capitano-ale · 2 years ago
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walkingstackofbooks · 6 months ago
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The Garashir wedding: Lower Decks style
Mariner's called into her mom's office. Freeman informs her that something very special but currently classified is going to be happening in the next week, and she knows Mariner is going on leave tomorrow, but she might want to consider postponing it. Mariner declines - "Nah, my thing is more important".
Mariner and Rutherford are left at the space station to go on leave. It transpires that Mariner has been invited to Julian's wedding, and taking Rutherford as her plus one because Julian Bashir is one of his heroes. (augment-cyborg solidarity, anyone?)
Boimler, Tendi and T'Lyn are all trying to find out what the mission they're being sent on is. Boimler reports that Shakx seems pretty unhappy. Tendi suggests it's just because T'Ana has apparently discovered a drink she prefers more than Bajoran springwine.
Mariner and Rutherford encounter Hijinks and Troubles as they try to hitchhike their way to the wedding.
Freeman is stressing over what to wear for the occasion and has dragged Ransom in. Dress uniform, obviously, but can she get away with accessorising a little? And if so, how? She doesn't want to be a regular Starfleet officer, she wants to be a cool Starfleet officer. ("I literally cannot help you I don't even know what we're doing because you STILL haven't TOLD me." "It's classified." "You told Shakx!" "Have you tried keeping a secret from Shakx? He's terrifying!" "I can be terrifying!" "Nice try, Jack... Is a scarf too much do you think?")
Mariner and Rutherford have managed to trade his engineering abilities in exchange for passage on a merchant ship. Unfortunately, he is too good, and the ship now want to keep him.
Boimler is on navigation. They're approaching their destination but Freeman still wants the information to be known only to Bridge crew for as long as possible. (Boimler: "But what are we doing on--" Freeman: "Shh. Even the walls have ears, you know.")
The merchant ship have arrived and reluctantly agree to let Mariner and Rutherford go. They change into their fancy wedding stuff ready to be transported down. They are in the middle of a desert. "Screw you!" Mariner shouts uselessly at the sky.
Boimler is in the mess with Tendi and T'Lyn. Boimler is sweating profusely and tapping anxiously on the table. He cannot keep a secret this big. Tendi looks at him curiously. "Why do you keep tapping out "Cardassia" in Morse Code?" she asks, just at the moment when the room has gone silent. All eyes are on Boimler.
Mariner and Rutherford are hot, sweaty, bedraggled and exhausted. The doorkeeper reluctantly lets them in. "It's just started," he says. They sit down quietly in the back. Rutherford think his UT is playing up. "Did they just wish them many happy arguments?" he whispers.
Captain Freeman is nervously playing with her red scarf. "I wouldn't wear that if I were you," Ransom says. "I hear his reputation is quite formidable." Someone gestures that she's up.
We see her begin to walk out, and begin the "Since the days of the first wooden vessels, all shipmasters have had one happy privilege..." speech. The happy couple have their backs to us, and are silhouetted.
The camera zooms further back, and we are now at the back of the building. "Mom?" Mariner whispers to Rutherford.
We finally get to see the couple's faces as the camera pans back to Freeman and looks over her shoulder. Julian and Garak are facing each other. "...Of course, the legal part of this marriage has just been taken care of by the Cardassians -- but it is my privilege to bring this very human tradition to a Cardassian wedding ceremony and tell you that, Julian, you may kiss your husband."
Garak and Julian smile at each other, but the camera cuts away to the crowd. Federation guests are clapping and cheering; the Cardassians tend to be trying to avoid eye contact with anyone else in their vicinity.
We cut to the reception. Mariner's asking Julian "It all seemed so... Federation? Even the Cardassian bit?" Julian shrugs. "When you end up making every compromise in the book in the name of interstellar relations, it turns out all you get is a nondescript, bureaucratic service." He winks. "This is going to be when the fun starts."
Garak is complimenting Freeman on her scarf, and we can see in her face that she is totally lording it over Jack. Garak returns to his husband. "But you hated that scarf?" whispers Julian. "The things I do for diplomacy," replied Garak sorrowfully.
T'Ana is downing Kanar like it's nothing in the background to Shakx's distinct disapproval.
Mariner's managed to sneak Boimler, Tendi and T'Lyn into the party. "I can't believe we could have just come on the Cerritos," she moans, "but anyway, go wild."
Of course, her deeply uncool friends go wild by fangirling over their DS9 idols. At the end of that montage, Rutherford finally gets the chance to say "Thankyouforallyou'vedonefortheaugmentcommunityDoctorBashir". It's sweet.
Aaand endings are hard so sorry, I don't have one to neatly wrap this all up 😅 I will leave it to your wonderful imaginations.
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bumblebeehug · 1 month ago
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A Way Into Your Heart
Summary: After a friendly night out, Natsu and Lucy connect under the street lights. Notes: I just wanted to write about them kissing. I have no other excuse for not writing on my last nalu week fanfic - I just wanted them to smooch for ten pages, so that's what I did! Ao3
***
Lucy was feeling hot. She was currently mushed between a fire dragon slayer and a very sweaty Ichya at the bar. The Fairy Tail guild had been invited to yet another event that they didn't deserve to go to. Even if they helped save Christina from getting destroyed by enemies, the town beneath the flying ship hadn't been as lucky. Still, Blue Pegasus were persistent that they had to thank Fairy Tail, so here they all were, crammed into a semi big pub in the outskirts of Magnolia, drinking and celebrating yet another victory.
"You okay?" Natsu leaned towards Lucy and whispered in her ear. The blast of hot air made Lucy sweat.
"It's weird that he doesn't smell bad," Lucy complained, adding a slight nod towards Ichya. As she glanced towards him she noticed that he was flaring his nostrils and bending towards her. She could only cringe. "He's smelling me…"
Natsu poked his head forward and gave Ichya a menacing stare. Sadly, Ichya was far too drunk to care. When Natsu's tactic to scare him away didn't work, he slid off the bar stool and pulled Lucy away.
"That creep," he muttered, placing a protective arm over Lucy's shoulders. "How hasn't he gotten locked up yet?"
Lucy let out a small giggle.
"It's not against the law to be weird. Plus, he's dating my great grandmother, he can't be that crazy."
Natsu huffed in response.
"Don't brag 'bout having a weirdo family tree."
Lucy stuck out her tongue. No matter how close they got, or how long their friendship lasted, Natsu would never stop calling her that. She wouldn't be surprised if he wrote R.I.P. Weirdo on her headstone one day.
On another note, Lucy was craving a new drink. She had only gotten halfway on her previous one since Natsu pulled her away, so after some coercion she got him to pay for her new one.
"I'll get us some seats," she said, pushing him back towards the bar, along with a small prayer that he wouldn't get carried away and confront Ichya. That could only lead to the fire alarm going off, best case, or worst, the bar turning into ashes, which would definitely ruin the festive mood. After scanning the tables she noticed a table for two where one guy had fallen asleep. The many empty beer glasses in front of him indicated that his night out was coming to an end. Lucy threaded over to him, careful not to bump into anyone with a drink in their hand. A sticky dress wasn't pleasant.
"Excuse me, sir?" Lucy spoke loudly in hope that he hadn't fallen asleep just yet. After a couple of pokes he finally looked at her. "Sir, could my friend and I use this table?"
The man looked like he was going through the worst kind of drunk — the kind where he'll wake up the next morning in a bush with his pants halfway down, wondering why his lip is hurting and soon learning that some other drunk guy tried to pierce it with a safety pin. He had left a puddle of drool on the table in front of him, and it was obvious that Lucy's words didn't connect. They had gone in through one ear and out the other. Still, she tried again, being sure to keep her distance, just in case.
"Could we have this table?" She shouted this time, finally hearing her own voice over the myriad of others. That seemed to go through to the man as well.
"Y-yearh…" he slurred, slowly standing up from the chair, knocking down multiple glasses in the process. Good thing they were plastic and not glass. "Hu… here ya' go sweetie…"
Lucy smiled politely as thanks. She wasn't exactly scared of drunk people — most of them were quite kind, and she knew that if anything were to happen, she'd have two guilds and all her spirits to back her up. Still, she preferred to not start a commotion. Natsu didn't have a reputation for staying calm and collected when people bothered her.
Luckily the guy left before Natsu came with the drinks. The table itself was disgusting, but it was nice not having to sit all crammed in between people in the bar. Besides, a waitress was quick to spot them, wiping down the table and bringing the used glasses with her.
"One pornstar martini for you," Natsu said, placing a pretty reddish orange drink in front of her, "and a whiskey on the rocks for me." Lucy smiled brightly.
"Thanks!" She picked up the rounded martini glass and held it up. "Here's a toast then, for a free drink!"
"And for finding a table," Natsu added, picking up his glass as well.
"And for Christina!"
"And toast to another victory for Fairy Tail!"
"Hear hear," Lucy said, giving Natsu's glass a small clink before finally tasting her drink. It was a delicious blend of sweet passion fruit, mixed with vanilla vodka and a splash of lime. She let out a squeak in delight — few things made her happier than an alcoholic drink where she couldn't taste the alcohol. They may be dangerous, but she saw no joy in consuming drinks with that bitter spiciness. "This is delicious! What's it called, did you say?"
"Pornstar martini!" Natsu leaned slightly over the table to ensure that he was heard.
"What a vulgar name…" Lucy muttered under her breath, confirming to Natsu that she had heard him. It sure was convenient that he had that excellent hearing — way less shouting. "How was yours?"
"Pretty good," Natsu said, "wanna taste?"
Lucy couldn't resist the offer. She knew she wouldn't enjoy it herself, but after drinking with Natsu for a few years, she learned that different whiskeys had different tastes. Some were quite sweet and fruity, others had nutty notes. With a tiny sip from this glass, she learned that he had gotten his favourite kind — the one with spicy and smoky notes. She made a face.
"Bleh! It's your type of drink, alright," she confirmed, sticking out her tongue to lessen the strong taste. The most she could enjoy whiskey was if it was as a highball or a whiskey sour — she avoided straight on the rocks as the plague. Luckily, she always had Natsu to drink them for her if she was served any.
"What an ugly face!" Natsu laughed, snickering at her scrunched facial expression.
"It's unnatural to be calm after drinking something like that," she countered with a sour face, trying to hide the smile in the corner of her mouth. "At least my drink resembles something edible instead of sharing more similarities with gasoline than a drink." This time Natsu was the one to poke out his tongue.
"Let me taste yours then," he dared her.
"Fine." She slid her drink over, watching him take a sip.
"Too sweet," Natsu said, contorting his face to further prove his point. "It's just sugar! Makes my teeth feel icky."
"It's not just sugar! It's fruity and sour and has that perfect amount of vanilla flavour to it. Don't pride yourself in having uncultured taste buds."
They always ended up bantering like this when they shared drinks, but Lucy found it to be pleasant banter. The kind she remembered when she woke up the next morning, earning a giggle, thinking of all the fun retorts that had been said. She knew that Natsu shared her sentiment, not letting his soft facial expressions go past her. Even when he tried to rile her up by blowing raspberries and feigning annoyed sighs, she could see how his eyes were squinted together into a constant smile. She never felt like she had to second guess their friendship.
Four drinks and three shots later, they decided it was time to head back to Lucy's apartment. Natsu wasn't as much of a lightweight as Lucy, but even he felt the effects from having one too many vanilla vodka shots. Plus, the constant blush on Lucy's face and her jokes that were gradually getting flirtier were enough for Natsu to close the tab for the night.
He stood up from his chair and swiftly helped Lucy up as well. She was still giggling at a joke she had said ten minutes earlier and was swaying like crazy once she stood up. As the pub was still crowded, Natsu held a tight and steady arm around her as they made their way to Makarov and Bob's table. Even though he'd never let anything bad happen on the way home, he felt like it was good to inform them that they were leaving.
"Natsu," Lucy called out, squirming around in his grip around her, trying to face his ear. "Doesn't Master Bob's head look like a chestnut?" She whispered silently, making sure not to be heard by anyone other than him. When her lips accidentally brushed against Natsu's earlobe he felt a violent shiver – a pleasant, but violent shiver throughout his body.
"I wouldn't tell him that though," Natsu answered, leading to a new fit of giggles from Lucy. After all, he agreed with her statement.
After giving the supposed responsible adults a heads up, Natsu could finally lead Lucy out of the premises. The cool night breeze was heavenly after having breathed the same air as at least a hundred other drunkards for hours. Some fresh air was precisely what Lucy seemed to need as well, since she sobered up quite a bit from just stepping outside. She was still clearly loopy, but at least she wasn't laughing like a crazy person anymore.
"Finally, some air!" Lucy exclaimed, stretching the one arm that wasn't glued to Natsu's upper body. He still hadn't let go of her – for all he knew, she could have been too drunk to walk straight. Though as soon as he noticed that that wasn't the case, he lightened his grip around her, settling for resting his arm over her shoulder. That way she wouldn't be out of reach if she stumbled and fell.
"Our friends really know how to party," Natsu said with a big grin. He really loved having fun with everyone – it was an unparalleled bonding experience in his eyes.
"Yeah they do," Lucy giggled, resting her head against Natsu's shoulder. "By the way, who won the shot contest before?"
"Cana 'fcourse."
"But she wasn't in the contest," she puzzled, furrowing her eyebrows in an attempt to piece it all together.
"You think she cared 'bout that?"
"Ah, of course not."
They continued walking in silence for a while. The pub they had been to was on the opposite side of Magnolia, though luckily Lucy's place was pretty much right in the middle. They hadn't walked on this side of Strawberry Street in a long time – last time must have been back when Lucy, Natsu and Happy had just formed a team and Natsu and Happy had taken her sightseeing in the city. Most stores and pubs were between Fairy Tail and Lucy's apartment though, so on this side there were mostly residents. Still, the river was as thrilling as always to a drunk Lucy. She managed to slither her way out of his grip four times, attempting to balance the ledge. Natsu, however, absolutely couldn't let her do that. He wasn't sober enough to tend to her like he usually could, so the risks were too high.
"Come on," she whined after being caught again, giving the o an emphasis. "I've never fallen in, you know that!"
"Yeah well that's 'cus I always catch ya'!"
Before Lucy could slip out of his half embrace for the fifth time, Natsu took a firm grip of her hand. Rough in his motion, he brought their hands up in front of her face, making sure she saw him holding on tightly.
"I'm not letting ya' go this time." His eyebrows weighed heavily on his eyelids as he tried to emphasise his annoyance with her. Of course, he wasn't actually annoyed, but if he looked like he was joking, Lucy would just giggle and continue struggling. He'd gone through this before.
Lucy wasn't blind. She saw the smirk in the corner of his mouth, but she decided to follow his lead this time.
"Fiiine." She quickly stuck out her tongue at him before she looked forward again. They had already gotten quite far, they'd be home in just under ten minutes.
