#i send multiple so you have enough for the muse to choose from ya know

[pastpatientlywaitingforimagines]

All The Clouds Ch. 1 | Niall Horan x Reader

Warnings: tiny mention of alcohol

Chapter 1: HEARTBREAK WEATHER

“It can be so lonely in this city,”

In a surprise to no one, Niall was watching golf when you arrived at his large Los Angeles home. He had changed clothes in the couple of hours since you had seen him last, he was now wearing grey sweatpants (that you were very familiar with having worn them multiple times yourself) and a blue t-shirt. The late afternoon sun was filling the entryway with a deliciously golden and welcoming hue when he opened the door for you, letting you inside.

“I thought we were watching a movie,” you couldn’t help but comment on his choice of programming as you took off your coat, dropping it on a chair as you made your way towards his kitchen.

“I thought you were bringing dinner,” he shot back with a smirk, following you like a lost puppy.

“I did bring dinner, I just need to make it first.” You were no stranger to his kitchen, and wasted no time preheating the oven and reaching for the dishes you’d need to make the dinner you had planned. Niall perched himself on a chair, watching your movements closely.

“What?” you raised your eyebrows when you noticed the way he was pouting.

“I was hoping you’d just order pizza or something,” he confessed, leaning against the counter, “I like it when you cook, pet, but I’m starving.”

“You’re a grownup with your own phone. You can order pizza if you want, but…” you paused, pulling tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese out of the grocery bag you had brought, “I can make it faster than the delivery person can bring it.”

Niall looked at you in disbelief, his mouth opening slightly and his eyes lighting up, “how’d you know?”

“We’ve been friends for years, I just know,” you shrugged, biting your lip to hide your smile and looking down at the dough you needed to roll out, “I let this rise while I was home so all it needs is toppings and to be thrown in the oven once I shape it.”

“You do that, I’ll go put on some music,” Niall suggested. Much like you knew he’d want pizza that evening, he knew that you preferred loud music while cooking. While you started stretching the dough, he walked away. You heard the TV turn off, followed by the beep of his phone connecting to his speakers.

The music came on while you were dusting his counter with flour, a bright pop melody that you immediately recognized. You couldn’t help but move your hips along to the song, letting the beat dictate your movements.

“Ahhhh this hit, that ice cold Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold,” Niall rejoined you in the kitchen, singing loudly and dancing just as badly as you were. He shuffled up beside you, dancing in time until he found the perfect moment to grab your hands and spin you around. His quick movement caught you off guard, sending you into a fit of giggles when you righted yourself. He let you turn back to the pizza dough, instead grabbing a wooden spoon from beside his stove and using it as a microphone.

“Stop, wait a minute. Fill my cup, put some liquor in it,” you sang along with him. This song was one of your favorites to listen to while goofing off with Niall, it had the perfect amount of words and instrumentals. It was a great song to listen to while in the kitchen, driving through the city with the windows down, and every time in between.

Out of the corner of your eye you noticed Niall strutting away from you, still lost in the music. You took the opportunity to leave your station at the counter and innocently walk up to him, singing quietly as he turned to you, oblivious.

Just as the beat dropped, you reached your floured thumb up to his face and swiped it across his forehead, leaving a trail of white dust in your wake. Niall knew exactly what you’d done, laughing loudly as you scampered away from him to the other side of the kitchen. He followed you quickly, grabbing a handful of flour as he passed by the bag you had left out. You tried to escape him, getting chased around the table in the middle of the room a few times, but there was no way for you to get past him.

“Niall,” you cautioned when he had you cornered by the fridge.

“Petal,” he emphasized the L just as you had with his name.

You held your hands up in surrender as he took a step closer, “you don’t have to do this.”

“Yes I do, you started it.”

Another step.

“I didn’t start anything.”

“Yes you did.”

Another step.

“I thought you were starving, let me finish the pizza.”

“The pizza can wait.”

Another step. You were running out of time.

“What’s that over there?”

As soon as Niall’s head turned to look where you had pointed, you lunged towards the pile of flour on the counter. He was quick to react once he realized you had tricked him, catching you with one strong arm across your middle. The other came up to drop the whole handful of flour that he had been holding over top of your head. You managed to grab enough flour from the counter to leave handprints on either side of his cheeks when you turned to face him.

His grip around your torso didn’t loosen until you were both sufficiently covered in a plentiful dusting of flour.

“Are you conceding?” you asked smugly when he finally stopped.

“No, I’m just hungry,” he confessed, laughing, “can we finish the pizza now?”

“The pizza could have been done by now but someone chose to dump flour on my head.”

You moved back to where the dough and toppings had been abandoned, quickly putting everything together and into the oven. When you closed the oven, Niall was back by your side, pulling you into him.

“This is for Instagram,” he explained when he held up his phone, the front camera facing the two of you.

“As if your fans needed another reason to love you,” you rolled your eyes, but posed anyways. “I can’t wait for this pizza to be done so I can go shower.”

“You can go now if you want, I’ll watch the oven,” Niall offered.

“Are you sure? You won’t get distracted and forget about it?”

“Have a little faith, petal. I’ll be fine.”

“Ok…” you said slowly, walking towards the guest bedroom, “I’m trusting you. It needs to come out it ten minutes.” Niall shot you back a cheesy grin.

“Don’t worry about it, enjoy your shower.”

Though your days of being starstruck by Niall were long gone, his home never ceased to amaze you. It wasn’t every day you got to be in a multi-million dollar home that put your small apartment to shame. Niall didn’t spend all of his time in LA, and when he was in the city of angels he usually had some form of work to do. Somehow, he always managed to make time in his busy schedule to hang out with you, even if it meant leaving the studio and stopping by your apartment for dinner three nights in a row. Though you often lived on opposite sides of the world, you never felt like Niall neglected you or your friendship.

Over the years you had spent enough time at his house to be allowed a whole drawer in his guest bedroom to keep your clothes. In reality, your drawer contained a pair of gym shorts, a pair of sweatpants, a nice outfit for going out, and a stack of t-shirts you had stolen from Niall.

