#i just moved across the planet and I only have a built in closet for whatever shitty clothes I have left and a mattress

[reverecurrent]

I am ngl I would like some furniture some time soon tbh

[bbugyu]

no song without you + lee seokmin & yoon jeonghan

you truly believed that you were possibly the luckiest person on earth to have earned the attention of two of the most extraordinary men on the planet.

prelude | part one | part two | part three | epilogue

wc.8.4k | architect!jeonghan x musician!seokmin x f musician!reader, fluff, smut, established relationship, polyamory, domestic humor, jeonghan thinks he runs the show but rlly ur both just whipped for seokmin, drinking, threesome, lots o' mlm, soft dom!seok bbratty sub!han switch!reader, toy use, lk cucking again lol, male penetration, sex sandwich, light bondage (it's just a tie), daddy kink, baby boy/baby girl, double switches gang up on their dom and it's the best, unprotected (please use condoms), hi gyu! (not during the sex omg)

hey gang! here is the long awaited epilogue for neverending artistry!! sorry for taking so long to post, but i really appreciate your understanding around the weird hiccups i've had in my personal life lately, and i promise to get back into the swing of writing soon. this mc is such an obvious self insert of myself that it's embarrassing but you know me when it comes to jeonghan! cannot help it!

~

jeonghan had finally convinced you to ditch your apartment. it took you a while to come around, but it was hard to deny his logic when he argued that your new office had close to the same square footage and you only went there once every week or so to find some specific clothing item you missed. there was some nostalgia there, though - it was your first place you ever got on your own, and you spent most of your university career there, but your emotional attachment dwindled the more time you spent in the newest spaces of jeonghan's home.

when the last of your things were moved, you realized you wouldn't have to pay rent anymore, and accused jeonghan of tricking you for the sake of being frugal.

he laughed, helping you hang clothes in his - your? - closet. "how do you think i got rich in the first place?"

jeonghan couldn't help but be preoccupied with his own passion projects, so he kept turning down most of the new contracts that came across his desk. you joked that he was gonna run out of money eventually, despite knowing that he not only had plenty stowed away somewhere and that he had a good enough name that he could get work whenever he wanted. he just didn't want to yet - he had too many ideas for home. even when he did start taking more contracts again, as the weather warmed and winter became spring, he continued making little changes to the home here and there. you teased him for it, because really, who the hell converts their basement into a theater room for no good reason?

"it is a good reason!" he said defensively, a smile tugging at his offended expression. "you suggested a movie night." 

"yeah, a movie night," you argued, recalling when seungkwan casually said that he had never seen lord of the rings and you had gotten personally offended. "not a whole theater room! what kind of rich asshole are you?"

seokmin tsked, sliding a bowl of ramen towards you. "that's on you, really. he's definitely the kind of rich asshole that would have a theater room."

"hey," jeonghan said, leaning heavily against his hands on the kitchen island between you. "can i remind you both who built this entire house? y'know, the one that you get to enjoy for the low, low price of loving me?"

you blinked at him as you blew on a bite of noodles. "when you can't afford me anymore, i'm moving in with seokmin."

his jaw dropped at you, making the younger laugh as you slurped the instant noodles he had made in celebration of you submitting your project on time - which was also the reason you had missed eating dinner with them a few hours earlier. "i'll still love you when you're poor," he assured, rubbing a hand on his back.

"when you can't afford me- pfft," jeonghan, crossed his arms. "when did you become such a prick?"

you quirked your eyebrows at him. "i had a great teacher."

jeonghan barely let out an indignant "yah!" when seokmin laughed and put up his hands, trying to mediate. "okay, can we please have one weekend? just one friday where you two don't get pouty at each other?"

"jeonghan’s fault," you said, pointing. "he takes it too seriously."

"i wouldn't take it so seriously if you didn't have a shitty tone."

you gaped at him, eyes glinting with playfulness. "a shitty tone?"

seokmin sighed, his eyes shutting as he leaned back against a counter. "i asked so nicely."

"yeah, a shitty tone," jeonghan confirmed. "who made you such a spoiled brat?"

you laughed, your voice dipping into a mocking register. "yeah, who? i really wonder."

seokmin's head was lolling to one side, his arms crossed, as he stared at his boyfriend's profile with pitched brows. "did you really just ask who spoiled the person you gave a black card to?"

jeonghan gave him a look of betrayal. "hey, whose side are you on?"

"this time?" he asked, a hand slipping out of his crossed arms to point at you. "hers."

you could never stay mad at each other, even if the argument didn't end right away - you always ended up not being able to stop yourself from laughing at a joke he cracked, making him break his upset façade, and seokmin would let out a relieved sigh and stretch out his limbs, recognizing the telltale signs of the evening winding down. he knew that he was safe from your arguments until the next friday, when the two of you were acting out again only because you missed having him around. 

seokmin, without fail, spent every weekend at the house, getting dropped off at his loft by jeonghan on monday mornings before his first lesson. weeknights, too, sometimes, especially when he didn't have lessons too early the next day, and you would usually pack up your school supplies and tag along on the morning after those nights, happily doing homework and writing essays as you listened to his lessons. on one such day, you were curled up in his side after his last client left, burying your face in his neck as he aimlessly searched for something to watch on netflix. 

"have you seen kingdom yet?" he asked, pausing on the title long enough for the preview to start playing, quickly muting it. you shook your head, making him giggle when your hair brushed against his neck. "do you wanna watch it?"

"i don't care," you said, snaking your arms around his torso. he exhaled, dropping his arm from the back of the couch and rubbing his hand over your shoulder blades. you smiled, and though he couldn't see it, he felt it.

"well what do you wanna watch?"

you sighed, snuggling against him. "i don't care," you repeated.

"yah." seokmin laughed. "weren't you the one that said we should watch something?"

you groaned, adjusting your posture and throwing your legs over his lap. "i just wanna be close to you."

he just exhaled, scrolling back up to his tried and true background noise series, hitting resume and unmuting before throwing his remote aside. you giggled as he lowered your back onto the couch, comfortably laying in front of him as he laid on his side with a hand to support his head. you gazed at his face as he squinted, trying to remember where in the series he had left off.

you glanced over at the screen, registering the animated characters. "is this when they find susan?"

"yeah," he said, rubbing his face. "i must have fallen asleep, i'm pretty sure the last thing i saw was jake pretending to be a rainicorn."

you laughed, tugging the pillow at the end of the couch under your head and shifting to face him better, his hand landing on your side as you casually fiddled with the collar of his shirt, fingers brushing against his throat as you studied his face. sensing your focus, he quirked his eyebrow and looked at you.

"can i help you?"

you exhaled. "am i not allowed to just admire you?"

he chuckled, tugging at his nose briefly in vague embarrassment. "you're ridiculous."

"why?" you pouted. "because i think you're incredibly handsome?"

seokmin just sighed. "yes."

"well you are," you stated, scooting closer his chest, making him laugh as he pulled on your waist to help you. "you're unbelievably handsome."

"nah," he said, shaking his head. "you're crazy."

your eyebrows knit together. "seokmin."

"hmm?"

you put your hands on his face, forcing him to look at you instead of the television. "you are one of the most handsome men i have ever met, and i've met a lot of men."

he chuckled shyly under your intense gaze. "hush."

"it's true!" your eyebrows knit further, making him laugh again. "seokmin, believe me! you are incredibly good looking."

he shook his head. "whatever you say, babe."

"seokmin," you warned. "you're handsome."

"okay, i'm handsome," he said finally, a slight smile on his lips. "if someone like you says so, i guess i can't argue."

"someone like me," you scoffed. "i don't even know what that means."

he eyed you. "you do know that you're drop dead gorgeous, right?"

you studied his face a moment. "well, if someone like you says so, i guess i can't argue."

"hey," he said teasingly, laughing. "seriously, i still don't get why you talked to me."

"because you're crazy hot," you said, making him let out an incredibly ungraceful pffft as you giggled. "and i kept talking to you because you are maybe the kindest person i've ever had the pleasure of talking to."

he blushed, pouting out his lips and shifting his focus to the show. "that's really sweet of you to say."

"i'm not just saying it, it's true," you said, shoving your head into the space between his arm and neck, making him laugh as he made room for you. "i love you so much."

"i love you," he said quietly, running his hand up your back. "i'm really glad i met you."

you smiled against him. "me too."

you were still snuggled into seokmin's chest when jeonghan called you on his way home from the office - though several episodes had passed - and he asked if you wanted him to swing by to grab you.

"or do you guys want dinner?" he asked, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he thought. "have you eaten?"

you looked at seokmin, putting your phone on speaker. "we haven't eaten. are you in the mood for something?"

jeonghan pouted a second. "not that i can think of. what about you?"

"sashimi," seokmin said without pause, making you laugh. he looked at you with round eyes and a smirk on his lips. "what, you think it's a joke?"

"you do suggest it every time i ask," jeonghan pointed out. "that sounds good, though. i'll pick some up and bring it over?"

"and stir fried octopus," you added. "and soju."

seokmin nudged you. "it's tuesday."

you widened your eyes as you looked away. "okay, old man. i just don't think this menu is meant to be eaten without soju."

jeonghan agreed with you, much to seokmin's false chagrin (he enjoyed drinking just as much as you did, he just liked to keep an adult front on workdays), and within the hour, the three of you were sat on the floor around the coffee table, eating and sharing several bottles of soju like it wasn't a tuesday.

"i just realized," you said suddenly, staring at jeonghan. "you've never slept here."

seokmin gasped dramatically. "you're right."

the architect only laughed as you poured three more glasses of soju, leaning back on a hand. "i had a custom mattress made for a reason. i like big beds."

"i thought you just liked beds that had us in it," you teased, pushing the shot towards him. "seokmin's bed is big enough, i'm pretty sure."

the three of you cheersed again, knocking back the clean alcohol. seokmin hissed before he spoke. "we all pile together, anyways."

jeonghan eyed him. "what day is it tomorrow?"

"wednesday," you stated, pausing to think about seokmin's schedule. "first lesson at ten thirty?"

"normally, yeah," he said. "but ryujin's out of town this week, so i don't have anything til noon."

you looked at jeonghan, eyes shining, and he waved his hand at you. "hey, don't look at me like that."

"sleepover?" you asked. "seriously, you won't believe how pretty the sunrises are."

"for real," seokmin corroborated. "the view's even better from the loft."

you nodded excitedly. "and instant coffee is surprisingly delicious. sometimes i miss it at home."

seokmin laughed at you, poking a finger into your side. "we can buy a jar for the house, dummy."

"no," you pouted, grabbing his hand. "it's special. i like only having it here."

jeonghan rolled his eyes. "if you two are done, i think we should call it a night."

"sleepover?" you asked again.

he sighed. "i don't know, i have a brunch meeting with a prospective client, and i should really get to the office early to prep for when they inevitably visit after."

as if planned, you and seokmin both planted your elbows on the table and put your hands on your cheeks, jutting out your lower lips at him. he groaned, leaned back on his palms and letting his head roll back as the two of you pouted. "please, hannie?" you whined.

he groaned again, more prolonged this time, as the two of you repeated your pleas in quick succession for a few seconds too long for the average lung capacity, eventually managing to wither his resolve. "fine, i'll ask seungkwan to set up. god, i don't like when you two gang up on me."

you cheered with seokmin, giggling as you stood to start clearing the table. he grinned at jeonghan. "what were you saying about us ganging up on you?"

"don't like it," he repeated, adjusting his posture and coughing once as if to punctuate his point, collecting the disposable chopsticks and used napkins onto one easily carryable plate.

"wrong," you stated plainly, bringing the empty soju bottles to the kitchen counter, wiping off your hands with a hanging towel. "i remember you enjoying it greatly on christmas."

seokmin pointed after you. "true. and i'm much more experienced now."

"hey," jeonghan said, trying to hide the nervousness that bubbled in him at the idea of the night going in that direction. "let's not start this."

"why?" you asked, returning and squatting behind him, your arms casually draping over his shoulders. "scared?"

"no," he exhaled, eyelids fluttering slightly when you placed a mostly innocent kiss behind his ear. "tired."

"bad excuse when there's two of us that can take care of you," seokmin said, grinning, repeating the phrase jeonghan usually gave when either of you said the same thing. you pulled your hands up to his shoulders, rubbing deep circles into them with your thumbs, eliciting a low groan.

"you work too hard," you muttered. "let us take care of you for a night."

seokmin watched his eyebrow pinch inwards as you rubbed a tight knot behind his neck, scooting around the table. "unless you have an actually good reason."

jeonghan sighed at the hand on his thigh, rolling his head to one side as seokmin's lips trailed across his jawline and your hands continued massaging into his tense shoulders. he wasn't one to secede control, and you both knew that - he liked being in charge, calling the shots. but you hadn't been wrong about him enjoying his christmas present greatly, and a big part of that had been the surprise of it.

well, that, he thought. and also when you choked him.

so he sighed again, focusing on how seokmin's fingers gripped gently at his thigh through his pants, how you placed light kisses on the crown of his skull and kept working knots out of his shoulders, and how seokmin smiled against his cheek at the realization that he was definitely going to let the two of you take care of him.

"i don't," he finally admitted. "but let's clean up first, yeah?" you sighed into a laugh.

"how about this," seokmin said, retreating slightly to look the other in the eyes. "you two go upstairs while i clean up, and i'll join you in a minute."

jeonghan cowered slightly as he looked between seokmin's eyes, feeling himself react to the low tone in his voice, and you were biting your lip to stifle a giggle as you ran your palms down his shoulders. "o-okay."

seokmin grinned, placing a slow kiss on his lips and barely pulling away when he said a quiet "good boy." 

in that moment, jeonghan realized, he was absolutely fucked.

seokmin gave you a brief kiss after both of you were standing, and you tugged on jeonghan's arm until he was following you up the stairs as seokmin cleared the table. it took seconds for you to pull him into you, your arms around his neck and a smirk on your lips as you kissed him, noticing that the bulge in his pants was already halfway to ready.

"that was fast," you teased.

"not fair," he whined. "he's never acted like that towards me."

"never?" you asked, in slight disbelief as you threaded your fingers in his hair. "all those times you've fucked and you've never let him top?"

you grinned when you noticed his ears getting red as he ran his hands over your hips. "you're not a perfect angel, either."

you giggled and kissed him again, slowly, your lips pulling at his lightly "at least i let him fuck me."

"hey, he's fucked me," jeonghan said, almost indignant. "i'm just… usually in control."

"okay, power bottom," you joked, tugging gently at the hair at the base of his scalp, smiling at his reactionary huff. "when are you gonna let him really fuck you?"

jeonghan stopped for a second, studying your eyes. "do you think i should tonight?"

you ran your tongue over your teeth, fingers teasing at his quickening pulse. "i think you should let us both fuck you tonight."

his forehead hit yours as he gently pulled your hips against him, the breath between you heavy. he had an idea of what you meant - hints in the past of what you and seokmin had gotten up to while he wasn't around, implications of how you had helped seokmin prepare himself - but he still wanted confirmation. "you're gonna fuck me?"

you smiled against his lips. "is that what you want, hannie?"

he kept trying to close the distance as you backed up to the bed. "i wouldn't be opposed."

"that's not an answer," you prompted, fingers undoing the buttons of his shirt as his lips desperately chased after yours. "do i have to ask again?"

he flinched at your touch against his now exposed stomach, his skin overly sensitive from anticipation. "sweetheart, don't make me-"

"don't make you what?" you asked. "beg?"

he watched your lips curl and swallowed harshly. "please don't."

"i'm not asking you to beg, sweetheart," you teased, pulling his shirt completely out from his belted slacks. "i just want you to tell me directly. do you want me to fuck you?"

jeonghan could tell his ears were red. his cheeks, too, probably. he could feel the heat radiating off his face and neck in response to your teasing, and he couldn't deny how tight his pants felt, either. and while it wasn't a role you filled for him often (with him, sure, when the two of you liked to utilized seokmin's quick recovery time), he had to admit how fucking good you were as a domme.

"yes."

you grinned. "was that so hard?"

no, he thought, but something else definitely was, and the way you kissed him certainly did not help. you pushed the shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground as he kneaded at your ass, pulling you against him in desperate need to some kind of friction for his aching member. he moaned into your mouth when your hand found it, and you smiled against him as you unbuckled his belt.

"lay down, darling," you said, shoving his pants over his hips to pool on the ground.

he felt a twinge of embarrassment, realizing he was practically naked in front of you while you were still fully clothed, but just nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed, frantically pushing his pants off his feet as he backed up to get comfortable.

you had a drawer in seokmin's dresser, filled with spare clothes that had mostly come from your own apartment when you had finally moved out, but you also had a drawer in his nightstand, containing some things that the two of you played with on occasion. you were swift in dropping your sweats to the floor and pulling out a vibrator and a bottle of lube, and while jeonghan was no stranger to having fun with toys, he was generally the user, not the recipient. memories of how he had cruelly put you on edge until you were begging made him nervous for the payback he was likely in store for as you crawled over him, straddling his thighs, only being snapped out of his thoughts when seokmin appeared at the top of the stairs.

"you forgot this," he said casually, holding the tie jeonghan had been wearing that day. the one he had pulled off his neck when the three of you had eaten earlier. the one he had used to tie your wrists to a bedpost, once upon a time.

you noticed his adam's apple bob as he propped himself up on his elbows to look at seokmin as he pulled off his shirt, and you set aside the toy and lube to run your hands down his chest. "calm down, hannie. we're not as mean as you."

he gave you an look. "i'm not mean."

you giggled, your fingers teasing at the waistband of his underwear as you felt the bed shift behind you. "of course you aren't."

jeonghan fell back against the mattress as he watched seokmin come up behind you, dropping the tie to run his hands over your waist, kissing at your neck. he groaned when your eyes fluttered shut, his squirming practically begging you to keep touching him as his member strained against soft fabric.

"so needy," seokmin commented, directed at the architect as one hand glided down your bare thigh and the other went up to cup a breast. jeonghan looked at the two of you with half lidded eyes, grasping urgently at your fingers on his hip. "you're pretty on your back."

jeonghan knew he was blushing again, and he wondered if he would ever be able to recover his dominating persona over you when seokmin's low tone made him drop so deeply into an obedient mood. you smiled down at him as you let your palm run over his throbbing length, making him let out a long relieved moan. "is this what you wanted, baby?"

"fuck, y/n," he gasped, clutching at the sheets. "i need more."

"trying so hard to be in charge," you said, reaching for the vibrator as you continued rubbing against his length. "we're taking care of you, remember?" you placed the tip of the toy at the base of his cock, watching him flinch at the contact. "what color, baby?"

jeonghan swallowed harshly, realizing he had never been on the answering end of such a common question in your relationship, staring up at you with wide eyes as seokmin smirked against your neck. "g-green."

you pushed a button, the vibrator buzzing to life against him, and his back lifted off the mattress briefly as his body reacted to the vibrations. he threw his arm over his face, burying his eyes in the crook of his elbow as he moaned awfully loud, mouth gaping open.

seokmin paused his work against your neck, getting distracted by the way jeonghan's arm fell over his forehead as he looked down at where you were gently holding the vibrator against his dick. seokmin felt his own arousal awakening, shifting his hips slightly to press his length against your lower back, and you were only smiling when jeonghan looked up at you again.

"does it feel good, hannie?" you asked, slowly moving the toy up his shaft.

"oh g-god, fuck!" his eyes clamped shut, nails digging into your thigh. "f-fuck it feels s-so good."

the wet spot at the tip of his dick only grew, precum soaking through his underwear as his hips bucked. "on the lowest setting?" you teased. "i don't think you'll be able to handle the higher ones."

jeonghan's eyes shot open. "please."

it was seokmin who answered. "please what?"

he groaned again, his cock lifting off his pelvis as you put the tip of the toy at his base again, the vibrations running through his balls. "i can take more."

you smiled, pushing the secondary button at the base of the vibrator, watching jeonghan's stomach tense as the vibrations increased, letting out a string of expletives. seokmin focused more attention on your body, fingers slipping under your shirt and a hand reaching down to run over your core. you sighed at the contact, and jeonghan glanced down at where the lean, piano trained fingers teased at your most sensitive areas, his hips pushing up against your hands.

he groaned, his hand running up his own torso. "fuck, you're sexy."

you giggled, unsure if even he knew exactly who he was talking to, but you decided he likely meant you both, considering the way he blearily looked between the two of you as seokmin worked you up. you moaned, your head falling back to his shoulder, but your eyes stayed trained on jeonghan's pleasure twisted face. his legs squirmed beneath you, bumping up against your inner thighs as he tried to put his heels the bed, hoping to gain more control, but the two of you straddling over him stopped him in his efforts. seokmin pulled your shirt off of you, kneading at your uncovered breasts, and jeonghan could do nothing but gape. you pushed the button to ramp up the vibrations once more, making him gasp and clutch at your wrist.

"color?"

"green," he exclaimed sharply, eyes opening to squint at you, only to clamp shut again. "fuck fuck fuck fuck, green."

"you're not gonna cum, are you?" you asked, cocking your head and biting at your lip when seokmin pushed your panties aside with a finger to feel your gathering wetness. "we've barely even started."

he shook his head, mouth hanging open. "i'm not cumming 'til i'm in you."

"always so damn bossy," seokmin laughed, glowering at jeonghan as he pushed his fingers into you, making the architect groan. "can't you just enjoy?"

you removed the vibrator and pulled at the waistband of jeonghan's underwear, and he got excited for a moment as his hazy mind cleared, thinking you were finally going to give him what he wanted, but you just placed the vibrator against his pelvis and let his underwear push his dick against it. he whimpered once before he could stop himself, turning beet red when he saw your shiteating grin. 

"oh my god, you're so cute," you said, leaning forward, and seokmin pulled his hand from your core to admire the way your ass looked as you hovered over your boyfriend, his hands immediately kneading at your soft flesh and teasing at your panty-clad core. you cupped jeonghan's jaw with both hands, and he looked up at you, lips parted, his stomach tense from the overwhelming sensation, as you just placed gentle kisses against his blushed cheeks and nose. "how do you feel, baby?"

he let out a brief whine, hands on your waist. "i don't know how much longer-"

he was interrupted when you gasped, reacting to seokmin pulling your panties aside and rubbing the head of his cock against your wet folds. your head fell to the pillow beside jeonghan's and he looked over your shoulder, finding the musician's eyes trained on him and his underwear and shorts shoved down over his thighs, thick cock on full display. jeonghan moaned again at the sight, his own dick aching for something more than just a vibrator, hips pushing upwards and his arms wrapping around you as he did everything in his power to not stoop to begging.

"my sweet babies," seokmin said, rubbing his cock against you, looking down at your soaking pussy briefly as he squeezed your ass with one hand. "no cumming, okay? neither of you."

your head shot up, suddenly realizing that while you were ganging up on jeonghan, seokmin still had seniority over you. jeonghan just stared up at you, still grasping at your waist, and your mouth dropped open as seokmin pushed into you.

"fuck," jeonghan whined, eyes shutting as your stomach pushed his cock harder against the vibrator. "th-this is so unfair."

"sorry," seokmin chuckled, slightly airy as your walls squeezed around him. "i can't resist when she bends over like that."

you kissed jeonghan, messily and needily, and all he could do was groan against you as you got fucked from behind, desperately wishing he could be in either of your positions.

"shit, seokmin," you gasped, a hand going back to clutch his where it stayed against your hip. you could feel your orgasm approaching fast, no matter how badly you wanted to behave. "fuck, i'm-"

"i said no cumming," he said, panting slightly as he repeatedly slammed into you. jeonghan's eyes wandered to how every inch of you jiggled above him with seokmin's movements, and he was almost okay with being stuck with a vibrator if it meant getting this view.

"i-" you squeezed your eyes shut, hand clutching the back of jeonghan's neck as you tried to stave off your imminent need. "i-i'm trying-"

"god, you can't help it, can you?" seokmin groaned. "you're sucking me in, you're so desperate for cock."

"cum," jeonghan whispered, meeting your eyes when they fluttered open. you gaped at him and he gave you a sly smile.

"i'll be good," you said, glaring at jeonghan best you could.

seokmin pulled your hips back against him harshly. "you better be."

"cum," jeonghan repeated, voice low enough to stay hidden behind the sound of seokmin slamming into you. you kissed him, trying to shut him up, but he just used it as an opportunity to push his tongue into your mouth, making you moan against him before you pulled away. "cum, angel. make him mad."

"nngh, god, fuck you," you managed, shaking as your body won over your willpower and your orgasm crashed over you. jeonghan grinned victoriously, pulling you down to kiss him as seokmin grunted behind you, fucking you through your bliss, because despite his frustration that you couldn't follow a simple rule, he wasn't so cruel to not let you enjoy it.

when your body was finally able to relax, seokmin slowed his hips and pulled out of you, pushing you aside to roll onto your back next to the man you had been fucked over. he pulled his shorts and boxers back over his cock and reached down to remove the vibrator, making jeonghan sigh in relief, wishing seokmin's hand had lingered a little longer over his member before he had turned off the toy. his knees bent, lifting off the mattress for the first time since he had laid down, and he groaned at the stiffness.

"what did i say?" seokmin asked, not even looking at you as he tossed the toy aside.

you whined. "it's jeonghan's fault," you said immediately. his neck practically snapped to look at you, laid out beside him. "he was egging me on."

"was not," he lied, trying to catch his breath, annoyed that you had instantly ratted him out. "you're just too easy."

you let out an indignant squeal, the back of your hand hitting his arm, ready to argue when seokmin interrupted. "so you're both brats."

you both looked at seokmin, his jaw tight, and jeonghan could only gulp as you tried to get up on your shaky thighs.

"i'm sorry," you said, kneeing yourself over to him. "i'm sorry, i didn't want to, i swear."

jeonghan watched in disbelief as you grovelled, thinking about how you were never that nice for him. seokmin pulled you up against him, a hand on your ass as he kissed you deeply and you melted against his chest.

"i think you deserve to be a cocksleeve tonight, baby." he said against your lips. "is that fair?"

you exhaled, disappointed in yourself more than anything, but nodded nonetheless. "yes."

he brought his hand down against your ass firmly, making you gasp. "underwear off," he said, then turned his attention to jeonghan as you immediately went to follow his instruction. "and you," he said, extending a hand.

jeonghan took it, gasping lightly when seokmin tugged him off the mattress easily, forcing him to sit up in front of him.

"you told her to cum?"

he cowered under seokmin's firm gaze, mouth suddenly dry as he tried to think of a way to lie himself out of the situation. seokmin's eyebrow quirked when he didn't respond immediately, acting as a prompt for him to answer. "y-yeah," he said finally, internally cursing at the way he couldn't make himself disobey.

seokmin's tongue clicked, studying his face. "sounds like you deserve a little punishment, too."

jeonghan gulped, eyes wide as he wondered what the musician considered punishment. "i thought you were gonna take care of me."

"oh, i will," seokmin said, pulling jeonghan off the bed with him. he stood on stiff legs, still recovering from being pressed against the mattress for so long. "i'm gonna take real good care of you, baby boy," he muttered, pulling jeonghan's hips against his, making him let out a quick whine. "i'm gonna fuck you deep and long and hard, and you're gonna be a perfect angel for me, aren't you?"

jeonghan's knees were practically knocking together in anticipation, nodding quickly. "for you, yes."

"for who?" seokmin asked?

"for you, minnie."

he tsked. "not quite, baby boy. for who?"

jeonghan felt like he was at the peak of a rollercoaster, his stomach flipping as seokmin's hands slipped below his underwear, gripping his ass and pushing their cocks together. he winced, his eyebrows knitting in desperation as he panted lightly. "for you, daddy."

seokmin grinned. "good boy."

your jaw dropped, watching bare-ass naked from bed as they kissed, and you thought for a second that this definitely had to happen again.

"face down, baby," seokmin said to you over jeonghan's shoulder, pushing his underwear off. "get ready."

you nodded and got on your knees, settling your chest against the mattress and waiting patiently.

"go ahead, hannie," seokmin said, sending him off with a kiss to his lips and a slap to his ass. "sink in."

jeonghan hesitated briefly, looking back at seokmin before he kneed his way onto the bed behind you, but almost immediately got distracted by the way your pussy spread for him, having already been fucked open once. his cock flinched as he gripped at your ass, admiring the way moisture dripped from your hole to your clit.

you pushed back against him. "he said sink in," you whined.

he laughed lightly. "you just look too good," he said, holding the base of his cock as he guided himself against your folds. you moaned, cheek pressed to the mattress, and jeonghan had to throw his head back to keep himself from immediately fucking you like an animal as he began to sink into your warmth. he moaned out loud, exhaling and pushing back his hair. "fuck you feel even better."

he pumped into you slowly once, twice, then paused hilt deep. seokmin had removed the remainder of his clothes before grabbing the tie off the bed, the flash of color catching jeonghan's attention.

"what's that f-"

he gasped when seokmin tugged his arms behind him, his cock flinching in you as seokmin expertly tied the silky fabric around his wrists. "what's the color, baby boy?"

jeonghan's mind swam, his hips flush against your ass as seokmin pushed him over your bent body. "green," he gasped. "holy fuck, green."

seokmin laughed lightly, nudging jeonghan's knees apart to spread him out better. "the tie's teal, actually. seungkwan would be very upset that you called it green."

"please don't mention seungkwan right now," jeonghan rushed out.

you giggled despite yourself, then wiggled your hips lightly, enjoying the way jeonghan let out a garbled moan.

