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crosshairlovebot · 6 months

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enclosed intentions / crosshair gn!reader

pairing: crosshair x gn!reader (no y/n). reader has a nickname.

description: amid your growing feelings for the silver-haired sniper, you and crosshair are paired together on a mission that goes awry, which brings to light intentions you've been aching to know.

word count: 9,934 (pHEW!!)

warnings: near-death experience (everyone lives). landslide. heavy storms. enclosed spaces. minor injury. minor injury description. making out. light angst.

been wanting to write another crosshair fic for a while bc he's my GUY and i love him!!! season 3 is only fuelling the burning fire he stokes in my chest. i hope you enjoy this! strap in! it's a long one! (sorry if there are any errors, i've edited this but it's so long it's entirely possible that i missed some <3)

also posted this on ao3. feedback is welcomed, reblogs are appreciated.

More often than not, Clone Force 99 was sent on dangerous missions – missions too specialised for the regular battalions and squads that filled the Grand Army of the Republic. The missions that troubled Jedi Generals regarding the potential loss of men. But Clone Force 99 and their specialised skills took on those missions with ease, enthusiasm even.

You were about to embark on another one of those missions.

When you’d first joined the GAR as a medic, you’d heard rumours about the squad of defective clones and their enhanced skills, and you would be lying if you said you weren’t impressed by their reportedly unbroken mission success.

When Echo walked into your medbay after he’d been rescued from Skako Minor and you were the first to check over him – making him feel comfortable after years of prodding and inhumane treatment – it only made sense for you to join the team as a field medic to continue to treat him and the other members of the squad.

Though they were initially dubious of the idea of a nat-born joining their ranks, they had always been a misfit crew – you were only another addition to that, and it wasn’t long before your presence with the squad felt like being at home.

You got on with each of the members well, even if they grumbled and complained about your regularly scheduled medical check-ups after missions.

Tech was a great help in collating the medical files he’d made from when he acted as the informal medic. You joked along with Wrecker, who often used you as an alternate barbell, lifting you over his head to warm up before a mission. Hunter often conferred with you before mission briefings to go over any hazards that could harm them. Echo was probably your strongest bond, the trust that existed between you both created a level of closeness not shared with the other members of the squad.

But Crosshair…

You’d soon discovered that Crosshair was weary of anyone who wasn’t part of his immediate family, and you joining Clone Force 99 – and in such constant close quarters, meant your relationship with the sharpshooter was a little more distant than the others.

You tried not to let it bother you so much, but it was hard when you were joking with Wrecker, and you could feel Crosshair’s discerning enhanced eyes on you. You often ignored his gaze as best you could, but sometimes you would look over at him, and hold his eyes for a moment before he got up and walked away.

You wish you knew what those looks meant. You would lay in your bunk at night, and think about it, trying to piece together any patterns and figure out why Crosshair’s eyes never seemed to truly leave you.

Despite the distance between you both, it didn’t deter your intrigue about him. There was something about him that drew your attentions towards him.

If you didn’t feel his eyes on you, your eyes would find him. He was so fascinating to watch. Everything he did, he did with purpose; intention. Nothing about Crosshair was insignificant. Every word, every gesture, every look held meaning. You liked trying to figure it out, but you had yet to decipher much of it – especially when it was directed at you. He was like a puzzle that didn’t want to be solved, hiding all his answers in disappearing ink, you had to hold him up to the light to try and unravel him. You wished he would let you, but his terse demeanour kept you at bay - not wanting to disturb what balance you had.

So you were content to watch him from a distance. He was methodical about everything. Cleaning his rifle the same way after every mission, never missing a step, always performing each of them in the same order. His armour went on the same way. You would watch how his toothpicks would always dangle from his lips as he cleaned his prized weapon, and you would almost be hypnotised by the way he moved the wooden stick between his teeth. You spent so much time staring at his mouth, that you could probably draw it from memory.

He was magnetising.

Whenever you needed to perform a medical check on him, you would do so quietly and draw it out, as if trying to soak up every moment of the closeness to him, catalogue it all.

When it came to checking his hands, you would gently hold them in your palms and gently massage the joints that could get cramped from holding the rifle tightly. You would check the nerves with a light prick on each fingertip and around the palm. Those examinations were so tense, his eyes on you the entire time watching your every move in the tiny medbay on the Marauder. You could barely focus in that room, there was nowhere to hide from his sharp eyes. And when you dared meet his gaze, his eyes would hold yours in a way that left you breathless and you were never able to look him in the eyes for very long. They’d look right into yours, an expression dancing in them you could never place.

But he never said anything to you – not unless you asked him a question about pain. But you’d think about each interaction for days afterwards.

Your silent exchanges filled your head at night, spilling over into your dreams. Dreams where those hands you’d just inspected in the waking world would be holding you tightly, that mouth you’d stared at brushing against your cheek and neck, whispering things you pretended not to remember once you woke. You’d wake up from those dreams confused, still feeling the ghost of his touches on you. It didn’t hit you until several dreams later that that initial intrigue had given way to feelings much deeper; to an intense crush that only seemed to build the longer you spent with Clone Force 99.

If anyone else noticed, they never said anything. You carried on as normal and hoped Hunter’s heightened senses didn’t pick up on the way your face heated or your heartbeat increased when Crosshair was near.

Except the silence between you broke a few days ago.

After the last mission, you were scheduled to do the weekly checks on the squad. You always left Crosshair until last, knowing he liked to clean his rifle as soon as the mission debrief was over. When you called him into the tiny room, he sat down on the bench, and you completed the first part of the check-up smoothly.

It was when you were massaging one of his hands, loosening the stiffness with your own fingers, that you felt his close around yours.

You had stilled and slowly looked up at him. His brown-eyed gaze met yours and you felt the air get sucked out of your lungs. You watched his eyes flick between yours, his throat working as his fingers were warm around yours. He was holding your hand, and it was warm and strong despite its slenderness. It was such an innocent gesture, and yet the sensation of his touch made your face burn and heat unfurl in your chest as your feelings for the sniper were unleashed in full force. You didn’t know what to do, but you would be lying if you didn’t like the feel of his fingers around yours. But this was Crosshair – the Crosshair who barely spoke to you, who watched you like he was analysing your every move.

“A-am I hurting you?” you managed to stammer out.

Crosshair blinked, seemingly jolting himself out of a trance and pulled his hands away roughly, frowning. “No.” His voice was like gravel, and he stood up and quickly left the room, check-up unfinished.

You had no idea what had happened, what you had done, what he had done, but you stood in that room trying to quell your racing heart for ages before you worked up the nerve to emerge. You spent that night thinking about the warmth of his fingers around yours and the way his throat bobbed like he wanted to tell you something.

What was it that he wanted to say? You knew Crosshair was always intentional in everything he did, so what was his intention with holding your hand like that?

Now, as the Marauder flew into a planet you couldn’t remember the name of, you felt those brown eyes on you from where Crosshair sat in one of the seats in the cockpit, his arms crossed and toothpick between his lips. Echo helped Tech guide the ship as Wrecker bench-pressed Gonky in the corridor. Hunter stood nearby as you held onto the back of Tech’s pilot seat as the ship flew into the planet’s atmosphere.

Since joining the squad a mere two months ago, you had been to more planets than you ever thought you would visit in your entire lifetime, but you had never seen anything like this.

The sky was full of enormous floating rocks, with thick greenery on top. You didn’t know how they stayed floating like this.

“This place is unbelievable,” you murmured. “How is this possible?”

“The rocks are held up by the planet’s unique gravity, creating a balanced pull that tethers the rock to its place. Think of them as miniature planets that exist within the atmosphere,” Tech explained.

You hummed in amazement as Tech flew past them all and steered towards the planet’s surface, which lay beneath a thick bank of dark clouds. The clouds gave way to rocky terrain, with a mountain range that jutted up from the ground haphazardly, not unlike their floating counterparts, as well as canyons and valleys. The whole planet seems to be rocks in various states. Tech landed the ship in a clear area and then everyone turned to Hunter.

“So, what’s the plan, Hunter?” Wrecker called out, finally giving Gonky a rest and placing him back on the ground.

Everyone gathered around a holomap Hunter had brought up. You felt Crosshair slide in next to you, his crossed arms grazing yours. Heat prickled your skin, the memory of the warmth of his fingers coming to life again, and you shifted slightly, drawing your arms closer to your body. You looked up at him but for once, his gaze wasn’t on you, but on the blue graphics in front of him. Your face burned. It was embarrassing how much of an effect he had on you, and even more so now after that moment in the medbay. He seemed to have completely forgotten about it, and here you were still having phantom feelings of the way his fingers wrapped around yours.

“We divide our squad,” Hunter begins. “Break off into pairs. The mineral we’ve been sent to recover is located across this entire sector, but according to Tech, not all of it will be viable.”

“There is a very narrow window in which the mineral is usable, and it will be difficult to find. But we will need to be cautious. The viable mineral is highly volatile when handled. And there’s an incoming storm headed this way, and due to the unique gravitational field on this planet, the storms here are quite lethal,” Tech tapped on his datapad.

You took a deep breath in. It appeared there was a lot that could go wrong.

Hunter nodded. “I can feel it. We’ll need to move fast, so let’s get going. Echo, you’re with me in the Badlands. Tech and Wrecker, you head west for the Valley. And that leaves Crosshair with N’edee up in the Mountains. Comm if you find any viable mineral and triangulate your position as best you can for reference before extracting as much as possible. Then head back to the Marauder where we’ll reconvene. Questions?”

Everyone shook their head. “The terrain is tough out there, so let’s try to avoid N’edee having to patch up any injuries,” Hunter added, sending you a smile. Everyone nodded before Hunter signalled everyone to move out.

N’edee was the little Mando’a nickname they’d appointed you. It meant ‘no bite’. After you’d first joined, you’d witnessed your first ever disagreement between Crosshair and Hunter and, not used to their scuffles yet, tried to mediate between them. They were so amused it stopped the argument and earned you the name – since you’d rather try to keep the peace instead of letting them fight it out.

Now, you knew better, but the name stuck. You wished you hated it, but Crosshair’s smirk as he called you it the first time was the first time he ever sort of smiled at you.

And the last.

The squad grabbed their gear, and you strapped your med pack to your back and holstered a blaster you barely ever used. You felt your whole body go into overdrive, not only because of the risk of the mission but also because you were paired off with Crosshair. The thought of being so close; just the two of you sent nerves running through you. If it was anyone else, you wouldn’t hesitate to ask what happened in the medbay, and try and sort it out and move forward, but you didn’t have that kind of closeness with Crosshair. There was no way you felt comfortable bringing up the way he held your hand – this was an important mission, and you didn’t want to risk ruining it by making Crosshair uncomfortable and clam up so tight you’d lose the modicum of trust you had.

Whenever intention he’d had, you weren’t destined to ever know what it was. So, you’d just have to take a page out of his book and pretend it never happened.

You made your way down the Marauder’s gangplank to find Crosshair waiting for you, helmet under his arm and holding the barrel of the sniper with his free hand as the hilt rested on the ground. He was the only one there, the others had already started their treks. You quickened your steps down as he looked over at you, heat blooming up your neck.

“Sorry,” you told him. Crosshair shook his head, either dismissing the apology or disappointed in your slowness to get ready – you couldn’t tell.

“Let’s go, the storm’s moving quickly,” he informed in that way of his. He placed his helmet on and started walking. You watched him walk away, not looking back at you as his long legs carried him quickly through the rocky ground in the direction of the mountain range.

“Try and keep up,” he called back, and you huffed, adjusting your med pack and jogging after him.

Crosshair kept a quick pace as you both walked, and his height didn’t help. The rhythmic beeping of the scanner Tech provided you with and your footsteps were the only sound between you both. You tried to keep up as best you could as you approached the base of the mountain range, but you were still lagging a couple of metres behind him.

You had been worried about the awkwardness a conversation about what happened in the medbay would bring, and yet you were not even close enough to have one.

You huffed, a light sheen of sweat covering your brow, as you stepped over a bunch of rocks, moving between them as best you could, looking down at your feet to ensure you didn’t fall. The weather was beginning to change, and you knew the storm was getting closer as the wind picked up and nearly knocked you off balance a few times. But you had still to find any viable mineral. You looked at the scanner and saw it was indeed picking up signs of the mineral, but none of it was suitable – either too old or too young a sample. You sighed. This was going to take longer than you thought, and you only hoped you had more luck once you reached the mountains, and that the storm would hold off.

“Watch your step,” Crosshair called back to you. You looked up to watch him as he stepped on a boulder and jumped down into what must’ve been a small ditch at the foot of the mountain range. You frowned and kept walking. As you got closer, you were surprised as you realised he was waiting for you. His helmet was trained on you as you reached the rock and you tried to pretend like it wasn’t a big deal to you. You stepped on top of the boulder, the wind whipping around you as his gaze tilted up at you. For once, you towered over him. You couldn’t help but smile playfully at him.

“So, this is what the world must look like for you,” you joked, trying to ease the tension that was still thick between you.

Crosshair let out a small scoff at your joke before holding out his hand. “Hurry up.”

You widened your eyes at his extended hand, your eyes flicking to it and then back to his visor. After the medbay, you hardly imagined he’d be offering a hand to you again in a clinical setting, let alone to help you descend a boulder. You looked at his outstretched hand, letting a moment pass as you waited for him to retract it, but he didn’t.

This gesture was intentional.

You slowly placed your hand in his. His hand was as warm and strong as it was several days ago, and the familiarity of it made your insides jolt as you felt it wrap around your palm. The nerve endings in your hand tingled in excitement as they ignited from his touch. Heat coiled its warmth through your whole body as you crouched down to a sitting position, doing your best not to topple over not only from the wind. He helped you slide off the edge down to where he was standing, his hand steadying you.

You wobbled on your feet slightly as you landed, and you looked up at him, wishing he wasn’t wearing his helmet right now so you could discern his steely gaze. Though you had a feeling his bare face still would not betray anything of what was going on in his head.

Was he acknowledging what happened? Or was he just being considerate of the terrain?

Before you could open your mouth with a ‘thank you’, he let go of your hand and started walking up a pathway that seemed to wind up the mountain.

You guessed it was not the former.

You took in a shaky breath, body tingling with the remnants of his touch as you felt its cold absence and started after him; scanner poised as you walked.

The pathway up the mountain was wide enough to walk on, but too narrow to walk side by side comfortably without worry of falling over the edge. So, you trailed behind Crosshair once again, who had now slowed down that the route had grown more precarious. You clenched your jaw as you followed his steps carefully, avoiding any loose rocks as you walked. You tried not to think about the increasing ascension of the mountain, the ground below getting smaller and smaller the higher you both trekked as you continued to scan the side of the mountain for any trace of a viable source of the mineral, but still, there was nothing.

The higher you moved the wind that whipped around both your bodies increased as the clouds rolled in. You had to move your hand alongside the mountain as you waked, too afraid you’d blow away as the gusts of wind threatened to knock you over.

You’d been walking for a few hours by now and with the weather getting worse, the constant pace was starting to wear on you; arms and legs sore and feet aching, face stinging. You looked out over the cliff and saw you were almost halfway up, and the sky was getting darker as the storm continued to draw closer. Every time you looked, it seemed to be moving towards you quicker, so as much as you wanted to stop and rest, you knew that you couldn’t – especially when you looked ahead at Crosshair and saw he didn’t seem to show any signs of exhaustion.

Though you knew clones had been engineered to withstand increased levels of physical exertion, you still felt inadequate not being able to keep up. Even after two months with the squad, you still weren’t used to the physicality of the missions. You weren’t initially trained as a field medic, but you still didn’t want to look like you couldn’t handle this simple mission – even if it was more gruelling than you anticipated. So, you gritted your teeth and kept walking, despite the way your body protested with each step.

Crosshair began to slow before he stopped and turned to look at you. “Picking up anything?”

You shook your head and hoped you didn’t sound as puffed out as you felt. “Nothing viable. Not even a false read.”

Crosshair grumbled. “Another wild bantha chase.”

You tried to sound upbeat, but you weren’t fooling anyone. “Maybe the others have had more luck?”

“Maybe,” Crosshair said, his helmeted face drifting from you to the sky. He removed his helmet and scowled as the storm drew closer and closer to your position on the mountain. It was close enough now that you began to see flashes of lightning strike within the clouds, and you jolted when a crack of thunder sounded like it was almost on top of you.

“The storm is too close,” he said, shaking his head in concern.

“I know. Should we head back to the Marauder?”

“There’s no time. We need a pickup,” Crosshair sighed and placed his helmet back on, pressing the side of his helmet. “Hunter, do you copy?”

You watched him, hand gripping the mountain as the wind grew stronger with each passing second. You were starting to feel spits of rain hit your skin as more thunder and lightning struck. Your body was shaking with exhaustion and all you wanted to do was lie down in a safe place and fall asleep.

“Wrecker? Do you copy? Tech? Echo? Hunter, are you there?” Crosshair spoke into his comm, his voice getting harder with every word. He let out a frustrated sigh.

“I can’t reach them. There’s too much atmospheric interference with the storm, maybe even the gravity too.”

You looked at him and tried not to sound panicked, but you knew your face betrayed you anyway. “What do we do?”

A crack of thunder sounded, and it was like the sky was splitting open. The mountain shook under your feet, and you fell to your knees, yelping. You felt Crosshair crouch next to you, a hand on your back to steady you. You looked up at him as the rain started to pelt down heavily on you both. You tried to shield your face, but the rain was so heavy it felt like knives cutting as it hit the skin of your face.

Crosshair hooked a hand under your arm and hauled you up. “We have to move.”

“We need to get off this mountain!” You shouted over the rain.

“We need to find shelter. Come on,” Crosshair skirted you in front of him and you both started to run up the path in the pouring rain. You held a hand against your brow to try and see, but the rain and wind intensified more than you thought possible, blurring your vision.

“Crosshair, I can’t—”

You slipped on a rock loosened by the wet ground. You cried out and fell forward, landing on your hands harshly. You felt your palms sting as you tried to get to your feet, but Crosshair slid his hands under your armpits and lifted you just as there was a flash of bright light, and the mountain shook again, this time more violently. It felt like the lightning had hit the mountain this time, and when you tried to look up to check, your worst fears were confirmed as the sound of rocks tumbling began to get louder over the heavy rain. Panic coursed through your veins.

“Go!” Crosshair yelled, hand steady on your arm as you both ran, him pulling you forward. You could feel rocks landing behind you and you tried to run faster, skin numb from the rain.

“There’s a cave up ahead! Hurry!” Crosshair shouted as he led you towards the mouth of the cave. Your thighs and calves burned, and Crosshair pulled you inside just as rocks fell and covered the entrance of the cave, trapping you both inside.

You fell to your knees, catching your breath as you looked around and realised how dark it was. You’re eyes hadn’t adjusted yet, so could barely see anything, but you heard Crosshair’s body hit the ground nearby as he sat down, grunting as he took his helmet off. His breath moved quickly too as you blinked and tried reaching out to see where he was.

“Crosshair?” you said, patting the hard ground next to you until you found his knee.

“I’m here,” he said, placing a hand over yours. You sucked in a breath as his fingers curled around yours. “You okay?” He asked, his voice raspy.

Your heartbeat which had only just started to slow, picked up again as he held your hand again. How many more times was this going to happen? Would you ever not freak out when he touched you now? Was that his intention?

You swallowed. “Yeah, I’m okay. Are you?”

You felt the muscles in his hand flex. “Yeah.”

You took in a shaky breath and let him hold your hand again, relishing in the feel of his fingers wrapped around yours for a moment, so warm and solid. The feel of his knee under your palm, a part of the body you had originally thought completely savoury until this very moment. After a moment too long of no sound except the roaring rain on the other side of the rock, you cleared your throat before you felt around you with your other hand. “I can’t see.”

“I can.”

You blushed profusely and hoped to the Force you didn’t look as bewildered as you felt. “Right. Of course.”

Crosshair slowly let go of your hand but made a point of keeping your empty palm on his knee, like he knew you needed to feel him close by.

The word intentional flashed in your mind.

Your stomach turned over at the gesture and you wiped your face with your other hand, shoulders beginning to shake. You heard Crosshair take off his pack and scramble through it, pulling out a small light that he usually placed on the end of his rifle. He clicked it on, and you shielded your eyes, before blinking your vision clear. Now you could see Crosshair’s face half illuminated, his brow was creased as he held out the light to you.

“Thanks,” you said, taking it from him. You pointed it around the cave and realised it was not so much a cave, but an oversized cavity in the side of the mountain. It wasn’t very deep, and it looked like its width was only a little bigger than Crosshair was tall. But it had saved your lives. You looked behind you, at the rocks that had fallen there.

“How are we going to get out of here?” you asked, running the light over the edge of the cave to see if there were any openings, but there were none substantial enough for you to try and get leverage to move the rocks that blocked you both in. Some rain fell through the cracks, the water landing on the rock as the storm carried on outside. That was good – at least you had some airflow.

“We need to wait for the storm to pass before we can see if comms will work to call the others,” Crosshair explained. “If we can’t contact them, we’ll have to wait for them to find us.”

The thought of being trapped in here for an undetermined amount of time made your heartbeat begin to race. “And if they can’t find us?”

“They will.” Crosshair’s conviction was comforting. You’d learnt that his belief in his brothers was unwavering, and never misplaced. If he believed that they would find them, then you did too.

You looked at him, careful not to shine the light in his sensitive eyes. His gaze was on you, and this might’ve been the first time you didn’t feel the need to avert your eyes. As intense as his gaze was, it was soft, and the brown of his eyes shined in the low light. Your hand was still on his knee and your eyes flicked down to it. You didn’t know if removing it would make it more awkward, or if leaving it there would. In the split-second moment, you were debating it in your head, with your body still shaking when Crosshair interrupted your thoughts.

“You’re shivering,” Crosshair said. “You need to get dry.”

You looked up at him and realised just how much you were shivering, now that the adrenaline had worn off. Your clothes were soaked through from the downpour, and the chill was sinking into your bones. You knew that if you didn’t get dry, you would get hypothermic.

You held out the light to Crosshair to take, which he did wordlessly. With shaky hands, you pulled your med pack off your back and placed it in front of you. Crosshair shined the light where you needed it as you searched through the items for a reflective blanket and when you found it, you pulled it out, the light bouncing off the shiny fabric. You looked at Crosshair, heat crawling up your neck.

“Um, I need to…”

Crosshair turned his head immediately but kept the light pointed in your direction. As quickly as you could, embarrassment flooding your trembling frame, you removed the layers of clothes you had on. You kept on the black GAR issue bodysuit you wore under all your clothes, even if it was slightly damp – you weren’t going to be completely bare with just a blanket between you and Crosshair. As you stripped everything off, you noticed the palms of your hands were grazed from the fall, and it hurt to move them as the skin stretched. You would deal with it once you weren’t shivering anymore, but the priority right now was to get warm.

Once you piled all your clothes together – there was no hope in everything drying whilst you were stuck in here, you pulled your knees to your chest and wrapped the reflective blanket around you tightly.

“Okay.” You said and Crosshair looked over and he squinted as the light bounced off the blanket, gaze searching your frame.

“What about your hands?”

“My hands?”

“You fell. I saw your palms are grazed.”

He was so perceptive, you wondered what else he saw that he never acknowledged. “I’ll patch them up after I stop shaking,” you told him, wrapping the blanket tighter.

Crosshair shook his head. “Aren’t you always telling us that injuries should be treated as soon as possible? Give me this—” he pulled the med pack in front of him and pointed the light inside.

“Crosshair—” You said as he dug around your pack, pulling out some antibac wipes and bacta patches. “You don’t have to. It’s not your job.”

Crosshair sent you a withering look before he placed the light between his teeth and gestured for you to show him your hands. You sighed and pulled your hands out of the blanket as best you could without it slipping off your shoulders. You turned your palms up, still slightly tremoring. They weren’t bleeding, but they were red and rubbed raw from the gravel you landed on. And they stung, but you were trying to be brave about it.

They were easily treatable, but your hands didn’t look pretty, that’s for sure.

Crosshair looked at them, adjusting the light in his mouth so they were completely illuminated before he shook his head with a frown, ripped open an antibac wipe, and cradled one of your hands in his.

He met your eyes, a silent question in their gentle expression as his hand was poised, wipe ready to be drawn across your palms. You’d never seen him look at you like this before; this softly. It was so easy for your crush to bloom when he looked at you like this. You looked into his brown-eyed gaze, cheeks heated, and you nodded.

Crosshair gently placed the wipe on your palms, and you sucked in a breath as it stung the exposed skin. You felt the hand that cradled yours tighten and then he slowly began to clean the wound. With his attention on your hand, you could watch him unabashedly. The roles between you had now reversed. He was treating your hands as attentively as you treated his. The way he held your hand in his large palm was so gentle that your heart fluttered. You could feel the heat permeate from under his gloves into your skin, and you felt your hand slowly begin to still, the warmth returning to you with his touch. You were so touched at the way he was doing this for you, without you even asking. The way he insisted upon it. You hadn’t expected it after the medbay, and you ignored the little voice in the back of your head that asked what his intention was and simply savoured this moment of kindness from the man you were hopelessly crushing on.

He was as methodical as he was when cleaning his rifle, wiping the wound on one hand in even strokes that coated all the raw skin twice before he moved to the other hand, a new wipe this time.

You watched the way the light was poised between his teeth, and when his eyes flicked to yours for a moment, you averted your gaze back to your hands reflexively. You heard him breathe out through his nose harshly as he discarded the wipe and grabbed a bacta patch, pressing it between his palms to warm the liquid. You watched him, your eyes meeting his tattooed gaze once again as your hands remained suspended between you.

You thought back to the medbay, at how his fingers had curled around yours so naturally like it was instinctual; at the way he pulled his hands away so quickly and so forcefully it was like your hands had been burnt; at how fast he’d left you standing there, reeling from his actions. You tried to think of what his intention had been, and what you had done that had made him retreat.

“I’m sorry…for the other day.” Your voice was quiet in the small space. The storm continued to rage outside, but there was no way he hadn’t heard you. Crosshair looked at you, knowing exactly what it was you were referring to, and placed the bacta patches in one hand before removing the light from his mouth to talk, confusion etched into his brow.

“Why?”

You brought your lips between your teeth as your eyes flicked between his. “Because I upset you.”

Crosshair looked at you for a moment, an undiscernible expression passed over his half-shadowed face as your eyes stayed locked on each other. What you would give to know what he was thinking, what thoughts swirled in his head. Two months of watching him had barely scratched the surface – you wanted to know everything, to be privy to the innermost workings of his mind.

Crosshair was the first to break his gaze, shaking his head.

“You didn’t upset me.”

You frowned at him, but before you could ask him what he meant, he had placed the end of the light back between his teeth and started applying the bacta patches to your palms, activating the adhesive and smoothing them down over your hands with his thumbs. He held one of your hands in both of his, his fingertips touching the back of your hand as he ran his thumbs along the edges of the bacta patch. He pressed them gently down, and you could already feel the bacta doing its job. He did the same thing to the other side.

You watched him and you realised you’d never felt so cared for before. Never had you been held so gently, treated with such practised methodical hands that were also so soft and caring. Your heart swelled.

He took the light out of his mouth. “Bandages?”

You cleared your throat. “They’re in the side pocket.”

Crosshair took some out and started wrapping your hands up so the bacta patch would be more secure. He was so good at this. With the light dangling from his teeth, he circled the bandage around one hand, before he tied it off and tucked the end, and then the same on the other side.

When he was done, he dropped his hands from yours and removed the light from his teeth for the final time.

You looked at your hands. You couldn’t have treated them better if you had done it yourself. You hadn’t even had to coach him through what to do, and that impressed you. It only made the warmth in your chest grow, that hopeless crush in full bloom and only growing more hopeless by the minute.

“Thank you,” you told him and pulled your hands back underneath the blanket.

Crosshair hummed and then placed the light up on its base between you both and leaned it against the rocks behind you, so the beam of light shined upwards and illuminated where you at. You watched him then sit back against the rock, stretching his long legs out in front of him and closing his eyes, sighing. You sat facing him and brought the blanket around you tighter. You no longer shivered, but you still wanted to be warmer than you were. You stared at the side of his face, Crosshair’s profile half-lit in the light. You gazed at the brown of his skin, the sliver of his hair, the slope of his nose, the purse of his lips. You noted the stubble lining his angled jawline, and wondered what it would feel like against your lips. He was beautiful.

“Crosshair?”

He only hummed again in response.

You tightened your hold on the blanket as you worked up the courage to ask the question that was burning inside you. You couldn’t sit here anymore and not know.

“If I didn’t upset you…what happened?”

Crosshair opened his eyes, but he didn’t speak straight away. It was like he was searching for the right words, the best way to explain what had happened. You waited patiently for him to answer, your anxiety only building in anticipation.

Crosshair scraped the sole of his foot on the floor of the cavity as he brought one of his knees to his chest, resting his elbow on it. You swore you saw the tips of his ears turn pink, but you weren’t sure in this light. “I…crossed a boundary, and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry for acting the way I did.”

You blinked at him, confused. That was the last thing you expected him to say, especially his apology. “Boundary? What boundary?”

“Does it matter?” Crosshair grumbled, his voice scratching.

“It does to me,” you told him gently.

He turned quiet again. He avoided your eyes, instead choosing to focus on a spot on his knee, frown etching deeper into his brow. You wished he would look at you. All those times you caught him watching you, now you willed him to meet your gaze. If he looked at you, you would be able to tell him with your eyes that he could trust you with whatever it was he was having a hard time verbalising. That you wouldn’t judge him the way you knew so many people did. That you saw him, how underneath all that surly exterior was a kind heart who’d been wounded too many times. But he pointedly didn’t look at you, and all you wished to say would remain your secret.

Crosshair sighed, breaking the silence. “You’re our medic, that’s more important.”

That only puzzled you more. “More important than what?”

Quiet descended again, and after several moments, you tentatively reached out and placed a bandaged hand on his shoulder pauldron. His eyes darted to you, wide like they were before in that medbay, and he shrugged you off, his voice hard and frustrated, and his cheeks tinted pink.

“Just forget it. It won’t happen again.”

You watched him, and the way his hands were clenched on his knees. The way he wasn’t looking at you anymore. You recalled the panic in his eyes that you saw in the medbay when he allowed himself the comfort of holding your hand, and how he’d had that same expression just before. You thought back to all the times you caught him looking at you, the way his eyes never left you – even when it was just the two of you during check-ups. The way he brushed up next to you when standing in mission briefings. The way he didn’t hesitate to touch you when he was helping you or keeping you safe – because it was easier to hide behind those gestures than the curling of his fingers around yours alone in the medbay.

Intentional. Intentional. Intentional.

Oh. Oh.

You felt your heartbeat increase as heat rushed through your body, your stomach flipping over at the realisation. You bit the insides of your mouth to stop yourself from smiling before taking a breath. It all made sense now.

Crosshair wasn’t upset at you, he was embarrassed. The man who was so careful about everything he said and did, had one moment where he allowed himself to do something on a whim, and it had made him vulnerable. The impulse had revealed a secret part of himself he had always intended to keep hidden, and now it was out there, and he was embarrassed about it.

He was embarrassed because he thought you didn’t feel the same.

What a fool. A beautiful stupid fool.

Nerves rattled through your body, but you couldn’t sit here any longer and not let him know how you felt too. “Crosshair…” you said his name softly, barely above a whisper.

Crosshair didn’t move, his eyes stayed glued to the middle distance, his hands still clenched into fists. You let out a breath and held out your bandaged hands. At the movement in his periphery, his eyes slid towards your hands and then up to your face. You flexed your fingers, a silent signal to place his hands in yours. His mouth turned into a line and just when you thought he wouldn’t, he slowly placed one of his tight fists in your palms.

You cradled his hand, the back of it resting in your bandaged palm. As best you could with your other bandaged hand, you began to manually unfurl his fingers, spreading them out slowly against yours. He let you, his hand as pliable as it usually was when you did this – there was no apprehension in this moment, only trust. You began to slowly massage his hand, pressing and kneading the joints of his knuckles and the centre of his palm. Neither of you spoke, and the storm continued its fury on the other side of the rock, but it very well could’ve been a parsec away with how intimate this moment was. All you could focus on was him. You could feel him watching you, wondering what you were doing, but you didn’t let his intense gaze pull you away. Not anymore.

Once you reached the end of the massage, you slid your palm over his, fingers lined up. You moved your hand slowly like he was a baby tooka you had to coax into your lap, you were giving him time to pull away. You let your fingers fall between the gaps of his and then curled your fingers down, so you held his hand.

You felt him tense as he realised what was happening, and you looked at him, but his eyes were locked on your intertwined hands. You waited to see if he pulled away, but he didn’t. His hand stayed firmly in yours, his fingers still splayed out – but his palm stayed pressed into yours. You heard him take in a shaky breath as he finally looked at you.

His eyes had softened on the edges, but his shoulders were still tense, and he had an expression that looked like he was pleading with you; begging you not to play with him like this.

You wouldn’t dream of it.

“Is…is this the boundary?” you asked. You felt Crosshair shift, and his voice came out in a rasp and his ears were definitely pink in this dim light.

“Yes.”

You looked down at your intertwined hands and squeezed his gently. “And me being your medic is more important than this?”

His reply came a second and a half later, all strained and breathy. “Yes.”

You looked at him, his tattooed gaze boring into your face. Ever the perceptive one, you could see he was trying to figure out what you were doing, and why you were doing it. You offered him a smile as you gave him the answer.

“This…this isn’t a boundary for me. Me being your medic has never mattered when it comes to this with you, and never will.”

You watched his eyes widen minutely, and if you didn’t know his face so well, you wouldn’t have noticed anything. But other than that almost indiscernible change in expression, Crosshair remained unmoving, his shoulders still rigid and his fingers still splayed out, not touching the back of your hand.

You searched his face and suddenly felt like you had completely misjudged his actions. Maybe he didn’t have the same crush on you, you did him. Maybe he had just held your hand by mistake, that what you thought had all been intentional, wasn’t actually intentional at all.

Your face burned and embarrassment flooded your body. You started to pull your hand away from him.

“But if it’s a boundary for you—”

But Crosshair’s fingers came down before you could rip your hand away, and he held your hand to his tightly, stopping your palm from leaving his. His hold was secure, warm and purposeful. There was nothing to hide behind anymore.

“It’s not,” he told you, his voice as soft as you’d ever heard it. He looked at you, and he was more vulnerable than you’d ever seen him. You felt your heartbeat flutter. You knew this was hard for him, vulnerability of any kind wasn’t Crosshair’s comfort zone. You smiled at him as reassuringly as you could.

“Good.”

You felt his shoulders drop as his whole body relaxed. Your heart almost burst when you saw the corner of his mouth turn up at you – a smile that was yours and yours alone. You smiled at him, that warmth in your chest glowing brightly, making you feel so at home, you almost didn’t mind you were trapped in this space. You were with Crosshair, and that was enough.

You both sat there, holding hands in the torchlight. It was such an innocent kind of intimacy, but for you both, it held so much. So many unspoken feelings now known through the feel of your palms against each other. You never wanted to let go, and you suspected he didn’t either. You felt his finger muscles flex and you squeezed his hand. He lifted his thumb and placed it on top of yours, stroking it gently in a ministration so comforting you could’ve sobbed. You smiled at him, and he returned it.

A genuine Crosshair smile was a rare gift so few received. He kept them, saving them for the people he trusted and loved. To get one now, to see the corners of his eyes crinkle and the smile lines in his cheeks stretch in a closed-mouth smile, you felt honoured. You never imagined you would ever see Crosshair smile at you like this, to let you close like this – to let you close at all. The dim light of the cave had revealed the disappearing ink of his feelings, and it was extraordinary. You would tell him the full extent of what you felt for him in time, but for now, your feelings were wordlessly exchanged with just you two for witnesses.

You watched as Crosshair tentatively and wordlessly brought the back of your hand to his lips. With his tattooed gaze on you the whole time, he placed a lingering kiss there. You inhaled sharply at the gesture and the skin tingled under the bandage where he kissed you. The rain outside was heavy, but your heart felt light – like if you weren’t trapped in this space, you float away and join those rocks in the sky. You watched him pull away, brushing his lips on the spot for a moment before he let your hands drop between you.

“Was that okay?” he asked, his husky voice asked softly.

You chuckled, a grin stretching across your face. “Yes. More than okay.”

Crosshair hummed, his eyes smiling. “Good.”

The mountain shook again, and you looked around you frantically as dust from the cavity began to fall on you both. Crosshair pulled you against him, arms going around you as he shielded you to his chest. You held onto the edge of his chest plate so tight it dug into your fingers, your face pressed into his chest as he held you tightly. You squeezed your eyes shut and tried to focus on the mixed smell of soap and wood of Crosshair instead of the panic that coursed through you. When the tremor stopped, you looked up at him, and him at you.

“You okay?” he asked

“Yeah,” you lifted your head but didn’t dare untangle yourself from Crosshair’s arms.

Crosshair adjusted the blanket on your shoulders, pulling it tighter around you. “The longer this storm goes on, the more danger we’re in.”

“Should we try the comms again?”

Crosshair let go of you briefly to grab his helmet and put it on. “Hunter, come in. Tech? Wrecker? Echo? Do you read?”

You waited. Crosshair’s arm tightened on you, but he let out a frustrated sigh and pulled the helmet off roughly, setting it down next to him. “Still nothing.”

You let your head rest on his shoulder as you sighed. “What do we do?”

“Wait.”

You groaned. Crosshair chuckled and you felt his hand run up and down your back soothingly. It was a simple gesture, but one that conveyed how much he cared for you. A man of few words, he let his actions show his feelings for you. And you had no doubts about it.

After a minute, you lifted your head to find him looking down at you intensely. You felt his arms tighten on you as this hand travelled down to your waist and stayed there. You blinked up at him, drawing your eyes across his face before they landed on his lips.

They had been so soft when they touched the back of your hand, what would they feel like pressed against your own? You’d dreamt about it, but you had a feeling that it would be nothing to the reality of it.

“N’edee?” His voice was quiet, but you feel the weight on them in your stomach.

“Hmm?” you hummed innocently, but there was nothing innocent about what was running through your mind right now.

“Can I test another boundary?” His tone was hesitant, careful as he leaned in a little closer to you.

Your voice came out in a whisper. “Which one?”

“This one.”

Crosshair slowly closed the distance between you and pressed his lips to yours. It was like your whole body lit up inside, igniting you so completely you were aware of every nerve ending you had. Your fingers tightened on his armour just as Crosshair languidly pulled away after too brief a moment. You stared at him, dazed with your mouth parted slightly, and in need of more.

“Well?” he asked, his voice like silk.

You were breathless. “Not a boundary. Kiss me as much as you like.”

“If you insist,” he smirked and pressed his lips to yours again.

Kissing Crosshair was an all-consuming kind of feeling. That magnetic pull he already had on you only seemed to intensify the minute his lips descended on yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he hoisted you onto his lap, your thighs falling on either side of his as you straddled him, and the blanket slipped off your shoulders – not that you needed it anymore with the heat that thrummed through you.

You melted into the kiss, and you were right – your dreams of his lips were nothing compared to the real thing. You felt the tickle of his breath on your cheek as you arched yourself closer to him. With just your body suit on, you could feel every hard ridge of his armour against you. His arms moved across your back, and you could feel his fingertips searing along your shoulder blades. His hot mouth moved against yours and you allowed yourself to nip at his lips. You felt him flinch before his lips stretched into a smile against yours, a chuckle vibrating his chest.

“Guess you do have some bite, N’edee,” he mumbled against your lips.

“Just for you,” you breathed, and he groaned into your mouth, kissing you deeper.

He was just as starved for you as you were for him, and you wondered how long exactly he’d been feeling like this towards you, but you’d ask such questions later. His mouth was heavenly, his lips like a caress against yours. Your lips parted and he took the chance to deepen the kiss as you dragged your hands up into his buzzed hair, feeling the short strands against your fingernails. And you felt just how skilled he was his tongue as it slid against yours, and you silently thanked his toothpicks for giving him the practice.

You’d never been kissed with such passion before, with such intention. Now, he was no longer embarrassed, he did not hold back his kisses and touches. That knowledge made it all the more thrilling as Crosshair pressed you into him, pulling your hips against his with hands that you knew to be tender, but now held with you with such desire you felt dizzy.

He moved his lips down your jawline to just below your ear, and you panted as you tightened your arms around him, rocking into him. He sucked the skin there, his tongue darting out and wetting the area. It made you moan so loudly you were glad no one else could hear how desperate you sounded.

“Crosshair,” you moaned.

You felt him smirk against your skin before he made his way back to your lips. Groaning into your mouth again, you felt his hands move from your hips to your ass and back up again, and you felt your body go into overdrive, pulsing with a wanting need. Where did he learn to kiss like this? You wanted to thank whatever Kaminaon training module taught him, or the illicit holos you knew Tech had stashed on the locked-down data drive you found a week after you joined them – whichever it was.

You were so lost in his kisses, the way they grew in fervour with each press against your skin, you almost didn’t hear the beeping of Crosshair’s comm in his helmet.

“Crosshair,” you said when you finally heard it, pulling away, but his mouth just found your neck instead. You patted his shoulder. “Crosshair, the comm.”

“What?” he said raggedly. His lips ceased their attentions, and he pulled back. His lips were all swollen and you smiled at the knowledge that was all you. You stayed perched in his lap and he grabbed his helmet and put it on. You could hear the other voice when you were this close to him.

“Crosshair, come in.” It was Hunter.

“Copy, Hunter,” Crosshair said, and you mentally applauded him for not sounding as breathless as you would’ve.

“Are you and N’edee okay?”

Crosshair’s hand squeezed your thigh, and you squirmed on top of him, smiling. “For the moment. We’re trapped on the mountain. The storm caused a cave-in, and we can't get out.”

“We’ll lock in on your signal and fly to your location. Stand by.” You realised then the rain and thunder had stopped, and that the storm had now passed.

“Copy,” Crosshair said before he removed his helmet and placed it next to him again, and you both looked at each other. He gripped your hips. “They’re on their way in the Marauder. Wrecker will be able to push the rocks out of the way, and we’ll be free.”

You breathed in, relieved help was coming. “I didn’t even realise the storm had passed,”

“Well, we were busy,” Crosshair snided.

“Right,” you laughed lightly.

Crosshair looked away from you for the first time since everything changed between you, and his hands on your hips loosened. You frowned as you watched his once open expression, slowly begin to close off again in the dim light. He looked uncertain, all in his own head again and you realised that he was worried – worried that this moment together was but a brief interlude in which you got caught up in the danger of the situation. You wanted to shake his shoulders and tell him he was being absurd, how he could think such a thing after all you just said and did. But you didn’t, because like baby tooka, Crosshair needed gentle reassurance; that his vulnerability and his feelings were not being played with.

Later, when you had more time and were back on the Marauder and tucked away in the medbay just the two of you again, you would tell him just how much he had nestled his way into your heart. That your crush was much more than that, that you saw all of him, and though you were still learning to decipher the riddles he was made of, you never wanted to stop. That you saw all his intentions, and now yours was to hold his heart in your bandaged hands the way he held yours.

But for now, in your final moments alone with him before his brothers rescued you both, you locked your eyes on him and gently grabbed the hands that had slackened on your hips, linking your fingers together once more. You watched his eyes find yours, his brows slanted at the ends as he looked at you with all this apprehension. You brought his knuckles to your lips and kissed them, lips lingering there as you let the gesture convey wordlessly your intention to keep nurturing what was between you for as long as he let you. That this didn’t end once you were both bathed in sunlight again.

“I hope we’ll be busy again later? And many laters after that too?”

Crosshair’s shoulder relaxed and you smiled as the corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk, his eyes smiling as he squeezed your hands once more. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

banner art by @vimse thank you reading! if you made it this far, thank you! i appreciate it so much! this is the longest standalone fic i've ever written!

🏷️ @starrylothcat @sinfulsalutations @moodymisty @nahoney22 @freesia-writes @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @bobaprint @crosshairsnose @jesseeka @thegalaxys-edge @chopper-base @shredderwest @leavingkamino @r2d2staser @beckbucket @pb-jellybeans @mylifeisactuallyamess @padawancat97 @littlecrowtime @jedipoodoo @ezras-left-thumb @lovelycurls @fruitsaladtree @literallydontlook @burningfieldof-clover @queencousland101 @clonethirstingisreal @skellymom @hopelessromantic727

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wordsbymae · 6 months

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WarTrophy! Reader x Warlord

With a post-apocalyptic twist. I was gonna do the usual medieval style thing for the warlord, but I got inspired by Mad Max: Thunder Dome (An amazing movie), to do post apocalyptic sorta thing. Any way hope you enjoy!

TW: Gn!reader, Verbal and somewhat physical SA, grubby and sleezy male characters. Reader is from a well looked after community, therefore when the Warlord and his raiders come to town, chaos erupts. Violence, murder, battle and raiding, reader given fem pet names but no gender described. In my mind this is canonically set in Australia, because I am Australian and also mad max is set in Australia and also post-apocalyptic fiction just makes sense when set in Australia. Also reader has nickname blue

They came in the night. No warning, no threat along the horizon. Just pure violence coming to reek havoc in the moonless night. You were awoken to the sounds of screaming, cries burning at your ears. Jumping to your feet you rushed to your window, over looking the community of survivors and refuges. Death was everywhere. The town was alight with flames, the warning siren howling over the sound of shrieks and bellows of fear. You stood in shock and incomprehension for a moment, the shacks, houses and huts were being ransacked by men dressed in camouflaged uniforms. Men and women who tried to defend their homes were being cut down where they stood, or dragged away by their hair. Children were left to fend for themselves, some crying amongst the flames, watching their parents being slaughtered. Loud banging broke you from the spell you were under, someone was trying to break down your door.

"Open up!" A man yelled, continuing to try to kick the scrap metal that made your door. It wouldn't take long, it was barely put together. A split second decision was made in your mind. You couldn't stay where you were, you couldn't even stop to make a plan, or grab anything of use. You had to run, and quickly. Still in your sleepwear, you raced through your house, opening your back down with a grunt, just as your front door was slammed open. You rushed into the back alley, stunned by the destruction laid waste upon your town. You turned your back on your friends, family, community and rushed into the darkness of the buildings, leaving your town to burn.

This town was never truly meant to be a town. Before the Collapse it had been a nothing more than a water treatment plant. In the days and weeks after the collapse, people began flocking to its promise of water. Somehow ever after the loss of electricity, the plant still held thousands of litres of water, making it a refuge for all those who survived the end of the world.

You had been one of the very first to arrive, you had been fortunate to arrive with your parents and a few members of your extended family. You and your family practically built this town, saved this community. There was a reason why people knew who you were, why they moved out of the way as you walked past. It was your family this town was named after, your blood that raised it from ash.

And yet here you were, hiding in the shadows. Running for your life. Granted, there wasn't much you could do. The town lived in peace for so long that only the town militia were tasked with defence. Over the years, bullets, and gunpowder, became in short supply, leaving the hunks of metal once called guns useless. Most were melted down to make melee weapons, are fashioned into more primitive form of muskets. In many ways your town turned back into the past to strive for a better future. Most things were run on steam or water powered. Limited supply of gunpowder was made using items traded with other surviving communities. People turned back to the ways of their fore parents, hunting and farming. Life was good. Until it wasn't.

You came to a sudden halt, quickly hiding behind wooden boxes against the wall. The masked, camouflaged men ran past, yelling orders to one another. You grimaced as you saw a selective few were armed with guns. Pre-collapse guns. Either they were just for show, or someone very smart and determined figured out how to make them work in a time such as these. Most, however, had musket-like weapons and machetes and knives. At least you knew if it came down to it, there was a chance that you just had to be quicker than your assailant rather than having to dodge a bullet to survive.

After they run past, you quickened towards the wooden wall that encircled your town. In some places it was reinforced with steel and rock, but it would take decades to finally make a proper defensive structure. As the child of the founding family, you knew exactly what you were looking for. Once, when the wall was still being erected, and nothing but a metal fence separated you and the raiders of the new world, you had found a hole in the fence. Big enough that you and your childhood friend had been able to sneak out of town into the great unknown. Even when they began to reinforce it with wood and steel, you made sure the hole was still uncoverable.

You landed on your knees in front of where you remembered the hole to be. Footsteps were hurrying towards you. Raiders, friends or terrified civilians, you did not know. You focused purely on pushing the scrap of metal from covering the hole, leaning down, you pushed with all your might the large rock you had shimmed into place last time you had snuck out. It had been years since you had down so, it was just before Red had left, there was no need to sneak out anymore if he wasn't there to follow. You crawled through the hole, end in sight. The hole feeling much smaller than it did as a child. You knew your family would make it out. They would have to, right? So would friends and comrades. They were smart. Like you. They knew when to abandon ship.

If there had been a warning then of course you would have stayed, till the very end. Your task for the community was Peacemaker, a diplomate of this new crazed world. You were quite good at it too. Negotiation and diplomacy your strongest skills. If they had given warning, maybe you could reason with them, maybe no one had to have died. But raiders that come in the dark of night, killing all they willed , were not the sort of combatant you stayed around to reason with. Your task was to live, to survive, then to come back and rebuild. Always rebuild, as your parents had done all those years ago.

The metal of the broken fence dug into your hips, bringing forth a hiss of pain from your lips. You pushed through the pain, cursing as the metal dug deeper and deeper. With one last gasp, you heaved your hips through the fence, feeling the metal rip at the fabric of your clothes. Just as you were about to get up, run straight for the safety of the wilderness, a harsh grip landed on your ankle. Before even a thought could pass through your mind. You were dragged back, with force, through the hole. You screamed and kicked. Hands digging into the ground, fingers and nails desperately trying to find a hold in the soft dirt. You were flipped over. A man leering down at you.

"Ain't you a pretty thing, aye?" he sneered, his mouth opening in a wicked smile, showcasing missing and yellowed teeth. You scrunched your face in disgust, both at the sight in front of you and his hand gripping tighter onto your ankle. You were about to use your free leg to give him a swift kick, but the sight of a large hunting knife in his hand made you pause. He followed your gaze to it.

"Aw don't worry love, I'm not gonna use this thing on you, long as ya don't make a fuss." His smile grew, showcasing more blacked and cracked teeth. His face was a red blotchy colour, sweat dripped from his forehead, his weak chin wobbled as he spoke. In the fire light you could see the red veins of his eyes.

You tested his grip on you, trying to catch him unaware. Instead it backfired, resulting in him sitting on top of you, letting your ankle go.

"You be good for me sweets and I'll try to be as gentle as I can yeah?" he chuckled, your blood running cold. This man wanted something from you and there was no reason in the world that would stop him. You cannot reason with an evil man. You began to shriek, preferring him to killing you now than to suffer the injustice of his touch.

"Nobodies coming to save ya darl', Best ya get used to being on your back for me, it's gonna be real familiar by the time I get tired of you. Make me cum enough and I might just keep you" he leaned down against you, tongue licking up along your cheek. You began to trash harder, screaming. Begging. Praying. For anything, for anyone to came save you. He laughed at your misery, lifting him self back up to undo his belt.

"You ready for me to make you my whor-" a gargle where words should follow. You watched in shock as a knife was plunged in the back of his skull. Blood splattered down on you, your mouth open wide in fear and relief. You scrambled back as the evil man fell forward. You backed up against the wall, you could feel the wind blowing through the hole, your escape route still open. You started to make a mad dash for the opening, not thinking or even able to process what had happened, only focusing on what might have happened, what that man was intent on doing.

In a sick sense of Deja vu, you were once ripped from the opening. You were a bundle of feet and hands punching and kicking in all directions, your voice was hoarse from screaming bloody murder. A strong set of arms pulled you against them, and you fought like hell to be free.

"It's alright blue, its alright" came a familiar and calming voice. Only one person called you that in favour of your real name. You opened your eyes, there he was. Alive, breathing and surrounded by masked, camouflaged men.

"Red?" you whispered, not daring to shatter this illusion that he was still alive, that he had found his way back to you. You must be going mad. That evil man must have killed you, or you died in the smoke and flames burning your town. You blinked, pinched yourself. Even reached a hand to touch his face.

"It's me blue" he smiled, a perfect, lovely smile. Just as you remembered.

The men behind him shifted, causing you to panic, you grabbed red's hand and tried to run. You weren't gonna lose him again.

Instead of running into the fray once more, you were pulled back to red's arms.

"Red! We have to go! They'll kill us, please!" You begged, eyes looking into his warm brown ones. He places his hands on your arms, essentially trapping you were you stood.

"Red?" you questioned, why wasn't he worried, why weren't the men descending on you both with knifes raised. What was going on?

The fires had begun to die down, the screaming and crying was replaced with whispers of fear and a few sobs cried into the night. The warning siren slowed down to a halt.

"Red?" you whispered, not a question but a plea.

'Please still be the boy I knew before'

He looked down into your eyes, a sigh making its way pasted his lips.

He turns to his men.

"Bring all the prisoners to the town centre, no one is to harm the survivors unless I deem so. That includes coercing or forcing yourselves onto anyone. Understand?" he orders. His men giving a quick nod and salute before turning into the dying lights of the fire.

"No" you exclaim.

No, no, no, no, no

You shake your head, tears threatening to fall.

"You are one of them?" you gasp. The boy you knew as a child, the boy you had come to love, the boy who disappeared into the night, on a night eerily similar to this, returned as a raider, a killer, a monster.

A gives you a slight smirk, hands gripping you tighter.

"I'm not just one of them blue, I command them, I rule them" he boasts. A wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Traitor" you hiss. "You fucking monster! You absolute fucking bastard!"

Your anger overwhelmed whatever love you still had for him. Curled fists began attacking him, aiming for the face, when that wasn't enough to quell your fury, you tried scratching out his eyes. A pain seared across your face, you became unbalanced and fell on the very man who had threatened you a mere minute ago. Red had slapped you, caused you pain. One might argue you deserved it, lashing out like that. Most would say that's fucking irrelevant since he caused the destruction and violent occupation of your town.

"C'mon blue, you really gonna act out? I was being so nice too. Saved you from this fucker didn't I? Could've just let him have you" he pouted, head tilting to watch you try standing back up, giving the man's body a small kick while doing so. You balked at the sight of the evil man, his eyes still unnerving, even more so that he is dead, the movement of Red's kick, gave you the sick impression he was still alive.

A dangerous idea spread into your mind. The hunting knife lay unclaimed next to you. Red was unarmed as far as you could tell. You clasped the knife in a hurry, but before being able to take a slash or even stand up, Red's boot came crushing down onto your wrist. You squealed in pain, releasing the knife in a instant. His free boot kicked the knife away.

"Is that anyway to welcome home an old mate?" he tsked, "I know its been a few years, but come on blue, really? This? Trying to take me out with a knife?"

"What the fuck Red" you gasped, boot still crushing your wrist. "What the hell is going on, raiding? Seriously? this town was your home! How could you turn on us like that. How-how could you turn on me?" Pain, both physical and emotional rushed through your voice, once more tears began to spring, from the pain or the torment of knowing that your best friend was responsible for the death of dozens in your community.

"C'mon Blue! It ain't personal. Just the business of surviving. You think it brings me joy to burn this place to the ground? I mean to be honest it kinda does, but you know that story. But we don't have time to talk about that, right now you and I have a speech to get to." he grins, dark and cold. No way this is the curly haired kid you knew as a child. Red back then could barely kick a toad than massacre innocent civilians.

You let out a sigh of relief as he removes his boot. Only to let out a yelp in surprise as you are thrown over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" you cry, wiggling and worming in his hold.

"Not yet love! Got places to see and people to humiliate" his deranged laugh filled the silent streets you called home.

Before you only were able to see the destruction from a window still, or when you were at the edges of the fight. But now, now you saw everything. You watched in sorrow as you passed the bakery, still blazing alone, as the houses and shakes next to it had been pulled down. The school had been ransacked, pages and books lining the street in silent array. Childs' drawings danced lifelessly across the ground in the breeze.

Without even seeing where he was taking you, you knew where you were going. The town centre. A magnificent fig tree, alone in its splendour made for quite the impressive centre piece of the town. Speeches, weddings, announcements, birthdays and funerals were all held under its comforting branches. It calmed you to still see it still standing. Leaves fell with a hush down from its branches, as if it was crying watching the town that loved it go up in smoke.

You could hear your townspeople's whispers of fear and confusion as the watched you be carried into line of sight. You could see most of the towns population was still alive. The small group of men who were spared were pushed to one side, guarded heavily, despite being made up of elders, young boys, and a few injured men. The cluster of women and children were larger. You could see your friends and family in both groups. All accounted for, thank goodness. You were placed onto the ground and given to two guards, both quickly clasping onto your arms like their lives depended on it. You were off to the side, as Red sauntered his way to front and centre. He always loved being the centre of attention.

"Good people! How's it going?" he exclaimed, arms open wide and a smile gracing his lips. You could see confusion, vague recognition and just plain hatred line people's faces. More importantly you saw your parents both looking at you in absolute despair. You gave them a short smile and a nod, taking a deep breath when they followed suit.

Red began to speak again.

"Some of you may remember me, other's may not. I was one of you once, another member of this pathetic, weak society. You have no strength, despite your numbers. No courage or skill in warfare. Just a load of farmers, tradesmen and women. If this was any other town I would slaughter you all" he grins as if he is discussing a lovely day spent at the beach. Whispers become murmurs. Murmurs become barely contained talks of a massacre, of your towns soon extinction. You began to take shallower, faster breaths.

"Alright, calm down everyone. Maybe we need to work on our listening skills, aye? Now, let's put on our listening caps everyone. I said if you were any other town. Lucky for you bastards I actually like you guys! I had a good run here. Made some lovely mates" a pointed look thrown in your direction. "And was pretty well looked after, well until, you know. So in honour of the good times I had here. I have a compromise for you all." He clasps his hands together, and teeters back and froth from his toes to his heels.

"My men and I have already killed a whole bunch of ya, so how bout we move on from that, aye? You guys are gonna have to boost your numbers after my little stunt, and who better than the very people who massacred your friends and family!" looks of bitter disgust flow across the crowd.

"Yikes, bit of a tough crowd yeah. Alright look, the fellas and I used to have a pretty good place. But the waters run dry and also we're getting up in years, and so we're looking for a place to settle down. To have people to settle down with. So yeah we killed a whole bunch of your men, but hey! We're here to replace that gap. Maybe even help you guys with the whole defence side of things. I mean were those soldier fellas of yours even trained? They were easier to kill than a dead roo!" he barks out a laugh, his men following suit.

'What the fuck is wrong with him' you thought. Clearly years in the bush led to insanity.

"Oh! Before I forget" he stares in your direction, slowly making his way over. You squirm under his gaze uncomfortably. "If you little shits try any sort of rebellion or some shit like that. I'll slit their pretty little throat."

In a moment he brings a knife close to your throat. You reach your chin up, desperate to remove the icy sensation away from you. You look at where his eyes are directed, straight towards your mother, then slowly transferred to your father. Without their approval, any hope of rebellion or uprising is dashed. You are the perfect hostage.

"Great! Glad we could have this chat. So go have a good ole' sleep. Got a whole day of cleaning up to do tomorrow!" he beams, pulling the knife away just as quickly as he produced it. He turns his back on the towns people, grabbing your arm from one of the guards. You are dragged past the fig tree towards the council hall, located within the old water treatment plant. It is then you see how truly outnumbered you were. Nearly over a hundred men, all masked and camouflaged, line the water treatment plant, even with the men who were killed, there was no way your town could have fought them off.

You pulled back from Red, trying to get him to release his grasp.

"What is it blue? Thought you'd be happier to see your childhood mate"

"Fuck you, you dog" you spit, anger clear as day.

Red halts, and turns to you.

"Don't make me hurt you again."

It wasn't what he said, more so than how he said it. He's eyes lost their humanity, his features fell into sudden darkness, the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. You were looking into the eyes of an evil man.

You gave a quick nod, hoping he would lose interest.

"Good!" he cheers, and goes back into dragging you up the steps to the plant.

"Ya know I've never had a war trophy before" he mumbles

"Pardon?" confusion across your face turning into disgust

"You, your a war trophy." he deadpans as if its the simplest thing in the world to understand.

"I'm not a trophy" you grumble

"Cause you are, pretty enough, and you really think I'm ever gonna let you outta my sight again Blue? I've been dreaming about this day for years."

You carefully gazed up at him, his grasp on you had begun to soften.

He notices your confusion, or want for an explanation at the very least.

"You really think I would attack this place for water? Or for my men's retirement plan? Nah, blue. I burnt this town down for you, and I'd do it ten times over if you just asked."

It is then you are reminded of the skinny, lanky boy you made friends with as a child. Your mother used to laugh and call him your dog, when your father said it, he said it with annoyance. It was true, Red followed you around like a pup, always doing what you wanted and when. You didn't like remembering the day he left, mainly cause he was practically run out of town. It just took a slip of your tongue, it was an accident after all. You were a child, and didn't realise that sometimes words were dangerous. You didn't realise how much Red took your words to heart, or how much he cared to.

' Red, sometimes I just wish...'

'What blue? Tell me, I'll make it true'

'Well I just wish he was dead!'

You knew Red was being perfectly honest when he said he would burn this town down if you asked. He had already tried before.

I don't know about the ending or if reader is really a war trophy but the words came and i just put them down.

#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere imagines #yandere drabble #yandere prompts #gn!reader #yandere x gn!reader #tw violence #murder #oc #SA

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melkyt · 5 months

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✨️Tarzan!LawLu au ✨️ (Dragodile, CrocoDad is a thing that is mentioned).

Luffy, the lost wild child of the jungle, raised by animals with no contact with the outside world.

Law as a historian and medic for an expedition run by Robin, when he gets a lead that he decides to follow up on and subsequently gets lost in the jungle, gets injured, and gets found by Luffy.

Luffy with long hair, no concept of human language, or even that there are others like him is immediately fascinated by Law, and his clothes xd

He takes Law, who is out of it due to his injury-induced fever and treats him to the best of his ability. Luffy has the basic knowledge of plants that treat most things thanks to the other animals.

It is too safe when Law is lucid, he has so many questions and also needs to find a way back to civilization. Finds out Luffy also knows about a ruin based on the trinkets and treasures he has around his nest/home, and most importantly the cloud necklace he is wearing. It is what they are looking for and decide that they need Luffy to find it.

Bonus points if Crocodile is the one funding/running the expedition and has a lot of money on the line with this discovery.

Luffy eventually gets Law back to civilization and well, Crocodile is there and he recognizes the cloud Luffy wears.

This leads to our fave wild child boi being captured and put in a cage, as he refuses to cooperate in a civil way, and puts more than one guy into the hospital until Crocodile subdues him.

Law argues this is inhumane, he is a doctor and the man needs treatment, not a cage.

Crocodile answers that he will let the brat go as long as he shows them the ruins, dangling the necklace in front of Luffy's cage.

Luffy gets what the man wants and refuses, he ain't going to do shit any human tells him, they hurt his friends. He has seen Croc and his men shoot more than one. So he stays silent. No matter how much they torture him.

That is until Crocodile notices how Luffy responds to Law, that they even found a language they can communicate on some level. So he makes a threat to hurt Law with clear intent that would be obvious to anyone.

Luffy growls and gives in with a nod. He will show them. They put him in chains and makes Law come with them to keep Luffy in line. The way to the ruins is past his nest, that he has called his home since he was lost.

The men start going through it. Luffy tries to fight them for disturbing it. They set it on fire, and Luffy runs in to grab the one thing he has from his life before the animals find him. It is a baby blanket, he gets burned in the process. Law takes this chance to overpower the guards and they run away. Luffy does not manage to get the blanket but it is saved from the fire by Crocodile who was trying to catch Luffy.

And he recognizes it as the blanket of someone he lost a long time ago, a loss that ended any hope of ever having a relationship again. It can't be the same child, not after all these years. He has been exploring this island/area for over a decade and never a sign?

LawLu meanwhile escape through the jungle. Luffy leads him to the ruins which is quite a climb through an overgrown area, then past a waterfall and a cave passage covered in vines. It is not surprising it was never found.

They heal up and relax. Obligatory bathing in a crystal lake scene where Law has a crisis over Luffy's muscles xd.

Luffy is determined to go back and fck up Crocodile for hurting Law and burning his home. Law tries to convince him that it's not worth it.

Crocodile finds a way to track Luffy through the winding Jungle, he comes alone. If this is his son, he has to know.

Drama, a confrontation. Luffy almost dies when they tussle and he falls off a cliff. The panic, terror. Law looking for a way to scramble down, getting a little bit banged in the process. Law being bloody and exhausted, focusing on nothing but Luffy's treatment.

Crocodile forgetting all about the ruins, for now. This is his son, he recognizes a scar or a birthmark that Luffy has, something distinct.

Law manages to stabilize Luffy. They carry him to an area where they can get helicoptered out. They go to some big hospital.

There is a lot of legal nonsense. Dragon shows up and wants to take guardianship immediately, arguing with Croc.

Law pulls some strings as quite the prominent doctor and gets Luffy signed into existence under his protection, not trusting the two people who lost him in the first place.

Robin while nobody is paying attention to her, registers the ruins and surrounding area as a historical site and an animal sanctuary, making it impossible or very unprofitable to loot it. It's on the radar now. Crocodile can't touch it even if he wanted to. Though he has bigger things on his mind.

Law is there as Luffy starts to get the basic idea of human society, but never loses that feral streak. They settle down in a home on the edge of the village, with Law studying the history of the ruins and working as a local doctor while Luffy takes care of the animals and leads tours through the woods, preferring being out in the wild over civilization but he always comes home to Law.

#lawlu #monkey d luffy #trafalgar law #nico robin #sir crocodile

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madhatterbri · 9 months

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Bordello | Hangman A.P.

Summary: Hangman goes to see his favorite prostitute at his favorite brothel. @plentyoffandoms

Author's Note: Pure fiction. Enjoy. 18+. More of my Hangman Adam Page fics can found here.

@theworldofotps your man has a really happy ending now 😂😂

Hangman Adam Page pulled on his horse's reins. The horse stopped behind Madam Toni's Lovely Lasses. A simple building from the outside but a plethora of pleasures awaited inside. He could hear the lively activities inside once the back door opened. A man came out and grabbed the reins. Adam slid off the horse and tied a black bandana over his nose and mouth to cover his identity. Once he was ready, he stepped inside.

He was first hit with a cloud of cigarette smoke. The bandana was barely able to help him breathe. He walked down ahallway to a secret staircase. From the sound of it, Madam Toni must have allowed the party to start early this Friday evening. Men and women alike were laughing loudly and cheering. As much as he missed being able to mingle with his friends inside the saloon, he loved the special treatment he was offered here.

He made his way up the staircase to see the famous Madam Toni. She leaned against the railing watching the party from above. Her eyes locked on him.

"Welcome home, Hangman. I am sure she will be happy to see you." Adam simply nodded and continued towards her room.

You sighed while sitting at your desk staring at your reflection. Your hair hung loosely as you ran your fingers through the strands. Thoughts filled your mind as you thought of the Hangman. How you would give anything for him to be here tonight. The door to your bedroom suddenly opened. Only one man was allowed in your room. The Hangman.

The Hangman locked the door behind him. He placed his cowboy hat and vest on the table by the door. His light eyes never left you. His eyes lit up seeing the lace Victorian nightgown on you. The one he brought back for you.

"I am sorry I am not properly ready for you. I thought you would be going to be gone for much longer," you apologized. The Hangman took a liking to you the first night you met. You always tried to ensure he was happy with you.

"You are wearing what I got you," he pointed out. His cowboy boots echo in your room. Each thud of his boots makes your heart pound quicker. You watch his reflection in the mirror as he stands behind you. His hands move your hair back as his fingers caress your soft skin. You lean your cheeks into his touch.

"I've missed you," he confessed and lowered his bandana to around his neck. He buried his face in your hair leaving soft kisses. He took a step back as you stood up from your chair to face him. His eyes took in your figure through the sheer nightgown. The nightgown did not leave much to the imagination. "But what am I going to do with you?"

His lips once again found their way to your flesh. They hungrily kissed your shoulders before trailing to your neck. You gasped at his actions yet exposed more of your neck to him. Your dress bunched around your waist as he sat you on your desk. Your legs wrapped around his waist.

"Adam," you moaned feeling the friction of his rough pants between your legs. He smirked seeing you start to grind your hips into his pants. A series of pants and whimpers filled the room. Your eyes closed as he allowed you to make a mess of his pants. He removed your dress leaving you naked before his hungry eyes.

"Hands behind your back, darling," he ordered. You followed his instructions. He untied the bandana from around his neck and walked to your side. The sudden loss of friction left you a longing mess. He tied your wrists together. He pulled against the bandana ensuring you couldn't escape. Your eyes traveled to his pants.

"Adam, I, your pants," you blushed seeing the stain from you on them. He didn't bother looking at them. Your lewd actions already causing his pants to feel a little too tight. He used your distraction for his gain.

The Hangman dropped to his knees and moved your legs over his shoulders. He leaned down and slowly licked your slit from bottom to top. The tip of his tongue teasing your clit. You brought your head back and balled your fists. Your nails pressed into the palms of your hands. He repeated his action several times reveling in your anguish. His eyes met yours once more as if planning his next mode of attack.

In the blink of an eye, his thumb rubbed against your bundle of nerves. Oh, you breathed as his rough, calloused finger provided the friction you missed once more. You moved your hips towards his touch. He slid his finger inside of you and curled up. Your juices soaking his finger.

"Adam," you whimpered while struggling against your binds. He worked you up adding more fingers and using various speeds to make you melt for him and you did. A thin layer of sweat covered your face. Your skin was flushed from his work on your body and all you could do was take it. "I need you,"

He stopped upon hearing your admission. People often needed his services but you were different. Hearing that you needed him made him almost feral. He bit back a curse and removed his fingers from inside of you. The lewd sound of his fingers expelling from your wetness caused you to blush further. This man could absolutely ruin you.

He stood up and lowered his pants. He didn't bother removing his shirt. More battle scars marred his chest and back. The Hangman never wanted you to worry about him. He positioned your legs around his waist and entered you slowly. The way your body gripped him was almost like it was trying to milk him. He took several deep breaths to steady himself before gripping the back of your knees. He used them as leverage as he started to pick up his rhythm. The desk smacked against the wall with each thrust.

"S-so cl-close," you stuttered. You weren't sure if it was from him or if your mind was lost in pleasure. He continued his movements enjoying seeing you reaching your high. Your toes curled and with one last scream of his name, you came undone. The Hangman didn't last much longer before finishing inside of you. He thrusted inside of you a few more times before pulling out. He tucked himself back in his pants.

"You are going to be the death of me," he promised and kissed your shoulder. Adam reached around and untied the bandana. You moved your hands in front of you and moved them in circles to alleviate the pain in your wrists. He grabbed them and placed soft kisses on them. "Always so good for me. My little flower,"

Your heart swelled in pride at his compliment. Once he was done kissing you he picked you up bridal style from the desk and placed you on your bed. He moved a blanket over you to cover your body. Adam walked to the other side and lay next to you. His arms wrapped around your frame and pulled you close to him. You stared at his chest while he rubbed your forehead and hair. Every so often he would place kisses on your face. Your eyes felt heavy and soon you fell into a dream-filled sleep.

#fanfiction #imagine #hangman adam page smut #hangman adam page x reader #hangman adam page #hangman adam page x you #hangman adam page x y/n

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itbmojojoejo · 1 year

Text

A Good Man | Part 8

Pairing: Finan x Ealdorman's Daughter!Reader

Summary: Finan returns from the north with news of Bebbanburg, news that worries y/n. The pair reunite in Aeglesburgh as preparations for battle at Tettenhall take place.

Warnings: SLOWBURN. MDNI18+ NSFW content below the cut. Unprotected PinV (I will not write about medieval contraception). Mentions of violence and death. If i've missed anything please let me know!

Wordcount:3.7k (i never intend for the parts to be so lengthy but a lot is going on.)

Part 1 | Part 9 | Other Works

Authors Notes: If something below the cut seems oddly fast just - there's a few time jumps and shit happens alright, man can't last for hours when it's been months without a single touch.

The soft light of morning sun streaming through budding trees cast golden streaks across your skin as you closed your eyes, face tilting upwards into the sky allowing the natural warmth to wash over you, taking a deep breath filling your lungs with the fresh crisp air hugging a shawl around your shoulders welcoming the spring. The laughter of Aelfwyn chasing a grumbling Stiorra through the dewy grasses littered with freshly bloomed tulips pulled you from the small moment of meditation and the crunch of wood chip alerted you to Lady Aethelflaed approaching.

“I won’t be here for the next few nights” She spoke quietly and you nodded knowing she was referencing a visit to Coccham, you looked to the floor fighting the envy that creeped into your bones. “If he has returned early I’ll be sure to send him this way” Giving a comforting rub to your shoulder she offered up a small reassuring smile.

“If he is already home and hasn’t thought to visit I can’t promise not to be vindictive.”

“We both know that not to be true y/n, you are soft on him.” You groaned in response turning on your heel to head back inside.

Aethelflaed was right, you were soft on him and the winter had been long and lonely without Finan. You remembered your sisters always talking of how happy they were for their husbands to go off to war or on campaigns as they liked the peace it brought them but you felt as if you were being tortured, mourning the loss of a man who wasn’t your husband and was still very much alive, or so you hoped.

You awoke earlier than usual the next morning staring up at the wooden beams lining the ceiling, hair dishevelled resembling something a bird might like to nest in and nightdress twisted uncomfortably around your hips and waist. Urging yourself to move you began readying yourself for the day starting with a wash and application of scented oil which you also used to attempt taming your long tresses. My Lady rang through your head as it so often did in a poor imitation of Finan’s melodic and sometimes soft voice, a quiet knock at your door dragged you back to reality.

Sable had come to inform you that Aethelflaed had returned earlier than expected and wishes to leave for Wessex as soon as possible so she can give some comfort to her mother and asked if you wanted to accompany her, your own choices were to either stay put sulking your way through the days as if you were a child or find some enjoyment from the new season in the form of travels.

You’d been in Winchester for all of one day when you stood in the room that King Alfred had once used to house his books and keep a chronicle of the times watching the space be taken apart by keepers at the palace hastily sweeping the books and pages into baskets as guards carried the shelves out and away. Time after time throughout your stay you had witnessed the treatment towards Lady Aelswith and how her mood soured with every new insult.

The next day you heard the familiar voice of Uhtred sitting in the hall with King Edward, Father Pyrlig and Lord Aethelhelm negotiating for men to retake Bebbanburg and your heart skipped. News of this sort meant that Finan had surely returned and would of accompanied Uhtred to Winchester, after seeking out Lady Aethelflaed at Uhtred’s presence she had placed her hands on your arms holding you still.

“Calm, this is the most life I’ve seen in you for weeks. Once I have spoken to Edward about the negotiation I will find a way for us to see them.” She smiled and you simply nodded trying to contain your need to find Finan.

Finan was walking through the nunnery with Uhtred, Osferth and Sihtric discussing options to get into Bebbanburg after being denied an army when Abbess Hild appeared calling for Uhtred.

“Thank you for offering your men to help clear the stables.”

“What?” Finan complained looking between the men as Uhtred walked off with Hild.

“Ladders.” Osferth spoke out tapping Finan’s chest adding another suggestion as a way to breach the walls, he looked to Sihtric with a blank face and they both turned away choosing to ignore the monks foolish idea.

In the stables Finan grumbled getting ready to use a manure fork with his back to the stalls opening

“Oh yeah this is just what I want to do, shovel shit.” He griped and Osferth cleared his throat standing up right opening his mouth to say something. “Ay arseling I’m not doing this alone.” The irishman scolded waving the fork at his friend.

“For a good christian boy you sure are using foul language in a holy place.”

His entire demeanour changed hearing your voice and turned dropping the fork seeing you stood with a smile playing on your lips and your hands folded in front of you, he tried to speak but only gawked as the sun glinted off a piece of silver on your index finger and he immediately recognised his ring. Osferth cleared his throat once more and gave Finan a shove forward ushering him towards you, stepping closer to meet him he placed his fingers under your chin angling your face up to his, the sun highlighted the gold in his eyes willing you to melt under his warm gaze there and then.

“Aren’t you going to say hello?” You quipped

“Hello.” He flashed you a grin leaning down for a kiss but you turned away

“Not here.” You grabbed his hand pulling him away from the stables to an old bricked up archway tucked out of the way from prying eyes.

“So, if my woman was here I wouldn’t have to do this either?” Sihtric sassed picking up the dropped fork getting a chuckle from Osferth.

Finan’s lips eagerly crashed onto yours in an instant with his thumbs stroking your jawline, you held him closer by his waist, finger tips brushing over the layers of his leather cuirass savouring every part of feeling his lips on yours and the rough pads of his fingers tracing your skin. You reluctantly broke away and leaned your forehead to his chest as worry washed over you.

“Finan, do not go.” You quietly pleaded with your brows knotted together

“What are you talking about?” He asked pulling you back to his face, trying to smooth away your concerned frown with a thumb

“Bebbanburg. I know what happened at the palace, please do not go.”

“It’s going to be alright, we’ve faced worse with less and survived. And this time survival means we will take Bebbanburg, then I won’t have to steal kisses from you in secret.” He soothed cupping your cheeks.

“You would want me there with you?” The idea of having a home just for the two of you filled your chest with a renewed sense of hope that maybe, just maybe, they really would be able to succeed.

“You are my lady, are you not?” Smiling at his words you leaned up capturing his lips once more allowing yourself to get lost in him if even for only a short moment.

You trailed behind Finan heading towards the groups horses fiddling with the pale silver cross at your neck watching the sun glint off his chainmail hating that you were to have distance between you yet again as Uhtred was saying his farewells to Father Beocca and Hild.

Removing the cross from your neck you bundled up its cord into a neat small loop and tucked it into his hand drawing his attention away from the large steed. His face twisted into a silent question as he moved it around in his palm.

“Make sure you get that back to me.” You spoke quietly. Unravelling the loop you had made he put it on to hang next to his own.

“I’ll be coming back for you.” He placed a delicate kiss to your knuckles as you unwillingly parted ways.

Weeks had passed with no news of Bebbanburg having a new Lord to watch over the distant lands in Northumbria and you were growing more and more restless which only increased when you learned of the unsettling attack at Aeglesburgh led by Cnut and Brida as they savaged Mercia.

“The Ealdormen remain in Aeglesburgh?” Aethelflaed asked Lord Aldhelm as you all walked through the hallways of the palace at Winchester after Edward had refused to send men.

“Any that were not killed in the attack” Aldhelm shot a weary look in your direction and your stomach sank, your father resided inside the city walls.

“I will summon the Mercian fyrds. We’re going to Aeglesburgh y/n.” Aethelflaed declared and you could only nod in response.

After the failure at Bebbanburg Finan was feeling the weight of keeping the men motivated to stay with Uhtred while also helping his Lord battle the grief he felt at the loss of Beocca. They trudged through the thick woods going south when they stumbled across Haesten with his kinfolk, the dane had made remarks about Aethelflaed piquing their curiosity enough to accept the invitation of food and a camp.

“Haesten’s men say Cnut and Brida have attacked Mercia.” Osferth stated hugging his forearm that hung in a make shift sling.

“Edward and Aelthred will need us now.” Finan sighed looking to his Lord, he didn’t like this information at all.

“I owe them nothing” Uhtred spat

“And Aethelflaed?” Finan rolled his shoulders adjusting his stance, if Mercia needed help with Aethelred being in East Anglia he knew the Lady of Mercia would step up to meet an army of danes and where Aethelflaed went, you followed.

After travelling around Mercia summoning the fyrds to meet at Tettenhall you arrived to the heart wrenching sight that was Aeglesburgh, the main gates had been removed from their hinges and bodies hung from the ramparts causing your stomach to twist and turn in knots as the unwelcomed smell of death invaded your senses.

Moving further into the city the ground was littered with the destruction of the merciless danes that had savaged the people of the place you had called home for so many years.

“Search for survivors and bring them here” Aethelflaed spoke instructing Aldhelm

“We should not delay here, the danes could return.”

“I know.”

You helped with clearing up and organising the inside of the palace so the survivors would have a safe sanctuary on their arrival as the few guard members that travelled with you assisted in gathering the bodies so they may eventually be blessed before burial. After a short while Aethelflaed came to you with a sombre face and took your hand in hers.

“I am so sorry lady y/n, the men have found your father and..” Her gaze fell to floor finding herself unable to fully deliver the news

“No.” You shook your head pulling your hand away and walked for the doors feeling ice crawl up through your body, your breath quickened with your pace turning into a run towards the bodies that were being laid out under the evening’s red and pink sky. Spotting the lifeless form of your father tears stung your eyes and you knelt besides him, choked sobs escaping through the tightness in your chest.

Although you had not always seen eye to eye he understood how important the small freedom’s you could get were to you and that your mother had wished for you to be able to make your own choices wherever possible as she also had in her life even if it had frustrated him.

“Lady, I am sorry but it is not safe for you to linger here” Aldhelm’s voice was soft as he hesitated in lifting you from the dried mud.

Finan sat atop his horse with one of Cnut’s sons, his relief to be approaching Aeglesburgh turning to concern. There were hardly any men guarding the walls and there were no gates to protect the city from any further invasions.

He watched on as the boy was taken down from his horse and Uhtred spoke to Aethelflaed. Dismounting he looked to Osferth and Sihtric with worry at the scene and wondered if you had been left in Winchester and approached his Lord and the Lady to interrupt with his question.

“I’m sorry Lady but, y/n?”

“She is here in the hall” Aethelflaed confirmed, looking to Uhtred for permission he was given a nod to go.

“Finan, be gentle with her, she is in a fragile state.” Aethelflaed motioned to the bodies still in their place and he recognised Lord Aelfric.

“Oh god.” He uttered and jogged towards the hall.

He found you stood beside a hearth with your hand resting on the hilt of the dagger at your waist he had given you the previous summer. You were staring into the flames that stuttered and swayed in the breeze coming in through the now open door of the hall lighting your features and highlighting your tear swollen eyes that still sparkled as if they had never fully dried, slowly he reached out and barely brushed your shoulder trying not to startle you.

A breath caught in your throat as you met his eyes instantly throwing your arms around his neck pulling him into you, he said nothing holding you as tears began freely falling again.

“How are you here?” You sniffed keeping your face buried against him

“We couldn’t take Bebbanburg, we lost Beocca.” Sadness quietly laced his voice

“Finan, I’m sorry” You breathed meeting his gaze

“No I am. The bastards are going to pay for this, I swear.” His eyes were the hardest you’d ever seen them and knew he meant every word of the threat

“You will be fighting at Tettenhall?”

“Do you have to ask?”

Before you could say anything else Aldhelm calling for all men to be on the ramparts echoed through the quiet city, without a care in the world for who was watching Finan captured your lips in an intense kiss that somehow melted away some of the pain you carried.

“I’m needed out there, now you stay in here.” He instructed breaking away from your hold

“No, I will go to my father’s home. It’s close by inside the walls.” You countered and he groaned, one of the things he adored about you was your strong will but in times like this it only added to his worry for you being safe “No arguments Finan, I will be fine there.”

You silently walked down the steps side by side and as you turned off left towards the street of houses Finan walked backwards towards to the ramparts making a mental note of which house you entered and positioned himself within its view.

As the night got darker Finan spotted light leaking through the splintered shutters on the ground level of the house you were in, he always yearned for you whenever he was away but somehow tonight it was worse, he not only wanted to comfort you but be comforted by you as well.

“You are looking in the wrong direction.” Osferth mumbled from his side

“Quiet you. Not all of us need to shout about men approaching if it happens.”

“Have you thought about just asking Uhtred if you can go to her?”

Finan sighed, it wasn’t a terrible idea. He had been gone on his Lord’s orders for quite a long time and he rarely complained or asked for anything, surely he would be allowed this one request? Giving Osferth a pat on the shoulder he took a breath and walked to Uhtred’s position who only gave him a side glance at his arrival.

“Lord, I -“ He started keeping his eyes ahead

“I know what you are going to ask Finan, no.” Uhtred’s tone was flat and Finan snapped his head to look at him

“Uhtred, I don’t want for nothing and do as you ask of my own free will, you know this. Don’t make me beg.” His lord sighed, the wheels turning in his head visible.

“Go, but I want you back here before dawn.” Uhtred resolved.

Sitting on the edge of a large table looking at the hearth you had managed to get lit you took in your fathers home, most of the furniture had been toppled over and damaged during the attack. You had done your best at tidying up the destruction in the small space with the odd sob and tear escaping every so often but you swallowed them down refusing to succumb to grief entirely. Knowing Finan was close and for now, safe, was helping like a soothing balm to your aching heart.

The cracked door creaking open pulled you from your thoughts and you looked to Finan in the doorway, you offered him a small smile and held out your arms silently requesting his embrace and he obliged being careful not to further damage the door when he closed it. He hummed into your neck as you snaked your arms around his and he locked his strong chainmail covered arms around your waist.

“Are you do-“ He quietly began asking

“No, I don’t want to talk, just kiss me”

He kissed you slowly lacing his fingers through your hair at the nape of your neck, your hands on his back holding him as close as possible condemning the touch of cool leather on your palms. With each push and pull of your lips against each other the intensity and need grew, drawing your hands around to his sword belt he didn’t stop or prevent your fingers nimbly unknotting and unbuckling the leather strap pulling it free from the loops of his cuirass and letting it fall to the floor with a heavy thud.

Finan turned your face in his hands trailing hot tender kisses across your jaw and down your neck as your hands slipped under his thick gambeson and worked at unlacing his breeches slipping them down to his thighs, he groaned against your neck when you palmed at his growing erection and bunched the skirts of your dresses up to your hips and running his fingers through your folds. The flames from the hearth igniting the gold tones in his eyes as if they were on fire themselves matched the growing heat in your core, you didn’t just want his touch this time, you wanted to feel all of him.

You didn’t know how long it would be before you saw him again with all this chaos going on around you. Mercia was savaged, nearly lost, Wessex was on the verge of its own problems with Aethelred calling himself King of Mercia. You were both bound to be separated by distance once more.

“I want you to have all of me” You moaned against his mouth as the pad of his finger massaged your clit, your lust laden eyes looking into his. Finan simply moaned in response pulling you closer to the edge of the table and lined himself up your wet entrance.

The first shallow thrusts had you wrapping an arm around his shoulders with your nails digging into the leather covering his body, the other tightly gripping the tables edge burying your face in his neck muting your small whimpers at the discomfort. The dull pain finally eased off and he paused with his cock now fully sheathed inside your tight walls, you planted soft open mouthed kisses up his neck to his mouth and he kissed you back with a fire you had never experienced and moaned when he began moving his hips again.

You brought your leg higher up to his waist and he locked it in place gripping at your thigh, the new angle bringing on a deeper feeling of pleasure with each pump of his length into you. Finan knew he wouldn’t last long with the combination of your tightness gripping him and the sweet noises falling from your mouth into his so he slid his thumb in between your two connected bodies and rubbed precise circles against your clit.

You mewled a string of incoherent words at him as your breath quickened and back arched into him, he felt your walls constrict and flutter around his cock brining him to fall off the ledge into bliss with you. Finan’s hips stuttered emptying his hot seed into your core burying his face into your hair as he did and your thighs trembled with you struggling to regain your composure having reached your peak.

The small house was silent other than the occasional crackling of wood coming from the hearth as you and Finan rested your heads on each others shoulders with your bodies still entangled, you lightly played with the hair at the nape of his neck as he drew shapes into the soft skin of your thighs.

“Take me as your wife” You words cut through quiet causing Finan to lift his head and look at you

“I would, in a heartbeat, but it cannot be.” He shook his head with furrowed brows, not in anger but sadness.

“It can.” You countered

“And if we’re refused?” He pulled back from you completely now and you winced readjusting your legs and skirts

“I do not believe they would annul the marriage if it had already taken place” You watched him retie his laces

“Your life wouldn’t be as comfortable as it is now, you do know that?” He glanced at you straightening out his gambeson and picking up his sword belt

“I know what I’m asking Finan.” You stood helping him with the leather and its buckle

“So, do we ask for permission or forgiveness?” He harshly knotted his belt and stood closer into your space cupping your face

“I will speak to Aethelflaed after the battle” You smiled, his question confirming he wants the same as you do.

“Say she doesn’t survive, what then?” He worryingly pondered, he knew you would become your family’s responsibility again if she was to fall in battle

“Then we won’t be asking anyone for anything, I won’t let my brother chose my fate. You will take me with you to Coccham.” He nodded in agreement planting a gentle kiss to your lips.

End Notes: I have no words.

Taglist: @arcielee @tssf-imagines @bcon24 @finanmoghra

#i have a very hectic day tomorrow so i'm just gonna leave this here now #finan x you #finan x reader #finan fanfic #finan tlk #tlk fanfic

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