You pulled out a t-shirt and the shorts, then walked over to the en suite bathroom and stripped yourself of your dirty clothes. You turned on the shower and let the water warm up before stepping into the stream. It took longer than you wanted to scrub the flour out of your hair and off of your face. It seemed like every time you thought you had gotten it all, more would appear.    Once you were absolutely certain you were clean, you turned off the water and wrapped yourself in a towel.

You dressed yourself in the clothes you had picked earlier, then combed through your hair with your fingers briefly before leaving the bathroom to rejoin Niall. He was lounging on his very large couch, transfixed on his phone. You sat down next to him, sinking into the cushions. Without looking up from his phone, he lifted his arm so you could rest your legs across his lap. His calloused thumb started rubbing thoughtlessly and gently across the skin by your knee.

His hair was damp and his clothes were clean. He had probably showered as well, you mused. You couldn’t help but find yourself distracted by the nuances of Niall’s facial expressions as he scrolled through Twitter. You couldn’t deny that your best friend was extremely handsome, even more so now that he had stopped bleaching his hair and was letting his natural brunet locks grow out. The way his face lit up when reading comments from fans made your heart swell, his grin so familiar it was like putting on your favorite hoodie.

“What are ya lookin’ at?” Niall poked your ribs when he looked up and noticed the way you were staring at him.

“Your face.”

“Is there somethin’ wrong with it?” he cheesed, turning his chin back and forth so you could see it from all angles.

“Of course not,” you smirked, pinching his cheek between your fingers, “I think it’s nice.”  

“Only nice? I think it’s sexy.”

“Dork,” you rolled your eyes, “are you going into the studio tomorrow?”

“Mhmm,” Niall hummed, “do you want to come with?”

You scoffed at his question, “Of course I want to come with, that’s not even a question. Can I-“

“Absolutely not,” he quickly interrupted you, aware of what you were about to ask before the words even left your mouth, “you’re not allowed to touch the sound board.”

“Niiiii,” you whined, throwing your head back dramatically, “please?” You tried to pout as best as you could, hoping his heartstrings would do you a favor. Instead, he just laughed at your dramatics.

“No, you know me too well. I write decent lyrics but if you get your hands on it, it’ll be like reading my diary to the whole world.”

“You keep a diary?” you snickered, choosing to ignore the compliment he gave you.

“No, but if I did you would turn it into a gorgeous song, I know it.”

“Sure.” You chose to leave it at that, pulling up your own Twitter timeline. Your notifications were flooded with screenshots of the Instagram story Niall had posted. Most of the replies were along the lines of ‘goals’ and ‘I wish I was (y/n)’. There was also an abundance of conversations regarding your relationship status with Niall. ‘I ship this so hard’, and ‘I didn’t know Niall and (y/n) were dating’ among other things.

This wasn’t the first time your relationship with the Irishman had been speculated about, online or otherwise. Multiple of your friends and even your parents had said something to you at one point or another, claiming you were made for one another. Every time you or Niall posted something online about the other, the fans had a field day with it.

The close bond you shared was no secret to the world, but it hadn’t come easy. After years of knowing each other, the best way you could describe it was ‘right person, wrong time’. Your lives were better with the other in it, but there were too many ups and downs that had gotten in the way of a romantic relationship.

Your mind wandered to the possibility of actually dating him, of being able to call him your boyfriend for the first time since you had met. He wasn’t wrong, you did know all of the nuances of his emotions. You knew him better than you had known anyone in your entire life. When you were younger, there were a million reasons not to date. One Direction was just taking off, paparazzi was everywhere, and he was in a new city every day. You were also both career-driven, a relationship that early on would have gotten in the way. Now, though, the band was on hiatus and he was taking some much needed time away from the prying eyes of the public. Now, a relationship could actually be a possibility.

As soon as the thought crossed your mind it terrified you.

There was a reason you and Niall had stayed friends all these years- the connection you had with each other was undeniable- but you worried that if you tried to pursue something else with him it would ruin all of the goodness between you. You had to stay just friends with him, even if it felt like you were starting to want more.

You needed a distraction, so you refocused your mind on the present.

“Did you eat all the pizza while I was in the shower?” you nudged his stomach with your knee gently.

Niall glanced at you in confusion, processing your words. As soon as he did, his eyes went wide.

“Don’t be mad.”

“I was hoping you’d share but I guess I’m not-“ you were cut off by a loud beeping in the adjacent kitchen, realization hitting after the initial shock of the sound. “Niallllll,” you sighed as you jumped out of his lap.

You ran to the kitchen, shutting off the oven and pulling out the charred remains of what was going to be a delicious pizza. Niall followed quickly, grabbing a hand towel to wave in front of the smoke alarm until it turned off.

“Sorry, pet,” he apologized once the house was once again silent. You stood shoulder to shoulder, sadly gazing at the burnt meal. “You went to shower and it sounded nice so I wanted to take one too. I got distracted and forgot.”

“It’s ok, Ni,” you put a hand gently on his wrist.

“No, it’s not. You worked hard to make dinner for us and I ruined it.” He seemed really upset about it, looking down and away from you instead of his normal attentiveness.

“Hey,” you called gently, “I’m actually, honestly, not mad at you, or upset at all for that matter. I should have remembered too. Accidents happen.”

“Honestly?” he looked up, his blue eyes searching yours for sincerity.

“Honestly. There is something you can do to make it up to me, though.”

“Anything,” Niall perked up eagerly. You reached up to pat him lightly on the cheek.

“You can order delivery from that place across town that I like.” You left him with that, walking back into the living room and getting comfortable again on the couch. You heard Niall talking in the other room, presumably making the call to the restaurant. After a minute he joined you, picking up your legs as he sat down so they were once again resting across his lap. He didn’t say anything until he noticed the way you were biting your lip to fight back a smile.

“What?”

“It’s not funny.”

“We almost burned my house down,” Niall was starting to catch on, the corners of his lips turning up.

“Yup. We almost burned your house down and it’s really not funny.”

Niall watched you struggle to keep your composure, amused, “it’s a little funny.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, you both lost it.

It took you far too long to stop laughing, feeding off of each other’s energy. Once you had finally caught your breath, Niall stood up.

“Delivery should be here in ten minutes, do you want a beer?”

You nodded, watching him walk away.

That man is my best friend, you thought. As soon as the words crossed your mind, your earlier internal battle resurfaced. Sure, Niall was your best friend, but your relationship didn’t necessarily need to stay that way.

It certainly wasn’t how it had started.

“But it feels different when you’re with me”

Chapter 2: BLACK AND WHITE 

[keikakudori]

truth + why the FUCK're you usin' tousen-san the same way y'were supposedly used by shinji? do ya have NO awareness at all? or maybe y'don't give a fuck 'n wanted to feel like y'were in control for once in your life right after a rough breakup. rebound, much? why the hell do ya think you got the right to whine 'n wallow about how y'were treated then turn around 'n pull the same shit that made ya so BITTER on somebody else who genuinely cares aboutcha to the point of blindly followin' your fucked up plans? oh, sorry, this turned into multiple questions. but fuck you, y'gotta answer'em all.

TRUTH SERUM TIME ! 

SEND  ‘ TRUTH ‘  +  A  QUESTION  AND  MY  MUSE  HAS  TO  ANSWER.  NO  LYING  ALLOWED.

how is gin so skilled at being able to smile and snarl at the same time, he'll never understand though he has always enjoyed it, appreciated it. never has he turned away from his sharpness before but this? this nearly makes him do so. it nearly is enough to make him lean back and turn away from the other man, nearly enough to make him want to snarl right on back. perhaps it's fortunate that the compulsion is laid thick on him -- for that matter, he wonders what he could say against it, what he could say to slip through the cracks, to answer it in that way of folding the truth, of shaving the edge from it, to split hairs --... because these are questions that hammer at him. they are questions that make him want to flinch and it is only rigid control that keeps him from doing so. and if his nails cut into his palms until skin breaks and red blooms beneath their crescent curves, he shows no sign of that either. he has not asked

❝ -- i wasn't using him. kaname said ... he said something i knew was not true. as soon as he said it, i knew it was not. i think he wanted to believe it, i think he may feel something of it for me, but not in the way that i think he wanted to believe in of himself. ❞

i love you, kaname had said to him. i love you.

how he had touched a finger to his lips, quietly silencing him. a fortunate thing that kaname had been blind. aizen's eyes had always and ever been expressive. but whatever emotions that had been stirred up in him, he had never allowed any of them to touch his voice. he had not permitted them to surface. even now, the memory of it made something in his chest sink a touch, a painful thing that he would brush fingers of thought against from time to time as if still feeling them. it had faded for the most part and had done so long years since, but the memory was enough to twist a slow furling of emotions in his chest.

❝ i have enough awareness to know that if i had ever let myself choose such a way with kaname, it would have ... things would have been far different. perhaps i should have let it happen. but i did not want it to. i know he would have willingly laid himself bare if i had said so, if i had wished it -- but i did not. he is devoted and zealous but i do not want him to strip himself down to only the scraps of my approval or disapproval. i would not have spent so much time encouraging him to grow more resilient if that was all i wished. and i do not wallow or whine. ❞

a sparkle of temper is not what he needs right now, but it's there under his words even as he speaks, a sharper edge, a more cutting edge. gin can truly rile him up at the best of times, after all.

❝ i have always treated kaname well. should i have perhaps turned him out of the goteijusantai when i knew what he wished for? yes. but if i had done that, then he would have died trying to get to tsunayashiro tokinada on his own. he would have died trying to kill the man who killed his friend. he swore himself to me, and i have made him one particular promise that i will keep. because i respect him. because he is mine. my general and my left hand. at least -- this way -- ... this way i would guide him to the vengeance he so deeply desires and he'd be able to choose that for himself, the way he always has been able to. ❞

[clairecrive]

“Let’s stay home|Quarantine AU”

Here it is guys! I know it’s a little later than usual but I’m actually happy with the outcome, I only hope you do too! i decided to take @ashesbelle suggestion and do a game night chapter. I knew it had a lot of potential and I did my best to make it fun. Feel free to always leave suggestions and ideas about this story! Anyway, next chapter it’s going to be Bane! ugh, can’t wait!

Tag list: @deaflikehawkeye, @mollybegger-blog, @evelynshelby, @br0ck-eddie, @of-love-and-of-the-sea, @sopxhiea, @fandom--0verdose, @shadow-of-wonder, @innerpaperexpertcloud (let me know if you wanna be added!)

If you lost a chapter: Masterpost

Chapter 3 - “Game night”

Adjusting to their new daily life hadn’t been so difficult as Emma would have thought. To be honest, the idea of living with three men had terrorized her a little, not because she was afraid or something, she knew she was safe with them, but because of what it implied. Emma had never been the perfect housewife kind of girl. She learned how to take care of herself and her house but that was that. Primal survival skills. Now she was stuck at home with three grown-up men and she suddenly wondered how it was going to go when it came to chores. She really hoped that they didn’t believe she was going to do all the work because if they did, well they better think twice. After the guys had settled in and rested after the long journey, well only Tommy actually since Eddie already lived in the city, Emma gathered them all in the kitchen.

“Since no one has left, I presume that you’ve all decided to spend this upcoming quarantine here,” she broke the ice, “although, you can still change your mind and catch a plane or a train before it’s too late.” she continued looking at each of them.

“Why does this feel like a kind of initiation?” Eddie mused suspiciously making Emma throw an ugly look at him.

“It’s not but I hope you understand that every one of you is involved and so has to lend a hand,” she continued. However, she could see that they weren’t really following her so she decided to be more direct. “I’m talking about house chores guys.”