It only took a couple of steps before Natsu softened his grip around Lucy's hand. With the new motion range she'd received, she swiftly changed the position, braiding her fingers into his. Another couple of steps and she felt a soft caress against the back of her hand. Natsu's rough, warm thumb, rhythmically moving. His hand was warm, she noticed. Well, of course it would be. It was Natsu after all. She rarely held colder hands, other than Levy's now and then when they were sharing excitement over a new book arriving in their library. Levy's hands however were small and soft, nothing like Natsu's. She was once again made aware of the fact that he wasn't just another girlfriend she hung out with – he was a man. Broad shoulders, big square hands, feet several sizes bigger than hers. Most days she wore heels, but when they were in her apartment, only socks on their feet, she noticed that she had to bend her neck a little bit further back when talking to him. He wasn't the tallest man, but he was over half a head taller than her.
Even with the cool breeze outside she felt her cheeks getting warm. She'd blame it on the booze if he asked her, but she knew very well that she was getting flustered. Natsu was a really cool guy after all, chiselled features and fierce, fiery eyes.
To distract herself she started swinging their hands. It started out mild, but soon enough she noticed Natsu was in on it and the swinging motion rapidly became comically big. Since Natsu didn't hold back on his strength he almost lifted Lucy up in the air on the upswing.
"Eeeek!" Lucy's high pitched shriek left Natsu in a fit of snickers, though he stopped swinging his arm.
Lucy had to find her balance again. Even if she wasn't wearing her highest heels, the ones she wore were thin and extremely wobbly on the cobblestoned path.
"To think that you'd be the one who would try to throw me in the river, out of all people," she teased, leaning her weight on him.
"Thought ya' wanted the lesson," he countered, leaning back. He couldn't help but love Drunk Lucy's cravings to be physically close. She never declined holding his hand or hugging him when she was tipsy, hell, she usually begged for cuddles. Though, to be fair, he hadn't exactly tried to hold her hand very often while sober, either, so she wasn't the one to blame for that.
Just then Lucy saw a familiar brick wall in the distance, dimly lit up by the sparsely placed street lights surrounding the area.
"Hey, we're home!" She started picking up the pace, eager to wash up and surround herself with her warm blankets. Soon they were in front of the building, and Lucy started digging for her keys in her purse. She just managed to get the key into the door before she turned around to say something to Natsu.
As soon as she spun her head around though, she got stopped in her tracks. Whatever she just wanted to say flew straight out of her head. He looked gorgeous. His hair was a bit messy from the long night, and his usual styled bang was hanging down over his forehead. The light from the street lamp behind him, made his hair lit up like a halo around him. And his face, she couldn't recall a time he had looked at her this softly. His lips were curved into a gentle, mild smile, and his eyes were practically sparkling. For a second it looked like he was going to say something, but it seemed like he had stopped himself mid thought. Instead his head tilted the slightest to its left, gaining an observing gaze. He was thinking of something, and she couldn't quite tell what.
Lucy looked like a puppy, Natsu realised. Her eyes resembled gemstones, glimmering between a deep chestnut colour and a lighter amber tone. He could stare at them all night, though, sooner or later she would probably want to go to sleep. For now though she had this questioning look to her. She was smiling, but her eyebrows were slightly raised, as if she was inviting him to ask her anything – tell her anything. He almost felt dizzy looking at her, her hair was giving this golden sheen, her skin looked airbrushed with that pinkish blush on the apples of her cheeks. She was angelic. Before he had noticed, he was hovering slightly over her. Had he gone a centimetre closer their noses would have bumped together.
Suddenly he got this urge. A question he had to ask her, something he'd never let pass his lips if he had taken one less whiskey tonight.
"Can I kiss you?"
The air between them stood still. In fact, they could swear the time stood still as well. Lucy was processing his words, and Natsu was waiting for an answer. A yes, a smile, even half a nod would suffice. And there it was. Lucy had wetted her lips.
She barely had time to take a breath before Natsu crashed his mouth against hers. For some reason she was surprised – she thought the moment had called for a soft, fluttery kiss, but soon her surprise was drowned in awe. After all, this was her very first kiss. She wanted to be in the moment. The initial crash had been the most forceful part. Natsu quickly adapted, moulding his lips against hers with a soft motion to it. One of his hands had been cupping her cheek when he first brought his face to hers, and now his other hand was on her waist, pulling her entire body closer to his.
Lucy, who felt like she was melting under his hot touch, was quick to wrap her arms around his neck in an attempt to hoist herself up, getting tangled up in his scarf. His mouth was burning hot, but just cool enough for her not to want to pull away, and at the edge of his lips she could feel his stubble scratching her. How could they have waited so long to do this?
She hadn't yet gotten the hang of breathing while kissing yet though, so soon she had to pat out. While panting for air, she noticed that Natsu was still bent over, giving light pecks on her cheek, continuing down, kissing a trail along her jaw. As he neared her ear he gave her a nibble, earning a giggle that could easily have been confused with a gasp to someone with an untrained ear. She could feel her entire body tingling, every fluttery graze from Natsu's lips leaving her with goosebumps. Did he know the effect this had on her? That she couldn't help but to get confused about what their relationship was currently. What were they doing?
When Natsu noticed that Lucy had catched her breath, he picked his head up from being buried in her neck. The eyes he earlier had compared to a puppy's glimpse, were now darkened in a seductive gaze. Her rosy, now plump, lips were slightly parted as an aftereffect of her panting, and he suddenly had to know what they tasted. They looked so soft, no – they were evidently soft, so certainly they had to be sweet as well. Her lip gloss, though smudged from him having mushed it around, made her look appetising.
Once again Natsu closed their distance, though this time he left his mouth slightly open. He just wanted to see if those lips really were as sweet as they looked. Lucy, who still was in a daze, having closed her eyes to invite him to further action, suddenly became aware of what he was doing. Natsu's tongue brushed over Lucy's bottom lip. She could feel her heartbeat pick up – she had never felt another person's tongue on her mouth. That didn't mean she didn't like it: if anything she wanted to do the same to him. Lick him, see what sensations he could give her, what she could give him.
On accident, Lucy's tongue met Natsu's. She was about to retreat it back into her mouth when she felt Natsu's tongue enter her mouth completely. The bodily reactions she had to his action was like nothing she had ever felt before – hadn't she known better, she would think she was about to get eaten. Devoured by the lust that had taken over their brains. Natsu tasted like smoke and whiskey, and she wondered if he could feel the aftertaste of the drinks she had had as well. Lucy quickly decided that she couldn't just be on the receiving side. She brought her hands to his head, did a combing motion through his hair that almost stopped Natsu in his tracks, and when he no longer dominated their combined mouthspace, Lucy pushed forward her own tongue. She started exploring his mouth, examining every single part of that grin that she found in all her happiest dreams. This was Natsu, no frowns, no barriers, nothing that kept space between them. They were melting together into one.
Natsu had been caught off guard when Lucy's slender fingers started combing through his hair. A motion he had always connected to being soothed while motion sick, was now edging him on, giving him the extra courage to go all in. As Lucy's tongue searched around in his mouth, feeling the sharp canines with its tip, Natsu started sucking hers in retaliation. Kissing reminded him of sparring, in a way – a balance between fighting for the upper hand and learning to give up when the other clearly was winning.
Their arms had been flailing around for the past five minutes, tugging and pulling at their partner. Lucy was busy holding on to Natsu's shoulders, sometimes trailing down to rest on his chiselled chest, but mostly finding themselves back around Natsu's face – cupping his cheeks, getting her fingers tangled up in his soft hair, drawing small circles on the back of his neck, all things that made Natsu feel like he was going insane. How could her soft touches have such huge impacts? But he absolutely wasn't complaining, he was soaking everything up, wanting to remember every detail. He was totally wrapped around her finger.
Lucy shared his sentiment, as Natsu's hands had been trailing down her waist, sometimes staying there in a massaging motion, sometimes going down further to grip her hips. Then she found him going back up again, cupping her face, bringing her so close that not an atom could pass by. She was obsessed. He was pressing his entire body against her, even putting a leg between hers, resulting in a very embarrassing moan from Lucy.
This entire time that they had been kissing, Lucy hadn't heard a single thing, being so wrapped up in their actions and in her own headspace. When she suddenly let her voice out, it was as if the bubble that had been around them burst. She could only take another few seconds of their smacking and panting, before she had to pull away.
"Oh my god, Natsu," she breathed, taking in the scene of the man in front of her. He, too, was panting, but had the air of being able to continue for eternity. His eyes looked even darker than usual, like they were in this limbo of determination and lust. He seemed to be waiting for her to continue talking. "We're still outside."
She almost smiled when she heard how stupid she sounded. Being outside wasn't the problem – kissing her best friend in a drunk haze was. Natsu seemed like he hadn't even considered the consequences of what they were doing. He just smirked as he answered.
"Then we'll go in." His voice was huskier than it had been earlier this night. Like a switch had flipped and some instincts were speaking, deep from his soul. Those words were all it took for Lucy to swing the port open from behind, falling back into the dim hallway that led up to her apartment's front door. Natsu immediately kissed her again, while simultaneously struggling to get the keys out of the keyhole. When he did manage, however, he didn't hesitate a second to hoist Lucy up so she was straddling his lower stomach. Lucy was quick on the notes, wrapping her legs around him so she wouldn't slide down when he carried them up the stairs.
As soon as they went through the door and threw off their shoes, Lucy jumped down from him. The kiss, that had been deep on their way up – lots of tongue and saliva, was interrupted as she took his hand and headed straight for the bed. Natsu was walking slightly behind, worshipping the sway of her hips and her sculpted back underneath that flowy red dress. He would have kneeled, hadn't he been following her footsteps towards his version of heaven – Lucy's bed, with Lucy in it.
The apartment wasn't big, so it took ten steps to stand in front of the bed. Lucy turned around, and Natsu's breath was once again taken away. He wanted to treasure her like gold, yet at the same time he wanted every piece of her. He wanted the privilege to touch her, feel her, know her. And as Lucy's lips turned upwards into a smile, he knew that she was allowing him. So he brought her face close again, accidentally bumping their foreheads together, like they had done many times before, and then he closed his eyes and gave her the softest peck on her lips he could manage. Their first kiss, outside of the apartment, had been rough and clumsy, experimental even. Now he just revelled in being allowed to feel those soft, warm lips that had been plumped up by his own doing.
And after that first peck, he gave her one again. Then a third time. Then he slowly brought them down on the bed, and then Lucy took the lead again. She figured that they could do a mixed style of kissing – no major tongue events, no extra saliva, but also no pecking. She held her mouth half open, sort of closing off any attempted entrance Natsu might want to do with his tongue, and instead softening her lips and tongue, making the make out style deep, but gentle. Natsu was of course quick on the notes and followed her lead, liking the mood it set between them. No crazy panting, no feelings of rushing, just them, there, kissing.
Now, even if Lucy could have done this all night, she realised something important. More important than the half-way relationship they had created this last half hour. Yes, she realised she was lying in bed with outdoor clothes. The realisation made her still, prompting Natsu to pause the kissing. He was still hovering over her, though their legs had tangled together, and now that he wasn't kissing her he realised Lucy's skirt had ridden up quite high. He swooped her sweaty bangs to the side.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"We have to strip," Lucy said, crawling out of his grip and up, walking to her dresser.
"What?"
"Oh, Natsu, come on. Think! We've been to the pub in these clothes, it's disgusting!" Before Natsu could even register the fact that she first of all hadn't implied what he thought she implied, and then register that he had to change out of his clothes, Lucy had switched her dress to a night gown and taken off her jewellery.
"Right," he mumbled, surprised that Lucy was so composed, despite their situation. He certainly didn't feel composed. "Are my sweatpants in the drawer?"
"Yeah," she said, picking them up and throwing them on the bed. She wanted to brush through her hair before going to sleep – it helped it stay tangle free during the night.
Natsu took off his scarf and unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing. He didn't mind undressing in front of Lucy, but after tonight he felt like it was odd. His life had just changed for the better, yet they still had to eat, sleep, brush their teeth, go to the toilet – change clothes. It would be much better if he could just kiss Lucy non-stop, for eternity.
As he changed out of his dress pants and into his sweatpants, Lucy took a glance at him. He looked like a God with his physique, the perfect muscle definition and the tan he had left from the summer – she wanted to feel every crevice. Normally, she would have shaken off the thought and made some tea to cool her head off, but with alcohol in her blood and with the current situation, she allowed herself to be bold. She snuck up behind him, though she knew he could probably hear her footsteps. With a soft touch, she felt the dip where his spine was buried with muscle – starting at his neck and slowly following it down to his lower back, stopping once she felt the curve change from convex to concave.
She had never seen him this turned on. The entire room felt electric, and when she looked up from his back, she saw that he was watching her in his peripherals. It only took him a second to turn around and lock himself to her lips, and this time she was practically thrown onto the bed. He was eating her, lightly pulling at her bottom lip until he once again dove down in her mouth. If the previous kissing had been gentle and kind, this was the heavy stuff. A string of saliva connected their mouths when they pulled apart for a second, like it was telling them to get back in again. And they obeyed.
Natsu's hands were roaming Lucy's body, no longer stopping at the friendly zones. Her nightgown showed so much skin that he would have thought she wore it to seduce him, hadn't he known better. Luckily, that meant easy access to grab a handful of her ass, earning an airy moan from Lucy.
She, too, was busy feeling Natsu up. She consistently held him close to feel as every muscle on his back was working. When she felt company at his groin being rubbed up against her, she once again felt her voice slip out, though this time she stifled it by clawing at his back. That only seemed to edge him on more though, since the accidental rubbing started feeling more intentional.
Natsu started kissing Lucy's neck again, though this time he didn't leave dry, fluttery kisses, but rather a wet trail of saliva as his tongue travelled down towards her collar bones. Lucy felt like she was floating – he was warm, made her sweaty, yet he gave her goosebumps like he was paid for each shiver, searching everywhere on her body to earn a new one. As he settled on a spot right below her collarbone, just where the flesh of her breast started, she felt a sucking sensation. He was grabbing the skin in the area with his teeth, and Lucy wasn't sure if it was painful or the best feeling ever – perhaps a mix of both.
"God, Natsu," she breathed, feeling her voice waver as one of his hands held her waist tight.
Natsu, who must have decided that his hickey was finished, hoisted himself up. Lucy suspected he was having a hard time holding himself back, the sheen on his temples and his puzzled eyes giving it away. Without a word they seemed to have agreed to take a breather, Natsu leaning himself against the window while trying to compose himself, Lucy throwing her legs over the edge of the bed to gather her thoughts as well.
Though the silence was loud now that the room wasn't filled with their smacking and panting, it wasn't uncomfortable. It was ambiguous worst case, which Lucy didn't associate with bad.
"Look, I…" Lucy started, turning her head to face Natsu's. "I don't have any condoms."