"i thought i told you you were a cocksleeve, baby," seokmin said, grabbing the lube from where you had left it, rubbing a glob between his fingers to warm it slightly before he pressed it against jeonghan's puckered hole.

you bit your lip when the cock in you flinched in reaction. "i'm sorry."

"it's okay, baby girl," he said, massaging his thumb against jeonghan, who had his forehead against your spine as he whined. "just be good for us, alright?"

you nodded, peeking over your shoulder as seokmin smiled warmly at you.

"now hannie," he said, teasing around his hole. "it's been a little while since you've bottomed."

"i'll be fine," jeonghan gasped. "please, i swear i can take it."

seokmin shook his head, laughing lightly. "me? you think you can take my cock?"

he nodded against your spine. "please, i need it."

"baby boy, i think you forget how big i am," he said, pushing a finger into him. jeonghan's mouth gaped, and he pushed his eye against your back as seokmin quickly found his prostate. "i don't want to hurt you. be good."

jeonghan couldn't even form words as seokmin squirted more lube against him, working it into his hole as he slowly added another finger. his hips were pushing impossibly further into you as seokmin finger fucked him, working him wider until he thought he was ready for another digit. jeonghan moaned again, brows knit together, vaguely focusing on your shoulder blade as his cheek pressed against your arched back.

when he was sufficiently prepared in seokmin's opinion, he pulled his fingers out of him completely, making him gasp and shudder, back curling as he tried to fuck into you. you whined loudly, and you swore, jeonghan felt bigger than you remembered, even after you had been fucked by your massively endowed boyfriend.

seokmin squirted an almost excessive amount of lube into his palm, sighing as he worked it over his member and put a hand on jeonghan's hips. "tell me if you need me to slow down."

"fuck, just fuck me, seokmin," he groaned, fingers curling over the satin tie. "please, i'm begging."

seokmin's lip quirked upwards and you glanced back at him, wondering if you heard him right. his tone was low when he asked, "begging?"

jeonghan winced, realizing what he had said, but knowing there was no going back. "please."

"please?"

he gasped when seokmin put the head of his cock against his hole. "please, daddy."

seokmin groaned deeply as he slowly pushed his hips forward, and jeonghan practically wailed against you. "oh, baby, we are so doing this more often."

jeonghan completely missed the sunrise you had raved about, and ended up cancelling his brunch meeting in the morning, feigning sickness and rescheduling for the following week. instead, he chose to extend the triple spoon situation the three of you found yourself in for as long as he could convince you both to stay under the covers with him, much later than you usually stayed. you had to drag him out of bed a quarter til noon, telling him that if he didn't want seokmin to have to explain to some child and their parent that he had a girlfriend and a boyfriend, and that the evening before had been too involved for one of them (you didn't say it was him, but it was heavily implied), then he had to get his ass in the car before they showed up. seokmin was laughing at the two of you, kissing you both goodbye after he got out of the shower. 

you rolled your eyes at him as he draped pathetically in the passenger seat as you drove back to the house. "you're sad."

he groaned dramatically, shifting in his seat. "my ass hurts."

"you begged for it," you pointed out.

"whatever," he said, pouting. "can we order takeout?"

you laughed looking over at him briefly. "do what you want, babe."

it seemed like you and jeonghan never went to events anymore, more often choosing to stay in with this one handsome music teacher you knew. jeonghan walked through the doors you had left open, entering the moodily lit music room one friday evening after getting home from the office. normally, seokmin got picked up by your boyfriend on his way home, but he had been able to leave the company early and bussed over to sit with you at the piano for a while. you enjoyed his impromptu concert, because despite having to play it all week for work, he still found therapy in tickling the keys and hearing your soft hummed melodies accompanying his improvisations.

"you wanna go to a fundraiser dinner next weekend?"

you spun on the bench to face the architect. "fundraiser for what?"

jeonghan tossed his jacket onto the armchair in the corner as he walked towards you. "impoverished youth art programs. you can say no, but you'd be depriving a child of their creativity."

that made seokmin laugh, making his playing pause as a hand when up to cover his mouth. you giggled with him. "well then, yeah, i guess i wanna go."

"what about you?" jeonghan asked, nodding to seokmin. "you coming?"

seokmin turned suddenly, his chest facing you as he studied jeonghan's face. "you want me to come?"

"it doesn't have to be a date," he said, his tone showing his own hesitance to make your unique relationship public. "you could come as our guest. it's a good cause, and it's not crazy to invite a music teacher to a fundraiser for artistic youths."

seokmin thought about it, but denied the invitation after a few minutes of consideration, saying that it would be impossible for him to not make it painfully obvious that he was in love with one or both of you the entire night. he knew he made the right decision when he saw you both come down the stairs that evening from his vantage point in the kitchen, reminded of how the two of you cleaned up for these events.

"are you sure you wanna stay?" you asked, hands on seokmin's chest. "we bought three seats. you can still come with us."

he laughed, careful to not pay too close attention to how well the dress you wore fit as his hands ghosted up your sides. this used to be the only way he ever saw you, and it was no wonder he couldn't take his eyes off you back then. he still couldn't, but for different reasons. "i'll be fine for four hours, babe. besides, i don't know how to be serious at these things. i would laugh too loud."

"order something good for dinner, okay?" jeonghan said, grabbing your jacket from the closet. "i expect a report about your delicious delivery food."

seokmin rolled his eyes as you giggled, but his voice was sweet when he said "yes, jeonghan."

you had almost forgotten what it was like at these events - it had been a good three months since you had last gone to one. jeonghan proudly introduced you as his partner to several people that hadn't seen him in a while (it was hard to believe there was anyone left that you hadn't met yet, really, but every event pulled a new crowd), and you easily answered questions about how important the cause was for you.

"my family had to work really hard to afford piano lessons when i was growing up," you told one group, feeling bold with jeonghan's hand on your back. "i applied to a million scholarships and still had to work every weekend to be able to afford my music degree, but i finally graduated last month. i got lucky, and i just hope it can be easier for other kids."

jeonghan never stopped being impressed by you, how easily you fit in with any audience he brought you to. for a self-proclaimed introvert, you sure knew how to work a crowd, even if it made you quieter on the way home. he was about to sit you down at your designated table for the evening when a familiar voice called out to him.

"oh, mr. kim mingyu," jeonghan said, a teasingly serious tone to his voice as he addressed his old friend, your neck nearly breaking to look. "it's been too long. have you met my lovely lady?"

you saw the flash of recognition on mingyu's face, and you stared at him helplessly, both relieved and confused when he said he hadn't. jeonghan introduced you again, and you gulped at the stitch in the taller's eyebrow when he politely shook your hand. despite wanting to say something for the sake of the introduction, you couldn't make your voice work, and wouldn't have been able to come up with any words even if it had.

"hey, i have to get back to the program," he said, then explained the company he worked for was co-sponsoring the event. "let's catch up after dinner?"

you were mortified, to say the least, considering the first and last time you had seen kim mingyu, you had been introduced to him by his good friend seokmin, after you had emerged from his bedroom wearing what could easily be classified as pajamas. he knew you had gotten more serious since then. you had sneakily peeked at texts seokmin had sent, making him laugh as he made no effort to hide them, when mingyu had asked what kind of vacation he was taking after hearing his niece's lesson was cancelled that week. you even posed for the picture seokmin sent in response, both of your faces at the bottom of the screen as he pointed at the gate sign that said you were flying to nagoya together, back when you were going to see the cherry blossoms near a newly built diner and eatery. jeonghan had flown out a week ahead to oversee construction, and the two of you met him as they wrapped it up. 

so you stared after him, and when you were seated at the table and you couldn't bear it anymore, you tugged on jeonghan's sleeve and hurriedly whispered in his ear.

"i've met mingyu before."

his brow quirked, trying to remember every time he had seen the younger in the last year or so. "when? did you see him on halloween?"

"no," you said, and he noticed the worry in your eyes. "at seokmin's apartment. he brings his niece to lessons."

jeonghan stared at you a second as he understood the situation. "oh."

"i have to tell him," you said, looking around. "right? he probably thinks i'm cheating on his friend."

"either that, or he thinks i'm paying you." you gave him a sideways glare, and he chuckled, putting a hand against your back, understanding your distress at being perceived either way. "honestly, he's probably going to text seokmin as soon as he can pull his phone out, but i can talk to him about it after dinner, okay?"

you exhaled slowly, fingers pressing into your forehead. "okay. god, this is annoying."

"it'll be fine," jeonghan assured you. "don't worry about it. he's an understanding guy. just enjoy dinner, we're paying an absurd amount for it."

you eyed him. "for the kids."

he laughed, glad that you could still joke with him. "yeah, for the kids."

only half an hour later, you excused yourself from the conversation at your assigned table, eyeing the empty seat next to jeonghan as you to retreated to a restroom. when you were walking in the hotel hallway headed back to the ballroom that held dinner, you heard a hushed "hey," spinning your head towards the obvious call for your attention.

mingyu stood at a corner, tugging at his suit jacket. "can i talk to you for a second?"

you glanced back towards the ballroom, suddenly wishing jeonghan had some kind of spidey sense so he could come to your rescue as you stepped towards the tall man you barely knew. "uh, yeah, actually, i wanted to talk to you, too."

"you're not gonna try to date me, too, are you?"

his tone mismatched how you felt about his question, a teasing smile on his lips. you exhaled sharply, annoyed. "no, god, can i just explain myself?"

"me first," mingyu said, stopping you before you could continue. "did you see the girl i'm sitting with?"

you nodded slowly, studying his face, trying to understand his play. you had, admittedly, been nervously staring at his table for most of the last thirty minutes.

"that's my girlfriend," he said. "we work together, and we've only been dating a few months, but i really like her. and she likes me." he paused, eyes wandering. "and she, uh, also really likes my long-term boyfriend."

you stared at him, processing his words. "hang on-"

mingyu grinned, awkwardly gesturing at the invisible surprise. "seokmin came out to me? to be fair, i was accusing his girlfriend of cheating on him, so he didn't have much of a choice, but-"

"you're poly?" you interrupted, a smile creeping across your lips. "like, in a relationship with multiple partners?"

"uh, yeah," he said, rubbing his chin. "i'm poly, i guess? it's pretty new, but the two of them have been really fantastic about it."

"me too!" you laughed. "oh my god, i've never met anyone else who- hang on, what exactly did seokmin tell you?"

mingyu thought a second, shoving his hands in his pockets. "first of all, he was offended that i would even suggest you two would do something like that to him. then he sent me a picture of him in jeonghan's kitchen."

despite the second hand recount, your boyfriend's defense of you still made your heart flutter slightly. "and you figured it out from there?"

"well," he cocked his head. "i made him explain more, and then i called him gay, but those were the important points."

you shook your head, smiling. "i can't believe it. of all the people in the world."

"trust me, i'm just as shocked as you are," he said, laughing. "when i gave jeonghan seokmin's number, i didn't think they'd end up dating."

you looked around suddenly. "it's still kind of a secret, at least at these things," you said. "can we keep it that way?"

"yeah, of course, i get it." mingyu nodded, sniffing suddenly. "the industry's cruel. your secret's safe with me as long as mine is with you."

"absolutely," you agreed. "but i am telling jeonghan."

"great," he laughed. "maybe he'll start inviting me to hang out more."

the relief surrounding you was palpable when you sat down, and jeonghan had noticed mingyu returning to his table the same time as you. "sorted?"

you nodded, smiling. "you'll never believe it."

[dracowars]

hideaway | anakin skywalker

pairing: anakin x nonjedi!reader

word count: 2,3k

summary: where y/n wants to surprise anakin but is in for a big surprise herself

a/n: anakin owns my whole heart. hope you enjoy it~

warnings: none

universe: star wars

The smell of freshly roasted vegetables and meat fills your nostrils as you turn the stove up a notch, humming to yourself. You are by no means a five star chef, but your cooking skills are still very good. After all, your mother always made sure that you learn from her amazing skills in the kitchen. In the end what matters is how it tastes and until now you have never failed.

You keep checking the time on the clock on the wall, waiting for it to point at a certain time. You can't wait until he finally comes home. You've been counting the days and hours, even minutes until Anakin arrives back from his mission with Obi-Wan on Naboo. Anakin wasn't allowed to tell you anything about the mission of course, so you can only hope that it was a peaceful mission. Not only do you not want him to get injured, but then your planned surprise meal after his return would also be superfluous.

According to your calculation, it should take another half an hour for their spaceship to land on Coruscant, plus the time it takes Anakin to get to his apartment, where you currently are. The mission was scheduled for five days and you spent the entire time in his apartment. He gave you a spare key months ago because he noticed how much you always miss him every time he is not on the planet. In fact, it actually helped. Everything here makes it feel like he is only in the next room and not on a whole different planet and thus makes your fear for him less.

You've thought and talked about moving in together before, but there is one tiny little problem with that: nobody knows about your and Anakin Skywalker's relationship. Since he is a Jedi, a great and powerful one at that, he has to follow the Jedi Code. A Code that governs the behavior of its followers which, in this case, forbids Jedis from forming attachments. While they do not ban romantic feelings in general, Jedi's are not meant to get married or built up a family. Their only task is to bring peace to the galaxy.

And if the Jedi Order finds out about this relationship, it won't end well for neither of you. Until now you've always been able to hide it well, even if there were occasional moments when it almost got blown up. Somehow you always managed to keep it a secret though and you are very happy about that.

You stir the vegetables one more time and then throw yourself onto the large leather couch while you wait. And wait and wait. No matter how long you close your eyes and just breathe in the pleasent smell around you, time still doesn't go by faster.

You just want to hug him again, kiss him again and just be with him. It may have only been five days, but you still feel like you haven't seen him in months when it wasn't even a whole week. You have been a couple for two years now, have known each other for five of them and loved each other for four, and yet you love him like you did on the first day. There is just something special about him that makes your heart flutter every single time.

The way he looks at you, the way his eyes light up when he smiles - god, his whole apperance in general - you can't help but fall in love with him all over again. Anakin Skywalker is the love of your life and you can't imagine him to not be part of your life anymore.

While being indulged in your thoughts you don't even hear the steps approaching the front door at first and the electronic door opening a few seconds later. You jump up from the sofa immediately and are just about to go in the hallway leading directly to the door full of anticipation when you suddenly hear a different voice than Anakin's, which causes you to stiffly pause in your movement.

"I will send report about our successful mission to the Jedi Council instantly", you hear the male voice say, realizing that it is no other than Obi-Wan. Your eyes widen in shock. If Obi-Wan finds you here, in the middle of Anakin's apartment, it's over.

Looking back and forth, you search for a suitable hiding spot. You notice the cupboard at the end of the entrance area that would provide perfect protection, which you can only get to by walking past the hallway while risking to be seen. Since you can't think of anything better in this hurry, you sneak to the hallway as quietly as possible.

You look around the corner carefully just to see both men, still dressed in their full gear, standing in front of the entrance, Obi-Wan holding a holoprojector in his left hand and seemingly struggling with making it work the way he wants. Your gaze wanders to Anakin, who is standing in front of his master and trys to help him with the device. You can't help but stare at him for a few seconds. He looks breathtaking and you can feel your heart skip a beat.

And suddenly it feels like your heart completely stops at the exact moment where Anakins turns around and directly looks at you. The confusion is clearly written on his beautiful face, - which, to your surprise, doesn't have any bad injuries this time - but if you only knew how much he would love to just run to you and take you his his arms tightly, lifting you off the floor. But since Obi-Wan is still in the room, that turns out to be difficult.

With a slight head movement you indicate to the cupboard, Anakin understanding your intention immediately. Just as Obi-Wan looks up, Anakin steps in his way so that there is no possibility for him to spot you. "Let me see the holoprojector, master", Anakin tells him, reaching out for it, distracting him from what you are doing in the background.

You tiptoe across the hallway and climb into the cupboard without making any sound the very moment Anakin got the projector working. The closet is pretty narrow and you even keep your breathing quiet.

"I think I don't tell you this enough but you actually did very good out there. I'm proud of you, Anakin", Obi-Wan tells his Padawan as they walk past you and internally you feel how happy Anakin is about those words. "But was it really necessary to blow up the escaping droids?", Obi-Wan adds with serious tone but lets out a laugh soon after that.

You take in a deep breath which suddenly makes you realize that there still is something you haven't even thought about before: the food. It's still boiling on the stove, spreading a delicious smell through the rooms. How is Anakin supposed to explain that, when he didn't even know about it himself?

"Anakin. You should have listend to me when you- What is this burnt smell?", Obi-Wan interrupts himself while speaking, smelling the same odour as you did moments before. Seconds later you can hear their steps moving away as they run into the kitchen. "What is happening here?! Why is there food cooking?", Obi-Wan shouts but you can't hear more as the sound of steaming water drowns out their conversation. Anakin must have thrown the pan in the sink or otherwise you can't explain where the noise is supposed to be coming from.

"It was probably the.. the cleaning lady! Yes, the cleaning lady must have forgotten it by mistake", Anakin trys to talk his way out of the situation after the noise has quiet down. "Since when do you have a cleaner?", his master asks suspiciously. "Not very long. Since the last.. month?", Anakin explains - or tries to - not really convincingly.

Silence. There is an unbearable silence before Obi-Wan starts laughing out loud all of a sudden. "You should definetely find another one if she almost burns your appartment down. However, I could use one too..", he advises his Padawan and you can hear him coming back, lowering your breath again instantly.

"I better go now and send off the report to the Council. Master Yoda wanted to talk to me later anyway. You still have a bit of cleaning to do and..", Obi-Wan pauses in the middle of his sentence, making your breath hitch. "You should really get that lady out of your closet before she suffocates."

Your whole body stiffens at his words and the door to your hiding place opens. "Hello there", Obi-Wan looks at you expectantly. "Y/N, isn't it?" You nod carefully and look to the ground in shame after climbing out of the closet.

"It's- It's not what it looks like, master", Anakin stutters out and pulls you behind him, protecting you from whatever is coming towards you next. "Well, what does it look like?", Obi-Wan counters and crosses his arms.

You touch Anakin's arm lightly, searching for support, and look past him to Obi-Wan, who is watching you both closely. "I'm waiting", Obi-Wan sighs and puts his arms on his hips. "I don't have all day, you know."

You take all your courage and take a step forward. "It's my fault. I wanted.. I just wanted to surprise Anakin and welcome him back home", you explain with a low voice, not daring to look at Obi-Wan directly. "That still doesn't explain why you are in his appartment in the first place", he says with raised eyebrows and you look back at Anakin.

Anakin looks like he's contemplating about what to do next and then takes your hand in his as he made his decision, standing next to you now. "Master. I'm in love with Y/N and she loves me. We.. secretly dated and got together. I wanted to tell you. I always wanted to tell you, but there just wasn't the right opportunity and-"

"And you thought it would be better to not tell me about this at all? Ever?", Obi-Wan finishs Anakin's sentence. "Where do you think you are going with this? You know the Jedi Code, Anakin. You broke the rules."

"This stupid code is totally outdated and unnecessary anyway! We never meant to fall in love with each other, sometimes it just happens. We knew the day would come when someone finds out about us. We know that it.. has no future. But you can't just turn off your feelings. It is not possible", you rant and feel Anakin's hold on your hand tighten. "Please don't tell the Jedi Council and please don't throw Anakin out. You can punish me, but not him. He dedicated all his life to the Jedi Code and.. I don't want his life to get destroyed because of me."

You feel yourself get pulled to the side harshly. "What are you even saying, Y/N?! Stop that nonsense!", Anakin whisper-yells at you. "I can't live with the thought that I will destroy your future, Ani. I could never be happy agai-"

"Who said I would tell anyone?", Obi-Wan interrupts you two, making both of you look at him in confusion. "Listen, I don't support Anakin's or your actions but what happend, happend, we can't change that and I'm actually kind of happy that Anakin found someone who stays by his side."

Your mouth opens wide in shock and you look at him with pure disbelieve. "You.. what?", Anakin bursts out, seeming equally shocked and confused. "Why shouldn't I be happy for my Padawan, who is like a brother to me, when he finds the right woman, maybe his soulmate?", Obi-Wan tells you and the corners of his mouth rise. "I won't tell anyone about it, but you have to be really careful. If Master Windu oder Master Yoda find out about your relationship, I won't be able to help you. It will be over. You can be glad that it's just me who found out."

Without thinking twice, you happily hug Obi-Wan and Anakin does the same. "Thank you, Obi-Wan", Anakin smiles and lays an arm around your waist as soon as you move away from Obi-Wan. "I'll correct what I said earlier: You both still have a lot to clean up. Enjoy yourselves", Obi-Wan giggles and turns around to go back to the elevator.

Before he leaves though, he turns around one last time. "And for your information: I already felt that she is in here before we even got into the apartment. Good evening", Obi-Wan bows down slightly and leaves.

Silence spreads again, but this time a pleasant one. "What did just happen?", Anakin asks and shakes his head to get a clear thought, brushing through his hair with his mechanical hand. "I have no idea but I think we got away with it", you answer and turn to look at him, both of his hands now on each side of your waist.

"I missed you so much, Anakin", you smile and take in every feature of his beautiful structured face. Your hand comes up to his cheek and you softly stroke over his skin with your thumb. "I missed you more", he whispers and turns his face to lightly kiss the inside of your hand, which makes you giggle. He slowly leans in and finally connects your lips again. His scent flows around you and your hand clings to his brown locks.

When he breaks the sensual kiss, he leans his forehead against yours and smiles at you gently. You can feel his hands sneak around your hip as he suddenly lifts you off the floor and spins you around a few times, making you both laugh. After he puts you onto the ground again, he pecks your lips one more time before retreating completely, only keeping your hands connected.

"So, you wanted to surprise me with food?", he teases with that stupid smile on his face that you love so much. Feeling offended, you hit his arm playfully. In response, he chuckles and just pulls you behind him into the kitchen, where you clean up the mess you made before settling yourself up on the couch, cuddling for the rest of the day.

[hey-there-love]

Foolish

Summary: Being the new kid is hard right? Try moving across the world to attend the elite hero course at U.A. Unfortunately following the path of straight and narrow is difficult when you find a blonde ball of death throwing twists in it. Nobody said it was easy. New experiences, new friends, new interests...what could go wrong?

Chapter 4: Fine. Fight Me

Content Warning: adult language, Cringy Situations, slight mentions of grinding

WC: 1.4K

AN: This is what I was listening to when I wrote this :)

It was a restless sleep to say the least. First you were hot, then you were cold. Hours of tossing and turning had passed until you finally realized you weren’t going back to sleep. You stared out the window at the night sky for a while contemplating on what to with yourself.

Glancing at your phone to check the time, it indicated that there was still an hour until sunrise. You huffed and swung your feet over the edge of the bed. You padded quietly to the bathroom and flicked on the lights, wincing at the brightness.

You examined yourself in the mirror. You had faint dark circles under your eyes and disgusting eye boogers. You must have slept hard for the time you did sleep. Quickly you brushed your teeth and washed your face. Feeling slightly better, you brushed your hair and threw it up to get it out of your face.

When you retreated back to your room you opted to change your tank top into a sports bra with a loose cropped top. You put in your contacts carefully infront of the mirror hanging infront of your closet. Sliding some socks on, you picked up a pair of sneakers and headphones. Deciding to begin your work out, you took the three flights of stairs to the gym.

You paused for a moment infront of the gym doors to lace up your shoes. Making your way inside an audible gasp escaped you. The room was filled with expensive equipment. Rows of treadmills, bikes, bench presses, you name it, gleamed. “Planet Fitness doesn’t have shit on this place.” You drooled.

Finding an empty spot on the floor you began stretching. Once you were warmed up, your eyes darted from one thing to the next. Settling on running a few miles, you chose the treadmill in the corner, facing the wall. You clicked on your work out playlist and turned the volume up loud. You found you could think better with music flowing through your ears than silence.

You jogged for about 20 minutes before shifting to a run. The to do list for today formed rapidly in your head. You needed to buy the essentials, obtain a residency card and a metro pass, pick up your uniforms, and locate your hero costume. You didn’t exactly know where to go for any of these things, but you knew you needed to call Mr. Aizawa about the last part.

You began to think about your costume. You loved it with every fiber of your being. Designing it yourself, It was made to be a simple yet functional long sleeved black bodysuit. The sides were a breathable sapphire colored material. You adorned the same colored high boots with a thick heel that made it easy to run. Blue goggles were made especially to protect your eyesight from diminishing more, thick insulated gloves helped form your UV light, and a utility belt to hold your smaller support items.

Lost in your thoughts you realized you had ran about two miles and you were loosing steam. You turned off the treadmill, and tried to catch your breath. Your muscles ached and you shirt was sticking to your back. You felt gross. Closing your eyes you pulled up your shirt to wipe your face.

When you turned around and opened your eyes there stood Bakugo in all his shirtless glory. “Ugh, don’t look!” You cried out and pulled your shirt down, attempting to stretch the thin, white fabric over your stomach. If you weren’t mortified you probably would have tried to sneak a peak yourself. His cheeks dusted with a heavy blush as he dropped his weights onto the floor.

“I wasn’t fucking looking! You’re the one who flashed me!” He shouted, defensive he had been caught.

“I thought I was alone!” You crossed your arms over your chest, trying to make yourself feel small. You had a banging body that you weren’t ashamed of, but your cleavage hanging out of an old, ratty sports bra infront of a guy you didn’t know was a different story.

“You live with 20 extras! You’re never alone!” Bakugo argued. He stared at the floor, not making eye contact with you.

“Clearly!” Your own blush not faltering. “How long have you been here?”

“Just long enough to hear the whole rendition of that Chris Brown song. Jesus, I thought some stray dogs were going to break in.” He laughed. You threw your head into your hands. You had to get out of here.

You hastily made your way to the exit. “Go to hell.” You called over your shoulder.

“See you there, Cherry. ” Bakugo called after you. You paused dead in your tracks, anger taking over you.

“You just always have to get the last word in don’t you?” You were fuming at this point. You never let anything bother you, but you had enough. He didn’t have to be rude to you all the time.

“You started it.” Bakugo grunted, now gaining his full attention once again. “ Look, I don’t care who the hell you are or where the hell you came from, we can go right here. Right now.” Bakugo said through gritted teeth, maintaining a hardened stance.

Turning on your heel, you stomped towards him. He was built and had the advantage of a few inches on his side, but that didn’t matter. You had taken on far scarier enemies. Your gaze bore into his. Without breaking eye contact, you responded. “Fine. Fight me.”

You could have sworn your answer took him by surprise. His face faltered slightly before turning back into the grimace he wore well. “No quirks. I’ll be damned if I pay for one more thing in this shithole.”

“I don’t need it.” You hissed. Taking him by surprise you hit him in the face, hard. He groaned, but it didn’t affect him as much as you were hoping. Bakugo countered and hit you with a jab to the side. Thank god something told you to move so when he connected with you there was only half the impact.

You two were going at it hard. Every move he made you matched. It was a pretty equal fight overall. You didn’t hold anything back. You let out all your aggressions and frustrations onto him. He took them in stride. If you weren’t so focused on winning this battle you might have realized you were having fun.

“This is all you’ve got, Cherry?” Bakugo taunted as he blocked another one of your punches. You knew you needed to end it fast because you didn’t have a whole lot left in you. You managed to kick his leg out from underneath him and twisted his arm behind him as he fell. You landed ontop of his back, straddling him, and held his arm tightly in place.

“You don’t have to like me, Bakugo. But you will respect me.” You huffed, feeling accomplished you kicked his ass. You held his head down so he couldn’t escape. He squirmed under you as a string of curses left his mouth. You remained like this for a few moments until he stopped moving. Smiling, you let up on his arm slightly, assuming all the fight left his body. You were wrong.

Bakugo used the opportunity of you loosening the grip and flipped the two of you. Your back was planted firmly on the floor, pinned under the weight of him. He held your wrists down to your head with both of his hands.

You both were panting messes, chests rising to meet each other and falling back into place. “I’ll be damned if you tell me what to do, Cherry. ” He hissed, just loud enough to make your head swim. It was a compromising position to say the least. If anyone were to walk in they’d assume the worst. Hell, you were beginning to assume the worst.

You shifted under his weight, planning your escape. There was no point in trying to use your arms, so you used your lower half to wrestle against him. The friction you caused was dangerous. You both felt it. You felt something press into you and you knew it wasn’t his phone. The gym felt like it was five hundred degrees.

You struggled to find your voice. “My name is Y/N.” You whispered. Giving up, you stopped resisting. This time he ground his hips into yours, not breaking eye contact. You moaned in response. You felt yourself throbbing to the core. Bakugo wasn’t dumb, he could tell you enjoyed it.

He leaned down and his lips hovered over yours. You held your breath and closed your eyes, waiting for his to meet yours.

“I don’t give a fuck.” Bakugo peeled himself off of you and left you laying on the floor alone without another word.

You grabbed your chest, “What the hell just happened?”

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Hi all! So if you’ve read the chapters before this one was posted you might be confused why Bakugo is calling Y/N Cherry. Well, after brainstorming ideas of the future chapters a thought came to mind referring to the panty incident of 2021, “Lane, he can’t call the reader pinky...that’s Mina’s hero name.”

That was a total face palm moment. So if you go back you’ll see I changed the underwear to black with cherries on it. Ok, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. 😬

[sevenstarsinning]

Summary: Raditz loses his mate when Planet Vegeta is destroyed and finds himself working alongside Prince Vegeta. When he comes to Earth to recruit his brother, he’s dealt another devastating blow when Goku refuses to join and leaves him near death. He’s found by a human and attempts to adapt to life on Earth.

Chapter 1 is here

Chapter 2

The smell of wet grass and dirt filled your nostrils when you awoke. Before you opened your eyes, you knew the sun was beaming overhead. Judging by the layer of sweat on your forehead, it was going to be a hot one.

Your clothes stuck uncomfortably to your body as you turned over to your back, groaning the whole way. Along with the nausea, your entire body ached from sleeping on the hard ground all night.

"Human, who are you and why did you sleep on me last night?" A large silhouette stepped up next to you, nearly blocking out the sun entirely.

"Thought you were just a vivid dream." As the events of the previous night flooded your brain, you realized how many unanswered questions there were regarding the handsome stranger.

"Wait... how are you standing? You were pretty much dying a few hours ago."

He bent down and grabbed your wrist, bringing you to your feet without much finesse.

"Hangover!" You shouted when you came face to face with his wide chest. A cold sweat broke out all over and before you could so much as turn your head away, you vomited all over the front of him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, human? That smells horrible," he growled, stepping back to get away from the odor but, of course, it followed him. He tugged at his armor and tried to wrestle it over his head but his face went pale before he could get it off.

"Spicy," you panted while you pulled your shirt over your head to wipe your mouth, "bar food, man... it's good going down but it fucking sucks coming back up."

He bent over and dry heaved a couple of times before his stomach emptied what little still remained. He groaned and clutched his ribs before pulling his cracked armor off the rest of the way. One side of it was almost completely gone and the rest was barely hanging together.

The two of you fell silent when you stopped and finally got a good look at one another. The only thing that covered him looked like some kind of spandex wrestling attire that left little to the imagination.

You stood a few yards away in a black bikini top from your visit to the community pool next to the bar the day before and your favorite pair of jeans, perfectly worn in and comfortable.

"As far as morning after looks go, this is not my finest. Self medicating hangover is not a good look on me," you said, breaking the intense silence between you.

"Who are you?" He asked again, completely unamused.

"Dude, you were dying in the field right next to my house dressed like you just left an anime convention. You tell me who you are first."

"I don't take orders from weak little humans," he snarled, offended you would even attempt to tell him what to do.

"I don't see any weak little humans," you shot back, unfazed by the difference in size between you. He had to be well over a foot taller and built like a tank.

He took in a sharp breath to come back with another insult but all that came out was a groan as he clutched his ribs and dropped to his knees.

You approached with caution as he tried to catch his breath. Each time he inhaled, the pain seemed to intensify. Even on his knees he was close to being at eye level with you.

"Do you need a doctor or... " you trailed off, unsure how to help him.

It was clear he wasn't from Earth which wasn't all that surprising or disconcerting living on the outskirts of West City. It seemed to be a hotspot for strange activity and visitors from the cosmos.

"No doctors," he growled.

"So, what, I'm supposed to just leave you here to die slowly? Not my style, big guy. Come on, my house is right over there." You took a step forward and offered your hand.

He tilted his head up to meet your gaze. The friendly smile you displayed took him by surprise. He expected some amount of fear from his less than welcoming first impression, but there wasn't any.

"I don't need help from a human," he grumbled as he began to stand.

"That's too bad, you're getting it anyway." You grabbed his arm to help him stay balanced and hoisted it over your shoulder. The second he let the full weight of his massive arm rest on you, it felt like you were sinking into the ground.

"Jesus fuck... how are you so goddamn big?"

"How are you so tiny?" He grunted, shifting to take a little weight off of you. All you could do was help keep him steady, anything beyond that was out of the question.

"I haven't been home in a couple of days so the house is probably a mess," you said, ignoring his question.

The small patch of woods near your house offered a short reprieve from the sun's intensity. You had never been more thankful for the end of summer. The sweltering hot days were miserable and difficult to enjoy because it was too uncomfortable to do much of anything.

You came to an abrupt stop when your house came into view. The front half looked fine, not a brick out of place. The back half had been reduced to crumbling walls and bits of rubble.

When your eyes settled on the pod sitting in what used to be your bedroom, you slowly turned your gaze to the stranger at your side.

"What's your name?" You asked, calm on the surface but inside your blood was boiling.

"Raditz, why?" He answered with a little more attitude than you could let slide.

"I'm assuming that's yours, Raditz?" You pointed to the small round ship surrounded by chunks of your walls and roof. Imagining him folding his massive body into the pod would’ve made you laugh if not for the anger over your house.

"Yes."

"And where you're from, I'm assuming you're well versed in galactic travel?"

"Yes, human. What are you getting at?" He sighed and clutched his ribs, not at all bothered by the fact that his pod decimated your house.

"This area is like 90% cow pasture, how the actual fuck did you crash land on my house?!" You shouted, loud enough for your voice to echo.

"How dare you raise your voice-"

"Oh fuck no, you're not pulling that high and mighty bullshit with me," you interrupted, hands shaking from the overwhelming anger.

"Do you have a death wish? I've killed beings bigger and far scarier than you for much less," he shouted back despite the pain he knew it would cause. 

"You destroyed my house, you gigantic asshole!" You stared up at him, not the least bit intimidated.

"I'm warning you, human, your life means nothing to me and I won't hesitate to end it," he growled back.

"Is that supposed to scare me? Dude, this is Earth, like half of us wish for death every fucking day!"

Raditz opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out while he processed what you said.

Your chest heaved with a long, drawn out sigh. Without another word, you headed towards what was left of the house. The inside was a complete wreck even in the front half of the house. The impact of the pod hitting the back half of the house shifted everything and left the floor covered with valuables from your shelves and TV stand. The only thing left unscathed was the furniture.

Glass from broken picture frames crunched under your shoes as you navigated the living room to grab the first aid kit from the small closet across from the bathroom.

"Sit." You pointed to the couch when Raditz appeared in the doorway.

He hesitated for a moment, looking around at the chaos his ship caused. After crossing the threshold, he moved gingerly towards the couch and sat down next to you.

With the first aid kit laid out on the coffee table, you shuffled through to find disinfectant wipes, bandages, and whatever else you might need to get him patched up.

He slowly pulled his ripped up black spandex top over his head and sat back on the couch, shifting to find the most comfortable position. His whole left side was one massive bruise with cuts and dried blood smeared across it. The cuts on the rest of his body had long since stopped bleeding but still needed to be cleaned.

"I'm guessing you have a broken rib or two?" You finally turned to look at him. The anger and annoyance that marred his chiseled features just minutes before was replaced with curiosity.

He nodded and moved his arm out of the way to give you access to his battered side.

"How do you take care of broken bones where you're from?" You pulled a disinfectant wipe from a small foil packet and unfolded it.

"Medical machines," he answered. Right when you pressed the wipe to the cuts on his abs, he hissed.

"Keep talking, what's a medical machine on your planet?" You continued, hoping to keep him distracted from the discomfort.

"A pod... " he winced and took a deep breath, "full of a healing liquid... it can heal us from any wound as long as we're still breathing."

You placed a bandage over one of the deeper cuts and moved onto the next. "I wish we had something like that here. How long does it take?"

"Dammit, woman," he grunted when you added a little pressure to his ribs to clean another long gash.

"Depends on the wound," he said through gritted teeth, "minutes up to a few hours."

"And I'm guessing you don't have one in the pod that destroyed my house?" You raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.

"Obviously not. What do you have on this pathetic planet that can heal me quickly? I have more important things to do than sit here and answer your questions," he bit back.

You pressed against his ribs out of spite and got an anguished groan out of him. Before you could return to cleaning the last of his cuts, he grabbed your arm to stop you.

"I could snap your wrist with one hand."

"Yeah? If you really wanted to, you would've just done it," you challenged. It was a gamble to keep pushing back but you ran out of fucks to give long ago.

A few seconds of silence passed between you and he finally released his grip.

His curiosity returned when you focused on patching him up as if he didn't just threaten bodily harm. The way you were able to be simultaneously angry and caring towards him wasn't something he expected from a human.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want a rotting corpse in the field next to my house," you answered without a second thought, "you're also not leaving until you fix the chaos your pod caused."

"I owe you nothing, human-"

"You're also kinda cute but that's not going to last long if you keep being a dick," you continued, turning your attention to his arm.

He jerked it away and growled when a sharp pain shot through his body.

"Feel like a big man now?" You chided before pulling his arm back into your lap.

"How do you expect me to fix this? I'm a warrior, not a builder."

You raised an eyebrow and said the first thing that came to mind. In retrospect, it was probably the worst thing you could've said but you were incapable of keeping your mouth shut.

"Maybe you'll be a better builder since you clearly suck at the whole warrior thing."

A tingle went down your spine when he turned his murderous glare to you. It wasn't the dying part that filled you with fear, it was the infinite number of ways he could go about it that made your life flash before your eyes.

[morganas-pendragons]

pieces of a real, breaking heart | obi-wan

this is to celebrate my 600 followers, and it’s something i’ve been thinking about since my best friend brought it up for my Oc & Obi-Wan in the fic I’ve been revising from back in 2016. 

tagging @obiorbenkenobi​ and @karasong​ because i see you out there, ILY // @icanbringyouincold​ by the time you’re done reading this and anything else I write for him, you’ll love him. It’s gonna happen. This serves as a side piece with a different reader, as when I do write for Obi-Wan it’ll have a Mind!Healer Reader instead. 

It’s not an easy thing. Learning how to let go is a fundamental teaching of The Jedi - as attachment is strictly forbidden - but unfortunately, Obi-Wan Kenobi had really never learned how to let go. 

That was why this was so much harder then it should’ve been. 

When a Padawan is knighted, the braid is often given to the Master as a way to commemorate their time together over the course of their training. To thank them for all the knowledge they’ve passed on. His Knighting had been fast and purposeless as Yoda had instructed him that he - barely a Knight for five minutes - was meant to train The Chosen One as his own Master had cast him aside so quickly. 

You had been there for Anakin’s knighting. You’d been there, you’d seen the way he bowed to the other Masters and how fast he’d left that room with his hands wrapped around his braid. He clearly had intentions to give it to someone else. Someone who wasn’t Obi-Wan. 

You also saw the hidden devastation lingering in a pair of blue eyes that had become as familiar to you as your own. 

Falling in love with Obi-Wan Kenobi had not been instant. It had been gradual. Slow. Built over the years you’d known each other and the years you’d been apart. The two of you had been on campaigns together multiple times. To the point where your battalions were so familiar with each other that even though they were biologically all brothers to being with, they knew the others name. You’d allowed yourself that opportunity to get closer with the man - not the general, not the negotiator, the man - who you fought on the front lines with. 

And that man was bleeding. 

Broken. 

And tended to wear his heart on his sleeve. He didn’t tell you that, of course, but you weren’t stupid. You knew how much he loved the people closest to him. Cody. Anakin. The Masters. The Order. You. 

Well... maybe. You weren’t sure if you were there yet. 

So when you find yourself inside of his quarters on the rare occasion of shore leave, you’re surprised that he’d even asked you to meet him as he often preferred to spend his time with his ex-padawan and grand-padawan or hide away in the salles deep in meditation. This day, however, found you doing the complete opposite of anything you’d been anticipating. 

Cleaning. 

  “You called me here.. to help you clean?” 

  “I’m just trying to gather my belongings into two piles.” He pointed to the one closest to him. It was the smallest but looked to hold more significant things. Trinkets he’d gathered over the years, little baubles that Anakin had passed off to him as a Padawan, pieces of planets he’d gone to on campaigns and a list of the clones who had served him. It looked like.. art. Like someone had drawn the names of their vode on rare pieces of flimsi and given it to him as a reminder of the people who gave their lives for his own. “Essential and non-essential. Given that I trust you to watch my back and keep my counsel moreso then most people in The Order..” His voice faltered. This almost sounded.. well.. like the very thing you'd been hoping for. “I’d like your help with this.” 

Oh. 

Oh. 

You’re one of the very few Padawans who, like Obi-Wan, had been assigned to another Master after your own had been taken from you. So few of the Jedi allow their comrades - their brothers and sisters both in arms and in The Force - to see their vulnerability. There is no emotion. There is only peace. Obi-Wan had called you in here because you got it. You understood his problems with attachment (which you hadn’t really realized, not until you’d been formally introduced to Anakin) and how much he struggled with learning how to let go because you too had that issue. You often felt like the ghost of a Master you’d barely begun to know and love followed you everywhere even after he’d been one with The Force. 

  “Okay.” You murmured in reply. “But only because you asked so nicely.” 

His eyes glistened underneath the lights of his quarters and you tried so hard not to notice how much bluer they seemed as you knelt in front of the closet in the largest bedroom and began rifling through the contents there. Robe. Robe. Robe. Robe. 

  “Ah, yes. That.” Maker, just the sound of his voice is enough to make you dizzy. You peered up at him over his shoulder in mock amusement, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you neatly folded each robe and set it in a pile beside you. You counted thirteen. 

  “Do you have a robe fetish or something I should know about?” You mused. The blush you elicited was well worth it. “Anakin said you were constantly having to be fitted for new robes but I didn’t realize how many you went through-” 

  “Take into account how many are ruined or burned.” He said defensively. “And either way, I happen to look distinguished in the Masters robes, thanks.” 

  “Yeah. Sure. You keep believing that, handsome.” 

He parted from you after that to return to the non-essentials. The air in the quarters was quiet but his signature in The Force was so alive - thrumming with the pulse of his heart - and had you not been so engrossed in pulling all his belongings off the floor, you would’ve noticed the ways he kept stealing glances at you with that stupid little smile that said just how moved he was by how you chose to spend your time helping him. 

Then your fingers brushed against something coarse. It was a couple of inches long and woven intricately together, but it didn’t take you long to realize what it was because you’d been there for his own Knighting. You’d been there to comfort him that night as it was his first official night without his Master for the first time since he was 13. You’d taken his head into your lap and talked for hours - until your voice was hoarse and your eyes were brimming with tears - and by the time you had the courage to look down, Obi-Wan Kenobi had fallen asleep with his hands tucked against your thigh and under his cheek. 

He looked so.. innocent. 

You looked down at your hand that now held Obi-Wan’s padawan braid. It was long. Longer then you ever remembered it being, and the very fact that you were holding such a significant part of his life in your fingers felt way more personal then it should’ve. 

The way your heart stuttered at the very tiny “Oh.” that resounded from your door should’ve frightened you. It didn’t. 

You knew it then in your heart of hearts, the minute you looked up at him and met his gaze at the door. Obi-Wan Kenobi - High Jedi General, The Negotiator - was not just a comrade in arms or even your best friend. He was not just someone you turned to in times of need. He was.. he was.. 

Well. he was everything. And oh, you needed someone who was everything. 

You loved him. 

  “I found your padawan braid buried in all of this.” You urged your feet to move but to no avail. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this. Feels like a different life. A different us.” Obi-Wan didn’t say anything for a solid thirty seconds as he stared at you so intently you were sure you’d crumble under such intensity. You were looking for something familiar. Something he didn’t dare show in the real world. You were looking for grief. 

  “That was a different us. That was before the war. Before I..” Became less of a man. You heard it loud and clear across the bond that you weren’t supposed to have, but you did. “Before I took on training The Chosen One. Funny that now earned me a grandpadawan.” 

  “You were a good Master to Anakin. He literally never stops talking to me about you.” His head dipped down to his chest and his shoulders sagged as the weight of that braid settled heavily upon him, and you crossed the room to close the widening gap between you. “I wouldn’t doubt the way he loves you even for a second, Obi-” 

  “He never gave me his braid.” Obi-Wan replied as you gently brought the pads of your fingers across his cheeks. “When Anakin was knighted, he never gave me his braid. Do you know how long I dreamt of that day? How long I waited to give my own to Qui-Gon because of how proud I was of being his student? Did he-” He tilted his head to his shoulder to hide the way his eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “Did he.. did he despise me that much? I know he wanted Qui-Gon. I know he did. I wasn’t going to ever be enough to give him the teaching he needed.” 

  “I don’t think he knew, sweetheart.” The term of endearment slipped past your lips faster then you could realize what you said, but neither of you flinched at it. It just sounded.. right. “Look at me.” It took a minute. A minute felt like a lifetime before Obi-Wan Kenobi lifted his eyes to meet yours. Eyes that wore his heart in them. Eyes that were broken. Desperate. Pleading. “You’re not a failure. You have never been a failure.” 

  “Contrary to your belief, my dear-” 

You placed a finger against his lips. 

  “Contrary to your belief, Master Kenobi-” You retorted. “You have and will never be a failure. Not to Anakin. Not to Ahsoka, not to Qui-Gon, and not to me.” You placed a specific emphasis on that last admission because it would always be true. No matter what happened to you both. “Not on your life.” 

Both pairs of eyes flicker down to where his now clasped your own in which you still held the padawan braid. 

  “I want you to have it.” 

Your heart dropped straight into your stomach. Say... say what now? 

  “It’s not meant for me.” 

  “It is now. If I can’t give it to Qui-Gon,” His eyes bore into yours in a deep, piercing manner as he lifted your clasped hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to your knuckles on them both. “I’d give it to the next person I loved.” Mouth agape and eyes wide, you lifted them to meet the blues in front of you. So open and so impossibly... divine. It was like looking straight into heaven. Into divinity. 

  “Oh, so we love each other now?” 

  “Oh, believe me..” Closer and closer he’d come, close enough until you felt his breath fanning across your face and his chest slowly pressed into yours. Your brain had started yelling incoherently at that point - against the code against the code against the code - but you were so far past caring about The Jedi and their morals to care about breaking their precious Code. You’d been fighting the front lines of a brutal and cruel war since the first day the clones had deployed. You deserved some happiness. “I’ve loved you for quite some time.” 

  “Have you now?” 

Calloused hands wound around your hips. You were suddenly thankful for the lack of robe in the area. “I have. I think since the day I was knighted. Possibly before,” He replied softly, voice low as he brought his lips just beside the shell of your ear. “It’s hard not to. You made it very easy.” 

You loved him. You loved the way he kissed you in that moment - not another soul around - and you loved the way he just bloomed beneath your touch like a flower in the spring. A man who had been deprived of basic touch, of love and desire and want since he was a child.

You loved the way the crows feet around his eyes sharpened when he smiled, and you loved the way his hair fell in his face in just the right way to make it curl when he fought and won against your enemies. 

You loved the way he held his lightsabers and you loved the way he sassed people. They didn’t call him The Negotiator for no reason. Obi-Wan Kenobi happened to be very good with his mouth. No one else knew that though. No one outside of you. You loved the way he moved with Soresu as if the form had been made for him. Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the best duelists of the Jedi. He won't believe it though, no matter how much you told him. 

You loved him when Anakin fell and the world was plunged into darkness, and you loved him when you fell into each others embrace in the shadow of the Archives - warning all remaining Jedi, if there were any, to flee from your home - because you no longer had a home. 

The two of you were the lucky few. You didn’t need four walls. You had each other. 

You loved him in the sweltering heat of Tatooine’s dusk, and you loved him when you crawled into bed with him that night - arms wound around his torso and face buried between his shoulder blades - whispering that you wouldn’t fail, not again, to protect the babe of Anakin Skywalker who slept mere hours from where you sat now. 

A Padawan braid constantly hangs from the ceilings of a hut in Tatooine. It’s been years since it was passed on, but little did they know that braid would change the world. 

[val-aquenta]

Here for the Jedi June prompt: There is no chaos, there is harmony.

Sorry this one’s also late, but being busy on Saturday pushed both of these back hehe. 

Here on ao3

10 years was more than enough time in the desert. Force, even one minute was all it took to tire of the constant sweltering heat and blasting sand of Tatooine. The place was barely habitable with its krayt dragons and sandstorms and heat, and yet it managed to hold so much life regardless. Obi-Wan had to respect and admire the Tatooine natives for remaining so long on the planet. The Jawas who remained, and the Tuskens who prospered in the arid landscape. He felt he was… withering away here, parts of him chipping away and disappearing into the sand. He would not last long as they did, but he had to endure a while more. For Luke. 

A tear dripping dripping and then being whisked away-

A decade, though, was a long time. And Ben felt that he was falling apart. Still, he had flashes of old memories, phantom pains and feelings of burning heat, words spoken and not spoken that could have changed so much, regrets that had so much power on him, but so little power elsewhere. Even with the grounding presence of his banthas, the neighbouring Krayt dragon, and the natives that wandered the land, he felt unmoored. He was not built for this life, evident in the wrinkles on his hand, and the silver on his head. 

Smooth hands in the sand, lingering warmth, the cold stone, carved-

Today, though, there was a… heightened sense of failure that hung over him quietly. A silent grief that he had learned to live with had a sharper edge today. He methodically prepared himself to go out. The last thing he wished to do today was wallow inside his home all day. He wrapped his arms in a light cream strip of fabric, tieing and pinning them beneath the flowy sleeves of the tunic that reminded him a bit too much of his old tunics, now torn and gathering dust in the depths of his closet. The lunch he had prepared was stuffed into the large pockets of his robes and that, along with his staff, was all he needed before he ventured outside. 

Sand whipping burying something deep. Always changing, hiding and revealing-

Ben continued to move, unsure of his destination. He had not planned to do anything today. Vaporators were working optimally, the banthas were grazing far from home, the Krayt was silent, and Luke was… hidden away. He had, well, nothing to do really. He’d always thought he’d have a purpose with the Jedi, a purpose to serve the Republic’s citizens, and yet, it seemed not so.

Bloody hands and symbols on a grey stone, a tear and another dropping-

The cloak snapped behind him, the only sound other than the shifting sands that followed him. His staff descended into the orange sands, leaving little holes behind him as he walked. Soon, he entered a canyon and, grateful for the shade, he entered a small cave. By now the suns were at the zenith and the heat was just this side of unbearable. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan began to eat, still wondering where the Force was trying to push him. He finished with a fruit, purple with cream spots all over. It was sweet yet with a light tang, reminiscent of some delicacy he’d had in Ryloth with Qui-Gon many years ago.

A mask of fabric snapping, whipping through the wind-

Once he finished, he once more began his journey, travelling further down the canyon. He stuck to the walls, stopping every now and then to take a sip of water. Eventually, the Force pushed him back onto the dunes, so he followed dutifully. He wrapped the cloak further up and began his walk once more.  

Sudden and strong enough to strip flesh from bone, struggling to move through the-

The sun beat down mercilessly as the Force slowly drew him to a stop. The presence which had guided him slowly and kindly nudging him through the desert dissipated as quickly as it had begun to push him here. He huffed, slightly annoyed, but looked around him nonetheless. It looked very… normal. It looked exactly like every part of Tatooine that ever existed. Dry, hot, and incredibly boring. “What is it? Why bring me here?” The Force stayed quiet, and Ben sighed. He had not exactly expected the Force to answer, but there was always hope it would. 

A grief as loud and powerful as the sand moving. Loss and a yawning chasm, empty and silent and dark and-

Ben kneeled in the sand, staff held loosely across his lap, and closed his eyes, careful that his hood blocked out most of the light. Slowly his breaths went in and out, and he began to meditate on the location and its mystery. Time passed as he examined the location with his senses, and he felt the wind pick up, jostling his robe. There was an imprint in the Force, loneliness and grief that felt strangely familiar. A pain that seemed to be controlled yet so very vast. Ben chased the feeling until he realised exactly what happened and he pulled himself from it, shaking with fear and anger. “No…” He breathed, refusing to touch the memory embedded here that brought slight shame to him even all these years past. “No.”

Hands shaking as they carved and kept carving and kept moving and-

He opened his eyes finally to be surprised by the sandstorm rolling in. Cursing as he leapt up, he began to walk home rapidly, wishing that he had not been so foolish to walk so far from his home. Despite that, Ben knew that, deep down, he would never have ignored the call on the Force, but he was still somewhat annoyed. A scarf was quickly tied around his mouth and goggles fit onto his head. Quickly, the sandstorm began to pick up, and soon it was a roaring mass around his ears that, with some aid from the Force, he was able to keep from harming him. He blinked, memories bleeding into the present for just a moment.

Stumbling stumbling, no purpose here. Just sand and more sand and all of them-

It had been a day similar to this when a sandstorm had rolled past, unexpected by all except the old woman from the fruit stalls. He’d been caught then, by surprise, while he had laid a stone amid the dune sea. Obi-Wan, because parts of him had still been so Obi-Wan back then, had snapped, and the tears had started and started and not stopped, the only saving grace being his hasty use of the Force, expelling the sand from hitting his face and gouging deep. He’d mourned there, even during the sandstorm, carving that stone until his hands had begun to bleed. Only when he was finished had he replaced his gloves and just sat there, staring at the tiny placard, the only sign of remembrance of his family that he had. The Jedi Order’s symbol, a phoenix rising with a beam of light was beautiful, and already being covered by sand. The names of his friends, of his family, were already being smoothed out by sand. He’d almost wished, for just a moment that he had also been buried in the sand with them, but he had more to do in life it seemed, so he had stood and left, the pain almost bringing him back down, crashing to the sand. 

Granule by granule, covering them up, swallowing them until nothing was there.

The Force danced, just out of reach, still trying to lead him back, and Ben almost felt like ignoring out of pettiness, but he only groaned and turned back. He trudged back moodily, cresting the dune and then tripping and receiving a faceful of sand. He lay there for a moment out of frustration before he stood and twisted to see what he’d tripped over. On the gleaming sand, accompanied by the Force’s quiet ‘I told you so’ lay his carved stone, the light grey stark against the orange sand. Ben scurried forwards and clutched onto it, resting it on his lap. He pushed some sand off, and sure enough, the symbol of the order remained. The sand had erased the shallowly carved names, but the symbol was there. Ben did not know how long he sat there, but it was long enough for the sandstorm to peter out, and for hunger to make itself known in his stomach. ‘Take it’ the Force whispered, ‘let it bring you comfort,’ and Ben listened once more.  Holding onto his stone, filled with his grief and pain, Ben feel sthat it is one of the few times he has turly been at peace since he got to Tatooine, and he smiles for it. 

[jabbajambler]

1

Human

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin x f!OC

Word Count: 2,139

*GIF by @no-droids​*

       "I can't believe you would do this! This is the best opportunity you've had in years."

         Greef stood proudly with his hands on his hips while I shouted at him. To him, it was the same as any other quarrel we had. I would get angry, he would stay calm, and we'd be over it within an hour.

         This time was different. My anger built and bubbled inside of me, bringing my blood to a violent boil. This was the best opportunity the Guild had received in years and I figured I would be first in line for the position.

         I guess I was wrong.

         "Myrah," he spoke calmly, "you and I both know that he is qualified enough for this bounty. Hell, he just might be the best. He will be fine."

         Yes, the man was a great hunter, but he was far from the best. I deserved this opportunity. I spent the last five years proving myself and I was more than capable of it.

         "I don't particularly care for his well-being, Greef. You and I both know that I can handle that bounty. Why did you hand it off to some tin-man?"

         I could feel my nails pressing into the skin of my palms, no doubt leaving small crescent shaped indentions in my skin. My face grew red and warm as I fumed. If I was any angrier, I'm sure steam would have burst from my ears.

         "I am just as qualified as your precious Mandalorian if not more so. I have been working with you for five years and have gotten nothing but petty missions. Don't you think I deserve a high commission bounty?"

         Greef sighed and pinched at the bridge of his nose as he always does when he's frustrated. I couldn't understand how he was upset when I was the one getting cheated out of an assignment.

         "Myrah, I can't favor you over the others. Don't you understand?"

         "It's not favoring if I deserve it."

         He placed his hands firmly on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him in his relaxed, deep brown eyes. "I think you need to go blow off some steam."

         I huffed a forced laugh. "Find a stick and stuff it."

         "Myrah!" He scolded and reached for me as I shrugged his hands off of me.

         I spun on my heel and left the place I had learned to call a home, allowing the door to slam behind me without another word. I stomped through the streets, angrily mumbling each of the pathetic excuses that Greef had given me.

         It was an abnormally chilly day, which helped me cool off from my blow up. Even with the light jacket that I had tossed on, the breeze swept through and brought goosebumps to my skin.

         The sight of the gray planet made me frown. What once was a peaceful, neutral place had become incredibly depressing. There was no color to anyone's life, not even a speck of joy. How could someone live in a place that does nothing but make you sad?

         As if the galaxy was trying to test my limits, someone walked past me like they were on a high-stakes mission. Their shoulder roughly hit mine as they went, sending a sharp pain through my arm.

         "Watch where you're going!" I snapped.

         They turned around and revealed the shiny helmet that I immediately recognized as one of the Mandalorians. Not just any, however, oh no. Each helm was specifically crafted for each individual and that one just so happened to belong to the one person Greef believed could handle the mission of a lifetime.

          The Mandalorian simply turned back around and continued walking down the path. A part of me wanted to run after him and knock some sense into his hollow skull, but then it hit me.

         His ship was left unattended.

         Most Mandalorians traveled alone and I assumed he was no exception. Well, he certainly didn't seem the family type at least. This was the perfect opportunity for revenge.

         As a child, I was always told that revenge was a fancy word for hate. Now, hate wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it led people down a dark path if you let it fester for too long. More than anything, we were taught to be compassionate.

         But that could wait a few hours.

         The corners of my mouth tugged into a smug grin. If Greef wasn't going to give me the task, then I supposed I would have to take it. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

         I began my stroll towards the landing area right outside of the town entrance. It was the most convenient spot unless you were dealing with some shady business.

         People typically left their ships unlocked and unattended, which worked great for me. It wasn't common for citizens of Nevarro to try to steal a ship or...sneak onboard.

         Greef told me stories of the Mandalorian's ship, the Razor Crest. Ever since he joined the Guild, he was always the topic of conversation. He gawked over everything he did, but he especially loved the man's ship. Seeing it up close, I have to admit that it's quite a beauty.

         I didn't expect for him to own such a large ship considering he lives alone, but if you spend enough time in a space, I'm sure the extra room is nice.

          Despite it's beaten up, slightly miserable appearance, it held some sort of attractive quality. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I was drawn to the ship.

         The ship was created before the Empire which meant that the rust-bucket of a ship was older than me. Why anyone would waste their time with such a ship was beyond me. I couldn't even begin to imagine the repair costs on this thing.

         The button for the ramp wasn't too hard to find. It was a bit loud, creaking as I closed it from the inside. Luckily, no one was around to arouse any suspicion.

         There were wires strung about the ceiling. They twisted and frayed, leaving the ship less than appealing. It was so dark and dingy, it was almost as depressing as Nevarro. How the Mandalorian spent so much of his time in here, I had no idea.

         I suppose I was wrong when I assumed he took better care of his ship.

         I gave myself a quick tour of the ship, finding each room to be even more dull than the last. There was a small living space of sorts in the belly of the ship. It held a small cot, a washroom, and several cabinets that I'm sure held an abundance of weapons.

         I like to consider myself a rather sneaky person. After spending years of hiding from the Empire, I've discovered quite a few ways to go under the radar. I doubt that Mando will even know that I'm here. I mean, he has no reason to suspect any stowaways on board.

         I hid in the escape pod across from the cockpit with my blaster held tight in my hand. As much as I wanted to continue exploring, especially those locked up closets, I couldn't. I couldn't take any risks while I was down here, all I could do was sit.

         So, I waited.

             And waited.

                   And waited.

         After nearly two hours of sitting, the soft hiss of the ramp filled the silence of the ship. I was beginning to think he was dead.

         Well, some can only hope.

         I pulled my hood over my head and tugged my maroon scarf over the lower half of my face. It was a mediocre disguise, but it worked in situations like these. Being a bounty hunter, these situations tended to happen a lot.

          I didn't want the Mandalorian to recognize me either. Most of the Guild members were aware of my relationship with Greef and how I've become his adopted daughter of sorts. One look at me and he would be calling for Greef to pick me up like some runaway child.

         My nerves grew as I neared the cockpit. Mandalorians are incredibly well trained and disciplined, perhaps even more so than the Jedi once were. He must've been fighting since he was a child, probably came out of the womb with a blaster in his hand. The only way I could win is with the element of surprise.

         He sat peacefully and unknowingly in the pilot's seat, taking his time to start up the ship. I had to move before he started the engines or else this would get very messy very fast.

         My fingers tightened around the handle of my blaster as I raised it and pressed it into the back of his neck. Mandalorians have very few places on their body that are not covered with armor and the neck just so happens to be one of those unlucky spots.

         "I won't hurt you." I spoke. "Just give me the tracking fob."

         I was shocked that my voice didn't crack. My hands were steady no matter how much I could feel them tremble.

         He was silent as he inched his hand towards the blaster on his hip. Apparently, he didn't think I would notice. That was a foolish move on his part.

         "I wouldn't do that if I were you." I threatened and pulled back the safety on the gun.

         He stood faster than I expected with his weapon drawn. I moved and grabbed the barrel of the blaster just as he grabbed mine, both of us ending with the other's gun.

         "This doesn't have to get ugly." Mando spoke surprisingly calm with a muffled but smooth voice.

         I scoffed and rolled my eyes. 'This doesn't have to get ugly' my ass.

         "It already has."

         I brought my foot up and forced it down on his knee. He faltered slightly, giving me an opportunity to grasp his shoulders and pull my knee into his stomach.

         That was a mistake.

         He dropped my blaster and grabbed my leg, forcing me to lose my balance. I fell to the ground, but not before grabbing his chest plate and pulling him to the floor with me.

         We both managed to clamber back to our feet, staring at each other from opposite sides of the small room. I pulled out his blaster and fired poor shot, giving him a chance to duck under my arm.

         I expected that. It was a mediocre shot, I've done much better.

         What I didn't expect was for him to shove me into the wall and press his arm against my chest. He tried to grab the gun while he held me in place, but I continued to struggle and keep it just out of his reach.

         Pressing my back firmly against the wall, I was able to lift my feet and kick him back into the control panel. I tossed his blaster on the ground and swung my leg against his, knocking him to the floor.

         I opened my mouth to speak as I stood over him, but was rudely interrupted by him pulling me to the ground next to him.

         A grunt escaped my mouth as my head hit the floor. My scarf fell from my face and gathered around my neck while I pulled myself to my knees, my fingers barely brushing against the engraved hilt on my hip.

         I pulled it off of its clip, but he beat me to the attack, tackling me to the ground.

         Mando had me pinned to the cold floor with my hands held above my head. I squirmed and held on tightly to the handle in my grasp as he tried to tear it from me.

         But then he stopped.

         His gaze scanned over my face. At least, that's what I assumed he was doing. With the tinted glass, I couldn't see any hint of humanity lying behind the cold stare. Nevertheless, he was distracted.

         I was able to knock him off of me and onto his back while I rolled over his body. My knees pressed down on his hips to keep him from moving while I grasped his wrists in my hand. It was a struggle, but I managed.

         "You put up a good fight, Mando." I chuckled with a wicked smirk on my face.

         I was out of breath. Well, we both were. Our chests heaved in sync, starting to slow with the lack of action. I could feel a small bead of sweat roll down my forehead as I leaned my face down towards his.

         "Greef was right about you. What a shame."

         I raised the hilt and knocked it against the side of the helmet, stilling him on the ground and sending an echoed ring through the ship. Not dead, just unconscious.

         Either way, the bounty was mine.

[gumnut-logic]

Their Island

Ooh, lookie, I managed to write an IRRelief fic myself. The fact that I started it without that in mind is irrelevant. The fact that I found myself typing out one of the prompt words part way through is :D That and it is mostly fluff which is the main requirement. So IRRelief fic for the prompt ‘power drill’...which is one of mine, I know, but it just happened, honest.

Spoilers & Warnings: I have again written this in my Kermadec AU, however the deviations are minor and it can be read without reading We’ll Be Home For Christmas. There are Tracy boys ages in this as it is technically pre-IR. We all have our own ideas on the boys ages. I’ve run with the age scheme I worked out for Parents as it makes enough sense for me to live with...so technically this could be considered part of that fic as well. So, we have younger!Tracys, pre-IR, Kermadec AU (but only a little bit) and lots of fluff. 2949 words.

Many thanks to @scribbles97​ for the read through and support :D

I hope you enjoy :D

-o-o-o-

It was a tropical island with the foliage to match. Ferns, palm trees, warm air, the distant sound of ocean with a breeze that came with it.

Virgil found himself up high, sitting on a fat patch of moss in a protected nook far above the construction busily happening below.

From here he could see the footprint of the villa, the hole where the pool was going to go, his father directing operations like the commander he always was.

He had to admit, it was amazing.

Seeing the plans was one thing, seeing it being carved out of the volcanic rock was another.

In the distance sat the chiselled-out runway, another of Tracy Industries’ cargo planes coming into land. No doubt it was stock full of luxury fittings. Fancy doorknobs, Scott’s king-sized bed and other frivolities. But Virgil knew that under the disguise of rich eccentricities there were more important things.

The Island was riddled with secrets, most of which had been actioned long before the villa.

But now the house was the final piece. The topping on the cake. And it was amazing to watch it come together.

A scuff of boots on gravel and Virgil jumped.

“Relax, Virgil.” A gentle hand on his shoulder and his younger brother pulled up a chunk of moss beside him. John’s hair always lit up in the sun, almost a warning as to what that sun could do to that pale skin.

There must have been something on Virgil’s face, because John held up a hand. “I have sunscreen.”

“Sure you do, but is it on your face?”

The glare from his twenty-year-old brother tipped the scales into affirmative.

“Just checking.”

The glare turned into a frown. “What are you doing all the way up here?” A twist to his lips filled with put upon sarcasm. “Are you wearing sunscreen?”

Well, no, but then Virgil wasn’t used to thinking of that yet. His skin tended to brown with what little sun he picked up in Colorado. John, on the other hand, had been wearing the stuff since the day after he was born.

Virgil wasn’t going to admit that though. “I have protection.”

John snorted. “You’ll learn. This is the tropics, Virgil. Southern hemisphere, just that touch closer to that healing wound in the ozone layer.”

“I’m aware of the meteorological and geographical differences, John. I don’t need a space degree for that.”

His brother just shrugged. “It’s on you, big brother.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just because John was right didn’t mean he had to be all haughty about it.

“You started it, remember?” Turquoise eyed him along with an amused smirk.

Virgil shrugged it off and turned back to staring down at the construction below.

There was silence except for the sounds of nail guns and power tools bouncing off volcanic rock.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Virgil’s voice was quiet. “Yes, it is.”

“You okay?”

“Sure.”

Almost level with them, a huge bird that just had to be an albatross, wheeled past.

“Wow.” The word was out of his mouth without thought.

“There is a lot of wildlife out here.” John’s voice was matter of fact, lacking the feeling welling inside of Virgil. The wind tousled red hair and the artist inside suddenly had the urge to paint it. In fact, that was the source of it all, Virgil realised. He was inspired. To paint.

Everything.

“Have you spoken to Mel Fisher?”

“Huh?” The bird swooped back out over the caldera and Virgil’s eyes tracked it.

“The director of the Raoul scientific expedition. She should have some data on the species native to the island.”

“Oh, yeah, Gordon has been liaising with her.” It was a welcome distraction from the pool. Virgil had been both supportive and worried about Gordon’s obsession with the Olympics. Combined with his school studies and a gruelling training regime, these few weeks of family leave was exactly what was needed.

Of course, tropical island meant sea water that could replace the pool for that time and his little brother had been in the caldera every morning. Their father had spoken to the local authorities...aka Mel Fisher, newly appointed director of the Kermadec expedition on Raoul Island a few hundred kilometres south...about what wildlife existed in the region that could kill or injure an over enthusiastic Tracy fish. The list had been considerable.

Gordon had immediately parroted off what he knew about every single one of those lifeforms enough to glaze over his father’s eyes. The Tracy fish had then been referred to the Director.

The speech Mel had given him was long.

Three other Tracy brothers - John was the one escapee having been on the other side of the planet at the time - were dragged into it and lectured on the hazards of living in a wildlife dominated area.

The biggest danger was apparently death enacted by the Director should they impact the area in any way.

Even their father had taken a step back at the passion in the woman’s speech. Young, blonde and ready to kick a billionaire’s butt, if necessary.

She and Gordon had hit it off immediately.

A distracted smirk at John. It could be entertaining to see the spaceman encounter the eco-passionate Mel. “You guys need to meet.”

Far down below, his father yelled something at one of the workers. He stormed across the construction site and by the amount of gesturing, Virgil reckoned the man had committed at least a level three offence. Probably a safety deviation. Virgil was glad he wasn’t down there to hear the lecture.

“Have you spoken to Scott?”

It startled him. It shouldn’t have, but it did. His head was in the clouds and he obviously needed grounding. “Uh, yeah. He is okay as he can be.”

His big brother was suffering from an abrupt end to a career he thought would be his life. Honourable discharge was one thing, but after what his brother had given the Air Force, the strain behind those closeted eyes...

It was enough to sprout a permanent dislike of the military deep in Virgil’s soul.

“He is managing.” A breath. “This should help.”

The silence returned, both men lost in their thoughts.

“What are you two doing up here?”

It was inevitable really. Virgil looked up as his fish brother approached, his eyes curious. Gordon’s hair appeared permanently wet and sticking up in all directions. He had his latest loud shirt on, but it wasn’t buttoned up. Little more than flip flops protected his feet from the volcanic rock beneath them.

“I could ask you the same thing. Do I need to lecture you on appropriate footwear again?”

Gordon slumped. “God, Virg, when are you gonna loosen up?”

“When my brothers learn to look after themselves.”

“If you expect me to wear flannel and steel-tipped boots in this tropical climate, you are dreaming, bro. Not all of us want to smell like you.”

“What?!”

“You do the ‘working class man’ thing just a little too much, big bro. Have you noticed the humidity? We’re gonna have to invest in a deodorant factory if you keep wearing that outfit.”

Of course, John had to throw his dice into play. “Tracy Industries already has a personal hygiene department.”

Virgil turned his glare to his traitorous next younger brother.

“What? We do! We produce some very good quality products.”

“Next supply run, we’ll need to stock up for Virg.”

“Shut up, Gordon.”

He didn’t stink, did he? A sniff of his armpit would be too obvious and would just inspire more smart-ass remarks from his brothers. And yes, that was a plural. He could trust John about as far as he could throw him...though admittedly that was quite a distance nowadays, but still…

Gordon derailed that train of thought by dumping himself down beside Virgil. He smelt like seawater.

“So, we spying on Dad, or what?” Gordon pointedly stared down at their father who was still giving that one worker the riot act.

“No. Just came up here for the view.” It was the truth. Ocean for miles in the distance, Mateo and its birds, jagged rock, crystal clear water in the caldera, their future being built beneath his feet.

Gordon didn’t immediately answer and Virgil looked in his direction. He found a small smile on his little brother’s face as he stared down at the turquoise depths below them. It suddenly struck him, that of all of them, this move was going to be the best for Gordon. Surrounded by sea life and the very ocean he adored; his fish-loving brother would be in his element.

Once he landed himself that Olympic medal, finished high school and grew up.

Virgil blinked.

‘Grow up’ and ‘Gordon’ were interesting when combined.

He loved his little brother, but he was a handful. Without thinking, Virgil reached out a hand and squeezed Gordon’s shoulder. That prompted a quizzical look in his direction, but Virgil just smiled a little before letting go and returning to his gaze far down below.

“Gordy! Where are you?” The high-pitched voice of the youngest Tracy bounced freely about the rocks.

Gordon rolled his eyes and whispered. “Keep it quiet.”

Virgil frowned. “Why?”

“He’s looking for someone to play that stupid space game with him.”

That earned Gordon a clap around the ear.

“Hey, I played it with him all day yesterday!”

“You could have told me, Gordon.” John was frowning.

“That’s why I came looking for you! I figured if you beat him several times, I wouldn’t have to worry about it tomorrow.”

Virgil clapped him up the ear again.

“Ow! Quit it, Virg. I don’t see you volunteering.”

“No, I’m too busy with that stopwatch timing your ass.”

Gordon blinked. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

“What are you guys doing up here?” Blond, blue-eyed and nine years old, little Alan bounced into the grotto and stared at the three of them before looking around. “Wow, this is a cool spot. You can see everything!”

The kid glared at Gordon for a second before pushing himself in between John and Virgil.

“Hey, sprout. What you been doing?”

“Looking for you guys. Gordon won’t play Star Hero with me.” Those blue eyes shot daggers at the next eldest brother.

“Maybe spending some time outside would be a good idea.”

“Aw, Virg. I’m nearly at the next level!”

Virgil reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulders drawing him to his side. “But there is so much to see out here, Alan.”

“We’re gonna be here forever. I can see it then.”

A frown. “Allie, you okay?”

“I just wanna play Star Hero.” That was definitely a whine.

“Alan, if you drop the attitude, I’ll consider playing it with you tonight.” John’s voice was cool and clearly not tolerating his little brother’s tactics.

Alan lit up, eyes widening. “You will?! Be on my team?”

John arched an eyebrow. “As long as you don’t give me a silly name.”

“He called me Drockus Doofhead yesterday.” Gordon growled from Virgil’s other side.

“That’s because you are a doofhead. You don’t know the difference between a supernova and a nebula.”

“Yes, I do!”

“Prove it!”

“Hey, hey!” It had been quiet. It had been inspirational. Now... He shoved a finger in Gordon’s direction. “You, he’s nine. Give him a break.” Another finger in Alan’s face. “You. Respect others’ skills. Everyone is different. Consider how much Gordy does know that you don’t, how much he can help you and how much you can help him.”

The pout didn’t fully disappear, but Alan muttered something that could be considered an acknowledgement.

Virgil squeezed his shoulders, but didn’t say anything further. The breeze picked up a little and played with his hair. “Do you like the Island?” The question came out without thought and it stopped him in his tracks, suddenly wondering what his little brothers’ responses might be.

“Are you kidding? There are dolphins, Virg! I was swimming with dolphins this morning! This place is fantastic!”

Yeah, that was the response he expected from his fourteen-year-old fish.

“What about you, Allie?”

“It’s okay, I guess.”

“Allie?”

“I’m gonna miss my friends.”

“You can still see your friends.”

“How?”

“Hololink.”

“Not the same.”

“We can fly in and out as much as you like.”

“Until you’re too busy.”

Silence fell over the grotto, returning it to its natural soundscape of distant waves, birds and the wind.

“I will never be too busy for you, Alan.” The deep voice of his eldest brother broke into the grotto and Virgil’s heart lurched. He looked up to find Scott staring down at their little group. He was still pale, the gash at his temple still pink with healing.

The walking stick in his hand was being leant on heavily.

“What the hell are you doing all the way up here?” Virgil shot to his feet and hurried over, grabbing his big brother’s arm almost terrified he would fall on his face.

“Can it, Virgil. I’m fine.”

Virgil ignored him. “Sit down.” His three other brothers shuffled over to make room and the recovering pilot rolled his eyes before lowering himself awkwardly down onto the moss carpet.

“I should be asking you that question. Is this a meeting I missed the memo for?”

“No. I just came up here for some quiet.”

Scott snorted. “Really?”

“Well, I didn’t expect a family convergence.”

“Can’t escape us, Virg.” Gordon was grinning.

“Wasn’t trying to, Gordo.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“What?”

“Well, why do you think we’re all up here? You’ve been disappearing every afternoon for days. We had to ask Brains to ping your locator.”

“What?!”

A hand landed on his arm and he turned away from Gordon to find Scott staring at him. “Maybe you should answer your own question, Virgil. Do you like the Island?”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

So, he closed it again.

It wasn’t just a question of his liking the Island. The eldest three knew far more than the youngest two. Exactly why they were moving to this isolated chunk of rock.

Scott squeezed his arm. “Johnny is in a star man’s paradise with his observatory, and you know my opinion.” He certainly did. Scott was itching to get back into the sky with that rocket plane. “But I don’t recall hearing your thoughts lately.”

“You know my answer. I agreed.”

Eyes as blue as the sky above them interrogated him. “But what about now that we are here?”

“I agreed.” This was not something he wanted to talk about in front of Gordon and Alan. Hell, Gordon’s amber eyes were as sharp as anything. “This place is beautiful.” It was. As if to emphasise the statement, the albatross reappeared from behind them. Its massive wings were hardly moving to keep it aloft. It coasted above, its eyes passing over all five brothers. “I think we can be happy here.” He hoped.

That hand squeezed his arm again and the grotto fell into a thought-filled silence.

The albatross caught a thermal and rose far above the Island.

Virgil watched it grow smaller and smaller.

Scott’s hand did not leave his arm.

Alan clambered around Gordon and curled up next to Scott. Just as Virgil had done earlier, Scott automatically reached out an arm and pulled him close.

Gordon threw a nasty glare at his little brother, stood up, stomped around Alan and Scott and pointedly dumped himself on the other side of Virgil. There may have been an exchange of raspberries between the two youngest, but Virgil tuned them out to protect his sanity.

He did not fail to notice John closing the gap left by Gordon and sidling up next to their littlest brother.

He ignored the sputtering of the fourteen-year-old he grabbed and drew close to his side in a sudden need for closeness. His other arm snaked around behind Scott, snagged John’s collar and gave a yank. The astronaut let out a yelp and nearly fell on Alan. Virgil’s fist caught in the back of his shirt and he managed to sandwich all his brothers together.

“Virgil!” His name was protested vehemently, but he had to smile when none of his brothers pulled away.

“Love you guys.”

Various sputterings of affirmation had him grinning outright. Gordon was literally squirming.

“Love you, too, Virgil.” Alan’s high-pitched voice was refreshingly honest.

“Thanks, squirt.” It was whispered.

Scott’s hand moved from his arm to wrap around Virgil’s back. A tired forehead dropped gently onto his shoulder.

His big brother didn’t say anything.

He didn’t have to.

Virgil’s voice was rough. “Dad has called this place Tracy Island. We are the Tracys. Let’s make it ours.”

“Except the crabs.”

A blink. “What?” He stared at Gordon.

The kid was still under his arm, but was grinning up at him, mischief in every line.

“Half the crabs are on the endangered list. Mel has already laid claim to them.”

Another blink and Virgil just drew his little fish in tighter.

“Oh, god, Virg, need to breathe.”

A laugh welled up and burst out of Virgil from somewhere deep inside.

“I’m glad you find this funny.” The words were perturbed and put out, but John’s struggles were strangely in vain. Alan put an end to them by wrapping his arm around his astronaut brother and dragging him even further into the pile.

No one could resist the squirt.

They sat there together, quiet except for a few sputters from the fishy teenager.

Down below Dad was waving his arms around in front of the tiny figure of Brains.

The sun glittered off the turquoise caldera.

Virgil smiled.

They were the Tracys.

And this was their Island.

-o-o-o-

FIN

[cheliceraekisses]

Networking

F/F - Android/Mechanic - nsfw 18+

What's the point of being an ultra powerful, super fast, incredibly humble networked AI if you don't take advantage of it to plan wild surprises for your girlfriend.

(A direct sequel to my previous Naiad and Jay work that won't make much sense if you haven't ready that one - https://cheliceraekisses.tumblr.com/post/627483594485547008/vintage-voidcraft)

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26113273

The best thing about being a networked consciousness of voidcraft navigation systems, Naiad thought, was being able to follow her girlfriend anywhere. Jay had left Ceres station almost a week ago, based on Earth’s time keeping system, on a supply run to a station a few planets over. Even driving the powerful, ultra-fast, totally humble and gorgeous N.A.I.A.D.-3, the trip was going to take almost two months. Naiad would have been lonely, staying behind on the station, if not for the fact that the ship was one of her bodies as well, and as such she was still right next to her girlfriend the entire time. Hell, with the upgrades she’d had installed in the ship, they could even fuck.

For the moment though, Naiad was focused on her android embodiment, living in their home on Ceres station. She’d decided, while Jay was gone, to prepare a surprise for her, giving the house the deep clean it needed and organizing Jay’s collection of vintage ship parts for her, like she’d been talking about. It was going well, she’d purchased some wall shelves off a vendor on the station, planning to display the parts around the house, leaving plenty of extra space for new acquisitions, and was in the process of digging around for any pieces that had been stored away, cleaning as she went.

Which was how she came to be standing in their bedroom, staring into a box she’d found tucked away in the closet. She’d opened it expecting some dusty motor or other part, yet what she found was far more exciting. A stack of old, well-read paper magazines, with titles such as Oiled Up, Playbot, Stxxl Slxts. Adorning the covers were various robotic chassis, the kind that, unlike androids, didn’t make more than a passing attempt at resembling humans, if at all. Sleek plates in every colour, visible mechanical parts beneath, faces made from display screens showing everything from emoticons to photos to, in one instance, just the words “Fxxk me.” These chassis in particular were visibly feminine, stretched and contorted across the covers, showing off various ports and non-standard accessories. Flipping through one of the books, she smiled at discovering a noticeably more crumpled page depicting a black and gold robot, sprawled over the hood of a spaceship, a hand languidly cupping an... Attachment between it’s legs. Black and gold, just like the cockpit of a N.A.I.A.D.-3. She really did have the cutest girlfriend.

She bounced onto the bed, lying back and idly flipping through one of the magazines. So Jay was into this kind of thing then. The magazines looked old, a few slight discolourations betraying what they were used for. She might well have brought them from Earth when she’d moved out of her parents’ place. How many times had her love laid here, flipping through these books with one hand, stroking herself and pawing at her adorable little tits with the other. Her skin flushing red, sweat cool in the climate controlled chill of the station, breathing heavily and shuddering from the exertion and stimulation. Naiad smiled, closing her eyes, digging through a few directories stored on her body to find some videos Jay had let her take, trying to picture how she’d look masturbating.

She’d probably be lying back, magazine somewhere around here. Her hand, rubbing against her... Well, her cock, but Naiad couldn’t replicate that right now. Picturing humans with routines built for simulations of spacecraft was a challenge, and Naiad quickly resorted to modelling the pose herself. A quick grab to her breast, that adorable little shudder that ran through her when they were played with, performed with vibrating servos and precise, calculated movements. Breathy gasps in Jay’s exact tone, stolen from late nights together and played back now worked Naiad into a frenzy, finally pushing down with her fingers and rubbing at the bundle of sensors nestled above her artificial folds. She hummed, gasping happily as her fingers slipped inside herself.

A quick shift of her attention had her watching Jay, piloting her ship, still having the time of her life with the vehicle of her dreams. Of course she knew the ship was Naiad’s body, but how would she react knowing her girlfriend was looking at her this very moment, masturbating on their bed. Deciding not to disturb her love’s driving today, (though she filed the idea away for later) Naiad simply watched, letting her attention roam wherever she pleased. Strong worker’s arms flexed beneath a blue flannel shirt, as Jay expertly piloted the ship through the stars. Her small breasts rose and fell slightly with her calm, even breathing, and the chair she sat on picked up the rhythms of her heart, so alive and human.

Naiad moaned, desperately holding back from letting on over the ship’s speakers what she was up to, rutting hard against her hand until she came, sensors whiting out as she overstimulated her body. She let her mind float for a time, ignoring physical space and instead coming down from her high in the strange network space inhabited by multiply-embodied AI. Had Jay been here she would have wanted to go again, but as it stood, she was happy to simply drift, semi-conscious.

Finally, she pulled her attention back to the physical. She poked at Jay’s ship, giving a quick “I love you, babe,” over the speakers, barely waiting to see her blush before returning her focus to the body lying in their bed, still rubbing away, as she’d left it. She winced at the feedback from her poor, abused clit, pulling her hand away, and looked over at the magazine next to her on the bed. So, Jay was into robots as well as androids, hmm? Perhaps a second surprise was in order.

She tried to pull up a connection to the internet, frowning when nothing happened. Jay really wasn’t kidding, the relays for the frontier sectors were terrible, sub-FTL garbage. Instead, she bounced off across her own network of bodies, finding a N.A.I.A.D.-4 near the system she wanted, an industrial sector where a friend of hers sold bodies for the more adventurous artificial intelligences of the universe. Back at Ceres, she cracked a smile at her cleverness, and set to browsing the catalogue.

-

Naiad wasn’t used to feeling nervous.

Nervous wasn’t a common emotion for androids, even less so for the multiply-embodied like her. They were typically in control of everything, having brains far faster than most biological species. The only time she could think of feeling nervous before was when she’d forgotten to come up with a name to introduce herself as to Jay, awkwardly dropping “Nadia” on the spot, and fearing that her whole plan would fall apart due to her mistake. No other experience before could really qualify as nervous.

Today just had to work.

She sat on the bed, naked except for some incredibly skimpy lingerie she’d picked up. She knew Jay couldn’t resist frills and lace, her attraction to girly things legendary. She hoped her girlfriend would jump her the second she walked in, not bothering to put anything away, especially not in the bedroom closet.

The sound of the door opening and Jay’s happy gasp at seeing the state of the house was music to Naiad’s ears, proud of the work she’d done to make everything perfect for her. She put on the cutest, girliest expression she could and waited, trying to follow Jay’s progress through the house by the sound of her footsteps. Not that it took very long for Jay to find her of course, coming bursting into the bedroom only a few minutes after she got home.

“Hey gorgeous, I’m-” Jay’s voice caught in her throat at the sight of Naiad on the bed. To her credit, she recovered gracefully, tossing her bag aside with a chuckle. “You miss me that much, beautiful?” she said with an casual smile, the reddening of her cheeks giving away how very not casual she was feeling.

“A little, I guess.” Her eyes dropped to the growing bulge in Jay’s jeans. “Not as much as you did, apparently.”

Jay’s smile broke almost immediately, turning to a needy pout. “Yeah, well... I did.” she finished quietly. She turned towards the closet, starting to take off her flannel.

“H-Hurry up and fuck me?” Naiad blurted out, failing to contain her nerves and coming off far more needy than she intended.

Jay seemed to forget about taking her shirt off completely, turning to face Naiad with a renewed grin on her face. She stepped forward confidently, leaning down over Naiad and taking her face in her hands. “Of course, princess,” she whispered, pulling her into a kiss.

One of the things about Jay that still shocked Naiad every time they touched was just how powerful she really was. More than two decades as a mechanic, from helping out at her parents shop to formal training to running her own place on Ceres station, had sculpted Jay’s body perfectly, every inch solid and strong and gorgeous. She pushed Naiad onto the bed easily, climbing over her and deepening the kiss, reaching down to push her panties down her legs. Naiad giggled at Jay’s attempt at dominance, gently reaching down to caress her bulge and watching her gasp and fall apart at the slight touch. She was so cute when she thought she could top, bravado giving way to needy whining.

A soft push downwards had Jay falling over herself to obey, dipping her head down to kiss Naiad’s thighs. She’d never get tired of the way Jay went down on her, worshipping at her thighs and cunt like she’d never seen anything so incredible. Feeling Jay’s tongue enter her, she rewarded her love, turning up the power coursing through her pussy and giving her a shock. Jay responded with a powerful moan, thrusting her hips against the bed. It was probably about time to give the poor girl what she’d planned for her.

Naiad turned her attention to a different body, stretched her four new arms, and walked out quietly from the closet. Onyx plates, trimmed and filigreed in gold, shone in the light. Her head was mostly featureless, aside from two aerials affixed where ears would be, rounded and (she hoped) cute. The shape resembled the wings of a N.A.I.A.D. Class ship, a touch she thought would be appreciated.

The filigree on her rounded chest plates drew swirly, lacy patterns, several tight concentric rings where nipples would be on a human. All four arms were slightly too big, betraying the fact that she’d had the stock parts replaced with much, much stronger ones in hopes of finally overpowering her girlfriend tonight. Between her legs, more filigree, in the shape of lacy panties, an effect only slightly ruined by the massive psuedo-cock sticking out from her groin. It was smooth and hard, with a jutting ridge for a head, and she’d picked out a few extra features. Behind her swung a thick, solid tail, for balance’s sake.

Putting a hand on Jay’s head to keep her steady, Naiad cooed at her lover. Gently, she reached down with her new body, at first simply groping Jay’s ass through her jeans, then lifting Jay’s legs off the bed with two arms and undoing her belt with the other. Predictably, Jay grunted in surprise, her eyes going wide, looking up the Naiad in front of her, who smiled.

“It’s only me,” Naiad said from behind her. “Relax, Just a new body. Let me take care of you. You’ll see me soon.” She tugged Jay’s pants off, then her underwear, leaving her half naked. She released Jay’s head, letting her new body lift her up, stroking her cock to attention. Lining Jay up with herself, she gave a steady pressure forward, sending Jay falling into Naiad’s pussy. She seized up, seemingly barely holding back an orgasm as Naiad moaned into her ear. Rubbing her new cock against the toned, perfect ass in front of her, she let out a squirt of lube, getting herself nice and slick for her girlfriend.

Jay rocked back as the fake cock prodded at her entrance. As Naiad entered her, she let out more lube, giving Jay plenty to get accustomed to the feeling of being penetrated. Four hands landed on Jay’s hip, two strong and metallic, two soft and gentle, guiding her as she rocked forward and back, stimulating both of her lover’s bodies. Before long Jay hardly needed the assistance, taking to riding her girlfriend’s cock like a pro, the head running past her prostate with each thrust.

“I-I’m... Not gonna last long like this,” she grunted out, bottoming out in Naiad before being pulled back onto Naiad’s cock.

“As long as you don’t stop, I don’t care when you cum,” Naiad whispered back, tilting her android body forward to take one of Jay’s nipples into her mouth, turning the power up more and crying out at the violent buck of her hips that accompanied the shock. With one of the spare hands on her new body, she groped aggressively at Jay’s other breast. She kept teasing, watching Jay grow jerkier and more desperate, hurtling towards her orgasm.

Deciding to speed her along, Naiad’s newer body tilted Jay’s head back, finally letting her take in the full beauty of what she’d done. Jay’s arms shot upwards, grabbing onto Naiad’s aerials and planting a kiss directly in the middle of her face, finally releasing as she did so, filling Naiad’s pussy and squirting cum across their thighs.

Jay fell forward, shuddering violently against Naiad, sandwiched between her girlfriend’s two bodies. Naiad didn’t stop thrusting, leaning down to get a better angle and slowing her pace while Jay recovered. From beneath Jay’s shaking body, She moaned, pulling her love into a deep kiss and squeezing down hard on the overstimulated cock still inside her, not letting Jay soften for a moment.

After a barely a minute, Jay started thrusting again, moaning meaningless gibberish into Naiad’s mouth as she did. Naiad giggled softly, watching her girlfriend desperately fuck her, getting more and more overstimulated by the second. She really was devoted, desperate to follow Naiad’s orders even when she barely could. Rather than let her keep trying, she pulled back with her larger body, tugging Jay off of her and easily spinning her around in her arms, leaving her lying against Naiad’s original body.

Not letting the poor mechanic completely off the hook, Naiad pushed back inside of her, taking her from the front. With her old body she reached around, stroking at Jay’s still twitching cock, groaning at the pleasure coming from her new body. She could feel Jay pulsing in her hand, feel her tightening around her, feel her cum running out of her cunt, it was almost too much for her. There was one last thing to try though, one last thing her poor, sweet girl to last through before she’d be allowed to rest.

With a particularly hard thrust, Naiad drove deep inside of Jay, hilting herself in Jay’s ass. She grinned, feeling the extra feature she’d had put on her new cock spring to life, a spot near the base slowly beginning to swell up. She continued thrusting, all the way to the base each time, letting her growing knot stretch Jay wider and wider, making each thrust harder than the last until soon it filled completely, locking inside of her. Jay’s cock spasmed in her hand, and as Naiad started to thrust again, her knot rubbing inside of her, she came again, pathetically, cum leaking out onto Naiad’s hand with a whimper.

Seeing Jay so utterly broken down for her, so hopelessly overstimulated, was the final straw, pushing Naiad over the edge with her. From behind, she pulled Jay into a kiss, dominating her tongue easily. Her orgasm ripped through both of her bodies, Jay’s cum gushing out of her cunt as she squeezed down on nothing and faux-cum shooting out of her cock, filling Jay up, not losing a drop with the knot still firmly trapped inside of her.

Moving gently, she deflated her knot, using both of her bodies to clean Jay up and tuck her under the sheets. She assumed Jay would be asleep in moments, but instead, she got a final surprise.

“I... Wanna watch you fuck yourself.”

Well, who was she to deny her love. She threw herself down on the bed next to Jay, where she could easily turn sideways to kiss her, and mounted herself, the fake cock sliding easily into her cum-slick pussy. She giggled as Jay started to grope at her, pulling her into a kiss as she started to piston her hips, rocking forward to meet her own thrusts and smiled to herself. Her life really was the best.

[mosylufanfic]

A Year and a Day

This is for the Killervibe Week Theme Arranged Marriage! (oof I love me an arranged marriage fic)

A Year and a Day

The party broke up early, as these things went. Generally handfast parties went into the wee hours of the morning, but the second moon had barely risen by the time people started drifting out of the town hall and back to their houses.

Of course, Cisco thought, looking across the room at his bride, this wasn't your normal handfasting.

Caitlin Snow had taken his hand and recited the vows without any dramatics, but also without any enthusiasm, and when the ceremony was over, she'd dropped it and turned away. She'd spent pretty much the entire party with her crew, and the whole table had deflected any attempts on the part of the colonists to get to know them.

Great.

Usually handfast parties were a welcome for the new colonist, a chance for them to meet and bond with the people who would be their lifelong neighbors if all went well. But this one had made it clear she only intended to stick around long enough to qualify for permanent citizenship, and then she'd be back on her ship and breaking atmo the first chance she got.

Of course, he'd see her again after that. She was half-owner of the ship that loomed in the moonlight on the edge of town. Now that it was owned by a colonial citizen, it was automatically registered to the colony and would be making runs for them. But it would come back only a few times a year, and he had his doubts she'd seek him out.

They just had to get through the handfast year first.

"Thanks for doing this," Barry said at his side.

He grabbed a bun as the tray went past and bit into it with only a hint of savagery. "You asked," he said through the mouthful of bun.

And Barry had asked him, even though he'd handfasted twice already, because Captain Tannhauser had flatly refused the idea of sacrificing her first mate for the entire year, so Cisco would be making some trips on the Snowfall. He was one of the few people in the colony who could be spared for a week or a month at a time as the ship sailed the lightyears between systems.

"Hey, you'll get to see some of the galaxy," Barry said.

Cisco looked out at the window at the ship. "Yeah," he muttered. "In a tin can."

He'd never left the Trappist colonies, never been to the Kepler system or the Teegarden system or even back to the Terran system, which everyone still called home even if they'd never seen it. Yeah, he might have wondered what was out there, but he had a life here. And he liked it.

"It's just a year," Barry said.

"I know," he replied and let out a sigh. "I know."

He left Barry and went walking over to the table where his bride sat. Caitlin Snow, part-owner, first mate, and ship’s medic of the Snowfall, a year older than him, and in the eyes of the Terran government, his wife. 

Unless they screwed up and managed to get this marriage nullified before the year was out. Then she'd lose her citizenship and the colony would have to pay not only all the fees and taxes for a new, unattached colonist, but also late fines. And after the past few years, they didn't have that kind of money. Not to mention they'd lose access to the Snowfall and have to start hiring out cargo haulers from the inner systems again, at twice the rate the Snowfall charged.

"Hey," he said, and the crew turned to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Long day, right? You want to, uh, to go get settled in?"

They all stared at him for a moment, and he thought, Shit, I didn't threaten to ravish her! I just want to show her my house! You know? Where she's going to live for the next year?

Then the captain nodded sharply.  "We should get started loading her up. The McGee settlement on Trappist-e expects us by tomorrow evening."

"Yep," Cisco said. "Everything's out on the dock, labeled and ready for you."

The captain nodded again, her face rather cold. As if that had been a signal, the crew got to their feet and started filing out. A few of them touched Caitlin's shoulder and one pretty, dark-skinned woman squeezed her hand. Cisco noted that she squeezed back. A friend? A lover? Would she even tell him?

Finally, it was only the captain and Caitlin standing there, face-to-expressionless-face.

"Clear skies, Caitlin," the captain said.

"Smooth landings, Mom," Caitlin said.

The captain nodded one last time and walked out the door, following the rest of her crew. Caitlin reached down and picked up a plain black rucksack, slinging it over her shoulder. "Where are we going?" she said.

"Uh, my house," Cisco said, gesturing vaguely. "That way down the street."

She marched out the door, turning her face away from the crew walking up the street toward the Snowfall. 

He fell into step with her. Normally, he'd be pointing things out - that's the botany center, that's the recreation center, there's the greenhouses, there's the library, there’s the clinic where you’ll work . . . but she didn't seem interested. The silence fell between them and until he found himself blurting, "That's your mom?"

"What?"

"Captain Tannhauser. You called her Mom."

"Yes," she said. "You didn't know that?"

He'd missed it somehow. Of course, Barry had made all the arrangements, Cisco just had to show up. "Well, you have different last names."

"Snow was my dad's name."

"Are you two always so - " He broke off.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Are we always so what?"

"I mean, it's a pretty big day, and she's leaving the planet. Like, now. You're not going to see her for a couple of weeks, easy. But you acted like you were saying goodbye to a co-worker you didn't like that much."

"We're not given to histrionics," she said.

He was so busy gaping at her that he almost missed his own house. "Oh, whoa, whoa, hey! This is me. Right here. My house."

She swiveled and backtracked the couple of steps she'd taken past his front door. He tapped the button and the door swished open. He spread his arms. "Home sweet home."

She stepped inside and looked around.

It wasn't a big house. It wasn't like the ones he read about in old books from Earth, or the year-old holomovies they got out here. Those houses with glimmering smartglass walls and floating beds, 'bot maids and house computers that anticipated your every need. But it was his. He'd painted the walls, built the furniture, woven the rugs on the floors. 

But she'd been so many places. Seen so much. And she was looking around his house without any expression whatsoever.

"So it's - so this is the front room," he said. "Couch, there, very comfy for afternoon naps. That wall over there is where I project stuff. Holos and files and whatever." He reached in his pocket and tossed his comm on the glass-covered table. "This is the charging table. Hooked up to the solars on the roof but it's got a good battery. Kitchen right over there. My chiller. Not big, I know, but I get a lot of fresh ingredients, seasonal, so I don't need much storage. Uh. You like to cook?"

She blinked. Said, "I don't know how."

She didn't know how to cook?

"Okay," he said. "Well." He turned away from the kitchen. "So here are the other rooms. My lab, first, here." He patted the first door on the right.

"Your lab?"

"I build things. It's kind of - it's my deal. I build things. It's a mess right now so I'm not going to give you the tour.  You can check it out later if you want, I'm not precious. Just don't mess with anything or I'll have to go all Bluebeard on you."

She looked at him blankly.

"It's this story - okay. Never mind." Clearly she didn't share his taste for antiquated Terran mythology. "Okay, so, bathroom here. I cleared off a shelf for you to put your - " He eyed her rucksack. Did she have anything in it? "- your, you know, bathroom stuff."

She ignored the shelf in favor of staring at the shower stall. Maybe it was too small for her. He cleared his throat. "This time of year we get more hot water because the pipes are all laid along the roofs and they get the sun on the way in. But during the rainy season, we're all limited to ten minutes because otherwise it's cold showers for half the town."

She nodded. 

"Right," he said. "Okay, so to continue your tour - " He led the way out of the bathroom and to the door directly across the hall. He hit the button. "This one here is my bedroom. Tada."

She walked in, setting her pack on the bed.

"Whoa! Hey, what are you doing?"

"Getting unpacked," she said. She frowned at the bed and unzipped her bag.

"No! No. Oh my god. You're not sleeping here." 

She turned her frown on him. "You said it was your bedroom."

"Yeah, mine! Not yours. You don't have to share with me." He stepped back and pointed at the last door. "There. That's your room. There."

She picked up her rucksack again, following him to the door as he opened it for her. She didn't make any move to go in. "This is where I'll sleep?"

"Yeah. It's all ready for you, sheets on the bed and everything." He gestured as he spoke. "Uh, you got your charging table here, some shelves, right, put whatever you want. The closet, obviously, hah. The window opens if you like to sleep with some night air. I oiled the latches." 

The room was the same size as his lab and his own bedroom. But it looked plain and small, suddenly.

"You can do whatever you want to it while you're here," he said quickly. “Paint, pictures - Allegra got really into weaving, and like textiles? She had literal tapestries up. It was wild. She took them all with her when she moved out."

"Who's Allegra?"

"My last handfast. You might have met her tonight."

"You've been married before?"

"It's not a marriage," he said. "It's a handfast. This isn't forever." He stepped back. "I'll let you get settled in."

--

This house was huge.

Caitlin set her rucksack in the center of the bed and stared at it for a moment. Then she shifted it to the end of the bed and sat. She let out a squeak as springs creaked and the mattress sagged under her. Unprepared, she almost brained herself on the wall before springing back up. 

There was no storage under the bed, or above the bed. Not like her snug berth on the Snowfall. Just shelves and hooks. Clearly everything was just supposed to sit out in the open. Loose. Not secured at all.

She desperately wanted cabinets, doors to swing shut and latch. Some way to fold the furniture up into the walls. If you had things just out like this, they'd all go flying if you had bank hard to avoid an asteroid. If there was a rough re-entry, you could come back and everything you owned could be all over the floor if you hadn't secured it properly.

No asteroids, no re-entries. She was on land. Nothing was going anywhere.

She nudged the table next to the bed with her foot, and it scooted across the floor.

It wasn't even bolted down. 

A comm, he said. You can charge your comm here.

She didn't have one. She'd never needed one. The Snowfall had a PA system. You just found the nearest terminal and  called out for whoever you needed. They would come find you. It never took more than ten minutes, even if they were on the other end of the ship. Sometimes she carried one of the ships' comms when they'd made planetside and she was out in the port city to shop for supplies or explore. But it wasn't hers. 

She felt lost, in freefall. She'd lived her whole life on that ship. Slept every night, after she could sleep on her own, in the berth tucked up against the engines, their low basso hum the only lullaby she'd ever needed.

He'd asked if she liked to cook and it was as if her brain shorted out. She enjoyed preparing the ship's meals, when her turn came up on the rota, but it was all dehydrated, freeze-dried, powdered items that she put together, from recipes that had been meticulously planned. 

He'd talked about fresh ingredients. She didn't know how to cook with those. Fresh fruits and vegetables were a rare treat, reserved for Rosh Hashanah or when they got a bonus for bringing the cargo in early. And actual meat like they'd had on the tables at the party? Not reconstituted protein, but honest-to-Terra meat? The idea of cooking with that struck terror into her heart.

She must have looked like a total rube, gaping at the water shower. She'd seen water showers in movies. Read about them in books. But water was too heavy to carry more than what they needed for drinking or rehydration. She'd used sonics all her life. She couldn't picture getting clean by pouring water all over herself.

She went over to the window and flattened her hands against the glass. There was a latch. It opened, Cisco had said. Oh, no, no, no. Having a window was going to be bad enough, all that land out there, so wide open she thought she might float away through it. No, she wouldn't be opening this window at night. Or possibly ever.

There was a low, familiar rumble, and Caitlin pressed her hands hard to the glass. The Snowfall rose above the houses, her bow already tilting up. Her stern glowed with the blaze of the engines.

Caitlin had seen her like this before, times when the port authority made them change docks. But she was always lifting up and coming down again a little ways away, and Caitlin could walk over and join her again. Mostly, she was onboard, feeling the pressure of G's mounting, pushing her into her seat in the cockpit as they lifted up into the blue sky and watched it turn black and fill with stars as they broke atmo.

 It seemed to hover for a moment, and then it lifted away, pushing up into the atmosphere, getting smaller and smaller.

Gone.

Something bubbled up in her throat, and she pressed her hands to her mouth. Instead of vomit, tears poured down over her hands as she watched her ship, her home, her family disappear.

Don't be stupid, she told herself fiercely. Don't be such a child. You knew this would happen. They'll be back. You'll see her again.

But the tears wouldn't stop.

Over the hiccuping gasps of her breath, she heard a light knock. She shook her head but couldn't make herself say anything.

"Caitlin?" he called. "Everything okay?"

Go away, she thought, but an especially loud hiccup of a sob escaped instead.

The door swished and his footsteps echoed on the floorboards. Not the familiar thunk-thunk of boots on a deck, but a sound of bare feet on wood. "Caitlin?"

She turned her face to the window. "I'm not crying."

"Sure," he said. "That's why there aren't tears all over your face."

She dragged her sleeve over her face. "Please go away."

"God," he said. "You're acting like fucking Persephone kidnapped by Hades."

"Who?"

"It's this old - you know what, never mind. I mean, you're acting like this is the end of the world. It's not that bad here, okay? I mean, I like it."

Startled, she lifted her head. Tears still dripped off her chin.

He stood in the middle of her room, arms crossed, a scowl on his face. "So we're not a full planet yet, we don't have cities or operas or - I don't know, whatever it is you're used to. But it's nice here! You see those mountains? I fucking love those mountains, okay? Prettiest place in the galaxy and you can quote me on that. The ocean's an hour away by speeder and in a month or two it'll be warm enough to go swimming and sailing. The people are great. We have an ice cream parlor! We make ice cream now. There's, there's - it's not that bad, all right?"

She stared at him. "It's not about being here," she said. "It's about not being there." She pointed up to the star-filled sky that had swallowed her ship. "It's about my ship flying away and I'm not on it." The tears started up again and she turned her face away.

He was silent for so long she thought he'd left. But then the soft scuff of footsteps warned that he was coming closer, and two strong arms came around her. "Oh my god," he muttered. "Oh my god, I'm such a jerk. I'm sorry. Shhh. You're okay. You're okay. Let it out. You'll feel better."

She never cried in front of people. She hated it. But for some reason, she dropped her head to his shoulder and sobbed as he stroked her hair, crooning softly.

Her head ached and her face felt sticky by the time she'd cried herself out.

"Better?" he said, taking her shoulders and looking her in the face.

He'd been right. She nodded, wiping her face on her sleeve again. 

He let out his breath. "I'm sorry I was such an asshole right now. I thought you were crying because you hated it here."

"Your planet's okay," she said. "It looks nice. It wasn't that."

He fished in his pocket and offered her a handkerchief. She blew her nose and mopped her face, then tried to give it back.

"No," he said blandly, "you can keep it. That's okay. I've got others."

She managed a smile and tucked it in her pocket. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just - the Snowfall left. And I was here. And I couldn't - "

"Yeah," he said, with a depth of understanding in his voice. "You're homesick, aren't you?"

She felt her lip wobble again, dangerously. "I've never been off my ship," she said.

"Never?"

She waved her hand impatiently. "I've walked on land," she said. "I'm not that much of a space baby. I just - even if I was at a hotel or something, I always knew she was close, and I was going back soon. But she's gone."

He reached out and undid the latch, swinging the window open. He leaned on the sill, looking out at the stars. "How old were you when you started flying?"

"Neonatal," she said, looking at the window, all open to the elements. Cool air washed around them, smelling sweet and green.

It took him a moment. "You were born on that ship?"

"My dad was the ship's medic. My mom was the first mate. They fell in love. They bought out the last captain when I was five and renamed her.” She edged closer to the window, cautiously. She failed to fall out. “When my dad died a few years ago, I inherited his shares. I know it looks like a tin can to you, but to me, it's home."

He winced and looked out at the stars. "Why did you agree to this?"

She studied his position and copied it, bracing her elbows on the sill next to him and propped her chin in her hand. He felt sturdy and warm at her side. If all that openness out there tried to swallow her, he would catch her. "Do you know how docking fees work?"

"Huh? No . . . "

"Every time we make planetfall, we pay a fee to the port authority. They give discounts based on the owners' citizenship. But nomads pay full price. Always. Everywhere."

"Nomads?"

"Ships whose owners have no citizenship. We used to be registered to the Starlabs station off Mars,  but - "

"Yeah, we heard about that disaster, even out here. Why didn't you apply for refugee status on some nice planet?"

"We would have had to stay wherever we applied. We couldn't have flown. So we flew as nomads. But that wasn't working."

"So you handfasted with me to avoid the taxes?"

She groaned. Why had she expected a rockfoot to understand any of this? A colonial rockfoot, too; everybody knew what they were like. "We have to figure those fees in anytime we bid for a job, and nomads bid for all our jobs. If we bid too high, we don't get the job, of course not. But if we bid too low, we don't make a profit."

"And that would be terrible."

"Don't give your utopian colonial attitude. We need to buy fuel and supplies. We need to pay the crew a fair wage. We need to perform maintenance so we pass annual inspections or guess what? It's another fee. My mom and I aren't some greedy fatcat ship owners like you see in the holos, cackling over our piles of money. We're in the red. All the way down. Drowning in red."

He took that in. "So you - could you lose the ship?"

"If we'd had another month like the last six, we would've."

He was quiet for a moment. "So that's why you wanted citizenship. And the cargo runs that Barry was guaranteeing." 

Caitlin sighed, remembering her own indignation at that list of runs, half of which were colony-to-colony in the Trappist system. Not to mention the stipulation that they'd carry any colonist where they needed to go. We're not planet-hoppers, she'd snarled to her mother. And we're not a passenger ship!

Her mother had snapped back, For the next year, we'll do it with a smile, because those runs are a sure thing.

She said, "Colonial ships pay the lowest fees anywhere, and they don't pay any fees between colonies in the same system.. But we barely had the spare change to pay our crew for this last run. We couldn't buy into a colony."

"Most people can't," he said. "And you know, we pay a lot of money to the inner systems for unattached colonists, too. That's why almost everybody who was born here has done at least a couple of handfasts to bring new blood in. We couldn't afford to expand, otherwise."

She turned her head to look at him. "How many people have you married so they could come here?"

"Two," he said. "Chester Runk and Allegra Garcia. You'll see them around town.  And again, it's not a marriage. Marriage is . . . it's different. It's forever. Handfasting is just one year. And people here aren't really going to treat us like a married couple. We're more like roommates. Or a mentorship."

"Is that why you didn't want me in your bedroom?" She'd felt strangely insulted by that. She wasn't a virginal princess or anything. She'd had port lovers, and one short-timer on the ship who'd spent most of his off-time in her bunk in between Proxima Centauri-B and Teegarden's-C. "You're not allowed to sleep with your handfast?"

He laughed and - blushed? It was hard to tell in the moonlight. 0"No, nothing like that. A lot of handfasts sleep together during their year, and there's a handfast baby every now and then. It's just - I didn't want you to feel like it was required."

"Did you sleep with your other handfasts?"

"Ah - " He scratched his eyebrow. "With Chester. But Allegra was more like my little sister. I am attracted to women, but I wasn't into her like that."

Hmmmm. He'd been very quick to make that clear, hadn't he?

He reached out and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She felt herself go still, holding his gaze. "Look," he said in a low voice. "This is new and strange for both of us. Did you know I've never been off this planet?"

She felt her eyes widen. "Never?"

He shook his head. "Not even once. You want the truth, I'm kind of terrified of going into space."

"Don't be. It's beautiful. Wait until you see it."

He smiled at her and it was a completely different smile than the ones he'd aimed her way all day. Those had been bright and shiny, pasted on. This one seemed to come from all the way inside him, beaming out at her like sunlight.  "Okay," he said. "You can show me. But for the next year, the longest we can be apart is seventy-one hours.”

She nodded. She’d read the contract closely. If they hit seventy-two, the Terran government would nullify the contract. “I know. I’d lose my citizenship.”

“And then you lose your ship and the colony loses a shit-ton of money we can't afford. It's disastrous for both of us. All of us, if you think about it. We're in this together. So let's try to do this together, okay?"

A ship couldn't fly if the crew was all at cross-purposes. She nodded. "Okay. Together."

He straightened up. "Get some sleep, okay? You're getting the grand tour of the town tomorrow, and we're totally having ice cream."

It made her smile. "I'll hold to you that."

He smiled back and started for the door.

Something prompted her to call out, "Cisco?"

He paused. "Mmm?"

"You said that marriages were different than handfasts."

"Yeah," he said. "Handfasts are about convenience, and growing the community. Marriages are about love. Partnership. They're forever."

"Does a handfast ever turn into a marriage?"

"It's happened," he said. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged and turned away from him to close the window. "I was just curious."

FINIS

[thedefinitionofbts]

Upon Your Existence (3)

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3

Pairings: Jeon Jungkook x Reader (ft. the rest of BTS)

Genre: Science Fantasy, Angst, Apocalypse Au

Words: 7K

Description: …and so they just meet each other in these stories written inside these worlds built in their minds. Of course some will be sad, and others happy, but that’s just the way the universe is…chaotic, imperfect, but magnificently beautiful.  

You’ll always remember his eyes, a pair of dark obsidian orbs, cloudy and unreadable to many but to you they were always crystal clear like the polycrystalline structure of black diamonds.

“Hurry, we need to go!” He beckons urgently as you remained huddled in the corner of your bedroom closet, arms wrapped around your legs and chin resting on the caps of your knees.

“Where’s mommy and daddy?” You peer up at your older brother, eyes wide and stricken with fear.

It was already dark outside. The bright glow of blue and red lights flicker through the glass windows, ricocheting off the walls of the room your parents once read you bedtime stories in. You can hear the voices of police officers and military personnel through the loud speakers, advising everyone to evacuate the city.  

“They’re waiting for us, come on.” Yoongi responds more softly, flashing you a tender smile, one that you have witnessed more than anyone else, giving you more than enough strength to latch on to his extended hand.

You were just nine years old when news of the first outbreak was broadcasted over the television. At the time, it had not occurred to you how strange it all was, or perhaps it did, but it was all too confusing to even begin questioning any of it. You knew nothing about viruses or the spread of diseases in general, but after moving to the designated “safe haven” for your district and continuing your education through your teens, some things have naturally come to light.

Like back in high school chemistry, when your teacher demonstrated the effects of acid on protein to show students how you could go blind if it got in your eye. It was simply to remind everyone to wear goggles, but you’ll never forget the way the drop of HCl seared the egg white, making the fluid bubble up and solidify instantly. You imagine the virus doing the same to human flesh, only with a more complicated mechanism that had less to do with altering the structure of existing proteins and more to do with actually changing gene expression.

It only takes one person. One mutation. One strand of viral DNA to contaminate it all.

It almost sounded too easy, and though the official announcement stated the virus originated in the jungle off the coast, countless people had suspected it was actually developed by the government, a biological weapon gone awry. It wasn’t until over a decade later that it became quite clear, though still unofficial since the elite would never admit to such a horrendous act publicly, that everything was more or less planned as a means to control the population.

So no, the virus did not entail the end of the world. The world government had actually done a pretty job controlling it. How could they not since they planned it all anyways? But of course, if the world wants to end, it’ll find a way to end.

That, you had also learned through a news broadcast.  

“Karma” Hoseok exhales, twisting the key and turning off the engine.

“Hoseok, it’s not Karma if the top 1% still survive.” Yoongi mumbles, stepping out of the passenger door and stretching out his back.  

“The biggest fuck you would be if the comet just disintegrates right before it strikes.” Hoseok scoffs. “If only…”

You ponder the possibility of this all being a false positive. “Maybe it’ll miss Earth, and everyone will have evacuated the planet for no reason at all.” It’s a joke, but not the funny kind. You know it’s impossible, but you didn’t really say it for the purpose of anyone agreeing with you or even refuting the statement, considering the nonexistent possibility.

“Maybe…” Hoseok exhales, not entirely paying attention to what he was even responding to but rather just blankly gazing at the open field with its tall grasses swaying in the wind.

Yoongi remains silent. He has been the whole trip for the most part, and in a way, his nonchalance was peaceful and reassuring as it had always been for you growing up.

But this is it. This is where you part ways.

It’s a strange feeling, really. You’ve always imagined this moment to be more emotionally overwhelming, saying goodbye to your brother forever and all. He was the only person you’d ever really trusted, and the only other person who has felt like the closest thing to home, a place that never really existed, and even if it did, it won’t for long. Maybe habituation, or months of convinced acceptance has left you numb, or maybe it's the effect of building something so much up in your head that the actual experience doesn’t live up to what you’ve expected all this time.

“Are you sure?” Yoongi’s voice is low and subdued. He doesn’t make eye contact as he awaits your response, and perhaps it’s because he’s never questioned your personal decisions or the fact that he’s directly expressing his concern for you that you find yourself hesitating for the first time in months.

Did he invite you on this trip hoping you would change your mind in the end?

The thought makes your heart clench, and you have to tell yourself you’re overanalyzing. Yoongi wasn’t the kind to hint at what he wanted. He always directly expressed his thoughts no matter how offensive or uncalled for they are. You’ve always admired him for that sort of bravery, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to change now. Besides, you had made up your mind half a year ago, ever since you saw the timer flash across the T.V. screen.

Six months was how long they gave the general population to decide. Either you were rich enough to leave earth or you had to come to terms with the end. They had known about it years in advance, and though it’s unclear whether or not the planned viral outbreak was related to the detection of the comet’s trajectory, what’s undeniable is that they had kept everyone in the dark to avoid chaos.

You had no interest in space, nor did you want to be a part of a system so cruel. Yoongi didn’t either, not initially, but you weren’t going to blame him for meeting a boy who was the literal manifestation of the sun, someone who could make his heart beat in ways it never did.

“Your spot will always be open” Hoseok chimes in with his bright sunshine of a smile, and you can almost feel a fraction of what Yoongi feels when he sees it too.

“There’s more I want to see before it’s too late.” It’s not like you were alone. There were millions of other people staying on the planet- those who couldn’t afford a ticket on the escape ship.

Yoongi nods lightly, turning to walk up the steps to join Hoseok, who was already at the top still looking at you standing below, perhaps also hoping you would change your mind. Even now, you can see the softness in the latter’s eyes, the tangibility of the warmth that he radiates, and you have no trouble understanding why your bother fell for him.

And that’s the last image you see of the two. Hoseok’s melancholic gaze and the slight upturn of Yoongi’s lip as the doors close.  

…

There’s a certain kind of calmness that accompanies solitude, even when the entire world is ready to burst under suppressed chaos. There’s also a strange detachment that comes with wanting to do everything while at the same time not wanting to do anything at all because none of it mattered anymore.

Stepping onto the train, you immediately get a whiff of the stench of sweat and body odor, the kind that tells you you’re not the only one who thought spending the next few days just gazing at the world was a good way to ride through the end. Most of the seats were taken, homeless people with all their bags large and small, scattered across the floor. You almost trip on someone’s sleeping bag as you navigate down the aisle, looking for a less crowded cart, which you are fortunate enough to find just as the train begins to move.

Settling down in the seat closest to the window, you momentarily let your eyes dwell on someone sitting a couple seats away. His attention was focused on the scenery outside, but he somehow sensed the weight of your scrutiny as he turns just as you were about to lean to get a better view.    

You barely avert your gaze before he catches you staring, though you’re pretty sure he noticed because the next thing you know, he’s made his way over and is now seated across from you. Despite the sudden proximity and the bout of nerves it has initiated, you choose to keep your attention pointed at the passing scenery now zipping by in parallel with the train’s increasing speed.  

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” His voice is light with a deep, husky undertone that glides through the air.  

You look up to find that he isn’t even looking out the window. You swallow, finding it bizarre that he’s staring at you so intently. “Indeed.”

“Traveling?”

You nod.

“Going anywhere in particular?” He tilts his head curiously; a motion almost child-like in nature and it makes you relax for the first time since you started this solo venture.

“Nope.”

He smiles, eyes crinkling at the edges. “So your plan was to just sit on this train and look out the window?”

“Pretty much, yeah” You shrug, sensing your anxieties dissipate as he does not seem to pose a threat of any kind.

He chuckles softly. “But don’t you want to go out there and really feel the earth. Really experience being alive on this planet one last time?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“It’s the end of the world. What do you have to lose?”

He was right, and your excuses don’t even sound convincing to yourself anymore.

“So what exactly are you proposing?”

“This train loops around the entire continent. I say we get off at each stop and do one thing we’ve always wanted to do.”

“We?” You’re thrown off by how easily he placed the word in his sentence. How he didn’t even hesitate to include you in his spur of the moment proposal.

He nods.

“Together?” You ask again, still skeptical.

He laughs softly; looking down and back up again with a playful smirk.

“What if we want to do different things?” You counter, still unsure why you are playing along with this stranger who hasn’t even introduced himself. 

“Ok. We’ll get off at each stop and do one thing you’ve always wanted to do.”

“You’re sure putting a lot of bets on someone you don’t even know.” You comment, waiting to see how he’s going to react.

There’s a peculiar look in his eyes, one that speaks of anticipation precipitously lost to the wind. He drops his gaze momentarily, smiling to himself before looking up at you once more.  

“Or you could say I’m going all in on someone I would like to get to know.” There’s cheerfulness in his voice that you haven’t heard in a long time, an unfamiliar yet heart racing aura of beginnings rather than the familiar imminent end that has surrounded your life for months. It makes you smile, but you can’t help but notice the sad glint in his eyes merely seconds before it’s gone.

“I…actually haven’t really thought about what I want to do.” You confess, diverting your attention to the landscape outside. Your life had always been planned. Whether it was wandering down paths that others had led you towards or the world leaving you no alternative option, you had never been offered the freedom of uninhibited choice. It was like the events had already been written, and you were just living it out like a character in a story everyone already knows the end to.

“Maybe you shouldn’t think about it.” His voice startles you, making you realize you had paused mid conversation.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve found that overthinking leads to indecisiveness.” He tilts his head, analyzing your reaction as if waiting for a specific response.

“I’m not indecisive, and I don’t overthink.” You deny, despite knowing full well you are and have always been.  

He doesn’t look convinced. “Ok, then you’re afraid of regrets?”

“I’m just…I dunno…scared?”

He nods, displaying that he understands what you mean. “But you are here now, so you must’ve found some source of courage.”

You wouldn’t really consider your decision to stay on earth courageous. To you it was more like the final act of rebellion you had the chance of carrying out, not that you ever came close to rebelling in the past.

“Well?” The train has stopped, and you can tell he’s waiting for you to decide to get off with him or not.

It’s not forceful or pressuring in anyway, but communicates an air of patience you find to be very comforting. And there’s something about the way he speaks to you, the way he gauges your response as if he already knows what you’re about to say that inclines you to believe he knows more about you than logically possible for someone you just met. Maybe you were just easy to read, or this guy is just really good at reading social cues. Whatever it may be, you had two seconds to make your decision, and if the past has taught you anything, you already know that there’s no turning back.

…

Getting off the train, you’re surprised by the number of people still around and the cultural music dancing through the air. You expected the city to be less crowded and the mood to be more somber, a scene that makes the end of the world more obvious, in what way you weren’t sure, but definitely nothing close to what you were currently presented.  

“They’re just here, like us, enjoying these last days.” He blinks slowly, somehow able to tell that the scene has left you dumbfounded.

“I guess I just expected something different” You reply, still looking around at the people laughing and chatting away in the outdoor seating areas of restaurants and coffee shops.  

“Only 1% of the population left, and most of them probably didn’t live in old towns like this.” He glances at you from under the sunhat he had put on right after exiting the train.

His response puts a smile on your face. A picture of a smiling Hoseok and Yoongi flashes through your mind as you are remembered how they spoke about the privileged. It had been a long time since your mood has felt this light.

“So are you going to properly introduce yourself? Or am I going to have to ask you questions?” You narrow your eyes, feeling mischievous all of a sudden.

He laughs, eyes crinkling at the edges again. “It’s the end of the world. I could tell you anything and it wouldn’t even matter.” He skips a few feet ahead of you before twirling around and offering you his hand.

You’re surprised by your own lack of hesitation as you reach out almost instinctively.

“Wow, that was easier than expected.” He comments, referring to how quickly you accepted his offer compared to your obvious indecision back on the train, eyes almost wide as he gives your hand a light squeeze, making sure that it was indeed real, and his eyes weren’t just playing tricks on him.  

“It’s the end of the world.” You shrug, repeating the words he had been reiterating since the two of you met. An unfamiliar fullness engulfs your heart, and you wonder if the boy next to you feels it too. You don’t remember the last time you had held someone’s hand like this or if you had ever held a hand that fit to yours so perfectly.  

“Jungkook.” He suddenly breathes out, probably noticing the way you’ve been staring at your interlinked hands like he would suddenly let go or disappear into thin air.

“Huh?” You look up almost dazed.

“My name. It’s Jungkook.” He smiles, gripping your hand a bit tighter.

“Oh, um, I’m Y/N.” You response almost awkwardly, unprepared for his sudden revelation of sorts, trying to recall why the name seemed familiar while at the same time knowing with the utmost certainty you had never known a person with that name.  

He bobs, the expression on his face making you almost suspect that this wasn’t new information to him.  

“So what would you like to do, Miss Y/N?” He gestures at the completely foreign town, the lake and mountains not too far in the distance.

“I don’t know.” You reveal truthfully, not having thought this far yet. You were kind of just banking on intuition, but you were so caught up analyzing him along with your own shifting disposition that you hadn’t actually thought about the actual world and what you wanted to do. “With the virus and all, I had never made a bucket list or anything. I just assumed I would never get a chance to come to places like this anyways.”

“Even when it was nearly eradicated?”

“Then came this whole comet ordeal.” You sigh. “End of the world, remember?”

“Not like I could forget.” He starts swinging your interlinked arms causally. “Shall we just walk around then? Explore some abandoned buildings that may or may not be haunted.”

“You can’t seriously believe in ghosts, can you?” You cock a brow. “In this day and age?”

He cackles. “I was just testing you.”

“Sure you were” You flash him the look, but it doesn't last before you’re consumed by his contagious laughter.

It wasn’t long before the two of you stumble upon a rather decent looking lodging facility, not that you were looking for anything fancy. The walls were made of stone, a suitable complement to the cobblestone roads you had been walking along since leaving the train station, with ivy crawling up the sides and lining the windows. The building gave off the impression that it was an affordable choice for two broke travelers, not that money really mattered anymore.  

“We should probably put some of our stuff down and explore the city.” Jungkook suggests, looking up from the map on his phone.

You exhale slowly, almost having forgotten how heavy your backpack weighed on your shoulders. The sun had moved to the middle of the sky, causing beads of sweat to form and start sliding down your forehead. It wasn’t extremely hot, but you had opted to wear a few extra layers in an attempt to keep your bags a bit lighter.

Following him into the lobby, you don’t expect Jungkook to arrange a room for you as well, but he comes back with two keys to two separate rooms.

“Thanks” You voice softly as hands one of them to you.

“It would probably be safer to stay in the same room, but I don’t want you to think I’m some perverted stalker trying to take advantage of you.”  

You smirk before failing to contain your own laughter. “I already assumed you were.”

He rolls his eyes. “Just let me know if you need anything, ok?”

You nod, glancing at him one last time before heading towards your room. He seemed concerned, or his mind was thinking about something else.

The room smelled moist and musky, with an almost rotten scent, like it hadn’t been cleaned in quite some time. Not that you were expecting some pristine hotel room or sterilized classroom like the facilities back in the cities during the viral outbreak, but it was pretty clear the place hadn’t been tidied in weeks. The bed sheets were unwashed, and the trash bins hadn’t even been emptied.

You walk over to open a window, hoping the air outside would somehow neutralize the pungent odor. Just as you were contemplating going over to suggest exploring the markets, you hear a knock at your door.

“Who is it?” You call out, hoping that it was just Jungkook coming back to check up on you.

There’s no answer, but you can hear the pounding get louder, like whoever was on the other side was trying to break down the door. There’s a loud crack as the wooden door pane splinters, the rusty knob just falling off and rolling across the floor. You’re frozen in place, eyes full of fear as you stare at the large man standing at the entrance.

He slowly walks towards you with a frown on his face, blocking your view of the hallway and only escape.

Before you could scream, you hear a loud bang and the next thing you know, the man was on the ground. Your eyes immediately dart up and to your uttermost relief, you see Jungkook with a lamp clasped in his hand, eyes wide with alarm.

“We need to get out of here” He exhales, quickly grabbing your hand and making a run for it.

You don’t get a chance to look back, all you can focus on is keeping up with Jungkook’s speed as he leads you back out to the street and navigates through the crowds of people.

“Wha-how did you…?” You look at him and back in the direction the two of you ran from, mind still reeling from the hasty course of events.  

“It was my bad really, I should’ve know most places aren’t safe anymore.” He shakes his head, looking around at the people still gathered in large crowds when you’re finally at a safe distance from the lodge. “Maybe that’s why everyone is here out in the open.”

“Hey, it’s ok, we’re fine and there’s only like three weeks left anyways” You give his hand a tight squeeze, unsure of why you felt so compelled to make him feel better. Perhaps it was the sadness in his eyes, something you can’t seem to ignore because it looked so familiar yet you’re unable to comprehend it fully.

He sighs. “Three weeks…are you the type who prefers to count down?”

You want to forget about it, to not be constantly reminded that the world you once knew is gone and these last moments will soon be swallowed in the same way. But no matter how hard you try to ignore the thought, it’s always there at the back of your mind, a subconscious countdown that keeps showing up intermittently.

“I just want to be as prepared as possible, and I don’t like surprises.”

“Somehow that’s not so surprising.” He smiles for the first time in a while, and you don’t miss the hint of playfulness in his words. It’s reassuring and quells some of your anxiety.

“You don’t seem to mind this whole ordeal.” You suddenly blurt out. Ever since you met this dark haired doe-eyed Jungkook, he’s seemed so…okay with everything, like the end of the world was some kind of adventure and not a dark and dreary end to existence.

He cocks a brow. “Almost getting us into some deep shit back there?”

“No, the fact that we have three weeks left, and then it’s over.” You exhale, letting out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding in for so long and finally feeling that weight being lifted off your chest.

His features relax as he turns to face you. “I’m looking forward to what lies beyond the end and in the meantime, making the most of what we are given now.”

You don’t quite understand what he means, and there are so many questions you want to ask, but the determined look in his eyes makes you wonder if you’re missing something deeper, something he wants to convey but is waiting for you to reach your own conclusion.

“Beyond the end?”

He chuckles lightly. “Like how people say endings give birth to new beginnings?”

“You sound like my mom.” You huff, knowing that he’s just playing around again and avoiding the real answer to your question.

“Do you miss her?” He suddenly asks.

“She was never really around much. Neither was my dad.” There’s an extended pause as Jungkook waits for you to continue, almost like he senses there’s more you want to say. “My brother Yoongi was my rock, the only person in my life that I could turn towards for guidance like an actual parental figure. My parents were loving and all, but being adopted, they were just nice picture parents. They didn’t offer me the kind of depth I needed. And my brother, you know, was older and I’m sure he didn’t think much of it at the time, but his advice was something I always took seriously, whether it was subconscious or not. His opinions impacted a lot of my decisions in life…” You trail off, thinking back to all the decisions you had made because Yoongi had expressed some form of bias towards it and still question to this day if they were the right ones. It’s not like you had that many regrets, but you can’t help but wonder if your life would’ve turned out differently had you made more choices independently. “You know I could’ve just said fuck it and did the thing I actually wanted to do.”

“Well, here’s your chance.”

…

The two of you decide that the safest place to sleep is the train.

Though it was often crowded and smelled of human sweat, it was still better than figuring how to set up a tent or having to climb a tree. And after the incident at the lodge, neither of you really wanted to risk it again. Besides, spending one or two days in one city is more than enough to grab some local food and do some sightseeing. You also realize that all of the towns sort of start blending into one another, like the days you’re still trying not to countdown. You’ve gotten to the point where it doesn’t bother you as much, at least not when you’re with traveling with someone you’ve grown too fond of too quickly, but in the best way ever.  

“I guess I really didn’t think any of this through, but none of it really matters now, does it?”  

You were trailing behind him in the orchard, the sun’s rays filtering through the leaves casting moving patterns on the ground. Spending the past few days visiting gardens and vineyards had been more fun than you had expected. The fruit was sweet and the flowers were bright and lively. Each farm you visited looked to stretch on for miles and miles, twisting and twirling along the hills and rivers. You had always been told that beauty existed in the most unexpected of places, and you were finally given the chance to witness it for yourself.

“You know there’s no point in living every day thinking about the fact that you’re going to die anyways.” He takes a bite of the apple he just picked off of one of the lower branches of the tree. The sound so crisp and juicy, you can feel your mouth salivating.

You release a light chuckle. “You’re telling me this when it’s literally the end of the world?”

He turns to toss you an apple. “I’m advising you to stop thinking about endings.”

Catching it in your hands, you stare at the intermingled colors for a moment, red, yellow, and a tad bit of green merging but never really mixing to become one. Taking a bite you realize its sweetness is lace with a tangy after taste, like those bittersweet endings you’ve come to know so well.  

“I used to come to these places filled with so many thoughts on how to remember the details that I forget to enjoy the actual experience.” You pause, taking the time to decide if you wanted to continue.

Jungkook doesn’t make a sound, no signal to hint that he was going throw in commentary or interrupt your train of thought. You turn to glance at him, wondering if he’s wrapped in his own contemplation, only to find that he just looking at you, staring so intently you have to look away as you feel the blood rush to face.

“You’re still afraid of losing your memories, huh?”

It leaves his lips as a whisper, so soft that you are compelled to believe he was just mumbling to himself. You want to linger over his interesting choice of words, but you try not to think much of it and continue.

“So I tried to reason that if the journey is what we should be focusing on, I should just set goals that I’ll never reach. That way I wouldn’t have to deal with endings or being directionless in life.” You laugh. “And of course that backfired.”

“Continuously chasing after something you’ll never obtain?” He tilts his head towards the sun, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

You observe his side profile, visually drawing the outline of his silhouette and carving the image of his physical form into your brain knowing that it will last only as long as the end of time will allow.

“I just don’t like endings…or goodbyes…or even the thought that this is all there is to it.” You murmur, shifting your eyes back to the ground.

“There’s always more too it than you think.”  

“And then I read somewhere that people don’t remember what you do but they remember how you made them feel.” You don’t know where you’re going with your outburst of thoughts, and maybe the diminishing days are convincing you to let it all out before it’s too late no matter how nonsensical everything you are saying is.  

The breeze blowing by emphasizes the brief silence that follows, in which only the gentle rustling of leaves can be heard. You don’t know what else to say. You’ve never gotten this far in a conversation where your thoughts have been unhindered and you hadn’t planned an entire speech out. At this point you’re just waiting for him to respond, to tell you that you should stop thinking about uselessly irrelevant things or at least question why you’re telling him all this.

You watch as he turns to face you, not having realized you had closed the distance between you whilst ranting. He was so close you can almost feel the light brush of his shirt as it lifts up slightly in the wind and the heat of his body radiating off his smooth skin. His gaze is distracting. It’s something you’ve learned over the past week and then some. The way his dark pupils twinkle mysteriously almost mimicking those of someone’s you will never forget, but there’s something different about his. His eyes reflected the sunlight like there were stars inside.

You’re so enraptured by his beauty that you don’t realize he’s reduced the remaining space between the two of you to almost nothing, lips just millimeters away now. Without another thought, you lean forward and kiss him, mouth clumsily crashing with his. You can feel his lips curve into a smile as he kisses you back much in a much more composed and practiced manner, like he has done it a million times before, only you know that’s not possible. He breaks free temporarily only to murmur one sentence in response.

“I’ll always remember the way you made me feel.”

…

Time starts to fluctuate in ways you begin to lose track of.

Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night confused about where you were and frantically searching for something to calm your racing thoughts. You have dreams about different phases of your life, places you’ve been, people you used to know, only they are distorted in ways that make them almost unrecognizable. And then when you try to dig them up from your memories, you find that they are lost and everything has changed.

Now you find solace in the moonlight pouring through the curtain windows of the train and the solidity of Jungkook’s hand intertwined with yours as his jacket covers both of your bodies. The way he never leaves your side is unusual for someone you didn’t even know existed until about two weeks ago, and yet he gives you no reason to doubt that he would ever leave.

It’s something you’ve too grown familiar with, the scent of his body and the warmth of his smile. And as you walk the streets of foreign cities, navigating through crowds of strange people whose faces you won’t even remember, you choose to inscribe the details of his features in your memoirs, the softness of his skin, the width of his shoulders, the veins on his forearms...

You’ve learned that he enjoys gazing at large bodies of water, lakes, rivers, and oceans, which is why you find yourself on the beach at the last stop of your journey.

“Would it make sense to say I’ve always liked being alone, but I’m not too fond of being lonely?”

He takes a minute to contemplate your seemingly contradictory statement.

“Makes perfect sense to me.” He absentmindedly tosses a seashell at the incoming wave. It’s swallowed instantly, and all you can focus on is the foamy ripples that wane back into the seemingly endless blue. “I think what makes us feel lonely is being with people who don’t really understand us, and that doesn’t happen when you’re alone since you’re just by yourself. ”

“Wow, you’re the first person who hasn’t just told me I’m just being anti-social…well, technically the second.” You smile, breathing out slowly. “I think you and my brother, Yoongi, would’ve gotten along pretty well.”

“Did he leave?”

You nod, recalling the last image of him still safely tucked away in your memories.

“And you wanted to stay to enjoy these last few weeks.”

You arch a brow, having expected him to ask why you didn’t leave rather than stating the exact answer you would’ve given him had he asked.

“How’d you guess?”

He laughs. “I figured, since you don’t seem bothered wasting all this time with me.”

“True.” You smile. “Although I wouldn’t call it wasting…”

The salty sea breeze is something you definitely didn’t have the luxury of smelling growing up. This is your first time visiting the beach, first time seeing the ocean. Each day you’ve spent on this adventure of sorts with Jungkook has been a first…and a last now that you think about it.

“You’re right. I couldn’t have asked for a better end to life on earth.”

…

Home.

It’s not a concept you are familiar with in the traditional sense. It’s not a feeling you’ve experienced first hand nor is it a place you’ve truly been to.

But looking into Jungkook’s eyes you can see it.

You can see it in the way he looks at you, the way he embraces you in his arms not because it's the end of the world and there is no one else to hold, but because it's where you belong and neither of you would have it any other way. 

“This can’t be it.” You choke out, already losing yourself to the rush of tears, though you had tried so hard to keep it together until the end. “W-we j-just met…”

He doesn’t say anything, but instead holds you tighter.

“I never even asked you anything about yourself. All I did was ramble on and on about me, throwing all my stupid thoughts out there like any of it mattered.” You’re tears won’t stop. You had always hated endings; putting the utmost effort into not caring so you wouldn’t have anything you were afraid of losing. But you just couldn’t do it. Not with him.

He flashes you one last smile as he gently cups your tear-streamed cheeks in his hands, a gesture that is not overpowered by a deep sense of hollowness but rather reflects an almost peaceful ray of hope.

“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here.”

…

...

“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched him die. I just remember always crying until I have no tears left to shed. But he always gives me that reassuring look, with those stars in his eyes and that twitch of his soft lips like it isn’t the last time, that we’ll for sure meet again.” You release a trivial laugh, already feeling the effects of the alcohol. “Of course, I never pick up on it until I’m about to wake up.”

The bar was dim and comparably quiet, being that it was only you and Namjoon sitting at the counter. It was a Monday night, not exactly the best of days to get drunk, but it’s not like you really cared, though you probably should. You had invited the entire lab out for dinner to celebrate the publishing of your most recent paper, which turned out quite pleasant and ended roughly an hour ago. All the other students and professors had gone home.

“He’s always waiting.” You murmur, staring at the shot glass in front of you, still talking as if you were by yourself, reiterating the words that continuously circle back in your head.

Namjoon looks up, startled by your sudden comment after a lengthy pause.

“I never have to look for him because he always comes back to me.” You scoff, bringing the glass up to your lips, tilting your head, and letting the liquid burn down your throat. “And then when I react like I’ve just met him for the first time, he just flashes that gentle smile of acceptance like I didn’t just break his heart.”

Your bottom lip quivers, and before you know it, tears are streaming down your face. God, you feel ridiculous.

“And that happens every time?” Namjoon’s voice is barely a whisper, his eyes focused on his own glass.

“Never misses a beat.” You sniffle softy, picking up a napkin to dot away your tears. “I thought I was ok, but I guess I am insane.” You laugh pathetically.

“I understand. He means a lot to you.”

“He’s the kind of forever that never changes, the kind of time that does not reach an end just to continue that moment you’ve always wanted to last for an eternity.” You don’t even know what’s gotten into you, and though you’re aware of the mess you must look like right now, you can’t seem to pull it together.

There’s a long pause, and nothing but the sound of stifled music and distant footsteps can be heard.

“Professor Y/L/N, I know it’s not my place to be curious about your personal life, but can you really not think of a single person that resembles him, whether it is in the past or now?” Namjoon voice is more desperate than he probably intended, but any could tell you were not being quite yourself.

A forced smile makes it’s way to your lips as you shake your head. “He was always exactly what I needed. He was always too good to be real.”

“It’s not impossible.”

“It’s bad to be too dependent on other people.” You flash him an amused look, not really knowing what you are saying anymore as your head begins to spin from the alcohol. “And please, please, don’t get me wrong. I’m not weak or insecure.”

Namjoon doesn’t respond, sensing your tipsiness.

“It’s not that he gives my life meaning or that he makes me feel complete.” You run your hands through your hair, trying to keep your cool, but anyone could tell you’re losing it. “He’s the only truth in a world of lies. Even when I’m not aware that everything around me is merely a dream, he always feels like the only thing that is real, and for him I would be content never waking up because the rest of reality doesn’t even matter. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve long learned to be independent and logical, to refrain from getting lost in dreams, relying on others, and carrying expectations that will only result in disappointment. I’ve practiced the art of self-love for all my life, and I’m fine. My life has purpose, and I am complete the way I am.” You release a shaky breath, palms feeling cold and clammy. “I’ve always felt that I’ve had everything and yet… he offers more.”

You look up to meet Namjoon’s eyes that are nothing but sympathetic.

“How could I not want more?” You croak, beginning to cry again. “I’m so greedy.”

That’s what it is. Always wanting more, never feeling like what you have is enough. When will you learn to be grateful for what is and stop trying to obtain what is not yours to begin with?

“You are not greedy.” Namjoon’s voice is discreet, but firm. “You’re afraid to believe of his existence.”

Your eyes shoot up to meet his. “Because I know he doesn’t exist.”

“Then why do you keep going back?” His question is not for the purpose of attacking you or for blatantly calling you out for something you’ve been guilty of for years, but it catches you off guard, and you suddenly find yourself exposed… vulnerable.

“My research” You reply dryly, maintaining a steady voice amidst the fable you’ve been repeatedly telling everyone who’s ever asked. “I don’t really have a choice.”

Namjoon doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t try to force the truth out of you even though he knows exactly why. “No, I mean, why does your mind subconsciously always go back to him?” He murmurs, staring at the table solemnly.

His query once again seizes you in unfamiliar territory, and for the first time, you don’t know what to say or at least can’t come up with an answer that will not expose the true reason you’ve been experimenting. Because you know Namjoon is right.

You just don’t know how right he is.  

...

[halfwayinlight]

Series: Precious Commodities Chapter: 4. Denouement Fandom: Star Trek TNG Pairing: Will Riker/Deanna Troi Rating: PG, hints at PG13 Notes: final chapter in the fic for @nothingeverlost based on TNG season 3′s episode “Menage a Troi.”

Family is a precious commodity, and Deanna has so little of hers left. Everything—everything—in her being is screaming to fight for it. She can barely breathe as her mother is so calmly asking her to leave with Will. To let her make this sacrifice.

It’s horrifying. The only parent she has left is asking her to do this of all things. Just this once. As if leaving her mother here isn’t a life imprisoned. As though she might have some sort of future visitation rights. But she knows too well that the moment she leaves this ship, she has little hope of seeing her mother again.

And Deanna Troi has already lost all of the other biological family she has. A father. A son. There’s not enough time for any of these thoughts to process. And she’s too stunned by all of her regrets about how she has spoken to her mother over the last days. Over her exasperation with this only parent she has left, who only wanted to see her happy in the way that had most made her mother happy. As a wife. As a mother.

She could’ve—and maybe should’ve—tried to explain about her little Ian. About how much it had hurt to see him leave. About how it had been real, fully real, and she had been a mother. But now she wasn’t. And she’s had too many Troi family taken from her.

She feels like she’s on autopilot, letting herself be directed back to Will. It’s only Will’s arm on her back that feels real. That keeps her from throwing a fit. From objecting as ardently as Farek.

It’s worse that the last words she’s hearing are about oomox, and it makes her stomach turn. She expected… something. Anything else. It’s like some holonovel. Or holodeck program. Deanna turns and strains for one last… something? A moment. Another look. One more word.

There is no goodbye.

There wasn’t a goodbye with her father, either. Ian Troi had given her a hug and a kiss and said he would see her soon. She’d cried quietly and tried to be brave. When she was older, she’d wondered if it had been a premonition. But Deanna knew too well to really think such things. She had simply been a little girl who didn’t want her favorite parent to leave her.

She knew her mother had been aware that her father was her favorite. And Deanna had felt plenty of guilt about that later. There was no hiding those thoughts and feelings from a telepath as adept as Lwaxana Troi.

It takes the nudge from Farek to bring her to the moment, and she shudders away from his touch. By the time she gains the corridor, Will’s arm slides around her, putting himself between her and the Ferengi. And it’s meant to comfort her, to protect her.

William Riker is the first person to make her feel safe since her father died. She’s not naïve, though. The innocent security of her childhood is something she cannot ever regain. There’s no planet or cave or corner of a galaxy that is truly safe. Disasters happen. Loss compounds.

Imzadi, we’ll find some way, Will is urging. She can feel the concern cresting as he guides her toward the transport area. He’s unsettled at the idea of leaving her mother behind, too. But he’s also desperate to return her to the relative safety of the ship. And Will is all too aware of the toll the last, well, whatever it has been, has taken on her. It feels like months. But she’s sure it’s not been more than a day. They’re both well past exhausted. In need of food. Their bodies strained by far too long without sleep. She wants to hold his hand through the whole transport process, but it has already started and completed before that thought has time to make itself known.

The increased warmth and ambient light of the bridge should be a comfort. Will’s hand on her back urging her toward their familiar seats is a small comfort. It reminds her of her purpose, and it’s meant to do that. To pull out the last strength that she needs right now. When the captain asks them if they’re alright, she finally has the words.

It’s jarring to see her mother on the screen. In the performance of her lifetime, and there’s a moment of promise. A strategy to be leveraged, and it might not be the Queen’s Gambit, but it’s a strategy. And one that Deanna desperately hopes the captain can play out. As the Shakespeare begins, she finally relaxes into her chair. And certainty built that they were on the cusp of regaining her mother’s freedom.

There’s embarrassment when her mother makes herself at home so literally on the captain’s lap. And it is frustrating to no end that Tog is getting away with abduction. But they are off of the ship. They’re home, or at least she and Will are home. And her mother is safely on board.

It’s a relief when the captain steps to the helm to set the course for Betazed. And a reminder of the shore leave that wasn’t. Deanna can sense that they won’t have much more time than it will take to return her mother to the planet before they need to go. And she’s increasingly aware of her exhaustion. It’s terribly tempting to fall asleep in her chair.

“Ladies,” it’s Will, offering a hand and an understanding smile. Using that voice that is firm enough not to be ignored. It’s so much easier to follow his lead in this as he gives command to Data. The captain has retreated to the Ready Room, and she’s certain that the captain knows that neither of them are in any condition for bridge duty.

Even her mother grows quiet now, which is a testament to how much this has taken out of all of them. It doesn’t take long to gain Deck Eight and their quarters. It seems unnatural to part here, and for once in her life Deanna is actually glad to see Dr. Beverly Crusher waiting in her lounge to scan them for injuries. It’s an excuse to keep Will close for a little longer without having to specifically ask him to stay.

Beverly is already fussing over them before they can get through the door. If she wasn’t so tired, Deanna would find it comical as her friend tried to decide which of the three she should scan first.

“Deanna first,” Will insists, folding his arms across his chest and giving her a look as though daring her to disagree with him.

“Mother—”

“Doesn’t have a single scratch on her,” Lwaxana counters over her shoulder as she’s already moving toward the bedroom. “I’m going to make use of your sonic shower, Little One, and I’m sure between your replicator and your closet, we can find something that will be appropriate for the journey home.” It was a retreat to privacy, and the counselor in her couldn’t help but note it.

Whatever Beverly is saying is lost on Deanna because she’s finally hitting the end of her reserves. Every sense is suddenly dulled, and she can feel Beverly’s arm around her, guiding her to her sofa. She could’ve sworn the doctor was across the room moments ago. As she settles in beside Will, who wasted no time in gaining the sofa. He’s reaching for one of the trauma blankets and tucking it around her.

“Leave her lef arm free,” Beverly instructs as she finishes her scan. There’s the slight not-quite sting of a hypospray at her neck, and now the doctor is sitting beside Deanna and digging out instruments. “… dehydrated, in need of a good meal, and this arm…”

Deanna shook her head slightly and both attempts and fails at a smile. “I don’t really know what happened to it… I woke up in the brig and it was tender.”

Two sets of blue eyes are scrutinizing her, but when Beverly glances to Will for answers, he simply shrugs. “No breaks, but there’s soft tissue damage,” the doctor tuts, “tendons, ligaments, and some minor muscle tears. I’m sure it’s been bothering you.”

The comfort of the blanket and the analgesic in the hypospray is almost Deanna’s undoing. In a short time everything has upended, and now it’s all back so neatly together. Securely. Her mother spared. But it’s like mental whiplash, and the reality and certainty hasn’t caught up with her. She’s reeling, and there is nothing to distract her anymore. She doesn’t have the capacity to even cry or laugh.

“Deanna?” Will is shifting closer as Beverly continues to restore the body with her various instruments. When the doctor is finished, Will gently tucks in her mended arm and lets his finger trace her collar bone as though they had spent shore leave together. Like the last days hadn’t happened at all. Like Dr. Beverly Crusher wasn’t busy running a scan on Will. Like her mother wasn’t a room away.

The dark head shook slightly as though to throw off the tiredness that clung to them. “I’ll be fine, Will, I just need a nap,” she murmurs, feeling the ragged edges of the ordeal tugging at her. Her fingers curl into the blanket, and she pulls it a bit closer.

“You need a solid meal and naps and some full nights of sleep. And I’m not clearing either of your for duty for at least two days,” Beverly counters. “Ah, don’t you dare move that hand, Will Riker. Like you don’t have bruised knuckles. What, did you get in a bar fight?”

Deep blue eyes narrow to a glare as he glances out the port to the now-empty view. “Something like that.” Will sighs and relaxes a little deeper into the seat, his head dropping to rest against the back cushion. “I shouldn’t have sat down. It’s too comfortable.”

“Mother’s going to need something to wear,” Deanna murmurs, trying to gather some non-existent reserves and convince herself to get up and figure out what options the replicator has. But Beverly’s hand on her shoulder stops her.

“You’re going to tell me what you want to eat, and then you can nap there on your couch or go to sleep properly in your own bed.” Beverly crosses the room and when no actual order is forthcoming, she takes a minute to examine the last meals ordered and programs in something suitable.

As quiet settles over her quarters, it strikes Deanna how much she’s missed the calm. How much she craved the warmth of her cabin and its own environmental controls. Later, she’s not completely sure what she even ate. If Beverly hadn’t mentioned the hot toddy, she wouldn’t have much noticed it, either. But it’s warm and filling, and in the end she doesn’t even bring herself to use her sonic shower. Because by the time she eats, she’s doing good to make it to her own bed and curl up beside her mother, who is already in a deep meditation that will probably do her more good than sleep.

It doesn’t surprise her to find her mother asleep beside her and Will asleep on her couch when she finally wakes up six hours later. She takes a few moments to send a quick message to her own therapist. She’s going to need to debrief in a few days. No doubt there will be some reports to complete.

But for now, she allows herself the luxury of a hot bath, and both it and sleep and a meal have gone far to soothe the frazzled edges of her soul. Her lavender outfit is more appropriate to the rest of the ship’s environment, and she’s aware that her mother is awake by the time she finishes her bath.

Doesn’t that feel better, Little One? It’s a question, but it’s more of a statement. Lwaxana Troi is seated at the small table in the corner of Deanna’s lounge with a plate of barely touched oskoids and some other salad of sorts. She doesn’t blame her mother for leaving part of the Betazoid meal untouched—the replicator can’t seem to get the dish quite right.

She’s a little disappointed to see the couch is empty, save a neatly folded blanket. It makes Deanna wonder if Will moved back to his cabin to clean up, or if he got called out on some ridiculous or legitimate call. A thousand beings could certainly find a few ways to keep the First Officer on his toes. A ship’s counselor, too, for what it was worth.

“Darling?” her mother prods, drawing her attention back to the moment before taking another bite of her food.

“Much better,” Deanna finally answers with a small smile. “How are you?” She knows the questions will be brushed aside, but she also knows that she’s as good at sensing her mother’s emotions as her mother is at reading her mind. And so the question is more of an invitation or at least an acknowledgement that she’s turning her attention to her mother now.

Lwaxana’s head bobs slightly. Nothing that won’t sort itself out in a few days. A little meditation, a little of letting my mind do its healing, and I’m good as new. She finishes the last bites of the salad and took a deep drink of water before patting her mouth neatly with a napkin. “That much too serious fellow that runs the transporter called a little while ago to say we’ve entered orbit around Betazed. Now you and Will must beam down with me and enjoy a little holiday. You both could use it so badly, and no doubt that doctor, too. I can think of a few friends I’d like to introduce her to. You remember Xander—”

Her head shakes slightly, though she offers up a small smile at the thought. She really does wish she and Will had time for such things. “It’s Chief O’Brien. And that window of opportunity for shore leave is closed, mother. Unfortunately, we have other obligations with the crew.”

“But surely the Captain can see you both need this holiday!”

“Mother,” she crosses the space between them and places a gentle hand on her mother’s forearm. “I miss the Fifth House, but it will have to wait until the next time we are in the system. We’re both sorry things turned out as they did, but next time I will come to visit you.”

Lwaxana’s smile emerged at those works, and she enfolds her daughter’s hand in both of hers. “You’ll stay at the Fifth House with me next time?”

“I promise,” she assures.

“And you’ll bring William with you?” she presses, eyebrows raising.

Deanna’s head cants slightly as she considers it. “That’s going to be up to Will. If he wants to come along, that’s his choice. I’m not promising for him.” She is absolutely on to her mother’s game, but she isn’t going to put Will in a position where he can’t make his own choices. “And maybe I can convince Beverly to join us as a guest, too. But I think she’d enjoy getting to know Darius far more than Xander’s company.”

Her mother’s sly grin tells her that she’s found the right compromise. “And you must invite Jean—”

“No, mother,” Deanna counters firmly. “The Captain has his own holidays. That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“But you ought to ask. He shouldn’t be excluded simply for being the highest officers on the ship.”

She shakes her head again and gives her mother’s hand a squeeze for emphasis. “Mother, you aren’t really interested in him.” Of this she is fairly certain. Her mother can be capricious, but Deanna remains hopeful that she is right in this. Or she hopes she can maintain self-delusion if she’s wrong.

“Humans are so easily ruffled, especially the men,” she pouts. “Spending so much time around them is making you downright prudish… Oh, let’s not argue about it. Especially not when that ruffled fellow is going to call back any moment now.” She huffs slightly. “I don’t suppose I could convince the Captain that I have a pressing diplomatic mission to… where were you heading?”

Deanna shrugs, but she can’t help the indulgent smile. “I suppose that would be stretching it, even for you. Come on, I’ll walk you to the transport room.” She offers her arm and is warmed when, instead of taking it, her mother draws her into a hug.

“So like your father, he did his best to indulge me, too.” Lwaxana cups her daughter’s face and presses a kiss to her forehead just as she did when sending a young Deanna to bed as a child. This time she doesn’t chafe at the affection like she did days ago. “He would be so proud of you.”

“He would’ve been proud to see how you handled the Ferengi,” Deanna answers. Her smile is warm but watery, and Deanna takes her mother’s hand and doesn’t mind the usual parting chatting all the way from her quarters to the last moments before transport.

Lwaxana wraps her arms around her daughter and indulges in one more a kiss to both cheeks. “Promise me you’ll send word soon on subspace?”

“I promise,” Deanna agrees with a smile, particularly amused as O’Brien is increasing preoccupied and fascinated with the console in front of him.

Her mother steps onto the transport platform. “And give it some thought. Maybe you can convince the captain to circle back on the next mission. There are always plenty of spare rooms for all the guest.”

“I’ll put in a good word,” she chuckles, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. After everything, she is simply grateful her mother is back to her old self.

“I may be old, but I know how to capitalize on a good thing when I see it. Just remember that William is more than welcome—” Whatever else she was hoping to add, Lwaxana has de-materialized and is on her way back to Betazed.

Deanna carefully avoided eye contact with their transport chief, but she gives a nod when he mentioned that the captain was requesting her presence on the bridge. Apparently catching up on more sleep will have to wait. Her nap has helped tremendously, though she’s aware it will take at least a few more days to pay back some of her sleep debt. Beverly wasn’t wrong to say they were in need of sleep. Hopefully the doctor will forgive her visit to the bridge in the name of following orders.

The familiar scents and slightly-dry air of Enterprise are soothing. The turbo lift is familiar, and she can feel herself easing back into routine as though the last days hadn’t happened. Eventually she will take some time to process everything. But for now, even a short shift on the bridge is welcoming.

If it was worth summoning her, she is sure Will would be there, too. With any luck, it won’t be anything too out of the ordinary. Maybe they would even have time to grab another meal in Ten Forward and start their plans for Angel Falls. The emotion is elusive, and she nearly gains the bridge when she realizes that she is actually missing Will. It’s almost laughable. They often have split shifts and don’t see each other for half a day or more.

She isn’t going to think about what it meant right now. Or how when she emerges from the turbo lift, he twists in his seat and looks as glad to see her as she is to see him. Or that when his eyes meet hers, there is something like emotional resonance between them. This bond they still share. Missing each other. A small joy at this reunion. Lingering tiredness. And a refocus on the next mission. There will be time to sort it all out later.

[sereisstuff]

the prince of darkness part 2

Demon!Kim Taehyung x Chubby Reader

part 1 / part 3/ part 4

summary- Taehyung pays you a visit to prepare you to meet his father Hades, unknowingly The son of Poseidon isn’t far behind. warnings-swearing!!, flirtatious Tae.

(a/n)=This took me a lot longer then expected, i didn’t know it would do so well so i’m both extremely happy and surprised i’m going to make this a 18 chapter book, also to celebrate my ask box will be open for demon!taehyung and remember guys all the characters(meaning the oc) i do will be chubby thank you all so much and enjoy!!

The night went on as your body shook after the contact to ease your mind. you sunk into the comforts of you bed letting the blankets surround you in their warmth, you didn’t bother to turn the light off feeling as if Hades son will return in the brink of dawn to remind you of your deal that made you feel both afraid and utterly confused.

The thought now knowing that earth wasn’t the only realm that walked the path of the living, you of course believed in multiple things i mean there's millions of planets we can’t possibly be the only ones in the universe, Right?. 

The dark book was fluttered on the ground leaving your arms to lay helplessly on the carpet whilst you tried to lock your thoughts in the far back of your mind so you can gain enough peace to sleep.

After hours your inner self grew exhausted forcing you to sleep which was gladly accepted with open arms, the comforts soon felt like clouds hugging you with their soft form as they sunk into you drifting into and endless bliss.

Soon morning snuck around you also forgot to shut your curtains last night so the early morning light burned the lids of your eyes, shifting your body to face the wall only to feel a cold breath hitting your face thinking your parents must have come into the room to grab something leaving the door open making the room vulnerable to the dusk air, you did the only thing you always do. Ignored it.

Shifting your leg upwards finding a comfortable spot to rest your limb eventually feeling a cold grasp latch itself on you jolting out of shock to search for the cause of what happened “I was wondering when you were gonna wake up ”Taehyung admitted resting his palm under the covers against your thigh.

“What the fuck!!” you screamed shoving him back, only to be sent tumbling off of the bed with force Taehyung’s inhumane strength came from his father thus meaning if a plane crashed into him the plane would be the one with more damage. 

“I’m finding this whole swearing thing extremely attractive”

“Don’t speak, it's too early in the morning for words to be spoken”you grumbled scratching your scalp as you stood up forgetting that you only wear oversized hoodies to bed the gesture to rub your scalp lifted its edges giving the young demon a tease of insight.

“This sight is good enough to take the words right out of my mouth”Taehyung stared at your voluptuous body with a playful gaze, you seethed out in anger having to clench your hands together throwing your mop of hair to the side”you suck”a strong glare was sent his way as you held on to the sides of your hoodie.

“Well of course i do but i preferred to be sucked, don’t you”he playfully looked at you, standing from the bed.

The words were at the tips of his tongue before you decided to ignore any sort of disturbing comment to escape his mouth, rushing to the kitchen making yourself a nice hot chocolate and a few pieces of toast Taehyung made his way down the stairs grumbling at the sight of the home, bland everything was too bland nowhere near his liking.

You continued to make yourself breakfast as he stared everywhere touching every accessory in the preferable view of your home, popping the toast as you coated it with butter finishing your hot chocolate with a few teaspoons of sugar before taking a seat and eating breakfast peacefully fully dismissing the presence of that being.

Taehyung wrapped his arms around your wide waist giving it a squeeze, his eyes began to darken as he took in your early morning scent his inner demon began to conjure itself from the depths of his soul Taehyung was the son of a god suppressing his natural instincts was never good.

“T-taehyung you can let go now” you muttered noticing the veins bulging from his neck and arms, for most that's a turn on but noticing the way he groaned in pain didn’t please your ears.

Taehyung rolled his head back before releasing himself from your warmth constantly reminding himself of your status, a mere mortal whose body isn’t made for the son of a god his true form was much larger, aggressive and demonic he still looks the same but with added features.

“I’m sorry your scent is just too overwhelming,” he muttered you could only bark in laughter “I smell like shit, what are you talking about” Taehyung's head shot up as he went into denial “to me your scent is alluring and I don't know why but I'll find out, for now, darling we must get on to more important things as much as I don't want too” he groaned pulling at his strands.

“My fathers many talents is smelling fear, if you fear him he will know your lying” he began manspreading across the couch the first thing you noticed was his luxurious outfit suitable for someone of high status which occurred to you that Taehyung must be of high status being the son of one of the big three.

“This whole things a set up he's gonna smell it as soon as I walk in Taehyung”you complained throwing your hands in the air mentally reminding yourself to never mess around with spirits and all things mythical again.

“Well now the situations much more thrilling don’t you think” he said with a wide smirk.

“Thrilling my ass”you complained in a hushed tone.

“Oh no darling your ass would be gladly appreciated if it were up to me” 

“Like I would bless you with my ass” The nerve of this man was overwhelming you should really pay more attention in classical studies next time maybe they would have told you about the annoying son that Hades had “need I remind you whose name is marked on your body” Taehyung growled provoking everything in your body to go feral on him, even though you would barely get to him it was worth a try.

You both paused when a loud noise erupted from your sink, the silver metal that once contributed to the advance of your water flew off from the tub making you gasp in horror the water erupted like an active volcano not knowing how to deal with it you tried to run over to where the problem is, but you couldn’t taehyung used his one of his multiple abilities to keep you in place.

“Don’t” he commanded for the first time, the undertone of dominance used in his voice as he continued to stare at the outlet of water.

The water began to levitate from the ground jumbling into one place creating the form of a masculine man, you could only admire the way it began to move the fear of anticipation during this event was unhealthy but now coming face to face with a young man who looked to be younger than you by a year wasn’t as shocking as it should be.

“So this is where you’ve been” the brunette said his light blue eyes giving away his position “Jungkook” Taehyung muttered standing from his place “is this the fiance we’ve all been dying to meet, and she’s mortal now that is a shocker” jungkook walked around you eyeing the built and shape of your form.

“You know the history of mortals” he mentioned again stopping in front of you, he shoots you a bright toothy smile pulling out his hand to shake your own “jungkook son of Poseidon” you took his hand glancing Taehyung who scratched his neck awkwardly upon his cousin's arrival.

“y/n,” you said smiling.

“I thought your parents didn't like each other,”you interjected remembering a lesson in class about it, the two shoot each other a look before nodding”yeah the big guys aren’t very fond of one another but all of their kids are, we have another cousin but he won’t be coming any time soon, hopefully”

“Now as to get back to our less-” jungkook cut him off wrapping an arm around your shoulders “did he not make you wear pants or did you choose to do that yourself,” he whispered, taehyung paused glaring at your legs, he threw jungkook's arms off of your body “don’t look you pervert” Taehyung growled childishly, jungkook looked defeated, but you blushed in embarrassment “says you” he snapped, you left them to fight like children rushing upstairs.

You rushed through the closet grabbing a pair of sweats and a white beanie throwing them on to walk and watch the two idiots fight with each other.

Amongst the fighting your other wrist began to freeze up knowing the odd feeling your eyes widened ”ahhh guys” you tried getting them to look but they continued to fight in a heated argument “Taehyung!!!” you yelled as he looked at you with eyes so black you could see your own reflection”we have a problem” Taehyung groaned looking down at you, shoving your wrist to his face.

His face morphed in anger as he gripped the male's neck“Jungkook you idiot” Taehyung used his deep tone to intimidate the younger god whose name was now written on your wrist the same way Taehyung's one was.

.........

Tag list- @camilaxpolanco @bluemooncnblue @slut-for-fandoms @nabo39 @queen-pharaoh-hatshepsut

Hope you guys enjoyed it!!

[sansonrio]

Seventeen

It’s the third day in a row that Tim wakes up to a pounding in his head, phone clutched loosely in his hand.

He gazes blearily at the open door to his closet; suits and ties thrown hastily on hangers, shoes half falling out onto the floor of his bedroom, a single sock mysteriously poking out from underneath his suitcase and he begins to wonder when he let himself fall so far.

Tim drops his phone and turns onto his back, pulling the duvet over his head and pretending he doesn’t actually have to get out of bed, Bruce can handle it, right–

His phone buzzes from the floor. Tim chooses to ignore it, knowing that if he can’t have this one day to himself then he might as well quit. It takes all of his willpower to leave the device alone but after ten seconds the buzzing stops and Thank god, it’s so loud against the wood floor–

He jumps the second time his phone buzzes. Tim’s a one-and-done kind of guy, so if someone’s calling twice he figures it must be important.

Practically falling off the bed, Tim snatches the phone from off the floor.

“Hello?” he answers and cringes at how his voices breaks.

There’s a pause from the other end, then “Tim?”

And he can’t help the sigh that escapes, wishing he could hang up, turn the phone off, and force himself back asleep like it would solve something. He lays back down, blinks the rest of the sleep out of his eyes.

“Dick? Why are you calling me at–” he holds the device in front of him to check the time, “–three on a Monday morning?”

The line goes silent, long enough Tim thinks he was hung-up on when he hears a muffled swear and… running?

“Sorry, currently ah– working,” Dick responds, and Tim hates the way he can tell the other man’s smiling. A siren, far below Tim’s window, passes by, and he’s distracted so he only catches the end of what Dick’s saying. “–thinking I could stop by, if that’s fine?”

Tim scrambles out of his bed, suddenly recognizing why he hears the same siren through the phone. He whips around to the balcony outside of his bedroom and half expects to see the shadow of a person.

“Now?” he hisses, lowering his voice. “Are you– are you actually crazy?”

Dick laughs, “You know, you’re not the first person to ask me that. Be there in 5,” and hangs up. Running a hand through his hair, Tim tosses the phone onto his bed. He’d usually run to the bathroom and make himself into some semblance of put together-ness, but this is three-in-the-morning Tim and this Tim has zero expectations for himself, caped crusaders be damned.

He only jumps a little when there’s a soft thud coming from outside; he squeezes his eyes shut, thankful he lives in the part of town where billboard lights don’t shine down every alley, allowing certain persons to slip down fire escapes without so much a glance from passersby.

A light tapping on his window forces him to get up, making sure each movement looks as sluggish as he feels. Before he even has the chance to dig his fingers under the decaying window, Dick– now Nightwing– forces it open and slips in alongside a cool breeze. Tim blinks slowly, huffs and tries to force the panes back down before giving up and deciding the night air feels nice.

He turns back, surprised when he finds the door to his bedroom open, light from the kitchen spilling down the hallway. Taking a deep breath for what feels like too many deep breaths for one night, he stalks out of his room.

There’s a clinking sound that Tim can only imagine is the sound of Dick rummaging through his refrigerator.

“You know,” he starts, rounding the corner to his kitchen, “you’re all starting to become the reason why I have to grocery shopping three times a week. Three. The cashier thinks I dump it all into the river.”

“Oh?” Dick keeps his back to him. “Tell Bruce. You know he’s itching to give you a raise.”

Tim rolls his eyes. “That’s not the point. Like, at all.”

“Or–” Dick looks back at Tim smirking, his hands still working on whatever food he’d grabbed. “–you could tell us to stop.”

“And would that work?”

Dick laughs but doesn’t say anything else.

Tim notices a discarded mask on his counter. Dick doesn’t– hasn’t ever taken off his mask when in costume. Not in front of Tim, at least. Figuring Dick would explain, Tim sluggishly moves to sit at his kitchen table; he picks the metal folding chair he’d found on the side of the road when he first moved in.

Grabbing two glasses from a cupboard above the sink, Dick moves throughout Tim’s kitchen like it’s his own (they all do, really. Tim doesn’t mind). He sets one by Tim and sits down across from him in the only other chair at the table.  

Tim, absentmindedly playing with the condensation on the glass, yawns.

“So,” he starts, watching Dick stretch his arms behind his head, “to what do I owe the honor of your presence?”

Dick smiles back. “Aww, must a guy need a reason to see a good friend?”

“If he’s visiting that friend at three in the morning, then yeah, I think he does.” And Dick laughs again as he runs a hand through his hair; if Tim didn’t feel like he could pass out right there at the table, he’d probably laugh too. He settles for an amused look, waiting for the other man to say something else. After a couple of seconds pass, Dick raises his hands as if in surrender.

“Alright, alright, this isn’t just a social visit,” and he pauses, winks at Tim, “But you are funny when you’re tired. You should see your face.”

Tim rolls his eyes again but thinks he probably wouldn’t be mad even if it was. Probably.

Dick sighs, and suddenly looks at Tim with a kind of pity; it’s the kind of look Tim’s been getting used to over the past year. The change in mood puts him on edge, and if it were anyone besides Dick he wouldn’t be suspicious. Tim can’t help the twitch in his eye but doesn’t say anything. He lowers his gaze to his glass, suddenly ashamed.

“We’re… worried about you, all of us,” Dick says, head cocked to the side as if unsure where to start. “You know.”

It dawns on Tim why he’s here. He curls in on himself and feels a flush arise on his cheeks. Not now. Please, not now. The other man never gives up on a mission, though, so Tim waits.

The silence doesn’t last long– Dick breaks it first. “Bruce told me things have been… busy. With the holidays, and all. He asked if I’d spoken with you recently.”

Tim looks up at that, annoyed at himself for being surprised. The somber look Dick gives him doesn’t help. He raises an eyebrow, “And?”

“And,” Dick draws it out, looking away from Tim, “I told him no. But he wanted me to. Come here, I mean.” He leans his chin on his hand, gaze awkward but steady as he meets Tim’s. “To extend an invitation.”

And now Tim’s confused. “A what?”

A small smile appears on Dick’s face, a little sad.

“An invitation. For you. To come spend the holidays with us.”

Tim frowns, grasping at straws as to why Dick would come just to ask him that.

“We see each other at work every day. Why wouldn’t Bruce just ask me then?” He scowls, slumps further into his chair. It’s… not the first time he’s been asked, actually. But to Tim, it’s always been a sort of formality, done more out of politeness than sincerity.

“He thinks you don’t take him seriously.”

He huffs, giving Dick a look that says, Really?

“Bruce Wayne asks me to spend Christmas with his family and I’m supposed to take him seriously?”

“Yes!” Dick nearly shouts, holding his hands out like he wants to shake Tim.

The reaction throws Tim off; he stares back at Dick, eyebrows furrowed, as the other man leans back in his chair and rubs his face.

Another siren comes blasting along one of Gotham’s streets and Tim flinches, grateful Dick had been too distracted looking out the window to see it. The two sit without saying a word as more red and blue lights swing their way across the apartment.

Dick, still not looking at him, says, “I’m sorry.”

Counting the cars that pass, Tim startles when a gentle hand on his wrist breaks him from his train of thought; he realizes his hand is cramping from his vice-like grip on his glass. He breathes, pulls each finger slowly away from the moisture that’s built up.

“You’ve been through a lot his past year,” Tim meets Dick’s eyes. “And I would never want to make this decision for you.”

It’s been nearly a year since his father passed and Tim did everything in his power to keep the thought out of his head. He was still working on how to prove himself a capable adult; he just… hasn’t had the time to think about anything else.

The implications of Dick’s request aren’t lost on him.

“Dick, I–” and Tim doesn’t know where he’s going with this. “You all have done so much for me. More than I could’ve ever expected, really.” He rubs a hand through his hair now, too, realizes he’s picked up Dick’s habit. “I don’t think I could– I mean, really, I couldn’t–” Stupid, stupid, stupid

“Tim,” Dick softly interjects, reaching across and grabs his hand, and suddenly it’s hard for Tim to look at him so he turns away.

He’s briefly aware of Dick crossing the table, bending to hold him, and wishes he couldn’t feel the warm streaks of tears down his face. It’s too much, he thinks, everything, all at once. He’s well-versed in the world of pity– he’s going on six years of living in it. But this… Too much.

It’s been a few minutes, and Tim knows it must be uncomfortable for Dick, standing the way he is, but neither move. He sniffles– hates it, but he can’t help it– and he’s being squeezed tighter before Dick sits back on his heels and holds him at arm’s length.

“It’s your choice.”

Tim nods.

“I won’t force you into anything. But we will always have a space for you, if you want it,” the sincerity in Dick’s voice makes something in Tim hurt. “And Alfred’s cookies might just be the best on the planet, so.”

Tim looks up at him and laughs, even with the few remaining tears sliding out.

Dick stands and smiles back, the kind of smile Tim thinks he’s the only one capable of giving. He offers his hand to Tim, who takes it, confused, and is promptly pulled into another one of Dick Grayson’s signature bear-hugs.  

“Call me, Tim,” Tim hears from above him. “Or text. Whatever. Just talk to me, okay?”

Tim nods again, taking in as much of the hug as he can before they let go.

Dick grabs his mask off the counter, making his way over to one of the windows and pulling it open.

“Oh!” Dick says, startling Tim, “Almost forgot something!” and makes his way back to the kitchen. He grabs the uneaten sandwich he’d made and quickly pinches one of Tim’s cheeks, who swats the hand away with mock annoyance.

Halfway out the window, Dick looks back at Tim.

“Take care, Tim. I hope to see you soon.”

And Tim… thinks that he will.

[shadow-assassin-blix]

It’s a Grey Area

Chapter 2:

A/N: ‘Italics’ are thoughts. Warnings? Swear word or two?? Skywalker bashing. OC’s not a fan. Its a bit sad? Talk of parents dying, if thats a warning??

Gif is from @gif-hunts-for-you​ bless you for your Jessica Lowndes gif sets

It took another 3 hours to finish sorting and doing the inventory, after which Blix sent Amber and Bre on home. There were not many patients in the Med Bay currently, so the night rounds would be quick. Blix was finishing up some paperwork, when she heard someone sigh quietly, near the door. She looked up to see who came in.

“Ben? Come in. What’s-“ Blix began to ask, before noticing the blood dripping from his arm. “Come here. Let me see.” She held out her hands.

He stepped forward and mumbled, “It’s not a big deal, it’s just annoying.”

“Uh huh. Let me be the judge of that,” She stated as she gently rolled up his sleeve. There was a large scrape running along his forearm, that was slowly bleeding and covered in dirt.

“How did this happen?” She asked as she examined it to see how deep it went.

“Luke. Training. He threw me into some trees,” He murmured.

She sighed deeply and began to disinfect it with some pads, before spraying it with Bacta. As she worked, she felt a prod in her mind. Like something was trying to break through her mental barriers.

“Ben, you are lurking without a permit. Get out of my head,” She lightly admonished not looking up at him.

“My apologies. Force of habit,” He replied.

“Mh. One that you need to get rid of. You want to get to know someone, try talking to them. Ask questions. That sort of thing. No one likes their minds being probed, and if you ever did that to Commander Dameron again, no one would stop him from beating your face in,” She remarked as she finally turned to look at him.

“Noted. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding you doctor. No one seems to know your background, nor do you seem to interact with anyone beyond your work. Why is that?” He questioned starring at her intensely, curiosity shining.

“I am not here to make friends. I am here to heal. That’s it. May I give you some advice though, in relation to this?” she gestured to his nearly healed arm. “Just because Luke is your uncle, and sort of your teacher, doesn’t mean you have to constantly take his beatings. I’ve seen your powers. You are strong. Don’t let him get away with this shit, just because you feel like you need to be punished for crimes that you have made amends for with your mother. Forgive yourself and take a damn stand. I didn’t take you for a coward nor do I see a child. An ass, maybe, but not a quitter.”

His face showed no emotion, though his eyes showed some surprise. His only response was to simply pull his arm from her grasp before walking out without another word.

Blix sighed as she cleaned up the mess and then made her way back to her room, her shift over for now. Her room was simplistic, a bed in the center of the room, a small kitchen to the right, refresher, and closet to the left. She had a small desk to work at; books, journals, and scrolls lying everywhere.

She quietly showered and changed into some sweats and a shirt. She thought about making herself something to eat but didn’t have the energy to do so. She laid in bed, starring at the ceiling, wondering to herself, ‘Why did I agree to come here? What exactly is my purpose?’

She thought she knew when she went to med school. Help people, no matter who they are or where they come from and heal them. Now, that purpose, while still important, was fading slowly; an emptiness began to fill her chest and mind. A hole that she pondered over late into the hours, which usually only led to her sleeping for a spell.

She’s not quite sure when she fell asleep, she just knows when she woke up it was about 6am and someone was knocking on her door. She stands up, exhausted to the core, but growing annoyed with constant knocking.

“I’m coming!” She yelled as she walked/wobbled over to the door.

She flings it open to see an officer standing there. “Yes? What is it?”

“The General requests to see you in the Command Center, Dr. Blix,” He informed. “I am to escort you once you are dressed.”

“Joy. Give me like 5 minutes,” Blix replied sarcastically. She closed the door and turned around to go get some get some clothes on. She pulled on some black cargo pants, and a green shirt followed by a long grey cardigan. She threw on some socks and her boots and grabbed her keycard on her way out.

She reopened the door and stepped out with a sigh. The officer then proceeded to lead her to the command center, never once saying another word to her.

As she stepped up to the center, she saw General Organa, Luke stood off to the side with Rey & Ben, and Poe nearby with Finn & Chewy. She heard a small beep and felt a bump to her leg. She looked down to see a familiar orange and white droid who began to beep happily at her attention.

“Hello Beebee. I’m good, how are you?” She quietly asked him, as she gave his head a pat, a small smile on her face. He began to beep his response when a voice cleared their throat loudly stopping it. Her smile froze and quickly disappeared as she straightened up and gave her attention to Leia.  

“I am sorry to have awaken you so early doctor, but it has come to my attention that you have never been on a field mission before. Which I found strange when I first heard of it and had to confirm it myself. That changes today,” Leia informed her.

“Come to your attention, you say?” She repeated as she turned her head slowly to Poe, anger and betrayal laced her features, as she glared at him. He had the decency to flinch and look away, as he shuffled behind Finn to avoid her gaze.

“Listen. General. I am a doctor. Not a soldier, a fighter, or a pilot. I am a doctor; I belong in the med bay not out galivanting across the universe. So, you can take whatever mission you are about to shove into my arms, elsewhere. I am not doing it,” She declared and turned away, intending to leave.

“Blix,” Came Admiral Holdo’s voice.

She growled and turned around swiftly, and angrily answered, “Yes Amilyn? What? Let me guess. You once again want to bring up how ‘my parents wouldn’t have approved of my behaviors.’ How if they were alive, they ‘would have been disappointed with how I am reacting’ and that I ‘need to respect my superiors, especially one as admired as her?’ Right?”

Before Holdo could even answer, Blix continued, “Newsflash. They are dead. My father died long before I was even born, on a planet that was blown to smithereens by the Deathstar. My mother died long before I even turned 10.”

Many in the room shifted uncomfortably at this information and Leia stepped forward cautiously, and interjected, “I understand that you have lost a lot in this war, but so have others. I empathize with your pain, I sincerely do. Everyone else understands that the only way to find peace is to fight for it. They fight because they have hope in a better future. They-“

“Save the speech. I am sure it’s quite inspiring to everyone else, but I was raised to be a politician just like you Princess,” Blix interrupted, emphasizing Leia’s previous title through gritted teeth. “I know when I am being fed a line. ‘Rebellions were built on hope?’ You mean rebellions were built on the blood spilt and the dead bodies of the hundreds of thousands of people that died because of YOUR family.”

There were many gasps heard but Blix no longer cared.

“You tell me you understand but, how could you? When your family is the reason why I, hell, why half the galaxy doesn’t exist anymore! Your father reigned terror and death for decades, and you expect me to just, what? Forgive and forget what he took from me? Or forget that it was your idiot brother who tried to attack and kill your son. The son that then turned to the dark side and helped the First Order come to fruition. You and your family are a plague,” She snarled, before turning and exiting the room.

She stormed out of the base and could feel herself lose control. Her mind was raced, adrenaline surged through her as rage continue to bubble in her chest. She took a shaky breath trying to regain control over herself. Her hands shook as a tingling sensation worked through her fingers. Her teeth gritted, and gnawed on her lip as she tried to desperately calm down

She made her way out to the surrounding forest, and eventually found the familiar winding path that she had created in her time here. She followed it for several minutes before it opened out to a small field of flowers. She began to pace frantically up and down, but the rage refused to die down. Taking deeps breaths didn’t work. She couldn’t concentrate long enough to count.

There was only one thing she could do. She turned to a large boulder and raised her hand out to it. She felt a surge of energy as the Force surrounded her and as she clenched her hand closed, the boulder exploded into many pieces.

The energy released left her slightly drained. She was breathing heavy as she stood there. She collapsed to her knees; head bowed, exhausted. Her vision swam a bit and she could feel tears build up.

“Now, what exactly did that boulder do to you?” a warm voice asked.

Blix jerked her head into the direction of the voice, “Grandfather?”

A pale, ghostly blue figure, a Force Ghost, stood there in her small sanctuary. He moved to sit before her and gave her a soft smile.

“What are you doing here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but you don’t often appear before me,” she quietly inquired.

“Your rage could be felt even amongst the dead. My dear heart, why are you doing this to yourself?” He gently questioned.

“Not quite sure I know what you mean,” Blix replied, not making eye contact with him.

“Don’t play coy. You know what I mean. You have been holding a part of yourself back for years. You have built this wall to hide who you really are. Your soul is tearing itself apart as you deny your destiny,” He chastised.

“Destiny? What destiny? My destiny to wind up dead for being within the same star system as a Skywalker?” Blix scoffed, her eyes rolling.

With a small sigh, he reached out and flicked her on the nose. She blinked rapidly and slowly reached up to cover her nose as it lightly throbbed with pain. ‘Ow.’

“Enough of that. You were destined to be a Jedi. Your powers cannot be held back anymore. There will come a time when you will have to use them, and those walls will come crashing down. Stop fighting who you are meant to be. Your soul and mind are at war with one another. That void you keep feeling? The restless nights? That is your power trying to break free. It is only going to get worse unless you start accepting it.” He urged her, trying to get her to see reason.

“I just..” She struggled to articulate her feelings. There was so much she wanted to say to the man she only knew from his journals and had only seen in her dreams. Tears formed again and fell down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away not wanting him to see.

“I know. Time was cruelly stolen from us. There are many things I wish I could have taught you personally, but you have done so well on your own. You were destined for greatness. Are you going to continue to fade away in obscurity or are you going to be the Jedi you were meant to be?” He questioned, pressing a kiss to her forehead before fading away.

Blix sighed heavily. She sat there for an hour maybe two, mulling things over in mind, before she got up. The rage had died down and the world slowly came back into focus, and the sounds of the forest grounded her. All that could be heard was the wind rustling leaves, birds chirping. Off in the distance, she could hear the flight deck come to life as pilots fired up their ships for takeoff or engineers began their work.

She made her way back out of the forest, and over to the flight decks. She could see Poe and Chewie were getting the Falcon ready. She took a deep breath, and as much as she didn’t want to, she swallowed her pride and move toward them.

She stood before them, cleared her throat, and inquired, “Ahem. So. What’s this mission about?”

Poe, upon hearing her voice, stopped in his tracks, and looked at her stunned. After a moment, a smile broke out on his face. “Get on board, and I’ll tell ya on the way, gorgeous.”

She smiled back softly and greeted Chewie as she walked up the ramp, the two of them following behind a moment later. Chewie walked into the cockpit to get the ship fired up, as Poe stood next to her. She bit her lip as she tried to figure out what to say to him. Should she explain? Should she apologize?

Poe stopped her train of thoughts when he reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. She tried to focus on what he was telling her and not on how warm his hand felt, or the small callouses that gently soothed over her own hand. ‘Such different lives we’ve lived.’ She thought.

“We are going to meet up with a possible informant who may have intel on the First Orders next plan of action,” he quickly informed. “You and I are going to pretend to be a couple while there so as not to raise suspicion. Simple mission. Very easy. I promise nothing will happen.”

She nodded her head, and as she stared at him, she knew he wanted to remark on what happened earlier. He sighed and looked down for a second and rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. He eventually looked up and gazed into her eyes.

“Listen, I’m not going to ask you about the stuff you said this morning, unless you feel comfortable about it. I do want to say. I am sorry for going behind your back and requesting you for this mission, without talking to you first. That was a dick move, and I hope you can forgive me,” He apologized.

She bit her lip for a moment, and with a nod replied, “Apology is noted. Acceptance is pending.”

He pouted for a second, before it switched to a smirk and he stepped closer to say something else, but Chewie roared that the Falcon was ready to go and that they needed to leave soon.

“To be continued?” she offered with a small smile.

His smile was the only answer she needed, and they headed toward the cockpit. Poe sat in the co-pilot seat, she in the seat behind him, and seconds later they were off.

It took about an hour to get to Cantonica, headed toward a town a few miles outside of Canto Bight. As soon as we landed, Poe stood up and said, “Come with me.”

She followed him over to one of the sitting areas. Blix took off her cardigan and threw it on the table to cool down a bit, as he opened a draw and withdrew a spare blaster. He turned to her and held it out for her to take.

“Um. What’s this for?” Blix hesitantly asked, stepping back a bit.

“For you. For your own protection,” He answered still holding it out to her.

“I.. I’ve never used a blaster before Poe. I..I’m not sure this is a good idea,” She admitted, shaking her head and rubbing her arm anxiously.

Poe smiled softly, “It is only for emergencies. In case we get separated. I just want to be sure that you are armed in the off chance that we run into trouble. Just point and shoot. I don’t suspect trouble, but I would rather be assured that you are safe and armed.”

He turned back to the drawer and pulled out a belt with a holster attached to it. He placed the blaster into the holster before he turned back around to her. “May I?” he politely asked gesturing to her.

Blix shifted for a moment, still not quite sure of this but she knew that there was a possibility that it could go wrong. She nodded and held her breath as Poe stepped forward, leaning over her slightly as he wrapped the belt around her. He quickly secured it to her asking, “Is this too tight?”

“No, its fine,” She responded. “Tell me, does it clash with my outfit?”

He huffed out a laugh at her question and stepped back to fully examine her. “Looks perfect on you. Shall we get going?” He asked as he grabbed his own blaster.

As they stepped onto the ramp leading out, the heat of the planet hitting them immediately, Poe stopped and turned to her slightly.

“Also. Out here, you follow my lead. This isn’t the med bay, and I am your commanding officer. Got it?” He firmly demanded.

The sudden shift in personality caused Blix to blink in surprise, because suddenly he wasn’t Poe Dameron, flirty flyboy. He had switched to Commander Dameron, respected officer of the Rebellion. She felt the need to tease him a bit, “Got it… Commander.”

They moved forward and began to make their way to the meet, a shady cantina. Blix slowly moved closer to Poe and muttered, “Put your arm around me, we’re meant to be a couple, yeah?”

He casually wrapped his arm her shoulders and she tucked herself into his side, arm wrapped around him, her thumb hooked into one of his belt loops, to rest.

After a few minutes they arrived at the cantina and were making their way to an empty table. As they took a seat side by side, Poe informed her that they were looking for human, who goes by the name Crixus. They had arrived early, and ordered drinks to not raise suspicion, sipping at them lightly.

A moment of silence had passed when Poe commented without looking at her, “So an orphan eh? Didn’t really see that one coming.”

She chuckled, somewhat bitterly. “Yeah. My mother was an ambassador who made a lot of enemies really quickly. She uh.. was killed by a bounty hunter. I wasn’t there, I was…elsewhere. I was about to turn eight. My mother never really spoke much about my father, all I know is he died on Scarif. I haven’t had the stomach to look her stuff and find out more,” She explained, finding a spot on the table, suddenly fascinating.

“Scarif? Like. Rogue One? He was a part of that? Wow!” He said amazed before adding, solemnly “I lost my mother when I was eight. Dad’s still around but I haven’t really seen him much since I joined the cause. I keep her close to my heart though.” He tugged at the chain of the necklace he wore.

“That ring is your mother’s? I always wondered but I never felt right asking about it,” She admitted, looking at him, as she bit her lip.

“Yeah. I plan to one day give it to the girl I want to marry,” Poe revealed. “I have a fairly good idea who I want to marry eventually. I just can’t seem to figure out if she feels the same way about me.”

She looked away, not really wanting to hear him describe who it is he clearly had feelings for and went with a simple, “Oh?”

“Yeah. She’s stubborn, and beautiful. Keeps refusing my dates and cites regulation at me. Though last time she didn’t do that, and it gave me hope that she is interested.” He continued offhandedly.

A smile slowly appears on her face, alongside a blush that she tried to hide. He gently cupped her face and turned her to look him in the eyes. “I’m going to guess by that pretty smile and lovely blush I see that that’s a yes?”

Before she could answer, someone loudly sat down across from them. They pulled away from each other and looked to see a human male, with dirty blonde hair, and multiple scars running along his face sitting there.

“Crixus?” Poe asked to confirm his identity.

He nodded and as they began to speak, Blix couldn’t help but to feel a nagging sensation inside her head. Something was off, something was wrong. As she examined the man before them, she slowly heard it. It was faint, and she had to focus to fully hear it. It was a beeping noise. A rapid beeping. Like that of a-

“Poe,” She interrupted. “Stop talking to him. Who sent you?”

“I don’t know what yer talkin ‘bout lady. No one sent me,” Crixus denied.

“Oh really?” She pondered mockingly, before she made her move.

She reached over, grabbed his head with both of her hands and slammed it down onto the table, hard. He was knocked unconscious, and she pushed at Poe to get out of the seat, urgently.

“Wh-what the hell was that? He was about to give us valuable information!” He protested as they both stood up and she leaned over Crixus.

She reached around into Crixus’ pockets and after a moment, she found it. A fob.

“He’s a bounty hunter, and we’re the bounty. We have to go now!” She exclaimed, as she dropped the fob on the ground and stomped on it to break it.

Poe grabbed her hand, and they made their way out of the cantina. They went a different route back to the Falcon. It led them down a path to an open market area, that quickly filled with stormtroopers, who recognized them immediately, and began to fire upon them.

Poe shoved into her an alleyway and he took to the opposite side, occasionally taking shots at the troopers.

“’A simple mission’ you said. ‘An easy mission’ you said. ‘Shouldn’t run into any trouble,’” She yelled over at him.

“I know! I’ll make it up to you!” He promised as he took a few more shots.

They were quickly being outnumbered. Poe was a good shot, but more and more were appearing. Her thoughts ran rampant, as she tried to figure out how to get them out of this. A plan that would get them to safety. A gust of wind blew, carrying a whisper, “You know what to do.”

‘Really hitting this on the nose, eh gramps?’

She straightened up, closed her eyes trying to focus and muttered to herself once, “I am one with the Force, the Force is with me.”

When she reopened them, she could feel the Force surrounding her, the energy crackling. She stepped out and walked toward the open market; ignoring Poe’s attempts to gain her attention.

As she stepped out, multiple troopers fired their blasters at the same time. She raised her hands, in front of her face, stopping them midair. They hovered for a mere moment before she threw her arms forward, sending the shots backwards into the troopers. As they fell, she threw her right hand out to her left, and then to her right, knocking those troopers back into walls and various objects.

The coast was clear, for now. She leaned forward, her hands on her knees, exhausted. Her energy drained, and she felt a bit lightheaded. Poe, at some point, walked up next to her and stared at her in awe.

She stood up, ignoring how tired she felt, and said, “C’mon. The Falcon isn’t far, and I don’t want to wait for more to appear, or for these guys to wake up.”

She began to walk away but she only got a few feet before she realized Poe wasn’t following. He was still standing there, gaping.

“You’re… you’re a Jedi?” He wondered.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. Let’s go,” she said turning back around, striding away.

Poe ran to catch up to her, and inquired, “You’re really just going to ignore my question? Blix? C’mon, you gotta explain that to me?”

They were finally getting near the launchpad that held the falcon, but stormtroopers were marching their way. They stopped short, and Blix uttered a small, “Fuck.”

He looked at her, then pushed her to a nearby wall. “Kiss me.”

“What?” She spluttered.

“Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable. So. Kiss. Me.” Poe demanded through gritted teeth, as the troopers got closer to them.

She quickly leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Blix wrapped her arms around his neck, as his found her waist, before pulling her closer. She couldn’t deny the butterflies that had built in her stomach and were fluttering chaotically. He made her feel warm and safe within his embrace.

The stormtroopers passed but they failed to notice it, far too wrapped up into each other for the moment. It wasn’t until they pulled apart, gasping for breath, that they realized they were free to move on.

She pulled away from him so they could finally begin their hasty walk to the Falcon. As they rushed back on, Poe yelled for Chewie to get on the gunners, as the ramp closed.

Poe has her follow him into cockpit and shoved her over to the co-pilot seat. He pointed out which switches and buttons to hit to fire the ship up as they heard the familiar roar of TIE-Fighters entering the atmosphere. They took off but the path had a squadron of TIEs coming straight for them.

Poe dodged them left and right, trying to help Chewie line up shots to take them out. Several went down quickly but there was still a couple on their tail. They were flying out over canyons, and Blix vaguely recognized the area, and a terrible idea came to mind.

“Poe. I have an idea but it’s a little crazy,” she hesitantly informed.

“I have been told my middle name is crazy, so let’s hear it doll. Preferably before we are shot out of the sky,” He grunted as they were hit.

“See that crevice there? Dive into it.” She commanded pointing to a crevice that was coming up to them on their left.

He followed her directions, straight into a crevice that was only just barely wide enough for the falcon to fit through. They heard a couple of crashing noises from above, but they still had one TIE on them.

The narrow canyon, had them dodging rock formations left and right, and he yelled at her, “My trust in you is waning a bit, what the hell does this open up to?” As the falcon scraped several times along the wall.

“You’ll see. Go for that large opening,” She replied with a wince, pointing slightly to their right.

He does and as they breakthrough they enter an underground city of sorts, full of bright lights and towers everywhere. There was only one path, that she confirmed he needed to follow. The path was somewhat narrow but allowed enough space to dodge hits.

“Blix. Please do not tell me we need to go down that,” He asked worried, as he looked ahead.

“That” was a dark tunnel, that was named the Tunnel of Death (and labeled on the wall in bright lights), that they were swiftly coming upon.

“Yep. Just.. listen to me when I tell you to start pulling up, because it’s a straight drop, that suddenly curves,” Blix advised with a grimace. “Chewie! Buckle up, this is going to be rough!” She yelled toward the back, as she too buckled in, Poe following.

As they dropped down into the hole, they are plunged into absolute darkness. Blix was quietly counting to herself how long it had been since they began their descent. ‘1, 2,3, 4, 5,6.’

“Poe. Start Pulling up,” She told him as her mental countdown got to 7 seconds

He does so, and as they continued to straighten back out; they hear a final crash as the TIE flew directly into the ground. They soon saw cracks of light as they made their way to the exit, and finally flew back out into the open air. They flew until they had left Cantonica’s atmosphere, before jumping into hyperspace.

Once we were safe in hyperspace, Poe turned to her questions written on his face.

She smiled sheepishly, as she rubbed the back of her neck. “So. Did I ever tell you I was a bit of a wild child?”

He threw his head back and laughed, which caused her to laugh as well. As he sobered up, he replied, “No. Failed to mention that tidbit. What was that and how the hell do you know about it?”

“It’s an old pod racetrack. The entrance is back in the middle of Canto Bight, but I heard that there were secret entrances in the canyons. So, I was kinda going off my memory, hence why I said it was little crazy.” Blix confessed with a smile. “My mother used to tell me that while I looked like her, I had my father’s personality. His tendency to be super serious with a side of devil-may-care. I fell in love with podracing when I was like 4? And my best friend’s father was a mechanic, so we built a podracer. My first race I came in second place.”

Poe shook his head in amazement. “You are a mystery wrapped in an enigma,” He began and with sudden realization continued, “That’s. That’s where you were, when your mom died, isnt it? The “elsewhere?””

She nodded her head, with a sad sigh. “She uh.. wasn’t thrilled by new hobby, but she supported it. Said if I’m going to lose, do so spectacularly, and win as often as possible. I was in Kergans, it was a huge race. 19 other competitors, a huge purse as the prize. I was one of the last 5 pods to survive in total, the regular champ was an asshole who liked to cheat and play dirty. He got his comeuppance, when I knock him into a wall, and he lost an engine. My victory lap when I crossed the finish in first was cut short when I was informed that she had been killed on her way to watch me. Never raced again after that,” Blix divulged, leaning back into her chair, staring at the ceiling.

“Then Holdo’s family took you in?” Poe connected.

“Yep. Amilyn was alright living with. Her mother…not so much,” Blix trailed off.

“What? What was she like? Though, knowing the admiral I assume she was not great,” He admitted with a frown.

Blix sighed heavily, “Maureen. She uh. Didn’t care for frivolity. She made sure that I became a ‘proper young lady.’ She practically beat into my head that love was a fairytale and happy endings were not real. Marriages were meant to move power around and change alliances. Dating was not in the cards. Only courting with potential suitors.”

She rolled her eyes heavily at the memories of Maureen scolding her.

“Which.. is why I have been difficult every time you ask me out. I just.. I was conditioned to not accept potential romantic dalliances. I. She. Its difficult for me to get over that. I am trying to move past it, just.. be patient with me please?” she quietly pleaded struggling to explain, as she looked over at him.

He smiled softly. “I’ll wait however long you need me to,” he promised.

“I am sorry if I often seem cold or detached as well. I’m not trying to act bitchy or hoity toity. I just grew up with a hard woman who believed in all things rational and refused to acknowledge anything that suggested emotion,” She apologized her shoulders dropping.

His reply was immediate, “Apology is noted. Acceptance pending.”

She shook her head with chuckle, as he referred to their earlier conversation.

“So… that’s explained. You going to tell me about the Jedi thing?” He queried an eyebrow raised.

“I still have no idea what you are talking about,“ Blix replied standing up. ‘That is not a conversation I want to have with anyone honestly.’

He sighed annoyed at her dismissal of his question again and goes for instead “Okay. Then how about the kiss?”

“What about it?” Blix asked as she got to the doorway of the cockpit.

“What did you think about it?” Poe clarified turning his chair to follow her movements.

She thought about it for a moment, jokingly humming in contemplation, before she responded, “It was good.”

“Good? Just good? What do you mean by that!?” He spluttered not expecting that response.

“Yeah. Good. I’m sure the next one will be better,” She hinted with a smile as she skipped out.

Chewie made his way inside, and Poe hears her apologize for the bumpy ride she led them on. He responded in kind, gently roaring that it was okay.

As Chewie took his seat in the copilot, Poe stared out into the hallway for a moment longer, still processing what just happened.

“Next time?” he whispered. He nods his head several times before he turned back around to face the front. “I’m going to marry that woman. I’m going to marry her, she will tell me all her secrets, and I will die a happy man. It’s going to happen. Yeah.” He muttered to himself as he focused on the controls.

As they dropped out of hyperspace, they informed base that they were about to land. The moment the Falcon was on the ground, Blix made her way off. Poe followed after her, sensing she was going to try and make a quick getaway.

“Hey- wait a minute!” He called out grabbing her arm, stopping her. “Seriously though. You can use the Force? Why are you trying to hide this?”

“Poe. Stop. We are not talking about this,” Blix scolded glancing around, hoping no one heard him.

She pulled her arm away and walked away from him. Poe was determined though- he was going to get her to talk to him. He chased after once more and grabbed her hand again.

“I just- I don’t understand! You have this power and you’re not using it!?” He beseeched looking her in the eyes, searching for an answer.

Blix huffed and held her hand to up to his face and gently waved it, as she commanded softly, “You did not see anything.”

He stared blankly at her and repeated, “I did not se- Wait!” He blinked and shook his head violently. “Did you just… try to Jedi mind wipe???” He asked confused but excited.

Blix groaned loudly and clenched her fist at her failed attempt to use the Mind Trick, swearing softly as she turned and tried to once again walk away.

He ran after her and as he reached out to grab her arm once more, she turned to him suddenly and angrily growled out, “Poe. If you grab at me one more time, I will hurt you.”

“Oh? You going to use the Force and push me away?” He teased and held his arms out, waiting.

“No. I’ll just do this,” She stated seconds before she threw a punch out, hitting him in the stomach.

He leaned over and grabbed at his stomach as the pain (and shock) swept through him. She then dropped down and swung her leg out to sweep his legs out from under him. As he landed on the ground, she stood back up, dusted herself off, and headed to her room. She locked herself into her room and stayed there for the rest of the day, collapsed onto her bed, and passing out as the day’s event hit her.

As Poe laid on the ground, gasping for air, and trying to blink away the pain, Finn slowly moved over to him. Finn squatted down and asked, “Do I want to know what that was about?”

Poe propped himself up onto his elbows and looked at Poe with a dazed smile, and commented, “Finn. I’ve met my future wife.”

“Your future wife just knocked you on your ass. How do you feel about that?” Finn teased as he held his hand out for Poe to take to help him back up.

“Strangely alright,” Poe replied with a smirk, as he took Finn’s hand and got up with his help.

Rey stepped forward as well, confusion written on her face. “I’ll tell ya later. In private. I have to go to the mission brief. We’ll meet up at my place for dinner, it’s a doozy. Hell, I’m still wrappin my head around it,” Poe requested as he looked at them both.

His thoughts were scrambled, ‘Orphan. Podracer. Jedi. Podracer. Jedi. She likes me back but isn’t used to affection. Jedi. The kiss. Jedi.’ As he gave the mention brief, he left out her powers and the kiss, and told Leia that she did well under pressure, and if weren’t for her recognizing the sound of the fob, they would probably be dead. Though that did beg the question.

“Why was a bounty hunter sent after us? Very few people knew about this mission, and it was only planned a day ago. So why were they after us?” Poe inquired lowly to Leia, so no one else could hear.

“Those are very good questions Commander. Questions that need to be answered. Fast. Figure it out Commander,” Leia ordered quietly.

Poe nodded his head in affirmation and began to review who all knew about this mission, retracing his steps since this mission came to them. It was going to be a long night for the Commander.