Emma watched as realization washed over their faces and to her surprise, there was no trace of reluctance.

“Of course pet, don’t even have to say it,” Alfie mumbled crossing his arms on his chest making Emma send a sweet smile his way. She had always known that when it came to lending a hand Alfie had never refused nor complained. 

“Whatever you want my lady.” Eddie, of course, complied sarcastically while Tommy only nodded. Emma knew that he had been taking care of himself for a while now, her heart would always clench in apprehension for him at the fact and this current situation was no different. She was happy that he was here though, she would make sure that he was doing okay.

“Wonderful. Now, let’s get to business, what do we want to eat tonight?” 

                                                             ***

After everyone agreed that it was definitely the right night to order some pizza, Emma had called her trusted pizza place down the road. They were still enjoying the food when Alfie came up with a tremendous idea: playing board games.

“Absolutely not.” Emma posed her veto already imagining hundreds of ways in which it could be wrong.

“Why, are you afraid of losing?” Alfie, never the missing the chance to take the piss on her, mocked her.

“Board games are the recipe for the perfect disaster. You all transform into children when you play. And maybe you have forgotten Alfred but we’re going to live together for a while.” She glared at him, explaining her point of view as a matter of factly.

“She just knows that she’s going to lose.” Again, Alfie taunted her looking at Tommy for his support but he didn’t go along with him. Emma did her best to fought the sudden voice in her head that pushed her to prove him wrong. However, she knew that she needed to be the one to keep the balance and if she played, there was a slight chance that she’d got carried away and then she wasn’t sure what could happen. Alfie loved provoking her and putting her on edge, and she was competitive and prone to angry outbursts when she played. That wasn’t a good match. Knowing this, she took a deep breath forcing herself to calm down and ignored him.

“You can play if you want, I think there’s Risiko and a few other board games in my room. I think I’ll pass.” She informed them, looking at Tommy while she spoke. 

She left the kitchen with their dirty plates while the guys discussed to choose which game they were going to play. While she threw away the remnants of food, she heard Eddie explain that he couldn’t play because he had a deadline to meet. So Tommy and Alfie were left to pick up a game and they settled for Risiko. Emma smirked at their choice knowing it was Alfie’s way of winning easy.

They went looking for the game and then started arranging the board and their armies on it. A while into the game though, Alfie was rather disappointed to realize that he was in fact losing. Every time they would come to battle, Tommy would manage to get bigger numbers than him. A little suspicious, if you asked him. But decided to stay quiet for the time being and study his opponent instead.

Meanwhile, Emma had settled on the couch beside the table they were playing on so that she could keep an eye on them and get a little work done at the same time. She wasn’t really paying them attention but every once in a while she would glance at the board and notice in amusement how Alfie was definitely losing. An angry puff would leave his lips from time to time whenever Tommy would beat him but he hadn’t said anything yet. She wondered how long was he going to last. She knew Tommy was pretty stoic but Alfie definitely wasn’t. It was only a matter of time before he would snap. She could almost see him filling up and ready to spill.

“Oi mate, that’s enough cheatin’ from ya.” And as Emma predicted, here it was. He didn’t last long after all. Alfie bellowed outraged, his cockney accent thick, and Tommy was getting really fed up with him. Even if he was a master of keeping his cool, Emma could see by the way he was nervously drumming his fingers on the table.

“Listen, pal, I’m not cheating. If you don’t know how to lose then you shouldn’t play.”

Between Tommy’s stone-cold stare and Alfie’s temper, it was a really good match, one Emma was amused to witness but wary at the same time. Watching them cat fighting over their lost army, she decided to leave to it a little longer before intervening. And when Alfie threatened that maybe it was better to show who was stronger outside, she finally spoke up.

“Okay guys, that’s enough.” Putting her laptop away from her lap, she lifted to sit on the couch rather than laying down.

“Yes Thomas, that’s fucking enough. Start playin fair, will ya?” Alfie complained totally misreading Emma’s words and was starting to go on a rant regarding how it was always the Thomas that would start trouble and fucking cheating. However, Emma had already heard this speech one time too much and stopped him.

“Alfie,” trying to keep a smile away from her face she made him look at her, “Risiko is a game of luck. Everything is decided with a roll of the dice, Tommy’s not cheating,” she explained calmly not wanting him to feel like he was being scolded.

“The fuck it is, it’s a game of tactic and plannin. It’s fucking war, innit?” Alfie stood his ground, getting only worked up since he felt that Emma was taking Tommy’s side. The latter though, jumped at the occasion to get away from him as soon as Emma spoke up. Tommy didn’t do arguments nor drama. That was one of the reasons him and Emma got along so well.

“Do you decide how many of your tanks go down in a fight with dice too in war?” Getting the tutting tone out of her voice was getting harder and harder for Emma. She knew Alfie though, and she was very aware of his stubbornness. However, Emma couldn’t help but consider him adorable in that moment. With his face scrunched up for the building anger, and the scowl on his lips because he wasn’t getting his way, he much resembled a child. A petulant one but an adorable one nonetheless.

“Fucking hell,” were the only words that Emma could hear given that the others mashed up in one incomprehensible mumble.

“C’mon Alfie, stop trying to prove that your gun is bigger than Tommy’s,” Emma dismissed him getting back to the article she needed to write while Tommy, who had sat on the love seat next to the couch she was on, tried to cover his snort with a cough. However, without wanting to, Emma had only managed to anger him more.

“Why would I pet, right, fucking wast me time in proving something you already know?” He hissed this time, anger filling every fibre of his body. Arching one of eyebrows, Tommy mocked him without actually speaking up but Alfie paid him no mind. His eyes were fixed on Emma.

Letting out a sigh, Emma moved her laptop on her side, again. She knew that she had been dragged in now and that Alfie wouldn’t let her be before settling this.

“I already know, you say.” She just pointed out. She didn’t want to argue but couldn’t walk away either.

“You ‘aven’t seen his, right? So you can’t really fucking say can ya? You know my gun’s big tho’.”