Her face immediately turned red once she said it, and she regretted having turned to look at Natsu's reaction. His eyes widened and his mouth fell agape – had her implication been that horrible?
"Now that'cha mention it, me neither."
He laughed. Slowly at first, but when Lucy joined in they fell into giggles. It wasn't the end of the world, so there were no hard feelings. Though Natsu had a hard feeling that he had to deal with… He'd have to do it quietly in the bathroom before they went to bed.
Lucy turned around properly to look at Natsu again.
"I think we should… talk. About this." She looked serious again, but not in a stern or menacing way. "It's not that I don't want to do it. I do." Her face was blushing, but she continued speaking. "I just don't think it's a terrible idea to wait. At least until we're sober?"
Natsu nodded. Of course he could wait, he wasn't exactly fond of the idea of going all the way when they were this drunk and naive. He wanted her to feel into it, for her to be able to call their first night special.
"Yeah, let's do that. Should we go brush our teeth?"
Lucy let out a tired giggle.
"Yeah, I need some water as well."
As soon as they went back to bed, they realised that they didn't want to stop kissing just yet. After all, once you got the hang of it, it turned out to be easy to replicate.
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ronance4everbrainrot · 3 months ago
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More little incorrect quotes from Descendants with CharmingHeart/Glassheart.
(and other ships)
Red: Amore, what does IDK, ILY, and TTYL mean?
Chloe: I don���t know, I love you, talk to you later.
Red: Alright, I love you too, I'll ask someone else.
Chloe: Wait- Red, no-
(Red didn't really know much about texting)
---
Red: A person can really hear themselves think out here.
Red’s mind: Did you leave the door unlocked? Does your mother actually love you!? WILL YOU DIE ALONE!?
Red: Well, that was a mistake.
(Beginners mistake, Red. You'll get there..)
---
Chloe: Okay, but what if we went to dinner not as friends this time?
Red: AS ENEMIES?!
Chloe:
(Chloe doesn't know if she wants to laugh or cry)
---
Red: That was so hot, Chloe.
Chloe: I literally called the person who just flirted with you a degenterate dog and told them I hope they get dragged through the streets.
Red: I'm so in love with you.
(Red loves this side of Chloe, when it's not directed at her)
---
Dizzy: Tell me a little about yourself.
Red: I'd rather not, I really like this group.
(Dizzy and Celia joined Red and Chloe's friend group. Dizzy is Chloe's cousin.)
---
Celia: Can I get a waffle?
Red and Chloe: *fighting and yelling at each other*
Celia: Can I p l e a s e get a waffle?
(Alternative Universe where there was no coup and Red and Chloe became roommates and get on each other's nerves a lot)
---
Red: Who wants to make fifty bucks?
Dizzy: How?
Red: I need someone to take the fall.
Celia: What did you do?
Red: I can't tell you. Yes or no, no questions asked.
Chloe, from the other room: Oh my god.
Red: ...
Chloe: OH MY GOD!
Celia and Dizzy: Make it a hundred.
Red: Deal.
(Same Universe as before)
---
*In a horror movie situation*
Dizzy: I've got no service in my phone here.
Chloe: Shoot, my battery just died.
Red: Sorry guys, I just broke my phone with a hammer.
Celia: Guys, my phone is a playing card.
(Damn. Bridget has been worry spamming her and Red couldn't take it anymore.)
---
Mal, to Evie: I mean, I get complimented all the time-
Carlos: *starts cackling*
Mal: I do!
Jay: *laughs harder*
(They love getting on her nerves)
---
Mal: A stake to the heart won't kill a vampire if their tits are big enough.
Carlos: Yeah, you just catch it.
Evie: Nah nah nah, deflects it. Stake? Just bounces right off. Done. Back to doing hot girl shit.
Jay: Then I just use a spear instead.
Mal: You are trying so hard to kill a vampire with big bazongas, and for what? Why would you do that to the ecosystem?
(Yeah Jay! Why? Like damn)
---
Jay: Who would you swipe right for? Audrey or Uma?
Mal: I would delete the app.
(Jay, stop. Evie and Mal just had a small fight. It's not a break up)
---
Jay: Mal and I are so close we even share a toothbrush.
Mal: We what?
(No Jay. Why. But true)
---
Mal: Do you love me?
Evie: We’re literally married.
Mal: Yeah, but as friends or—
(Mal, you're too insecure. Evie, kiss her insecurities away)
---
Mal: My dad has a spiked collar.
Mal: *dog
(wait let me fix this real quick)
Mal: My dog had a spiked collar when he was a teen.
Mal: *dad
(now)
---
Hope you like it.
Also I'm so glad I finally found other teenagers that Red and Chloe can hang out with other than their teen parents lol
Celia and Red would thrive
Ok byeeee
Edit:
I wanted to Google how old Celia and Dizzy were. I was thinking 12-13 and they are 13. And Red and Chloe are 16 but since there was a time skip from Descendants 3 to the Rise of Red. I thought they'd be the same age.
HOWEVER
The time skip was apparently 16 YEARS (which may have been mentioned at the beginning of the movie and I forgot. Idk) also that would mean Chloe and Red are born when descendants 3 ended or somewhere in that timespan. Damn.
Buuut I shall make Celia and Dizzy 16. Because I said so... We don't talk about the complications.
Ok byeee again
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brattyprettysub2 · 10 months ago
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New Underwear
All characters in this piece of fiction are role-playing adults.
I've started to write more in the realm of gender fuckery and misgendering and transphobia-adjacent kinks. I'll do my best to tag all stories along these lines as "gender play". Please remember fantasy is not reality, our kinks are not our politics, and trans rights are human rights <3
*
When I feel like a boy, Daddy makes me spread my legs wide so he can laugh at my little cock. "It's barely there, darling," he says. He flicks it and when I flinch and my legs twitch closer together, he makes me pull them back, up off the bed and open wide with my hands holding tight to the back of my knees. Daddy's shirtless and I want to touch him, want to rub my hands over his soft chest hair, but I'm a good boy and I keep my hands where Daddy told me to put them.
He pinches my cock between his fingers and tugs on it. "Such a little thing," he says, and pinches harder and harder and harder. "Gets a little bigger when it's all swollen," he says. "Maybe I should take a crop to it, see how big we can make it."
He lets go of it and I'm being such a good boy, still holding my legs like he told me, but he doesn't even say anything about it. My pussy's slick and he runs his fingers over it, even though I hate him touching me there when I'm a boy, even though I've asked him not to so many times. He presses his finger in just a little, just up to the first knuckle, and I whine at him. "Daddy, stop."
"You're so cute," he says, not moving his finger away. "Pretending you have a cock instead of a little clitty, it's adorable." He presses his finger deeper and leans forward to kiss me.
I read stories sometimes about boys, real boys, being told their cocks are too small. I like it when their cocks are called clits, but this is different. It's Daddy's way of reminding me that I don't have a proper cock like him.
Daddy pulls his finger out of me, so fast it makes me gasp, and he walks to the dresser. "I think you're too little to be showing off your cock like that," he says. He opens a drawer and starts looking through. "What if someone sees how small it is and laughs at you?" He looks at me with his mouth twisted in mock-sympathy. "I wouldn't want my little boy to start feeling self-conscious."
Even with the mean things he's saying, my tummy feels all warm and happy at being called his little boy. I pull my legs a little higher, a little wider. Cool air brushes over my wet pussy and it makes me shiver. I wonder if Daddy can see how wet it is. He likes to take pictures of my shiny pussy lips and show them to me. He likes to call me his wet little boy with a perfect pussy, and I don't know if it makes me feel good or bad, it just makes me feel squirmy.
Daddy pulls something from the dresser and returns to the bed. They're a pair of underwear, boxer briefs, I think, and they're blue, but I don't get a chance to see more than that before he's pulling my legs back down to the bed, pushing them together so he can pull the underwear over my feet. He drags them all the way up my legs. "Bum up," he says, and I plant my feet on the mattress to lift my hips for him. It feels like I'm shoving my pussy and cock in his face and it makes me blush.
Daddy smiles like he knows what I'm thinking and strokes my inner thighs as he pulls the underwear over them. "Slutty little boy," he murmurs. "Little cock all hard and asking for attention, pussy dripping wet."
He pats my bum once he gets the underwear on and I return to my original position, hands tucked behind my knees, legs up and open for him. The soft cotton underwear presses against my pussy, sticking to it. I finally get a good look at the underwear.
It's light blue, patterned with rocket ships and aliens. Underwear for little boys. Daddy pats my tummy. "There," he says, unzipping his pants and pulling his cock out. He kneels on the bed and thrusts his cock against the crotch of my underwear. It's thick and heavy, I can feel the weight of it on my little cock. "Nice and safe," Daddy says, leaning his weight forward, braced with one hand on the mattress. He wraps his other hand around his cock, his knuckles brushing against my much smaller one. "No one's gonna laugh at my little boy now."
When he comes all over the front of my new underwear, I can feel it seeping through the cotton, wet and sticky and warm. He cups my crotch and rubs it in. "Don't look so sad," he says, scooping come onto his fingers and pressing them into my mouth. "I know Daddy made a mess of your undies, but I've got lots more pairs for you. You'll never have to show off your baby cock again." He gets up, stretches his arms above his head, tucks his cock back into his jeans. "Which do you want, little one, trucks or duckies?"
*
Buy my books on Amazon
Buy my books on Smashwords
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goosewriting · 11 months ago
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Across the Galaxy and Beyond
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summary: some time after the Mantis crew split apart, Cal has an unexpected reunion with reader on Koboh
relationship: Cal Kestis x gn!reader
warnings: spoilers for Jedi Survivor, vague-ish mention of events from the Battle Scars book but i don't think it counts as a spoiler, hurt & comfort, flashbacks, kissing
word count: 8.9k 👀💧 ...i am unwell about this man what can i say
A/N: started writing this when i first started jedi survivor, and finally got around to finishing it now that i finished reading battle scars and the cal kestis brainworms are attacking me again. story doesn't follow the game exactly. also this could be read as a separate story from my wherever you go, i go trilogy, but i like to think it's the same reader and timeline lol so go read that if you haven't c:
Navigation: Part 1 (you’re here!) | Part 2 (wip)
(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)
— — — Part 1: Just like old times
After Cal's escape from Coruscant, the Mantis was pretty shredded. The main problem was the gyro, but upon entering Koboh's atmosphere, all systems started failing and the Jedi had to make an emergency landing somewhere on some cliffs. 
It took a lot of climbing and wall-jumping and fighting the aggressive local fauna, but after a couple of hours, Cal and BD finally made it to the outpost where Greez' cantina was located. On the way there he also encountered bandits who called themselves the Bedlam Raiders, as well as old Separatists battleships and battle droids, of all things. Just what has Greez got himself into?, Cal thinks to himself after saving a local from Rayvis, the leader of the Raiders, and outing himself as a Jedi in the process.
When Cal and BD finally enter Pyloon's Saloon, they meet with Greez. Since the Raiders have just been at the saloon (and the place doesn't look all too inviting either), there are no customers, so Cal and Greez catch up at the bar. The Latero is extremely happy to see the boy and his droid in one piece after all this time. Over a drink, the redhead tells him about the last job on Coruscant gone wrong, how only two of them made it out. He expresses his frustration, how the Empire is only growing stronger and everything he does feels pointless. Things haven't been easy since the Mantis crew split up. 
After catching up a little, Greez tells Cal that he has some spare parts and will take care of the ship. He'll send someone to bring the ship to the landing dock behind the saloon. In the meantime, he should take a breather and explore the outpost. Cal doesn't like feeling like he's wasting time, but with the state the Mantis is in, there really isn't much else he can do. 
The Latero shows him the room in the basement, telling Cal he can stay as long as he needs. Greez wasn't kidding when he said he had a room just for Cal: there was a meditation area in the middle of the round room, and even his old clothes and some unfinished tech projects were all stashed away in a big chest. 
They both sit down on the edge of the bed, and it doesn't take long for the conversation to take a direction Cal doesn't like. Not because what Greez is saying is wrong; on the contrary, he's probably right, but the redhead doesn't want to hear it. Not right now. Greez, in a genuinely concerned tone, goes on about how the game is rigged and Cal should walk away while he can, maybe even settle down somewhere. Cal lashes out for a moment, claiming someone has to keep fighting.
— — —
You approach the stable in the outpost riding on your nekko, humming a happy tune to yourself. You're lost in thought, letting your trusty mount walk the last stretch to the stalls by himself, as he knew the way. Once you reach the structure, you get off and start putting away your haul; you just came from a successful hunt. You'd skin and prepare everything later though, so you pack the preys away in special boxes where everything would be preserved for a couple of days. 
“Hello master,” a robotic yet chirpy voice greets you. 
You turn around with a smile, facing the Separatist battle droid you had found and reprogrammed to help you out at the stable.
“Hey there, Connor,” you greet back. You've told him several times not to call you that, but he insisted, saying you saved him and now his purpose was to serve you. You take a moment to inspect his blue and black markings that have started chipping more noticeably; maybe it's time for a new paint job.
“Did I miss anything while I was gone?” you ask, taking the saddle off your nekko and placing it onto the designated wooden beam. 
“Yes, in fact,” Connor replies, placing new food and clean water in the trough. “There's a ship on the landing pad behind the saloon that I've never seen before.”
“Is that so? What kinda ship?” 
“A modified S-161 Stinger, and it's pretty busted up. I'm surprised it even made it this far.”
You stop in your tracks, your grip tightening around the halter you just took off the nekko, which is now happily munching away on its fresh feed.
“Interesting,” you remark, putting the rest of the equipment away and turning around to face the droid. Since you spent most of the day down in some caves, you didn't see or hear anything. “Do you know who was on board?”
“I didn't see who came off the ship, but I overheard some prospectors talk about a newcomer that went one on one with Rayvis,” Connor comments, then leans in closer to you, looking around as if to make sure no one would be listening in on your conversations, when it's clearly just the two of you at the stable. “I also heard Turgle mentioning a Jedi being seen around here.”
“Huh,” is all you manage to say, feeling your heart pounding in your chest. There was no way he was here, right? After all this time? As far as you know, he doesn't even know you're here. So if it is him, he isn't here to see you, but Greez instead. It's probably because of the Mantis; Cal is in need of repairs. This thought immediately replaces the initial anticipation with a strange, cold feeling. 
“Can you believe it?” Connor goes on. “I've never even seen a Jedi. I would love to meet them.”
You take a long look at the droid, remembering the state you had found him in. He had never been in the war, actually. He spent several years in an abandoned Separatist camp, never even getting to be activated. So he only knew his programming: serve the Separatists, fight the clones and kill the Jedi. Yet he had never lived any of it. Reprogramming him had been easy in that regard, as his memory banks were mostly blank. Back then you were looking for a droid companion to help you out at the stables, and even though you know what battle droids mean to the Jedi, you can't help but think that they are kinda cute. The B1 models, at least. The B2 series and commandos are pretty scary. 
So you gave your new friend a name (you couldn't decide between Hank and Connor, but decided to go with the latter as it somehow suited his demeanour better) and a new purpose in life, and he seems content with that. The only fighting program you left in him is for defending the stable and nekkos. First and foremost it is his mission that they are not harmed. You also ordered him not to leave the outpost, for his own safety. You don't want the raiders to find him and get access to his memory bank. They would use the information against all of you at the outpost, and either scrap him or reprogram him to join the raiders. Once they were dealt with, however, you promised Connor you would take him around Koboh first, then show him the galaxy. 
“I'm going to the saloon,” you announce. “Can you take care of the rest?” 
“Roger roger!” Connor replies with a salute, getting to work. 
You find yourself smoothing out your clothes and hair as you make the short trip to the saloon. When you reach the bar you're met with Monk, the witty bartender droid. He greets you with a happy tone and some strange phrase that you don't entirely understand, as he always does. You ask for Greez, and he points towards the door to the side, saying he's in the basement with some old friend of his that just dropped by.
With a gulp and a forced smile, you thank him and head down the stairs. The urge to turn on your heel and run away grows with every step. As you're about to reach the door, you hear voices coming from the other side.
“-to be something more than a lightsaber.” That's Greez, you think. He sounds… sad? “Think of yourself. Settle down, find a home.”
“What home, Greez?” You swear your heart actually stops beating and accelerates at the same time when you hear the voice, his voice. “There is no home. Home was the Order. It was my teacher.”
You've stopped a couple steps away from the door so it wouldn't open and have you interrupt the conversation, but you involuntarily lean forward to hear better what Cal says next.
“It was everyone I lost… Home was the Mantis with you, Cere, Merrin, and–”
The automatic door whooshes open and Cal and Greez turn their heads towards you as they stand up from the bed they were sitting on. 
“I- I didn't mean to eavesdrop,” you sheepishly state after a moment of uncomfortable silence from everyone, approaching him but staying at a distance. “Hey, Cal. It's been a while.”
“Yeah, it has,” he retorts, and you can't really read the tone of his voice. 
You look each other up and down, taking in how different you both look since… Since the last time you saw each other. Since you split up. 
A thousand thoughts go through your head, and a thousand different feelings resurface, making your heart tighten in your chest, like there isn't enough space for everything it's trying to process.
Greez can't take the tension anymore, so he clears his throat loudly.
“Lemme show you something, Cal,” the Latero says as he walks towards a panel on the far side of the room. He presses a couple of buttons and a section of the wall slides open with a creak, revealing a path behind it. “This is an old smuggler's tunnel, you'll find spare parts in there. Just… be careful, I have a pest problem.”
With that, Greez walks by both of you, giving your arm an encouraging pat, before leaving the room. It's just you and Cal now.
“Spare parts?” you ask, trying to make some conversation. “For the Mantis, I take it?”
“Yeah,” Cal replies, looking at the tunnel entrance but not moving from where he stands. “Gyro's fried.”
You two stand there in silence, and you want to smack yourself in the face. You feel like an awkward 12-year-old all over again, not knowing how to talk to your cr– You stop your train of thought before you dare finish that sentence and potentially embarrass yourself further. The heat on your cheeks that refuses to leave your face since you've laid eyes on the Jedi can't possibly have gone unnoticed by him.
“You know, Greez has had this room set up for you for quite a while,” you tell Cal, shooting him a quick smile. “So I take it you'll be staying for a while, right? The Mantis isn't going anywhere.”
Cal shrugs and shoots you a quick, unsure glance, then casts his eyes back down, scratching the back of his neck. 
“I was just about to head out,” you lie. Your plan for the evening was to have a drink at the bar and unwind, but him being here changes everything. “You could join me and I'll show you around if you'd like…”
Cal looks at the tunnel again, weighing the options in his mind. One is going down there to fix the Mantis as soon as possible, then taking off to who knows where. The other… you're not so sure. And if you're being honest with yourself, you're too scared to ask.
“Sure, why not,” he finally agrees with a sigh and starts walking towards the door that directly leads outside from the basement, but you feel like something, or rather someone, is missing. You look around the room, scanning your surroundings for a certain droid, then turn back to Cal.
“W-Where's BD?” you ask, fearing the worst. You'd really hate it if something happened to him.
“Oh, he wandered off somewhere earlier,” Cal says and you release a breath of relief. After calling for him, the little droid comes hopping down the stairs and into the room.
“BD!” you greet the little companion, and he excitedly beeps at your reunion. He comes running towards you and you pick him up in a hug.
“Oh, how I've missed you,” you spin him around a couple of times, then set him back down onto the floor. “I have a droid of my own now, but you're still the cutest. Don't tell him, though,” you add with a wink. 
“You have a droid?” Cal asks as BD climbs onto his back and you all make your way out.
“Yeah, he helps me out at the stable,” you explain, pointing at the building as you reach the end of the stairs. The stable is practically behind the saloon. From these stairs it's a very short trek to reach the paddocks.
“Those are nekkos, right?” Cal questions, approaching the fence and looking at the two animals chilling in the sun. “I met Mosey earlier. She said she worked at the stable,” he turns around to look at you. “But she didn't mention you.”
You're about to retort by saying she couldn't have possibly known that you two knew each other, but you're interrupted by a chirpy voice.
“Master! You're back already?” 
At the sound of the familiar robotic voice, Cal instinctively draws his lightsaber, and turns towards the side entrance to the stable. You hurry to get between your droid and the Jedi; you don't want to see Connor get sliced today. Not by him. Said droid peeks out from behind the archway, and BD beeps repeatedly, alarmed. 
“Wait!” you exclaim, holding your hands up into the air defensively. “That's my droid!” 
“Your- Your droid?” Cal repeats, clearly confused. He puts away his weapon nonetheless.
“He's reprogrammed, and he's never even been in the war,” you explain, walking backwards as Cal starts approaching the stable to inspect the battle droid further, with you still between them. “He was never even activated. He's good, I promise!” 
“Master, who's this?” Connor asks, walking back into the stable to make room for Cal and you. “Is he bothering you?” The droid activates the blaster you had built into one of his arms, and Cal's hand goes to the hilt of his sabre again, while BD beeps in exasperation. 
“No, stand down!” you order, and the blaster immediately turns off with a whirr. “Will everyone please calm down?”
Still standing between Cal and the battle droid, you let out a huff, looking from one to the other. 
“Cal, BD; this is Connor, my droid,” you start introducing them. “My good and reprogrammed droid, whose mission is to protect the stable and the nekkos, nothing more.”
Cal seems unimpressed, still looking at Connor with narrowed eyes. You turn to the droid.
“Connor; these are Cal and BD,” you start. “And you know what? Cal here–” You look at Connor with raised brows and lower your voice. “–is a Jedi.”
Connor brings his hands up to where his mouth would be, gasping in surprise. 
“You- You are?” he asks, quickly going around you to take Cal's hand and shaking it vigorously. “It's such an honour! I've always wanted to meet a Jedi!”
“So you could get up all close and stab me in the back?” Cal retorts, his voice laced with uncharacteristic venom, and pulls his hand from the droid's grasp.
“What? No, I–” Connor starts but you push him to the side a bit.
“It's okay, Connor. He'll warm up to you, eventually,” you comfort him. “Please go get the nekkos ready for us?” 
You've never heard a sadder 'roger roger' in your life and it sends a sting of pain through your chest. 
While the droid goes to prepare your mounts, you turn around to Cal and frown at him. He crosses his arms in front of his chest defensively. 
“Why would you say something like that? He's genuinely excited to meet you,” you explain. “When was the last time someone was actually happy to see a Jedi, hm?”
“Not a battle droid, that's for sure,” Cal retorts with a huff. 
You look up at him for a moment, holding his rather cold gaze. You wonder just what happened these past few years that had him like this. Sure, you understand why he isn't a fan of battle droids. Normally you aren't either. But there's just something about Cal that's… different. He looks older, but it might just be the beard. He also looks more tired, carries himself differently. With confidence like he always did, but also in a “don't mess with me” way that wasn't there before. Gone is the spark in his eyes, that glimmer of optimism and hope, replaced by the promise of not holding back if anyone were to cross him. 
For several moments, you just look at each other, and you're sure he's analysing you just as you are him, and you wonder what is going through his head. 
“The nekkos are ready,” Connor announces, leading both of them out of their respective stalls by the reins. 
You allow the animals to sniff Cal and inspect him, while you give a short explanation on how to ride and guide them. Cal's mount is white with a dark face and legs, while yours is a dark purple and brown. After thanking Connor and waving him goodbye, you both hop onto the saddle and head out of the outpost. You know your way around, taking a route that would keep you hidden from the patrols, both the imperial ones as well as the raiders. You'd much rather deal with the local fauna. And you do come across a couple of rawkas at the river, and a pack of gorgers when heading further up the Southern Reach. But you two make quick work of them.
In fact, Cal has grown stronger, and not only that, but he also has a new array of weapons it seems; now he double-wields his lightsabers, and he also has a blaster, which completely takes you by surprise. 
Once you reach the base of the big silo, you get off your nekkos and climb the rest by foot, getting on top of the structure and sitting at the edge. It's not a super well-hidden spot; if the patrols under you decide to look up they would definitely see you, but it's a good vantage point to show Cal the different places. You point towards the landmarks, explaining them to him so he can orient himself and navigate beyond the outpost. You tell him about the caverns, the mines, to look out for different patrols and what areas to avoid; be it because of the raiders, like fort Kha'lin, or because of bigger fauna like bilemaws, goroccos and mogus. Especially mogus. They are fierce.
Once you're done with your explanation, you lean back onto your hands with a sigh. Cal attentively listened to everything, but he doesn't seem interested in keeping the conversation going, as he hasn't said anything.
He's looking out, scanning this corner of Koboh as far as he could see from here, taking in the view and probably trying to commit to memory everything you've said. You look at him from the corner of your eyes, your gaze falling onto the holster on his hip.
“So,” you try starting the conversation again. “You now double-wield and you have a blaster. Which, by the way, is pretty uncharacteristic for a Jedi, no?”
“A lot has changed, I guess,” is all you get out of him.
“Do you have any other new tricks?” you ask, and the memory of him re-discovering his Master's lessons after his escape from Bracca comes back to you, making you smile fondly to yourself for a moment. 
“Hmm,” Cal thinks aloud, also leaning back and finally tearing his eyes from the landscape to look at you. “There aren't any new Force-tricks, if that's what you mean. But I do have this.”
He brings one of his arms up, showing you the contraption on his brace.
“Grappling hook. Comes in pretty handy,” he explains, showing you some of the mechanisms. Your hands reach up to gently hold his wrist, so you can inspect the device better, and you could have sworn you heard his breath hitch at the contact. At that moment, you realise that's the first physical interaction you've had since he arrived, and you quickly let go. 
“We should head back,” you say as you stand up, dusting off your legs. “It will get dark soon, plus you must be hungry. I know I am.”
“Yeah, I could eat,” Cal replies, getting up to his feet as well, and BD beeps in agreement.
Cal climbs down the silo first, while you scan the area one last time for any patrols. When it's your turn, just as you're almost at the base of the rather unstable ladder, your foot slips and you lose your balance. You hold onto the next best thing, which happens to be Cal. Seeing you're about to fall, his arm reaches around you and he pulls you towards him while with the other hand he tightly holds onto the railing that goes along the walls of the structure. 
“You okay?” he asks, and when you look up at him this time, you're finally met with a pair of eyes that you recognise. There's concern in his gaze but also a certain warmth, amused at how you were a fierce warrior yet managed to be clumsy in small things like these. He found it cute, which you knew for a fact because he would tell you often, back then…
“Y-Yeah, thanks,” you mutter, separating yourself from him now that you're back safe on the ground. Feeling the heat spreading on your face, you can't help a sheepish smile. “Guess some things never change, heh.”
“Guess not,” Cal says with a small smile of his own, and your chest tightens at the sight. 
The ride back to the Outpost is silent, and you wonder if his body is also reacting as strongly as yours; ever since slipping, your skin feels like it's tingling, and your heart hasn't calmed down in the slightest. 
Once you're back at the stable and the nekkos have been taken care of, Connor mentions that Greez left some food for you, and hands you several small containers wrapped with a cloth. 
“You wanna eat at my place?” you find yourself asking Cal, who's scratching behind the nekko's ear. He turns around to you with raised eyebrows in what you assume to be a surprised expression, but he's quick to relax his face back to normal. 
“I have a room behind Doma's shop,” you explain, holding up the food in your hands and you gesture to it with your chin. “And Greez knows this is far too much food for myself.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” Cal replies, calling BD back to him, who was scanning some stable equipment. “Let me help you with that.”
Cal takes the food off your hands, and you say your goodbyes to Connor, who stays at the stable. It's a quick trip past the saloon's entrance into Doma's shop. She's behind the counter organising some of her merchandise, and returns your “hello” from afar without looking. Only when she hears Cal's greeting does she turn around. She shoots you a look and you know exactly what she means, heat prickling again at your cheeks. You give a curt shake of your head, quickening the pace to evade Doma's questioning, heading for the door at the back that leads to the place you have been calling home for the last year. 
It isn't much, but it makes do: one big room, that's both kitchen and a living space, with two doors at the far side that lead to a small bedroom and the refresher. The main room is decorated, you like to think it's warm, cosy and inviting. You even managed to thrift an old couch somewhere, refurbished it yourself, and it now essentially serves as the centrepiece of the room. There are several rugs on the floor, as well as piles of pelts and leather in the corner that you still have to finish working on so you could sell them. These days that's your main source of income.
Cal stands at the door for a moment, taking everything in, and you suddenly feel very self-conscious. The space is clean, but the fact that you can't read his face makes you a little nervous. To distract yourself, you take the food from him, bringing it to the kitchen counter.
“I think the food is still warm,” you say as you start opening the containers, the delicious smell filling both your noses. “Do you mind setting the table?”
Cal and you make quick work of getting everything plated and grabbing some drinks, then sitting down in front of each other at the wooden table to eat. You make some light conversation between bites, catching each other up on what has been going on in your lives recently. He tells you about some of the missions he's been on ever since the Mantis crew split up, and you tell him of your own solo adventures before you came to Koboh. 
When the plates are empty, your bellies full, and the conversation is about to die down, you ask if you can check out Cal's lightsabre. He unclips it from his belt to hand it to you, and you catch yourself being relieved at the fact he still trusts you enough to just give his sacred weapon to you without further inquiry. 
He's changed some parts and the materials, and you hold the device in your hands with the utmost care, admiring the beautiful design and intricate markings on the wooden accents. Rather suddenly, a feeling of regret and shame spreads out in your chest, thinking about how not only this sabre but also Cal himself went through so many changes, and you hadn't been there for any of it. There's so much you want to tell him, about how sad you are that you weren't there for him, about how sorry you are with the way you left, about how you've been thinking of and missing him every single day. But telling him that wouldn't be fair. You have no right to be selfish like that.
“So what exactly happened that got the Mantis in such a state?” you decide to ask instead, reaching the lightsabre over the table to give it back. Cal takes it with a deep sigh, putting it back to his belt, feeling immediately comforted by its familiar weight. 
“A job on Coruscant that went… wrong,” he starts, telling you how his team was gathering intel for Saw Guerrera, and it had all worked out until the very last moment, where everything went wrong, and he lost his whole crew in an instant. Only him and another person made it out of there. In fact, one of his crew members saved his life by pushing him out of the way and taking the blaster shot herself instead. 
You listen intently, and your heart grows heavier by the second; you can hear the frustration in his voice, the voice of a man who's this close to giving up entirely, because he's just so tired, but he can't. He won't. You know Cal took it upon himself to fight the Empire by himself if he has to. A trait you genuinely admire but also despise. After all, that was one of the reasons you left.
Then he mentions the Ninth Sister, and your attention is fully back to what he's saying. 
“I tried to get through to her, I really did,” Cal says, his voice cracking for a second. “But she wouldn't let up. I had no choice.”
“Did you…?” you ask carefully.
“I killed her,” he says matter-of-factly, but you can tell it's been eating away at him.
“I'm so sorry, Cal,” you offer, reaching across the table and placing your hand on his. “That couldn't have been easy. I'm sorry you had to go through that.”
He doesn't meet your eyes, his gaze fixed on his half empty cup instead, watching the drops of condensation slowly fall along the outside of the glass onto the table, staining the wood. But he doesn't pull away either, so you give his hand a reassuring squeeze.
“You look exhausted,” you finally tell him, and he lets out a breath through his nose, as if saying 'you have no idea'. You offer for him to take a shower here instead of at the saloon before heading back, telling him yours is nicer, to which he chuckles lightly, and he accepts. 
He insists you take a shower first while he takes care of the dishes, so you do just that. Once you're out, it's his turn. You hand him a towel and a change of clean clothes, and you can tell he wonders why you have them in his size, until he realises that they're actually his. It's an old shirt and lounge pants that you would always steal from him and had apparently taken with you. He doesn't comment on it though, instead he simply stares at the clothes in his hand for maybe a second too long, deep in thought. Then he blinks a couple of times, as if he just came back from zoning out, gives you a short 'thanks' and gets into the shower. 
While he cleans up, you take a seat on the couch, pulling up the novel you're currently reading on your holopad. Only now that you're sitting with your legs stretched out along the length of the cushions do you realise how tired you are, both physically and emotionally. Out of everything you could have thought would happen today, meeting Cal was certainly not on the list. Still, you can't deny that you're happy to see him. For starters, he's still alive. And you've missed him, much more than you care to admit to yourself. 
After reading the same sentence of your book over and over, failing to focus, you sigh and look at BD instead, who hops onto the coffee table and tilts his head at you with an inquiring beep. 
“Has he been taking care of himself?” you ask the droid, pointing over your shoulder in the direction of the refresher, where you can hear the water running.
BD lets out a sequence of beeps and boops, and you narrow your eyes at him for a moment. 'He keeps himself busy' he said. Is he dodging your question?
“Is that so,” you reply with a hum, and BD shoots the question right back at you. You're a bit surprised at his concern, and for a moment you consider opening up to the little droid, but you hear the water turn off, so you bring your attention back to your book again instead, trying your darndest to focus on what's happening in the story. The washroom door opens with a whoosh.
“Where should I put the towel?” Cal asks, still standing at the door frame. 
“Just put it in the hamper underneath the sink,” you reply over your shoulder, and in the corner of your eye you can see BD still looking at you, waiting for an answer. Then he tilts his head with an amused boop; he's got you all figured out. 
“Oh shush you,” you start scolding the little droid, but Cal appears, walking around the couch to sit down. Except that your legs are stretched across it, so you start lifting them off the cushions and intend to bend them at the knee to sit properly, but Cal gently grabs your ankles, lifting them off the couch to sit down, and places them over his lap instead. His hand comes to rest on your shin, and you can feel the warmth he irradiates seep through the fabric of your pants. 
“You looked comfy,” he points out, his hand gently rubbing up and down below your knee, while with his other hand he props up his head against the back of the couch. 
You swallow hard, unable to answer, and bring the datapad up to your face to hide behind it. Why is he being so nice suddenly? Is it because you aren't outside where others could see? Or is it because he realised he still has you wrapped around his finger so he's just teasing you? You're beyond confused at the sudden sign of affection after he's been so distant the whole day, like he hadn't planned on ever seeing you again. And to be quite honest, you deserve the cold treatment. After what you did, the way you left. 
Feeling the sting behind your eyes, knowing what's coming, you shrink further into yourself, holding the holopad even closer to your face to hide it from Cal's view. He can't see your expression from where he's sitting, so he gives a light chuckle, thinking you're just flustered. The sound feels like a dagger in your gut, and you unsuccessfully choke back sob.
Now Cal's face changes completely to one of concern, and he pushes the pad out of the way only to be met with your crying face. 
“Whoa, wait-“ Cal says, and he retrieves his hands, holding them both up in surrender. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I thought we-“
“I'm so sorry, Cal,” you croak, crying freely now, as you let go of the device and it falls onto the floor with a 'clunk'. “I'm so sorry for everything, for what I did. For leaving you alone.” Your hands wipe away at your cheeks in a vain attempt to dry off the tears, but they just keep coming. 
After the crew split up, the Mantis felt unbearably empty. After the failed mission on Hosnian Prime, after saying goodbye to Fret and Irei, who had definitely changed the dynamics of the crew (you still weren't sure if it had been for better or worse), everything felt like it started falling apart. 
The first to leave was Merrin, saying she needed to recentre her fire and find herself again, to be able to draw all the power she now knew she was able to use. 
Then, it was Cere and Greez. The Latero trusted Cal and left his beloved ship in his hands, telling him to look after it until he'd be back. Except everyone knew that he didn't really intend to. The loss of his arm had hit him harder than he wanted to admit, and for Greez it had been the wake-up call needed to “leave the game while you can because it's been rigged since the start”, as he would often say. Cere on the other hand took off with new-found determination. Her and Cal's goals weren't all that different: the endgame was to defeat the Empire, one way or another. However, Cal believed in taking action now, while Cere had her sights set on the future, being able to help those who would come next, long after she and everyone else were gone. She wanted to build a legacy, as the 'Jedi's knowledge was far too valuable to be lost to time and circumstance. 
After everyone was gone, it was just Cal, BD and you. 
The Jedi had become irritable, like he had already convinced himself that you would leave him soon too, as did everyone, apparently. You reassured him to the best of your abilities that you believed in what he stood for and wanted to stay by his side. However, now that you didn't have a whole crew to count on, you had to be more careful than ever.
“We have to be smart about this!” you'd plead, seeing Cal running head-first into danger time and time again. 
When the nightmares became too much, you'd hold him tightly, kissing his tears away as he'd cry out for his master, Tapal.
“You were just a kid!” you had yelled at Cal one time, when what was supposed to be a quick run-down of the plan had become a big argument. “You act as if the whole universe is counting on you and only you to defeat the beast that is the Empire. Do you think that that's your destiny? As dictated by the Force? We've had our share of big, successful missions as a group. Now it's time to back down, Cal. We're just two people, what do you expect we'll achieve here? It's time to move on.”
Needless to say, those words had not calmed Cal down in the slightest. Now he felt just as betrayed by you as he did by the rest. More words were thrown at each other like daggers finally let free after being pushed back for far too long in an attempt to keep some level of normalcy between you two. But there was no going back. So you did what you told him as well: you moved on. That same evening, you packed your things and left. 
Your heart bled and tears kept streaking down your face with every heavy step you took away from the Mantis, but at the time, you didn't know what else to do. You'd never wanted to leave Cal, and you hated yourself for doing this to him and to yourself, but what you had going on was no way to live anymore. Maybe, hopefully, now that you were gone, he would understand that. 
You know it had been a horrible thing to do, especially like that. After years of telling him how you'd follow him to the end of the world. After telling him every day how much you loved him. After promising you'd be there for him. The worst part was that being away from him was far more painful than it was with him. He left a void in your heart that only he could fill. You meant to go looking for him many times, but were too scared. You didn't deserve to have him back. Not after what you did.
But now he's here.
Between cries, you apologise over and over again, saying how what you did wasn't fair, that you wished you had never left and worked it out instead, that you missed him so much it was hard to breathe. 
Cal doesn't answer immediately, and you force your somewhat blurry gaze up to meet his eyes, and you see he's starting to tear up himself. He leans forward, lifting you up and settling you sideways onto his lap, enveloping you in a bone-crushing hug. You hold him just as tightly, crying into his shoulder.
“I'm sorry,” The more you say it, the emptier it feels, but it's all you can manage for now, and you mean it. “I really am.”
“I know,” Cal says, squeezing you a little tighter. “I felt it. When you gave me the clothes earlier.”
You remember the countless nights you've cried yourself to sleep in the very clothes he's now wearing, the times when you missed him so much you felt like your heart would rip its way right out of your chest, muttering your regrets into your pillow, as if it could carry your apology and bring it to Cal somehow. You groan in embarrassment; you always forget that your stuff also carries imprints he can feel.
“I'm so lame,” you mumble and pull back to look at Cal, giving him a weak smile that quickly turns into a grimace again as a new wave of tears come rolling down your cheeks.
“No, you're not,” Cal reassures you, one hand cupping your face and wiping over your cheekbone with his thumb. You lean into his touch with a sniffle.
“I've missed you too,” he finally says, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. “And I'm sorry—” He kisses your cheek. “—for making you feel like you were less important than the missions.” A kiss to the corner of your mouth. “You're the best thing that ever happened to me and I took you for granted.” His lips brush over yours. “Can we try again?”
You close the minimal gap and kiss him hard, like Cal was the air your lungs needed after being underwater for too long. He reciprocates just as intensely, pushing you down onto the couch and climbing on top of you. When he finally breaks the kiss, you're both panting. You run your fingers through his hair as he trails kisses along your jaw, and you giggle at how ticklish his beard feels against your skin; that's a new sensation you'd have to – no scratch that, want to – get used to. Your giggles turn into a low moan as he bites the spot over your collarbone, and when you turn your head to give him better access, you're met with BD still on the coffee table, now sitting comfortably, looking up at you two as if it was the most interesting spectacle in the world. 
A strangled sound of surprise and embarrassment comes from your throat and you push Cal away a bit by his shoulders, to which he raises his head and grumbles in annoyance for interrupting him.
“We have an audience,” you whine, hiding your face behind your hands, and Cal lets out an amused laugh. BD beeps matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean 'don't mind me'?!” You turn to the droid and you swear that if he had a face, he'd be wearing the cockiest of grins right now. 
“Some things really never change, huh,” Cal comments with an amused smile, thinking back to all the times you'd become flustered when you kissed in front of BD, saying it was inappropriate or something. If only you knew that Cal often did it on purpose because he loved seeing your cute, flustered face.
“Unlike this right here,” you point out and bring your hands to his face, stroking over his beard, enjoying the prickly sensation. “This is new.”
“Do you like it?” Cal asks genuinely.
“You know I like your scars,” you say, tracing over the one on his lower lip. “As long as they're not covered up, I think I can get used to it. It does look good on you.”
Cal smiles down at you tenderly and for a few moments, you simply enjoy each other's presence, taking each other in. Making sure that this is real and it's happening, that you're back again. Until you let out a hearty yawn. 
“Let's get to bed before we fall asleep on the couch,” you say, rubbing your face, but stop to look up at Cal, who seems very content with his current position and hasn't moved yet. “You are staying here tonight, right? I mean, if you want to, you don't have to. Greez has the whole room thing for you, so I understand if—“
Cal interrupts your rambling with a quick peck. 
“Yeah, I want to stay,” he assures you and finally stands up, helping you get off the couch. 
“Let's go, BD,” you tell the droid to join you as you take Cal's hand and guide them to the bedroom. 
You climb into bed, BD at your feet as he would always do on the Mantis, and Cal lifts the covers to get in as well but stops for a moment when he sees the holopicture on your night stand. In the small frame he recognises Greez, Cere, Merrin, Cal, BD and you in the cockpit, all grinning at the camera. Smiling to himself, he finally gets into bed, hugging you to him.
“I have the same picture of us on the Mantis,” he says after letting out a content sigh at finding a comfortable position. “Guess we still were connected somehow all this time.”
You hum in response, a bit surprised at the romantic implication, as if you were lovers who found comfort in looking at the same moon even though you were separated. But you like the idea nonetheless, and you agree. 
The warmth both on your skin and spreading in your heart makes quick work of carrying you off to dreamland though, so before you can even give a proper reply, you're fast asleep in Cal's arms.
— — —
The next morning, you wake up to BD's beeping. You groan, turning over to cuddle a little longer, except that the other side of your bed is empty. You blink away the sleepiness in your eyes, and pout at the lack of Jedi in your sheets. Your nose is quick to pick up the scent of freshly brewed caf however, and the grogginess is quickly forgotten as you get out of bed and make your way to the kitchen, where Cal is preparing breakfast. 
After a quick meal and lots of stolen kisses, Cal announces it's time to go check out Greez's smuggler tunnel to find that gyro. 
“Be careful,” is the last thing you tell him before he leaves. 
“Always,” he shoots back at you with a wink and takes off. You playfully roll your eyes at that, thinking back to the countless times on the Mantis you've had to patch him up after a mission inevitably went astray from the original plan.
While Cal is looking for parts for the Mantis, you go back to your own things, checking in on Connor and the nekkos at the stable, as well as preparing some pelts and sewing up your most recent leather project. 
Time goes by fast as you skilfully work the needle and thread through the thick material, finishing the piece after a couple of hours. Setting it aside, you stretch your arms and back with a satisfied grunt. You check to see if your comms are working; they are, but there's no new messages. Strange, you think, Cal sure is taking his time to find that gyro. Is he not back yet? 
Suddenly feeling uneasy by your own thoughts of how he might have got lost in the tunnels, or how he may have encountered trouble down there, you decide to go check with Greez yourself. 
You quickly make your way to the Saloon, going down the stairs that lead to the bar with such speed that when you reach the end and see someone standing there, you bump into them before you can stop yourself. 
“Whoa,” a deep voice exclaims at the impact, and you push yourself away from the man's back you just ran into. He turns around slightly towards you. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry, didn't see you there” you reply, regaining your composure and walking around him to get a better look. 
He's not super tall, but he has a strong and broad build. Although you already felt that when you bumped into him and it was like walking into a wall. You give him a quick up-and-down, trying to gauge if he's friend or foe, but you can't quite read him. He narrows his eyes at you ever so slightly, probably doing the same.
“A new face, how rare,” you start, walking over to the bar and leaning on it with one arm. Your other hand finds its way to your hip, where you realise there is no holster or weapon; you mentally reprimand yourself for leaving your staff at the stable. 
“Care for a drink?” asks Monk from behind you. 
“No, I'm looking for someone,” the man says. 
“Of course you are,” Monk replies with sarcasm. You give the bartender droid a nod; you'll take care of this. As he wheels back into the kitchen, you hear him mutter something about how his bar isn't a lost and found counter. Before the stranger can go on however, the doors at the back of the saloon whoosh open.
“Who's this?” asks Greez as he enters the main room.
“I was just about to ask him,” you reply, your eyes still trained on the man.
“I'm looking for Cal Kestis,” the man in question says instead, and your hand on the bar involuntarily curls into a fist.
“Who? Kal Restis?” Greez asks as he approaches him. “We don't know any Kales. Listen, if you're not gonna order something, get out of my saloon.”
“No, not Kale”, the man says, getting slightly exasperated as he repeats the name slower, and Greez keeps getting it wrong on purpose. 
Just as you're about to intervene and send the man away, the entrance doors open and in comes Cal, a soft smile of self-satisfaction on his face. 
“Cal!” The man greets the Jedi. You hear Greez mutter “Oh, this Cal Kestis” under his breath as they clearly recognise each other.  
“I found the gyro,” Cal announces first, throwing a small mechanical part to Greez, who's taken by surprise but still catches it. Then he turns to the intruder with a smile. “You made it!”
“Good to see you, Cal,” he replies, and the two share a friendly handshake.
“Greez Dritus, this is Bode Akuna,” Call starts introductions, telling this Bode your name as well. You merely give him a short nod in acknowledgment as Cal continues. “He was on Coruscant. Wouldn't have made it out alive without his help.”
Oh, that changes things. 
You leave your spot at the bar and drop your rather cold gaze to join the group. Coming to stand next to Cal, you take his hand, and try your best to give Bode a thankful smile. He returns it, quickly catching on. 
“Wait a minute. Another one?” Greez quips, looking behind Cal. You were so focused on Bode, that you hadn't even noticed the strange looking droid that came in with the redhead. “Cal, you have a very bad habit of picking up strays.”
“I am ZN-A4,” the droid introduces herself with an exaggerated bow. The design and material she’s made of is something you’ve never seen before. “Humble servant of the Jedi Order.”
What.
“Oh, I take it you haven't broken the news yet,” Bode says to Cal, who sheepishly shrugs his shoulders. 
Cal then brings everyone up to speed, telling you how when he was in the tunnels with BD, they stumbled upon this old chamber where the droid was stuck, so they freed her. Turns out she's a droid that belonged to a Jedi from the High Republic, of all things. Her master, Sandari, had sent her to activate the so-called forest array (that strange building the other side of the river that doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the scenery; you've always wondered what it was but never found a way to get in). However, Zee, as everyone started calling the droid, is in really bad shape, and she'll never make it that far. She looks dejected as she says that if she fails her mission, then the key to Tanalorr may be lost forever. 
At the mention of the name, Greez chimes in, telling the group that there's an old prospector legend about Tanalorr being a world filled with treasure. But treasure or not, the important part is that it seems to be a real place, one potentially beyond where the Empire can reach: a safe haven. 
Zee is delighted and very thankful that everyone seems on board with her mission, and the group is quick to formulate a plan: while Monk gets her up to speed regarding the state of, well, everything, and she gets some much-needed repairs, Bode and Greez will take care of the Mantis. Meanwhile, Cal, BD and you will go to the forest array to check it out. 
As you're making your way to the stables, you nudge into Cal's side with your elbow.
“You didn't get hurt down there or anything, right? You sure took your time,” you ask him. It did not go unnoticed by you how in Cal's retelling of events, he skilfully left out how he happened to find that mysterious chamber in the first place. 
“The tunnels were pretty old and unstable, but we're okay,” Cal deflects, shooting the droid a quick look. “Right BD?”
BD beeps in response, and you shoot Cal a glare accompanied by a muted gasp, stopping in your tracks.
“You fell through a hole the equivalent of several stories?!” You can't believe this guy. 
“It's fine!” Cal tries to reassure you, bringing his hands up to your shoulders. “I promise, it's nothing a stim didn't already fix. So there’s no need to worry, okay? We have a job to do.”
You sigh in defeat as he places a soft kiss on your forehead. You first cup his face softly, then pinch both his cheeks.
“Just what am I going to do with you, Cal Kestis?” you ask rhetorically, taking his hand into yours and resuming the short trek to where Connor is already waiting and waving at you both. 
Once you're all geared up and hop into the saddle, you tighten the strap of your staff, adjusting its position on your back.
“Just like old times, huh?” you ask at no one in particular, scanning your surroundings and taking in the scenery; it just never gets old. Cal's nekko trots up next to you.
“Just like old times,” he repeats, with that boyish smile you can't get enough of, and the glint of adventure in his eyes. 
Your nekkos take off, and the freckles on his face seem to shine in the sunlight. They form the ever familiar star map that you'd follow time and time again, finding your way back to him. Because from the first time you looked at him, you knew: you'd follow this man across the galaxy and beyond.
— — —
A/N 2: if you understand the droid name reference you get a cookie 🍪
A/N 3: in the book Battle Scars there’s a part where BD tells Cal, and i quote, “Where you go, I go”, and when i tell you that i screamed omg (the first part of my “wherever you go, i go” fic was actually called ‘where’ but i changed it to ‘wherever’ when i added more chapters because to me it sounded better asdsdf) BD-1 and me sharing one brain cell obsessed with Cal fr😌
~~~~~
🐥 taglist: [link to join in my pinned post!] @dybynyght, @galaxtic-writings, @kalea-bane, @soka-writes-things, @padawancat97, @riddikulus-obsessions, @optimisticprime3, @starilicious, @ivelostmyabilitytoeven, @alternatescififandomelover
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short-honey-badger · 9 months ago
Text
Peppermint Tea 28 - Lavender 9
Thank you to the lovely @headcaasefiction for helping me out!
So. This will probably be my last chapter for a hot minute. I've not been able to work on my stuff how I like to lately. So I have unfortunately fallen behind, and I would really love to do my best with the last half of Peppermint Tea. However, I have made this pretty long as an apology. ❤️❤️
Its been a wild ride so far! I hope you enjoy!
Warnings! Not many? Pregnancy stuff is mentioned. We finally get a couple of confessions, but that doesn't mean it turns out good. Angst happens.
Masterlist
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You watch in awe, eyes large and sparkling in fascination as your brother parries his opponent, knocking their arm away with a swat of his hand. His body turned to dust and dropped low to avoid the blow to the chest that would have surely happened. He comes back up with a vicious swing, his knuckles smashing into the other boy's jaw and busting their lips. Blood drips down their chin as they wheel back, lips pulling back to show white teeth stained red.
Your brother goes back in, sending another two blows to the boy who had shoved you to the ground and called you some mean name that you can't even remember now. He is red in the face, his white hair a mess, and rage glowing in his green eyes.
“Stay the fuck away from my sister,” your brother snarls in the redhead’s face and shoves him away for good measure, “Get the hell outta here, Jax.”
The redhead sneers and spits at the prince. He turns and limps down the alleyway, a sneer on his face, “This ain't over, Princess.”
Your brother rolls his eyes and then dusts himself off as he turns back to his little sister, lips twisting into a smirk, “You okay, Sunshine?”
You grin and fling yourself into your brother's arms, “I'm fine! Not even a scratch. Can you teach me how to fight like that?”
Your brother laughs, green eyes alight with mirth, “Sure. When you're old enough not to need an afternoon nap.”
You pout, thumping him on the chest, “Ugh. You say that every time.”
“Sunshine. You'll be asleep before we even get back home,” He points out and scoops you up, over his shoulder, grinning when you let out a delighted laugh. You argue that you most definitely won't fall asleep, and to his surprise, you don't. Your brother carts you all the way to your bedroom where he plops you on the bed. You bounce with a giggle and then attack him, jabbing at his ribs and armpits with a grin.
It lasts until he gets the upper hand and tickles his baby sister until you're red in the face and gasping for oxygen, begging for uncle. He pulls you in a headlock, kissing the top of your head with fondness.
“You know I'll always protect you, right?”
You nod, turning around to hug your brother as tightly as you can, “Of course I do! You're my big brother, Tomura!”
The scene changes suddenly, and you can hear the sounds of screams and vile laughter echoing all around you. Watching your home burn has become a familiar sight, but it still leaves you shaking in fear. Tomura runs as fast as he can, legs nothing but a literal cloud of dust as he skids around corners and runs down alleyways to get to the docks.
Another turn, and you know what's coming up. Tomura begs you not to look, but your eyes land on the tall figure anyway, wide-brimmed hat and white feather filling your vision until the next alleyway breaks your line of sight.
Tomura drops you to the deck, and you scramble up to help him pull the rigging and open the sails. Snow falls all around you, but your brother is there to help when you need it, and soon, the two of you are out in the open sea. Everything is okay for a while, and then the side of your boat exploding into splinters has you screaming in fear. Another shot is missed, sending freezing sea water over you and Tomura. The saltwater feels paralyzing, the devil fruit snarling at having been drenched.
The ship on the port side suddenly implodes, wood scattering everywhere and sending the Big Mom pirates to water graves. The same thing happens to the two ships on your starboard, and you look out into the raging seas and finally catch sight of that big white feather that blows in the winds before it disappears behind the rising waves.
-----
You jerk awake with a gasp, eyes wide and chest heaving. You can still hear the boy's name ringing in your head. Tomura Tomura Tomura. That was your brother's name. How could you have ever forgotten his name? Someone so near and dear to your heart. The one who had saved you from the destruction of your home. Why are you remembering now when you've been having these dreams for over a year? Why can you still recall his name? What he looks like.
You are so in your head, thoughts racing as you try and fail to pull up any memories of your past, that you don't notice the two men looking at you in concern. You have sat up, hand over your mouth and eyes wide like you've just seen a ghost. Shanks and Mihawk share a look of concern, and then the redhead carefully reaches out to touch your shoulder.
“You okay, Angel?” He asks, and the sudden touch and noise have you jumping out of your skin.
You whip around, turning to sit on your knees on the bed and look at your boys. They look worried, and you can't blame them. You probably look crazy, but it feels like a puzzle piece has finally clicked into place, and you can't just keep it to yourself.
“I have a brother. I-I think his name is Tomura. He's got white hair and green eyes, and he's the one who brought me here.”
This is definitely not what either man had expected you to say. Shanks looks a little confused but accepting, but Mihawk looks pale, yellow eyes wide with a hint of panic behind them before he expertly schools his features. The redhead glances over at the warlord and quickly switches to damage control. This wasn't the time for that talk.
“Do you remember anything else, Sweetheart?” He asks and smooths his hand up and into your hair. The name Tomura sounds familiar, but he doesn't think he's ever seen the man you are speaking about. To you, your brother would still be nothing but a boy in your memories. He glances at Mihawk, relieved to see that the panic has disappeared, and he looks like his unimpressed self.
“He was older than me, a teenager. He'd be a man now if he's still alive,” you murmur, carefully putting the pieces together. Why can't you remember more? Did something happen to you? Thinking about that makes you feel uneasy, and you curl an arm around your belly protectively.
While you go back and forth with Shanks, telling the redhead of the other dreams you've been having, Mihawk is quietly spiraling. This is his worst nightmare. If you started to remember your past, then he feared that you would remember him, too. Dracule knows that you saw him that night. He'd seen you too, tossed over your brother's shoulder as he ran away, and then again on the ship that took you away from your home. You would want nothing to do with him if you ever found out that Dracule was responsible.
Even though you've only been a part of his life for such a short time, Mihawk couldn't imagine losing you. To give up the content happiness that he's finally achieved by being here with you. Not to mention the wonderful gift you have given to him and Shanks. You have become his everything, his reasons for continuing his sham of a career as a warlord. All of it is used to keep you safe from harm.
Mihawk knows your brother, has seen him in passing, and seen him in action. The younger man is vicious and would not hesitate to attack Mihawk if he knew that the warlord had connections to his sister. It was only the knowledge of Mihawk driving the other ships away that night that kept the tension from snapping between the two men when they were in the same room together. Thankfully, it isn't that often.
However, none of that has happened, and if he were lucky, Mihawk would never have to deal with it being a problem. He forces himself to take a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his nose. He needs to focus and get over himself. Everything would be fine.
“I um. I saw you again, too, Mihawk.”
Okay. Maybe everything wouldn't be okay.
Dracule licks his lips, glad that he isn't facing his angel right now or else she would see the guilt that painted his face. The warlord schools his face once more and then swings his legs off the bed, stomach churning as he turns and gives you a smirk that doesn't quite reach his eyes.
“Still dreaming about me, are you?” Mihawk teases, and thankfully, you don't see anything remiss about his expression.
You huff and roll your eyes at the warlord, put out at being dismissed on the subject, “At least a couple times a week.”
Shanks gives him a look, and Dracule glares right back over your head at the redhead. The other man just sighs and shakes his head in disappointment, annoyed that Mihawk wouldn't just come clean and put all of this behind them.
Dracule shifts back on the bed, long arms curling around your legs as he rests his face against your plush thighs. He kisses each one gently and then leans up to press his lips to your swollen tummy, and you can't help the snort that leaves you at the ticklish sensation.
The warlord tugs you in for a kiss, aiming to make you forget about this topic, “I've told you before to not worry about these dreams, Darling.”
You shrug at him, expression a bit helpless in the face of his clear dismissal. Usually, you would be content to let the matter slide, but this dream irks you, and you need to get to the bottom of this.
“I know you have,” you grumble and let yourself be pulled into Shanks’ embrace, turning your head to nudge into his shoulder. The redhead runs almost as hot as Mihawk, and you bask in it. His hand finds your own and gives it an encouraging squeeze, “But I can't let this one go. I've never been able to remember anything more than watching an island burn and you, Mihawk.”
The warlord tenses, and Shanks can see the way his back tightens up like a bowstring. He tugs you closer to his chest, not willing to let you see the unease that surrounds the other man. You go willingly, frown lingering on your lips as you lose yourself back in your head, going over your dreams and trying to pick out anything else that might stick out at you.
Dracule stands, turning to drop a quick kiss on your brow and Shanks’ cheek, “I’ll go start breakfast. You need your energy.”
Mihawk tosses on a robe and escapes from the bedroom.
You watch him go, concerned at the way he had retreated, and Shanks sighs heavily under you, eyes shut as he shakes his head at the other man's ridiculousness right now.
“Is he okay?” You ask quietly, and Shanks hates the way you sound so hesitant, so unsure of yourself. You speak up again before the pirate can assure you that Mihawk is fine.
“He's always been like this when I mention my dreams, and it hurts when he just casts them away. What if I'm right, and all this crap in my brain are memories?”
Shanks isn't sure what to tell you. He isn't the one that you should be discussing this with, but Mihawk obviously wasn't going to be the one to come clean. How can Shanks tell you that your hunch is right without giving away Dracule’s involvement? This was the other man's mess to fix, but Shanks felt guilty just by association.
“Sometimes Mihawk thinks he knows what's best for us, even if he doesn't go about it the right way,” Shanks murmurs and kisses the top of your head, trying to assure his lover, “Want me to go talk to him?”
You debate the offer. It makes you feel weird to have Shanks be the one to mitigate the tension that rolls between you and Mihawk. But you're tired of watching the other man push you away any time that you mention your dreams to him. They have to mean something, and whatever it is- it's important to you, and you have to find out why. You could have a brother out there, someone who knew who you were. Why would Hawkeye dismiss it?
You sigh and finally nod, “Yeah okay. Maybe that's not a bad idea.”
Shanks hums, rolling the two of you and looming over you. He leans in and kisses you silly, tongue slipping past your lips to gently curl with your own slick muscle. The kiss makes you relax, and you sink back into the bed with a soft sigh. He smiles down at you, leaning in to rub his nose along your own.
“I've got you, Sweetheart. We’ll figure this out together. Okay?”
You nod gratefully, a sweet smile playing on your lips, “Okay.”
The Emperor bestows one last kiss and then shuffles out of the bed. He tugged on his pants from yesterday and watched as Sukuna took his spot, curling up close to his human and glaring at the redhead as if Shanks had been the one to upset you. He glares right back at the demon cat and then lopes out of the bedroom, Hank jumping up from the floor and following after him.
He finds Mihawk in the kitchen, hovering over the stove and fixing up a hearty breakfast for the three of them. The kettle has been filled, and Shanks spots three mugs on the counter, each filled with their preferred blend. He is quiet as he steps close to Mihawk, pressing his front to the other man's back and hooking his chin over his shoulder.
“You're being an asshole, ya know,” the redhead points out, tone not unkind, but Shanks is tired of stepping on eggshells about this with the other man.
Mihawk puffs up like a bird, yellow eyes going wide as he stills, “I am not being an asshole. I'm doing my best to protect her.”
Shanks hums. It's a disbelieving sound, and it causes Dracule's hackles to rise, irritation flaring up like an old wound. What would the Emperor know anyway? He hadn't been there that night. Mihawk had slaughtered your people, painted Yoru red with their blood, and had done so out of pure boredom. He didn't think that saving you and your brother absolved him of his sins.
“You could at least tell her that her brother is alive,” Shanks points out, but Mihawk is shaking his head, his frown even more prominent.
“No, then she'd know of my involvement, and I can't risk that.” He denies it and goes back to furiously scrambling the eggs that pop and sizzle in the pan. He doesn't want to talk about this anymore. He'd much rather just forget about all of this and go back to having a nice, peaceful morning.
“I think you're being an idiot,” Shanks says, tone disappointed and despondent, “She's been nothing but kind and accepting to us. She's pregnant with our child, don't you think she deserves to know everything?”
Dracule tenses the more Shanks goes on, and inside, the warlord knows that the other man is right. It isn't fair to you, but just the thought of admitting his deeds makes him clam up, fear curdling his stomach.
“You know she loves you, right? Told me that before the three of us got together, she was worried I was trying to take her away from you.”
“Stop lying,” Mihawk hisses and grips the counter, brows pulled together in an awful scowl. He doesn't want to hear anymore. How could you love someone so monstrous and selfish like him?
“I'm not lying. She loves you. Just like I never stopped loving you, Mihawk,” Shanks murmurs and pushes past the grief and anger that he can feel surrounding the other man. He presses his brow to Dracule's tense back, willing the warlord to open his ears and listen to him.
“Stop being afraid to love us back.”
“I'm not afraid,” Dracule sounds wrecked, and Shanks curls his arm around that slim waist, tugging him closer to his chest and holding the older man close.
“Then come clean, Baby. Tell her what happened, and let her hear your piece.” Shanks urges softly and presses a kiss to the side of his neck, “You can't keep it inside forever.”
Mihawk is quiet for a long time. Could he do this? Could he open up to you about everything, even with the risk of you tossing him out into the ocean? Dracule thinks of the pained look that he'd caught when he'd dismissed your memories and finds that the guilt is near suffocating. Shanks was right. It wasn't fair to any of them.
“After breakfast, I'll tell her.” Mihawk decides quietly. He doesn't want to, and it terrifies him to think what your reaction will be, but it must happen. Dracule was tired of hiding.
Shanks hugs his treasure close and promises him the same thing that he promised you not very long ago, “We'll figure this out together, yeah?”
Dracule gives a jerky nod, and then the two focus on getting breakfast finished. Shanks sneaks Hank some eggs, and the big lug happily scarfs them down. Mihawk sets the table, busying himself while Shanks disappears to escort you to the kitchen.
He finds you curled up still, Sukuna draped over you like a big, fluffy shield. He goes to the side of the bed and cards his hand through your hair, “You up for breakfast, sweetheart?”
Your pregnancy has been more of a struggle than anything. You hated how emotional you’ve become, getting upset over tiny things that you would otherwise ignore. You couldn’t eat certain things, and you had cried the last time the scent of your favorite tea had made you nauseous. You felt needy, and that made you feel even worse, even though Shanks and Mihawk both have assured you more than a few times that it was fine.
The men actually enjoyed how clingy you've become, eagerly awaiting your beck and call, whether it be running you a hot bath or massaging your sore ankles. Mihawk, in particular, turned out to be a mother hen, coming around more often and staying close to your side. He found books on the birthing process and what to expect after and made it a point to read them out loud when Shanks was able to come around. The other man would grimace and bury his face in the closest soft surface.
“I guess,” you murmur and push yourself up. Sukuna meows in protest, golden eyes narrowing on Shanks for being the one to disturb his nap. You dig your fingers into his thick coat and scratch the ornery beast, and your cat rewards you with thunderous purs. They make you crack and smile, and then you scoot off the bed, grabbing your fluffy robe and tossing it on.
Shanks follows you back to the kitchen where Mihawk has finished setting the table. The warlord comes to your side the moment he sees you, long fingers framing your face as he leans in and kisses you softly. You are surprised enough to kiss him back, but it only lasts half a second before he is pulling away, though he doesn't go far.
“Forgive me, Darling. I shouldn't treat you that way. Especially when it is something so dear to you.”
Mihawk's apology has you melting in his hold, tears well up, and slides down your cheeks. He wipes them away, unphased by the sudden appearance of them.
You sniff and give Dracule a watery smile, “Thank you for apologizing.”
Your rough voice makes his heart break, and Mihaek has a foreboding feeling that he'll be begging for your forgiveness again sooner rather than later. He doesn't want to upset you even more than you are now, but Mihawk had promised Shanks.
“Come, Angel. Let's have breakfast, then I think you and I should talk.”
You frown at the words, but nod, not in the mood to argue with the older man right now. Shanks presses a kiss to the back of your head and then takes his seat, patting his lap with a grin. Mihawk scoffs quietly but steers you in the Emperor’s direction, and you end up seated on the redhead’s lap. You cautiously pull your tea forward and relax when the scent of spearmint reaches your nose.
Breakfast is a quiet affair, though both men are attentive as usual and make sure that you have eaten your fill before they begin to clean up. You pout at being sent to the living room and remind the men that you aren't completely useless. Shanks relents first and reluctantly lets you take over drying the dishes while he goes outside to feed Neal and the three chickens.
Afterward, the three of you retreat to the living room. Your nerves build when the Mihawk sits you in his usual armchair while he and Shanks share the couch. You curl your legs under you, not liking the tension that had bloomed in the room. you lick your lips and break the silence when it seems that neither Shanks nor Mihawk looked like they were going to speak up.
“What's going on?”
You aren't expecting Mihawk to catch your gaze, and you are wholly unprepared to see the terrible guilt and fear that swim in his ringed eyes. The sight strikes you, and you feel concern and anger well up inside. You don't like to see these emotions in your warlord. Mihawk has always been a stone pillar in your life, and it upset you to know that something had made him feel like this.
“Do you remember when you first told me of the dreams you kept having?” When you nod, Mihawk continues, “I lied when I told you that I didn't know anything about them. I panicked earlier when you called your dreams memories because they are _.”
You stare at Mihawk. You can hear him, but there is a ringing in your ears. What did he mean? How could Mihawk know?
“...what?”
Shanks butts in when he sees the confusion and horror that masks your face, “Sweetheart. What do you remember of your home before you came here? Where you came from?”
You shake your head, hands clutching at your robe, “Ah, no? That's always been a little fuzzy for me. I don't know why I can't remember.”
Mihawk speaks up, and you've never heard the stoic man so fretful and nervous before. You don't like it.
“Your home was a chain of prosperous islands named the Nammu Isles. Your parents ruled with a kind hand, but people began to talk, and Charlotte started hearing rumors that the kingdom had connections to Ohara.”
you recognize the name. You remember reading it in one of the many books that Mihawk had brought you over the months. You remember feeling so so angry reading the name, but you couldn't find a reason why. You don't know if it's better or worse now that you know the reason.
“Your parents begged her for a chance to save themselves and offered you up as a bride for one of Big Mom’s sons. She pretended to accept the deal, but in reality, she sent out a message. Calling anyone who wanted a good fight to assist in dealing with a country who needed to know their place.”
“And you were one of them?” You breathe, tone full of anguish, and you look between Mihawk and Shanks. Your heart thuds loudly, and you curl an arm protectively around your stomach. You feel sick.
“I was,” Mihawk confirms, tone wretched and broken, “Your oldest brother, Tomura, found out about the attack and got you out before Big Mom and her sons could make it to the castle. I followed them inside and overheard them making plans to send out ships to search for the two of you, and I decided then that I wanted nothing more to do with Big Mom and her destruction.”
Dracule can see your mounting horror, and he knows he deserves every bit of it, but Mihawk needs to tell you the rest, so he continues.
“I stood there in the main room, looking at all the destruction that they had caused. That I caused, but when I saw you, so innocent and undeserving of what we did to your home, I knew that I couldn't let them find you. I left without a word and sailed out to find you and your brother, saving you from the pirates that had found you, and then I ran. As the years passed, I forgot about what happened, forgot about you, until I found you again.”
You feel like you've stepped straight into the raging waves of the ocean as memories play behind your eyes. You can see it so clearly now, Mihawk arriving on your island and your brother begging you to look away from the Marine Hunter at the time. You can feel the ship rock and shake under you when the cannon balls get too close, and the silence after once you realize that you are safe. You know in your heart that Dracule is telling the truth, but how are you supposed to take such a confession?
You hate him for helping destroy your life, but you can't even remember what your parents look like. Your dreams - memories you remind yourself - only ever showing you your brother and the destruction of your home. But Mihawk had lied to you about who you are for almost two years. He knew your past, knew more than even you. How else were you supposed to feel?
and Shanks? How long had he known? Was he on it, too? The redhead had to have been. They were far too close, and Shanks too knowledgeable about the world. You feel sick, disgusted with the two men in front of you, but numb, too. You don't know how the warlord wants you to react, but you don't think you can deal with either of them right now.
Your silence unnerves Dracule, and he moves from the couch, taking a half step toward his angel, only to stop when you happen to stand as well. He watches with a hopeful expression that falls as you walk past him. Shanks stands as well, dark eyes never leaving your figure as you walk to the front door.
They watch you open it up and stand beside the exit, and Mihawk feels his heart break into a thousand pieces when you look at him, expression closed off and unreadable.
“Get out. Both of you.”
The silence that rings after your statement is deafening. Shanks and Mihawk share a look, and the redhead takes a step forward, hand outstretched.
“Baby, don't - you don't mean that,” he whispers quietly, but you don't look at him. You can't right now. instead, you keep solid eye contact with Mihawk, the true culprit.
“Yes I do. I want you out. Now,” you repeat, and the longer the men linger, the more upset you grow. You have to think. You need time to wrap your head around the fact that both of the people you trust the most in the world have lied to you.
Thankfully, Mihawk seems to understand that being there right now would be the worst thing he and Shanks could do. He tugs Shanks back to the bedroom where Dracule silently gathers his things, slipping on his coat and hat while Shanks roots around for his shirt.
“Mihawk-,” Shanks murmurs, but stops the second the older man shakes his head. The redhead can feel Mihawk's anguish, and he desperately wants to take it away from him, but he knows that only one thing would get Dracule out of his head, and that was you.
You are still standing by the door when they come out of the bedroom. Mihawk can see the way you tremble, but you stay strong and watch them come closer. He stops before you, wanting to reach out, to bed for forgiveness, but the warlord knows it would only make this all worse.
“Call us, please, angel,” Dracule says instead, and doesn't budge until you dip your head in agreement. He fights against the urge to pull you in for a kiss and instead ducks out of the cottage and stalks down the footpath. He needs to go or else he would stay and do something that he would regret.
Shanks lingers, and the redhead can't help himself. He goes to close the distance only for a weight to be shoved at his legs. He looks down, disbelief coloring his face when he sees Hank standing between the two of you. The big mutt stares up at Shanks, and the redhead swears that he can see disappointment swimming in the dog's dark gaze. He looks up at you, helpless, but you look away from him.
“I said get out, Shanks,” you hiss, and the redhead can hear the strain in your voice. He wants to stay, wants to tell you that everything would be okay, and that the three of you could work through this, but he knows that it's a lost cause. At least for now.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart,” Shanks murmurs, and then he turns and follows Mihawk down the path and to the beach. He rounds up his crew with a few short words, heart breaking further when he realizes that Mihawk is already on his ship sailing away, not even nothing to wait for the younger man.
Now alone, you shut the door and go to the couch, sitting in the middle of it. You take a look around your empty home, feeling hollow and alone. You give Hank a sad, strained smile when he comes and sits beside you, Sukuna appearing seconds later to curl up in your lap. Tears well up and stream down your cheeks, but you do not stop them. You let them fall, and grieve for a past you can't remember and a future that you don't know if you can trust.
@writingmysanity @djbumblebee @goth-mami-writer @myradiaz @fluffybunnyu @bookandstar @foggyturtleknightangel @browneyedhufflepuff @anastasiyax @jaguarthecat @atricksterwithwings
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divinemissem13 · 2 months ago
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How Long Has This Been Going On?
Star Trek Femslash Week 2024 Ship: Beverly Crusher/ Kathryn Janeway Word Count: 1,016 Rating: T Prompt: And they were roommates...
This is a much longer text than I would usually post here but since AO3 is still having some outages, take a peek under the cut here....
"Bev? Honey?" Kathryn calls out from the bedroom. She is looking in her closet and maybe it's just that she hasn't had coffee yet, but something seems off. "Why do you have more civilian clothes in my closet than I do?"
Beverly appears at her side and hands her a cup of coffee, which Kathryn gulps down gratefully. "Probably because I've spent a lot more time as a civilian than you," Beverly answers simply, as she wraps an arm loosely around Kathryn's waist and presses a kiss to the smaller woman's temple. "We can go shopping today, if you want."
"But what are they doing here?" Kathryn clarifies, now that the caffeine is beginning to do its job.
Beverly pulls back and holds Kathryn at arm's length, looking at her with a bewildered expression that only serves to confuse Kathryn further. "Where else would they be?" she responds.
"Your place?"
"My pl—? Kathryn, it's just easier to keep things here in San Francisco. But if you really want me to, I guess I can transport to the chateau every time I need a change of clothes," Beverly offers with a bit of an edge to her voice that makes Kathryn wonder if they've had this conversation before.
"You don't have a place in San Francisco?" Kathryn asks.
Beverly sucks in a deep breath through clenched teeth and takes Kathryn's empty mug. "I think you need more coffee. Just, get dressed, please? I don't want to waste our entire day off standing in front of the closet."
Kathryn, who hates to be confused and finds herself absolutely unable to let this go, does not get dressed. She follows Beverly out of the room, intending to demand answers until something else catches her eye: the bookshelf in the living room is more crowded than she remembers. On closer inspection, she realizes that there are medical journals and plays mixed in with her poetry and classic literature. Turning slowly, she takes in the room at large. There is a small greenhouse set up in one corner, a stone figure of dancing woman in the middle of the coffee table, a painting hanging on the wall that Kathryn definitely doesn't remember buying.
Kathryn strides into the kitchen in full admiral mode — despite the fact that her hair is still mussed from sleep and she is wearing only a pink silk robe — and demands, "Beverly Crusher, do you live here?"
Beverly wants to be mad, or at least annoyed, but she looks at Kathryn standing there in the doorway — back straight and hands clenched at her hips, one eyebrow quirked upward in a her most imperious expression, a freckled shoulder peeking out where her robe has started to slip — and all she can do is shake her head and chuckle softly.
Beverly walks over to her admiral (who she outranks, by the way, although now is not the time to bring that up), and straightens her robe, her long slender fingers lingering at the collar for a moment before skimming down silk-clad arms to lace their fingers together. "Technically, no," she finally answers Kathryn's question. "But Kathryn, can you remember the last time you spent a night here without me?"
Kathryn's brow furrows as she thinks back, tries to remember being alone in this apartment, in that big bed. Other than a few notable exceptions of overnight missions or out of town conferences, she can't.
"And you don't have your own place in San Francisco?" Kathryn asks, still trying to wrap her head around the idea.
Beverly sighs. "No more than you have your own place in La Barre," she says, pointedly referencing where they spend most of their weekends. "We did discuss this you know. It's not as though I just sneaked all my things in here bit by bit."
If Kathryn thinks hard enough, she might be able to remember…
An evening, not so long ago, after a particularly exhausting day trying to establish a trade relationship with the Kazon, of all people. Beverly had been sitting on the couch reading when she got home and Kathryn had all but collapsed beside her, resting her head in Beverly's lap while she combed her fingers through Kathryn's hair.
If she tries hard enough, she might even remember Beverly's soothing voice cutting through a haze of exhaustion, saying "I'm thinking of getting rid of my apartment here."
The realization must show on her face because Beverly leans down and kisses the tip of Kathryn's nose. "There it is," she says with a grin. "Now go get dressed, would you? We have a lot to do today." She swats Kathryn on the ass for good measure before she turns back to the breakfast she is preparing for them.
Kathryn rolls her eyes and reaches around Beverly for the fresh mug of coffee sitting on the counter. "Yes ma'am," she smirks, turning back towards the bedroom and sipping at her coffee as she goes. The coffee is good and strong and Kathryn thinks how lucky she is to have someone who will make it fresh for her every morning.
She doubles back to Beverly, using one hand to brush her long hair to one side so that she can kiss the taller woman's shoulder and neck. "Hey Bev?" she murmurs, now with both arms wrapped around her partner's waist.
"Hmm?" Beverly responds noncommittally as she tries to focus on the task in front of her rather than her the distraction behind her.
"Wanna move in with me?"
Beverly drops the knife on the counter and turns in Kathryn's arms to face her. "Oh, I see, you only like it when it's your idea, hmm?" Her expression is one of mock frustration but Kathryn can see from the sparkle in her bright blue eyes that Beverly isn't mad at all.
"I have really good ideas," Kathryn says mischievously.
Before Beverly has a chance to respond, Kathryn is kissing her. As she allows the full-body tingle to take over all of her senses, she decides that Kathryn does have some truly excellent ideas after all.
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alicedash2 · 2 years ago
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Shanks x Y/N with ADHD
Warning: nope, just fluff
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- YN, so, I just wanted to say...- Shanks started to speak, but YN at first paid attention, but, suddenly, his mind started to wander
"Should I have studied? " YN starts to think
"That cloud looks like a boat"
YN starts looking up at the sky, then turning back to Shanks
"His face, he didn't trim his beard like usual"
"What did I eat yesterday?"
- Got it?- Shanks said at the end, YN having his attention back to Shanks
-Hi?- YN said.
-ah, I understand, you can leave it to me- YN said nervously
-... Can you repeat what I just said? - Shanks asked
- ah... - YN gives a nervous smile
- I'll say it again, try to focus, I'll speak more slowly and briefly - Shanks said
- sorry, Shanks- YN says
- ok, it's simple, you just need to reload the pistols and help me load some chests - Shanks says
-Oh, okay!- YN said with a smile
" let's go!" YN think
°•°°°•°•°•°
- It's the last chest...- YN was about to pick up and take the last treasure chest to the ship, when she sees a cat, which was rubbing against the chest
- how cute! He is so sweet!- YN was petting the kitten, completely distracted, but little did YN know that there was someone watching her from afar until a certain moment, YN felt something on her head, behind YN there was a pirate pointing a gun at her head
- don't scream, don't move, just give me the chest...- The pirate said
-Who are you?- YN asked
-Who am I doesn't matter, you're the redhead's girlfriend, huh? You'll serve a good hostage...-
The pirate takes her by the collar and lifts her, he takes her to the ship
- I can't believe it, YN, getting into trouble again? - Yasopp said laughing
- do not laugh! He has a gun pointed at me-- What is that? Wait, he has a gun pointed at me! And why am I being used as a hostage? YOU ARE DISGUSTING!- YN screams angrily
- you're the redhead's girlfriend! You must cost good money for your head, and shut up! - the pirate said while putting the gun on YN's head again
- Red-haired! Give me all your treasure and I'll set she free! Nobody gets hurt!- the pirate said in a big cruel smile
-he... better not - Shanks would say, he knew you would be safe
- why not?! I'll shoot her in the head if you don't do what I say!- the pirate starts screaming, trying to intimidate Shanks
- I think it's hard - Shanks turns and starts walking
- let's go to the ship, let's leave soon - Shanks gets a "yes" from the crew
-I WILL SHOOT- - The pirate finally realizes that YN was out of his hands
- How did she get out?! Where is she?! - the pirate asked
-I think I'm forgetting something, Shanks- YN saidp
- did you clean all the pistols?- Shanks asked, YN nods positively
- and the chests? We're going to need them - Shanks climbed onto the ship
- oh right, I ended up forgetting one! - YN says while going to the chest that he ended up forgetting and takes it back to the ship
- Hey! What are you doing?! You are my hostage!- the pirate frustrated with the situation spoke pointing his finger at YN
- am I? I didn't notice, sorry! I have to go, bye! - YN said while going up to the ship
-What a strange guy! - Yasopp said laughing
- he tried, let him, and YN! - Shanks called YN and then goes to her
- be more careful, although you ran away from him, he could have hurt you - Shanks runs his finger across YN's face
-but... I...- YN tries to speak, but Shanks turns around, asking them to leave soon, because he was having a party and he wanted to drink soon
- come, YN- Shanks called her, YN goes to Shanks-, who puts his arm over YN's shoulders and kisses her on the cheek
- you do thing that's just you can do it!...- Shanks whispers
- It's not my fault!- YN protests
- I know! Go drink and eat something, you haven't eaten anything today- Shanks would say taking her to the kitchen with the rest of the crew, they have fun for the rest of the day, just relaxing and partying
- you're so beautiful - Shanks said
-hm?- YN look at Shanks
- what? - Shanks ask
- I am what?- YN ask to Shanks
- ...-
-...-
-... nothing, let's go- Shanks said and starts walking towards the crew who were drinking
- WAIT! REPEAT! REPEAT WHAT DID YOU SAY! Did you call me what?!- YN scream at Shanks following him
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exhuastedpigeon · 3 days ago
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so i just finished watching the episode and my sympathy to BT fans because woof this episode was rough and I don't mean on the surface but in every other way.
Like they truly did hammer home that he is just a visitor in Buck's story and just like has always been the case with this relationship the writers have had moments when they could choose to develop them even more. Instead they choose to do the complete opposite and make it even clearer that this is not meant to last.
Three moments in this episode alone that I was like if they wanted to tell us this was Buck's serious relationship they would have done something differently. Interestingly enough both are there in the final scene.
The final scene, Buck just called Tommy his boyfriend to the audience and the dead corpse for the first time(clearly it wasn't in universe) but the line was clearly begging for Tommy to kiss Buck, boils on his face and all to prove that Tommy was not bothered as Buck said "my boyfriend won't even kiss me" like that's a cliche moment and they didn't do it. They just stood 6 ft apart and nothing. An even more damning thing if they wanted to leave Buck and Tommy on a positive note for the episode they would have walked off the cemetery hand in hand, something so simple and instead we got the image of Buck walking away from Tommy without looking back at him.
Of course there's other things they could have done, Buck could have seen how bothered and jealous Tommy was that he was not in the GC and instead of having 10 seconds to say hey I'll add you to it he just ignores it and focuses on the fact he found a cure to the curse.
The lack of any kind of physical affection for BT is extremely apparent as well.
Like they had so many opportunities in this episode to show BT being different and intimate and just did absolutely none of that. Instead when it came to intimacy, Buck and Eddie filled that quota.
Kat on twitter said it best this episode told you that basically it's Husband vs Boyfriend.
I'm sorry this got so long but I'd love to hear your thoughts and this is someone that doesn't ship anything and just watches for the story and the story is not giving what it needs to give if this was something serious.
Hi Anon! Sorry it took me a couple of days to answer this.
I really enjoyed 8x05 for the most part, even though it was probably my least favourite episode of the season so far. I've only had time to watch it once since I was traveling this weekend, so I may change my mind and decide it's better than I thought on first watch, but for me it was probably a 7.5/10.
I agree with you - there were a few moments/scenes where Buck and Tommy's relationship could have been shown to be going to the next level, but Eddie was there in the spot where you'd expect the romantic partner.
In my opinion, hospital room scene was the most deliberate in showing that Eddie is Buck's partner and Tommy is still on the outside. Eddie already being there and making no move to leave even after Tommy showed up, his little comments that added context to Buck's story (this reminded me of me and my partner telling stories), and the way he put the magazine down to listen when Buck started talking all felt very deliberate.
I'm sure this isn't a popular opinion, but I like Eddie and Tommy's dynamic. The times I've found Tommy to be the most engaging are when he's with Eddie. I think he's kind of just there most of the time and I think a big reason why I find him so bland is he's at his most interesting when Eddie's there, not when he's with Buck.
I thought Tommy staying over at Buck's to help take care of him was sweet, though I was confused about him sleeping on the couch and I've already posted about how it felt like he was talking to Buck like he was a child and not an adult re: screen time and bedtime so I won't go into that again since I don't think there's much more to say.
There was a moment for me this episode that made me go "oh, that's the story I think they're going to tell". It was when they were all in the waiting room and Hen texted the group chat.. Everyone around them got the text and reacted and not only was Tommy not included, he had to ask Buck what happened.
That felt deliberate and it felt like maybe they're setting up an arc where Buck has to actively let Tommy into his life and to do that he may need to make room for him by giving less space to other people. One thing we know about Buck as a character is that he's got an endless well of empathy, but another thing we know is he's self centered. I wonder if they're setting up Buck not noticing how left out Tommy feels and him having to make a choice - make room for Tommy in his life and family or end the relationship.
I will also say I didn't love Hen and Karen's conflict in this episode. It felt a little like it came out of nowhere and only existed so they could have the moment at the end in Denny's hospital room where Karen says she was glad Hen was at work, but this is also a network TV show so they kind of have to manufactur conflict sometimes.
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cornyonmains · 1 year ago
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Finished The Eclipse. I honestly feel like I had the right instinct to tune it out the first time, but I do think it's interesting in that you can really see the baby steps GMMTV was taking to grow up a little bit.
You can really look at The Eclipse and see a show where it's clear GMMTV really diminished its potential with a lot of its own standards, and to their credit, I think they stood back and took a hard enough look at it, the BL environment in general, and how absolutely hard fans were calling out their bullshit and decided to get real with Only Friends.
The Only Friends cast is heavily indicative of this being the case. GMMTV was gunning for elevated talent that knew how to play ball, and Neo, First, and Khao were all shining stars in The Eclipse, that blasted their scene partners out of the water. Force and Book are intensely unique, as they've always been shafted with bad scripts and sexually repressed directors, despite the fact they came into the game with a lot more professionalism and comfort with the material they were handling. The director didn't wind up sobbing in the corner because they refused to move their mouths when they kissed. They're also a much more 'modern' ship, that doesn't default on yaoi contrasts and that weird seme/uke binary. After the success of KinnPorsche, and popularity of MileApo, I think GMMTV finally saw the potential in this pairing. About time.
But the casting is very indicative of GMMTV kind of telling fans, "We've been listening, we hear you, and we're making changes." Only Friends corrects a lot of complaints the fandom has been having.
Adults, for example, don't have much in this genre. Part of the reason The Eclipse fell short for me is it's just another damn coming of age drama. Great for the baby gays, but the adults are over it. GMMTV gave us Neo eating Mark's ass like groceries then getting godless with Force in the backseat of a car, and I'll live 10 years on that alone.
The plot contrivances they have to cook up to keep everyone from doing anything but doing a cutaway kiss with no tongue in the final episode is no more, people are fucking nasty, so now there's room for actual plot, which is hilariously ironic. But also, it's not, because I mean the desire women have for horny softcore erotica with good plots and high production value is not unknown.
Queer women and bisexuals have been complaining about a lack of representation. At the core of these yaoi tropes is a world where bisexuality has no meaningful distinction from being gay, which is really annoying, because bisexuals have a much different experience in the queer community, and that's not reflected in a world where X amount of interpersonal communication can magically turn anyone gay. Queer women just don't exist in BL. Women are all straight virgins trying to steal your man. