievous streak and she's also our latest split!!! I love her (^.^)

Last, but certainly not least, probably, is our girl Silver!!! Unlike F.E., Silver's pretty open about what her source is, that being Silver the Hedgehog!!! And I'd say she act an awful lot like the OG telepath too!!! If just a liiiiittle more nervous and anxious. She's an optimist, but she's also a realist, and she never fails to have hope for the future!!! In spite of the evidence to the contrary lmao. She also thinks she's been here the longest too!!! Here being our brain of course. Which I believe!!! Makes sense that we'd have a Silver fictive as a kid lmao.

And that's the list so far!!! We'll probably just edit and re-edit this list whenever something new happens in here so keep an eye out for that!!! And of you can't then don't worry, cause I'm pinning this to the top of our silly little blog lmao.

Again, thank you for the ask anon!!! And I hope you enjoy my answer as much as I did writing it!!!

[bacarasbabe]

Hellooooo! I like your idea for asks! If it pleases the jury, may I request ☆ { laughing } mid way through with Howzer x Fem!Reader? 🥰 Many thanks!

Thank you for the request! I've never written for Howzer before but this was fun and I hope you like it! 🩵

Howzer's slightly chapped lips dusted along the length of your neck, feathering your heated skin with the whispers of promises he was intent upon keeping.

Legs tangled together as he presses his weight onto you, swirling tongues savoring salt slick skin, and then one misplaced bite that didn't hurt—but had the unfortunate consequences of coaxing out a rather unflattering high-pitched squeak that no doubt will be denied come morning.

A beat of silence between the two of you before smiles dissolved into fits of hysterical laughter, adding a glorious melody to the nocturnal songs of the summer insects of Ryloth as you clutched each other close.

Happiness, joy, peace—these emotions caused your heart to soar even higher as they played across your lover's face.

Tears overflowed, painting your smile-sore cheeks and leaving trails for your beloved follow, to kiss away once the laughter calmed down, to be replaced once more by slowly simmering desire that never seemed to disappear.

Send me a prompt and a character for a 5 Sentence Fic

[im-no-jedi]

Your ask parameters are so beautifully organized! Made my type A self happy. 😂 Soooo, if you would be so kind, could I request some headcanons about Wolffe? I don’t know him super well!

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent!

haha thank you!! just wanted to make things easy for people to comprehend LOL

oooooh headcanons for Wolffe?? I do love that grumpy man quite a bit 🥰 we haven't seen much of him though, have we? makes me even more excited to see him in season 3 of TBB 😁 but there's still plenty to work with imo. let's see...

he is loyal to a fault. once you've gained his trust, you've gained a companion for life. but similar to Dogma, it can actually be a detriment (like we saw in Rebels). and if you ever do something to break his trust... watch out 😳😬

while other Clones would argue he's a major party-pooper, he actually more often than not is up for some good fun. the rest of the Wolf Pack swears he's the best dancer of the whole battalion, but he'll deny it every time 😜

like his name would suggest, he greatly enjoys head pats. any sort of attention to his hair will instantly put him in a better mood and have him absolutely melt from the attention

his serious and grumpy demeanor instantly dissolves when he's around those closest to him. you know this man trusts you whole-heartedly if you can get a genuine smile out of him

the TV shows 100% censor him, that man has the mouth of a sailor like you wouldn't believe. he tries to tone it down around the Jedi, however Plo Koon never had a problem with it. if anything, Plo actually encouraged it cause he saw it as a way of Wolffe getting to fully express himself 🥺

he often scratches at the area around his cyber eye. not because it's itchy, but he often feels an itch there that he just can't scratch. like his injury is somehow taunting him. he's been told it's the scar tissue getting irritated, but no, it's more than that. it has to be. he can't explain it...

why yes, he does in fact growl and snarl when he's angry. there's a rumor he got so heated once that he straight up bit someone. no one's been brave enough to try and confirm this though 😏

that's all I got for now! I'm sure I'll have more once we see him again in TBB season 3 hehe 😋

[arcsimper5]

Jesse and Pookie!

This is for you @freesia-writes!

Inspired by the amazing fic as part of @p4vserviceanimalsau featuring Jesse, please enjoy this fanart!

Jesse is crashed out and Pookie would be more worried that he's missing a holo-call, were it not for the delicious spirefruit piece being consumed!

[spiderspatch]

applying songs made for other existing media like video games or movies or musicals or shows or something to my own ocs is so embarrassing for no reason. like yeah this really specific scenario that the song is portraying fits my guys perfectly . i swear this is a coincidence . yeah the arcs match and everything. im imagining my oc doing a passionate performance of the song that was made for a very different purpose as we speak. jesus christ someone just shoot me already

[starrylothcat]

If someone wants to be salivating with yearning, this one-shot of fem reader x Hunter is quite titillating. 😂 It leads into an optional second chapter that is pure smut, but the original post is SFW. 😏

https://www.tumblr.com/freesia-writes/717514551740022784/congratulations-on-the-followers-thats-so

FREE I just want to let you know I’m obsessed with both of these fics. Anything with Hunter and I’m a mess. ALSO the art…I almost passed out when I first saw it. Hunter stans this is for you ����

😳😮‍💨

Starry’s Spread the Love Event

[lunarcry]

missing her too.....

[toestalucia]

ch175<3

they were wrong for this btw (positive) (cried right after)

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

Helloooo! I’d love to hear about the fic questions #7, 15, and 26 if you feel so inclined! 😁

Helloooo Free~

Certainly! 🩷

# 7: A fic of yours you think is underrated?

That's a tough call! I think I'd go with... Tide Pools [TBB x GN!Reader] or maybe Rough Stuff [Wrecker x Fem!Reader]?

# 15: What are some of your favorite tropes to write?

Oh man. I'm a sucker for Soft!Clones. Or the Clones being treated softly and with kindness and love after everything they've had to endure. Or family content. Or the Clones' brotherly bonds. Absolutely feral for it. 🩷

(I could honestly ramble on about my ever-growing love for that theme and how I explore it with my OC series for a while, given the chance.)

Feel like it's a must to mention "Order 66 didn't happen if you ignore it hard enough".

# 26: What fic are you proudest of?

Oh, I'm really not sure, honestly! I'm proud of pretty much all of them for very different reasons so it's a little hard to pick. :')

[leenathegreengirl]

😍😍😍

Pets4Vets: Jesse (1/4)

Chapter 1 of 4 - Word Count: 3.2k - Jesse x Fem Reader Master List

“Thanks for dinner,” she said quietly, shifting her eyes from her plate to his and crossing one arm across herself to rub the outside of the other. 

“Yeah baby,” Jesse purred with a cocky grin. “I mean, I got the dinner but you brought the dessert.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a treat,” he said with a wag of his eyebrows. “Want to take the party back to your place?”

“Oh, um. I’ve got to work early, so I think that’s all I’ve got time for now. But thanks again,” she offered, trying to mask the cringe on her face with a disingenuous smile. 

“Alright, your loss… heheh…”

“Yeah…”

They made their way to the door of the restaurant, Jesse holding it open for her as she shuffled awkwardly past him. She hesitated on the sidewalk, turning back to face him with that same feeble grin. Another thanks for dinner. An offer to walk her home. Declined. A question about another date. After a long, uneasy pause, that was also declined.

Jesse kept up his best face, chest puffed and confidence set firmly in place, until she disappeared around the corner, then he slumped, turning to begin his own walk home. A glance at the chrono reminded him that he wasn’t allowed back in the apartment he shared with Kix for another hour and a half… The cramped flat they rented together didn’t allow for much privacy, and his roommate had been excited to take advantage of the alone time with his partner from Right to Love, a matchmaking service for clones wanting to live as freely as they were able since the war had ended and they were released from service. 

The endless flashing lights of the Coruscant streets were oppressively bright as he plodded aimlessly, unsure of where to go. A deep sense of resentment was growing within, and he didn’t realize he was muttering under his breath until a few strange looks from passersby clued him in. Many of his brothers had found immediate success with Right to Love, now experiencing the joys of a relationship in ways they’d never thought possible when they’d been nothing more than property their entire lives. And yet here he was, having tried to connect with five different people now, each one entirely put off by the end of the first date. His assigned case manager at Right to Love had assured him that matches weren’t always perfect the first time around, and sometimes the process took a little longer to ensure the ideal fit. 

Doubt was growing in the pit of his stomach as he walked. What was it about him that was getting in the way? He was throwing himself wholeheartedly into this pursuit, and yet each attempt seemed to be less encouraging than the last. The resentment began to coil in his chest, heating up into anger, and he leaned into it. Anger was familiar. Anger, he could deal with. It made him feel powerful and in control, pushing aside any tendrils of fear or sadness that lay at its core. A sign up his head caught his eye, and he turned abruptly to barge through the door. 

Music thumped inside, the small crowd on the dance floor moving as one to the beat, and he jostled his way around the edge to find a seat at the bar. He waited for a while, watching the bartender help customer after customer, including those that had arrived after him. When the man began polishing some glasses, Jesse finally called out, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Can I get some service here?”

The bartender slowly finished wiping his glass, sidling down to the end and resting his palms on the counter with no attempt to hide the disdain on his face. 

“Did your giant face tattoo block you from seeing the sign on the door?” he drawled. “No clones. Go back to your own district.”

“You’re living in the past,” Jesse growled, the snake in his chest twisting and hissing. “Credits are credits. What does it matter who they come from?” 

“Just get out,” exhorted a Zabrak on the stool beside him who’d had his back firmly turned to him from the start. “Before we make you.”

He’d had enough.

“Go ahead and try,” he snarled, smacking a fist on the counter and rising to his feet. The Zabrak was in his face immediately, flanked by a nat-born and a Weequay who looked far too excited to throw hands. 

“Know your place,” the nat-born taunted, leaping forward to throw a swing, which Jesse dodged and countered with one of his own, sinking a fist into the man’s stomach and earning a satisfying grunt of pain. The brawl exploded, quickly changing the three-on-one situation into an entire mob set on teaching the clone a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. The ARC trooper held his own, ducking and swinging, using leverage to toss one body into another, but the blows were coming from every direction. A foot to the back of his knee knocked him off balance, right into someone else’s fist.

The next thing he knew, he was unceremoniously thrown onto the sidewalk among a litany of curses and insults, and he scrambled to his feet, body throbbing with numerous bruises from the punches and kicks that had landed as he’d tried to hold them all off. His nose was bleeding, and he wiped it on his sleeve before pinching it hard, stalking toward his building in a tornado of rage. 

He sat outside on the stoop for the remaining hour, ruminating on the sheer injustice of it all. But eventually, the hot indignation quieted, and in the stillness, he fought to stuff down the disappointment that whispered judgment and failure in its place. 

* * * 

“Come on, give it a try.” Kix straightened his scrubs as Jesse slouched against his bedroom doorway. “It’ll be a different dynamic. Might be helpful.”

“I don’t need help,” Jesse scoffed, folding his arms across his broad chest. 

“I know,” Kix affirmed quickly, “But the food carts in the square are delicious. So bring your next date and just come along for that.” He smoothed a hand over his neatly-cut hair and tilted his head at his mirror, checking that the first few letters of his head tattoo were hidden as much as possible by his dark locks. The medical clinic he worked at had some fairly strict rules around personal appearance, and considering how difficult it was to find clone-friendly jobs, no matter how qualified they were, he wasn’t about to risk losing his placement over something as trivial as that. 

“Fine,” Jesse huffed. “I’m doing this for the ronto wraps, you know.”

Kix grinned, clapping him on the back and squeezing his shoulder as he headed for the front door. “You’ve been doing too much upper-body, vod. Have a leg day.”

“Hah. Go clean some crusty old geezers, di’kut.”

“Oh please. I’m saving lives out there,” Kix threw over his shoulder as the door closed behind him. Jesse sighed. That did seem like a much better purpose than his own job as a personal trainer at a local gym, where most of his clients were flaky hopefuls who wanted to get into shape without putting in the time and work that it required. It paid well enough, though, and gave him an outlet for a sense of purpose as well as a place to exercise. If he were honest, he’d hoped he’d meet someone there, figuring they’d be more aligned with his interests and lifestyle, but after months upon months of dismal prospects, he’d gone ahead and applied at Right to Love. He sighed, turning to rummage in the cooling chamber until it was time for work.

* * * 

Days of work and leisure blended together, and Jesse found himself spending more time at the gym, adding cardio sessions on top of his bodybuilding regimen as a way to blow off steam. He finally got another match from Right to Love and agreed to go on the double date with Kix and his partner, laboring a disproportionate amount of time over what to wear. He didn’t want to admit it, but with each date he felt increasingly desperate. Desperate to prove that there wasn’t something wrong with him. Desperate to feel like he had access to the whole variety of options for a “normal” life. Desperate to enjoy the care, intimacy, and connection that some of his brothers had found. 

He straightened the long-sleeved henley shirt and rolled up the sleeves a little. Ladies loved the forearms, right? Slipping a wallet into his back pocket, he checked his reflection one last time and ventured into the living room where Kix was waiting for him. 

“Here goes nothing,” he grumbled. 

“That’s the spirit,” Kix nodded sagely, a fond smirk on his face.

The square had a weekly event where all the food carts in the vicinity would gather to offer their delectable delicacies, and there really was something for everyone, making it a very popular attraction. Jesse swaggered beside his date, Kix and his partner bringing up the rear, and shared stories of valor and bravery as she nodded and made small sounds of agreement here and there. The four of them had shared some snacks from a variety of vendors and were now walking it off along the city streets. 

Coming to a somewhat scenic overlook of a steep dropoff with many Coruscant levels stretching down below, the four of them sat on a couple of benches. Kix stretched his arm across his partner’s shoulders, and they nestled into his side with an affectionate gaze. Jesse shifted awkwardly beside his date, a beautiful redhead that made his mouth go dry when he tried to talk. Yet he’d pushed past it with bravado and confidence, he felt simultaneously certain and completely unsure of her interest. Kix was murmuring in his date’s ear, bringing a demure smile to their face, and Jesse turned to look at the redhead beside him. 

“So… You mentioned some adventures in the jungle… Did I tell you about our campaign on Felucia?” he asked, launching into the story before she was able to respond. He wove an exhilarating tale of their encounter with both Separatist forces and the Commerce Guild, finishing with a flourish and grinning proudly. 

“Sounds like the war was wild,” she offered.

“You’re karking right it was,” he laughed, attempting to slip his arm around her shoulder as well, but she stood up quickly. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I… I’m gonna go.” 

Jesse watched her leave, speechless, then was flooded with embarrassment as he felt the eyes of Kix and his partner on his back. He slowly turned to face them, and the empathetic looks on their faces added insult to the injury. 

“See you at home,” he muttered to his brother, nodding to Kix’s partner and stuffing his hands in his pockets as he trudged back to their apartment. Kix watched him for a long time, nodding at the murmured condolences from his partner, who was incredibly kind and gentle, both admiring and strong in their own right, and he was regularly blown away at the fact that he’d been able to find them. Their compassion only served to deepen his own hope that his brother could find whatever it was he was looking for. 

* * * 

The next morning, a much-needed day off of work for both of them, Jesse was sprawled on the couch with a lazy hand resting on the steaming mug of caf on the nearby side table. Kix was scrambling some eggs in the kitchen, casting the occasional glance over the counter at his brother’s dejected slump. He was torn; Jesse was notoriously stubborn, but Kix also knew him better than most anyone else, and if he kept continuing in the same pattern, he would likely keep getting the same result. He flipped the eggs one more time and turned off the burner, scattering some shredded cheese over the top of them and putting a lid over the pan to melt it all together. 

“You… uh… seemed different last night,” he ventured, picking up his own caf, now mostly cold, and sitting in the armchair across from the downcast clone. 

“Mmm,” was the only response. 

“Does it always go that way?”

“Mmm.”

“What’s… What’s with the swagger stuff?” Kix asked, abandoning the subtlety. Jesse cast a hard look at him, but he caught the quickly-concealed flicker of hurt beneath the tattooed face.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Just doesn’t really seem like you. Did you answer the questionnaire honestly?”

“Yes!” Jesse said defensively, furrowing his brow.

“Well… then that might be why the dates aren’t going so well, if they’re expecting you to act… normal. You’re smart and pretty down-to-earth most of the time. Last night it felt more like you were trying to prove yourself somehow.”

His words stung, and Jesse balked at the feeling of being perceived so accurately. But a sense of resignation had settled in again, and he shrugged, attempting a nonchalant facade. 

“I’m just gonna get a pet. That’ll have to lo–... to put up with me, right?”

“Sure,” Kix sighed. “I’ve heard good things about P4V.”

“Look, di’kut, I know I can’t even get a second date, let alone some bedroom action, but I don’t think I have the credits for a sex worker… At least not a good one.”

“Classy as always,” Kix rolled his eyes. “It’s not a brothel, it’s called Pets 4 Vets. They have a variety of service animals to help with the difficult aspects of adjusting to civilian life.”

“I want a good-sized Massiff, not some fluffy little Loth-rat to lick me when I have ‘big feelings’,” Jesse snorted. 

“Kriff, you are thick sometimes.”

“Just these thighs.”

“Right. Just try it.”

“We’ll see.”

* * * 

You stroked a hand down the bogling's back, running fingers along the soft fur of its fluffy tail. It leaned into your touch with a contented noise, and you closed the cage behind it, watching it begin delicately eating its food before moving to the next kennel. You’d been working at Pets 4 Vets for a while now, and you felt thoroughly at home amid a great group of coworkers and an even better assortment of animals from every corner of the galaxy. They were all either in the process or finished with their training to be emotional support animals for the veterans who had served the Republic so well. You’d been a little unsure around the clones at first, not having spent any time with them before this, but they’d grown on you quite a bit and you’d been amazed at the complexity and individuality of each one. You’d also developed a knack for pairing them with animals, although it still took a few tries at times. 

“Good morning, tookas,” you said warmly as you slid the food bowl into the next crate, watching the two loth-cats eye it lazily from where they were curled around each other in the corner. They were a bonded pair, and last summer they had surprised the entire staff with a full litter of the most adorable babies you’d ever seen, who had since grown and been placed into loving homes. None of you had been too eager to see the parents leave, however, and it just so happened that none of the troopers so far had been the ideal match for them. The two of them roamed the clinic during the day, curling up near computer terminals or gracing guests in the lobby with their tails high in the air. At night, all the animals were tucked into their cozy kennels until morning, when they’d be fed and let out into their various programs for the day. Some had hours of training, others enjoyed free time inside or out, and some simply spent as much time as possible shadowing the clinic staff. 

“I wish I got breakfast in bed,” you murmured as you closed their door, watching the loth-cats yawn and nuzzle one another. You felt a deep sense of longing in your chest, and moved to the next cage to try to keep your mind from continuing on its current trajectory. But it was a lost cause. “Wish I had someone to wake up next to as well,” you continued. The dating scene hadn’t been kind to you, and if you were honest, you’d pretty much given up. Your friends urged you to keep the dream alive, to go on double dates with them and to meet the various eligible bachelors they knew, but nothing felt like a good fit. You assumed the problem was with you. And that was alright. You were happy enough on your own…you said. The clinic staff was a tightly-knit group, for the most part, and you authentically loved the animals. You felt fulfilled by the unconditional love you shared with each one, and you were so proud at the growth you got to witness as they went through training. 

The horde was fed, each one was released to its daily duty, and you began to clean all of the kennels, wondering if you should take your friend up on her offer to check out 79s. It felt completely out of your comfort zone, however. Not because of the clones, but you just generally weren’t a fan of loud, raucous environments, and you weren’t much of a drinker… So it didn’t seem like a very attractive prospect. As much as you were mocked for it, you weren’t really keen on one night stands, nor were you good at “keeping it casual”. You wanted a relationship with depth and longevity. Sometimes you wondered if the taunts about you were correct, that you had in fact watched too many cheesy holofilms and now had an unrealistic view of romance. 

Whatever.

A few hours of cleaning were followed by an hour or so at your computer, reviewing and categorizing the new applications. You didn’t realize you’d been completely hunched the entire time, your back rounded as you tapped away at the keys, and would have remained blissfully unaware if the receptionist hadn’t commented on it as soon as she popped in. 

“Geez, you look like a shrimp,” she laughed, dropping a data card on your desk. 

“You’re a bit of a cod yourself,” you teased, and she giggled, swatting your arm. “What’s this?”

“A new app. I was gonna bring him back here in person but he said he had lots of ‘big important stuff’ to do.” She rolled her eyes. “Quite the cocky one. He didn’t want to go through the interview process because he ‘knew what he wanted and it was a big dog’.” A chuckle followed the words as they both nodded. They were familiar with the type.

“Did you tell him he has to do an interview if he wants anything at all?”

“Yup. Said you’d contact him.”

“Lucky me.”

“Thought you might like a challenge. It’s been quiet for you lately,” she grinned.

“Considerate as always,” you smiled right back. 

“Have some fun with him. He could use someone taking him down a peg or two. Although I thought I could see the remnant of a black eye, so maybe someone already tried. He’s a big boy, too.” A suggestive wink.

“Oh boy. Can’t wait.”

Next Chapter

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