“And how do you know I haven’t?” She taunted and this time Alfie froze, taking in her implication, his eyes moving from her to Tommy multiple times as if he was deciding if she was serious or not.

“Yer fucking takin the piss now.” He decided that there couldn’t have been something of that nature between them.

“She ain’t. We’re lovers fo’ a while.” Tommy jumped in and confirmed Emma’s words. Neither of them spoke for a while and Emma thought that the conversation had been ended that way. However, she was surprised to find out that they’re both looking expectantly at her.

“Forget it. I’m not going this.” God, what did she put herself into…

“You fucking are,” Alfie stated, “C’mon Em. He’s a big lad, he can take it.” Oh Alfie, ever so cocky. Emma looked at Tommy for support but was had had enough. This man was way too cocky for his liking. It was time to put him in his place.

“C’mon Emma, tell us.” To her amazement, Tommy actually agreed with Alfie. If the situation wasn’t so bloody embarrassing, she would have been proud of them for cooperating.

“Okay then, pull your pants down.” She said hoping to deter them in this way.

“Fucking what?” Alfie protested while Tommy just stared at her. She was basing her tactic to the innate discomfort that all straight men seemed to have in being naked around another naked guy. She hoped it would work and in the meantime, she would enjoy the unease on their face. That’ll teach them to put her in this position.

“C’mon big guy, are you bucking down?” Surprising them both, Tommy taunted Alfie turning to him. It seemed he had taken it personal.

“Are you homo or somefing mate? Don’t want ya staring at me.” 

“She’s the only one who has to look, man. I’m not interested. At all.” Tommy pointed out with a roll of his eyes and turned back to face Emma that watched their exchange in fascination. But it was getting late and she was getting tired of all of this. 

“You know what?” coming up with a way to put an end to this, she got up from the couch and approached them. Without missing a beat, her hands gripped both of their packs making them gasp in surprise. “See? Everything is where it’s supposed to be and I reckon you both know how to use it. That’s all that matters right?” She patronizingly tutted at them, finishing all by patting gently their face. 

Emma then turned to gather her stuff and left the room like nothing happened, leaving behind her two very stunned and slightly aroused men. This had only been the first night of living together and it already had proven interesting. Seems like they were in for a wild ride. 

[freezing-kaiju]

Stardate: 2689

Chapter 9: Echoes of a Crew

a fire emblem Heroes fic by me and @pupmon1 in a Ster Trek AU

warnings: injury mention

Captain’s Log. XX/XX/2689. Camilla. We FINALLY received a message from Valm regarding the crew they promised us. They’re finally sending their delegation to us, fourth captain and all. And yet, we received word that we will have to pick them up from a Valm station...because of course we have to...

Camilla fidgeted restlessly in the hangar bay as the ship docked with the station. The fourth captain slot has been empty for longer than it should have been, and Hinoka had been taking care of that shift, something she is not trained for.

“Why the hell did this take so long?” Severa asked. “It sucks having to work extra shifts...”

“Because screw Valm…” Lucina muttered. “This Union was their idea...but they still get their own little bubble of ‘don’t go’.”

“We’re expecting around 25-30 new members,” Rhajat said, looking at a holo-clipboard. “Hopefully on the low end. We already picked up 5 extra crew...”

“Ye-” Camilla stopped as the ship docked and the airlock slid open...revealing about 16 people standing there in uniforms.

A redhaired girl stepped forward with her hands behind her back. “Commander Camilla?”

“Yes. Are you...Captian Celica?”

“Yes, I am the Valmese captian. This is my crew.”

“Oh fuck no…” Lucina grumbled.

“Your crew is about 20 people short,” Rhajat mused, checking off names while listing them off. “Celica, Mae, Faye, Silque, Mathilda, Sonya, Saber, Genny, Valbar, Leon, Delthea, Kamui, Catria, Palla, Est...those are the crew that’s present.”

“My ship needs more people than this!” Camilla snapped. “What happened?”

“...there was a borg attack on this station as we were preparing...we lost fine men…”

“A borg attack?” Camilla and Lyn glanced at each other nervously. “Well...that’s not good…”

“My sympathies,” Lucina said. “We managed to avoid that disaster narrowly...”

“We drove off the cu-” Celica paused for a few seconds. “Wait...you avoided the borg? How did you manage that?”

“...experimental technology that Camilla...acquired...about a decade ago.”

“That technology could be useful. I would like for my sci-”

“No,” Camilla said firmly. “It’s...not that simple…the technology is very……temperamental.”

“Integrated into a person who doesn’t want to give it up,” Rhajat responded. “We’d have to kill her to extract it. Hey, the Union approved this.”

Celica’s eyes narrowed. “...I assume I will get a proper report once we’re on board and settled in.”

“Of course,” Camilla responded. “And your crew is welcome to take a tour of the ship before assuming their shifts.”

Celica nodded and gave a wave to her crew, allowing them to stand down and relax. A large man with an eyepatch stepped up behind Celica.

“I want to see this technology,” Saber said.

“I’ll ask her.” Rhajat pulled out a comm and stepped away. “...yeah, one of the crew wants to see you...he’s big, red mohawk, eyepatch...no? Okay. She says no.”

Saber frowned and stepped forward. “I am your deputy, it wasn’t a request. I will see this woman.”

Rhajat rolled her eyes and pulled out the comm. “Yeah, he wants to see you. He’s not taking no for an answer and he outranks both of us. Yes yes, I know, organic...” Rhajat let out a sigh. “She says no. I’ll take you to her anyways but she’ll probably be hostile, she’s not very balanced yet...oh and i’ll remind you again, this is just observation. You can read the report we gave the Union if you want a justification, they seemed to agree...”

Saber nodded and followed Rhajat.

Celica turned back to Camilla and the other captains. “Now, am I going to be staying in a captain’s quarters? Or can I select another room?”

“You’ll be staying in the captain's quarters,” Camilla said simply. “The large bed belongs to me and Lyn, the other two...can be worked out between you and Lucina.”

Celica nodded. “...may I request that Faye, Silque, and Mae be put in the same quarters?”

The three captains all glanced at each other and grinned. “Yeah sure,” they said. “Why not at this point.”

Off in the distance someone shouts. “Might as well rename this the USC Polyamory!”

“I don’t want to have to pay for the paint job!” Camilla shouted back.

Celica frowned. “Wait...you have...open relationships on this craft?”

“Darlin’, when you’re floating in the loneliness of space, with only your fellow crewmen to talk to, not much stays hidden for long.”

Several audible sighs of relief could be heard from Celica’s crew, including her. “...good, then I see no reason to keep it from you. I’m dating Mae, Faye, and Silque.”

Camilla put a hand around Lyn’s shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “We’re together, with Hinoka, Florina, and Setsuna as well.”

Lucina squirmed and looked away. “I-...uh...Noire, Severa, and Kjelle…”

Mae grinned and jumped forward. “Yay! So far this is awesome. Better than back home, at least!”

“I’m a Nohrian who feels emotions and dares to show it, I clearly care that everyone is socially acceptable to those on their planets,” Camilla said with a dismissive gesture. “Now, let’s get you all settled in.”

“Hinoka! Severa! Florina! Show these crewmen to their quarters!” the captains called out.

“Yes ma’am!” the three deputies responded before herding the Valmese away.

---

Rhajat led Saber to the science lab, where Beruka spent her regular shifts. “Here she is.”

Beruka looked up, twitched, and snapped to a salute. “Hello, Deputy Saber. This unit greets your unwelcome arrival.”

“So...you’re the reformed borg, huh?” Saber walked up and circled around her. “Ya sure don’t sound like it. Or look it, for that matter. Ya just look like a Borg with a chrom job.”

“This unit does not understand what you are implying. This unit cannot replace my essential parts without quick and painful death.”

Saber stood in front of Beruka, looking down at her. “So...you helped this ship evade the borg cube that was recently found in this sector?”

“Yes.”

“Did you tell them where the station was to send them away?”

“They did not ask. And all communications had to be disabled to stay safe. I assume by the time we managed to send a transmission, the Borg intercepted it, or it just got there too late.”

Saber stood down and crossed his arms. “...that’s acceptable...have a good day…”

“You too, Deputy,” Beruka said, with a very forced and unnatural looking smile.

“...how about...not trying that...” Rhajat said.

“Okay…”

---

“Well this is a lot better than the station!” Mae said happily as she donned her uniform in the morning, her antennae wiggling happily.

“I hope they have a kitchen I can work in,” Faye said. “Wonder if anyone will like my cinnamon rolls...”

“I’ll punch anyone who hates it,” Mae said, punching the air.

“And I won’t heal them,” Silque said with a light giggle.

“Now now girls, don’t antagonize our crew members,” Celica said as she slipped into the room. She noticed there was one large bed. “Huh...they’re really used to people being in a relationship, aren’t they?”

“Probably,” Silque said.

Mae smiled and hugged Celica. “I missed you. This ship is too big...I couldn’t see you…”

Celica sighed and petted Mae’s head. “I know, I know dear. I told you...the walls are going to mess with your signal. But don’t worry, based on what Lucina did last night, I can come in here a sleep with you three.”

“Ooo, who’s Lucina with?” Mae asked. “Sorry, I get like...super into all this kinda gossip.”

“Believe me, I know Mae.” Celica paused, trying to remember. “Her deputy...along with her communications officer and one of her security officers.”

“Oh cool.” Mae shrugged. “Guess I’ll get to know them.”

“I hope they’ll be okay with the fact that I let my cats loose in the ship,” Celica mused.

“Did you tell the-”

“WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE SO MANY CATS?!?” they suddenly heard Camilla shout. “THEIR FUR IS EVERYWHERE!!!”

“SORRY!” Celica shouted.

Celica sighed and shrugged. “They’ll...be fine…” she muttered. “Now, I want to make some rules for you three. First off, no messing with Mae on duty, this is more serious post. Understand?” Faye and Silque nodded. “Okay, good. Now Mae, no smoking on duty. But, if...you can’t find one of us to help you during your off duty times…” Celica hesitated, nervous to give Mae the okay to smoke during off hours.

“...they have a bar, i’m sure there’s somewhere she’ll be able to smoke,” Faye said.

“I know...I’m just nervous about telling Mae she can smoke whenever she’s off duty...which...I know is how she will take this…”

“Well I think that’s all the confirmation I need,” Mae said with a grin. “They have a bar too? Gods, this ship is loaded.”

Celica frowned and put a hand on Mae’s shoulder. “Mae...please...don’t hurt yourself.”

Mae’s smile vanished with a sigh. “...I know...just...”

“I know your power is a curse as well as a blessing. I just…” Celica pulled Mae into a hug. “I don’t want you hurting yourself…”

The other two joined her in the hug, and Mae sighed again. “...thanks, guys...hey, maybe the weapons tech thing will occupy me enough..?”

Celica nodded and smiled. “Yeah...hopefully.” She pulled away and stretched. “Now...I have to spend time with Saber to get used to the ship. You three have fun.”

---

Maria walked up to the science lab and knocked on the door. She had been called up here to consult on something the new science officer had devised. She wasn’t completely sure why a science officer would request the presence of a medic, and a junior officer at that, but orders were orders.

The door slid open. “C’mon in!” Delthea said.

She was leaning over a workbench, adjusting something on...well, Maria didn’t exactly know what to call it. It looked like someone took apart two shotguns and a medical extractor and haphazardly assembled the pieces.

“What’s that?” Maria asked, puzzled.

“Oh, it’s uh...it’s like...it’s a multi-chambered tranquilizer gun!” Delthea responded. “Perfect for administering multiple medications at once from a long range or delivering a ludicrously potent dose of anything you choose to inject. I just...ah... need you to observe it and...stuff...”

Maria nodded. “Okay...don’t see why you need my opinion...”

Delthea nodded and aimed the gun at a target on the other side of the room. She pulled a lever and cocked the gun. “Here goes...”

She fired the gun. Three syringes hit the target perfectly...but one missed, bounced, ricocheted off a wall..and hit Delthea in the leg.

“Oh no...aim needs work...” she said. “...I feel kinda dizzy...”

“Did you load that with actual tranquilizers??” Maria asked panickedly.

“...yep...probably a bad idea...” Delthea responded sluggishly. “...sorry...screwed up...”

Delthea passed out. Maria wasn’t sure whether to be more concerned or frustrated...but what she knew is to take Delthea to the medbay, immediately. She pulled out her comm. “Hey, um...Dwayne?”

“It’s Dwyer.

“Right. Uh...prep for medbay, science officer Delthea accidentally shot herself in the leg with uh...” Maria pulled out the syringe. “...a full dose of military-grade tranquilizer, enough to bring down an adult rollenratl.”

“HA! Wait, you’re serious?” Dwyer chuckled through the comm. “Shit, she’s fitting in with this crew already...alright, I’ll prep for it. Stomach pump necessary or just the regular accommodations?”

“Uh...regular prep.” Maria put away the comm and sighed, attempting to shoulder the other short woman...to little effect. “...guess I’m gonna have to drag her...”

---

“Ugh....” Delthea blinked and looked around. She was in the medbay, and Maria was looking over her. Great. She had fucked up...maybe she could salvage this with a smooth line. “H-hey, doc...am...am I in heaven? Cause you’re an angel...”

“No, thank the gods you’re not dead,” Maria said, frowning. “Why did you load that with actual tranquilizers? You nearly overdosed! And....and...” She processed what Delthea had said...and blushed. “...and did you just hit on me?”

“Yeah...wait.” Delthea frowned. “Don’t you recognize me?”

“...wait...” Maria frowned and furrowed her brow...and then her eyes lit up. “Delly? From high school?”

“Yeah…” Delthea muttered. “It’s good to see you again...Mary…”

---

Delthea and Maria were in Maria’s quarters, sitting on her bed. Both of them were thinking of holding out a hand but were afraid that they’d just be left hanging.

“...so...” Maria began, “Uh...what’s new with you?”

“Well, a lot of accidents for one,” Delthea said, pointing to her metal eye, hand, and leg. “Though I chopped off the hand on purpose...otherwise I uh...went to engineering college, dropped out, and then got an honorary degree thanks to a few advancements in concealed weapons tech I sold to the military and a flip-out first aid arm. Got invited to join this project, decided it’d be a cool way to pick up more experience...and then sat around on that space station for six goddamn months waiting for Valm to stop screwing around and finish the fuckin prep. What about you?”

“Well...I finished college, then I went to med school, and I just got my degree and ended up here.” Maria shrugged.

“Ah. Always the valedictorian, eh Mary?” Delthea said.

“And you would have dropped out of high school if I wasn’t there to tutor you,” Maria retorted.

“Yeah...true...” Delthea sighed. “I miss those days...well, I don’t miss being covered in acne and having teachers yell at me all the time, but I miss...” She sighed and flopped back on the bed. “I miss you...and I miss us, and I miss those days when we would just hang around your house and watch tv and study, and I miss going back to my house and talking to Luth about everything and I miss writing you love letters and...yeah.”

Maria paused. “...maybe we could...maybe we could do that again. Make some new memories.”

Delthea sat up. “You mean it, Mari?”

Maria chuckled. “Yeah, Delly. I mean it.” She leaned down and hugged Delthea, giving her a smooch.

Delthea blushed. “...good...maybe now we can finally be happy.”

---

Hinoka sat in the gym, relaxing from a workout session. She looked around the empty room and unwrapped her bindings, her small brown wings fluttering as they were freed…..and then the door opened.

“...well fuck me…”

“Hi deputy!” Est announced. “Wait, are we interrupting someth- oh my gods your wings are tiny.”

“Let’s...not make fun of the deputy...” Palla said reproachfully. “Though...I confess, we all mistook you for human at first.”

“That is...kinda the point…” Hinoka muttered, her wings pressing close to her back...they don’t even look big enough to carry her.

“Can you fly with those?” Clair asked. Gods, it was more than just the whitewings who showed up...

“Why would you want to pretend to be human?” Catria asked quizzically. “I am what I am and you are what you are.”

Hinoka sighed and closed her eyes. “To answer your question...I’ll answer the first. No, I can’t fly…”

“Ah. That’s kinda sad...” Est said.

Hinoka squirmed and buried her face in her arms. “......yeah yeah...whatever…”

“...crap did I offend you?” Est asked. “Sorry, sorry!”

“....I don’t want your pity...leave me alone, fullwings…”

“Ok. Sorry,” Est said, backing up, Palla joining her.

Catria, however, continued to stare quizzically. “Why pretend to be human?

Hinoka looked up, her wings bristling a little. “...I thought I answered that…”

“...no...” Catria shook her head. “No you really didn’t...is it something to do with your parents?”

“...I...can’t fly…” Hinoka muttered. “I’m...I’m a...shame to...to my species…” Hinoka’s wings drooped and she sighed. “...I’m too small…”

“...ah.” Catria shrugged. “Never really got the whole ‘shame’ thing...sorry you feel that way, though. Flying isn’t everything though. It’s...well, okay, it is necessary to navigate our cities and stuff but it’s not really a mark on character...”

“It’s a pretty big body image thing too, sis,” Est reminded her.

“Indeed. Wings should at least be able to hold someone up,” Clair said with a shrug. “Anything else is useless and unappealing.”

“Thanks, that helps her a lot,” Palla said sarcastically.

Clair gasped and shook her head. “No no no, I didn’t mean anything by it I mean-...I-...” She looked at the whitewings, pleading for a little help.

Catria sighed. “What my girlfriend meant is that that’s how society generally views wings. Nonfunctional wings aren’t glamorous and aren’t exactly demeaned but aren’t appreciated or celebrated. There’s also a tad of envy in there cause those with smaller wings have an easier time sleeping, driving, and generally being in human society...It’s complicated and stuff.” She paused. “...huh I kinda explained it to myself there...dunno why I didn’t think of it like that before.”

Hinoka sighed and shrugged. “...I guess…” She stood and grabbed her bandages. “Well, I...shouldn’t linger around here…”

“Apologies for interrupting your workout, Deputy,” Clair said formally.

Hinoka just nodded, and pressed her wings close to her body and trying to bind them, and her chest again.

Clair suddenly blushed and turned around. “A-are you usually so indecent while you train?”

Hinoka chuckled and shrugged. “Depends...”

Palla raised an eyebrow. “Camilla’s lack of shame is spreading, it seems.”

“I date her...so…” Hinoka trailed off as she secured the bandages.”

“I’m aware...my girlfriend has told me...less than savory things about her.”

Hinoka frowned and crossed her arms. “Really? What as she told you?”

“Broken most social rules of her species, almost from the get-go. Also very abrasive.” Palla paused. “...I mean...those rules are somewhat strange but still. I respect her culture and she should probably respect her own.”

Est rolled her eyes.

Hinoka snorted and closed her eyes. “Do you actually know about her culture? Her culture says emotions are bad! How do you respect that?!?”

“By keeping my mouth shut and not offending the woman I love,” Palla said. “How would you feel if someone walked up to you and started making fun of Hoshidian culture?”

Hinoka stepped forward. “Even if that means she has to be half a person because humans are assholes? There’s a difference in antiquated traditions and not fucking feelings anything! I’ve met your girlfriend, and she’s a bit of bitch.”

Palla walked up to her and flared her wings out, glaring down at her. “Say that again.”

The other two whitewings rushed forward. “Palla, no!” Est said

“Your girlfriend, the great Admiral Minerva, is a bit of a bitch,” Hinoka repeated, not backing down from Palla. “She traipsed on this ship and dragged Camilla around like it was some kind of damn honor to be in her presence, told her what she felt, who she is, is inappropriate like she stripped naked and danced through the damn corridors!”

Palla seethed with rage...and then turned and punched a wall. “...you’re lucky I’m lowkey terrified of you...ow. I think I just broke my hand...”

“I’m standing by what I said,” Hinoka said. “Fight me if you want.”

“You’re the deputy. No matter how much you make my blood boil, I wouldnt dare hurt you.”

“At least I stand up for the women I love...I punched a general to get here,” Hinoka said with a shrug.

“You’re a princess, you can get away with those kinds of things,” Palla said with a handwave.”

“Or maybe you’re just too big of a wimp to actually stand for anything.”

“Stop trying to fight everyone,” Camilla called from the door.

“Yes, Captain,��� Palla said. Her wings drooped. “My apologies, deputy. And I apologize for demeaning you. And for the actions of my girlfriend, if those offended you as well.”

Camilla dismissed Palla’s apologizes with a hand wave and walked forward to face Hinoka. “Hinoka,” she said darkly.

Hinoka crossed her arms. “No.”

Camilla’s expression didn’t change, but her scales shifted towards a darker shade. She grabbed Hinoka by the neck and dragged her in front of Palla, forcing her into a bowing position. “Say it.”

“Kinky,” Catria said in an aside to Clair.

Hinoka squirmed, then sighed. “Alright...I apologize for insulting your girlfriend, Admiral Minerva, and yourself. Please forgive me.”

There was a heavy pause, Palla looked shocked. Then she nodded and said, “...I forgive you.” Then she looked up at Camilla. “...what are you doing here? I am at fault. And...again, I’m sorry for my comments about your modesty.”

Camilla shook her head. “No no, you’re fine,” she said with a gentle smile as she released her deputy. Hinoka stumbled backward and rubbed the back of her neck. “I apologize for the actions of my deputy, she should know better.”

Hinoka shied away as Camilla leaned down towards her, nodding a little.

“...In all fairness, I provoked her, kinda?” Est said. “I pointed out her wings, and that got this whole awkward situation started.”

“Isn’t what you just did a conduct violation?” Clair said.

Camilla just shrugged. “My ship, I do what I want. If that means my higher officers respecting the crew, then I’ll do so whatever way I like.”

Hinoka chuckled and shrugged. “She’s...yeah...that…”

“...I’m just going to say I’m glad I don’t work your shift and leave it at that,” Catria said. “Y’know...fragile bones...actually I’m surprised you didn’t shatter Hinoka’s neck, are her bones stronger than ours?”

“Yes,” Hinoka spoke up. “Not as strong as humans or...Nohrians...but stronger than fullwings…”

“Huh. Interesting.” Palla said.

Camilla shrugged. “I’m used to doing it?” She paused and looked away. “...oh shit that makes me sound abusive…”

“She’s just a physical person, she doesn’t mean any harm.”

Palla nodded. “I see. Minerva is too...Gentle but forceful I guess?”

Hinoka shrugged. “I guess that’s just how Nohrians are…?”

“Probably. We should ask Felicia about that...”

“Yeah maybe.” Hinoka paused. “Minerva ever...uh...broken your wrist by accident during…” Hinoka trailed off. “Or is mine just an ass…?”

“...no but she shattered my foot trying to dance once...the first few times Minerva was extremely stiff though. Not..in that way, more trying a bit too hard to be careful.”

Hinoka flinched and shook her head. “Ow...that’s gonna hurt. Camilla does when she...gets ahead of herself. But every time after it she gets the same way.”

Hinoka put a hand on Palla’s shoulders, gesturing for her to follow to the med bay to look at her hand...and continue talking about the experience of dating a Nohrian.

“...did we just witness an enemies-to-friends turn in less than five minutes?” Clair asked to nobody in particular.

“I think we did…” Camilla muttered. “...fliers are weird…”

“Everyone’s weird,” Est said with a shrug.

Everyone just nodded.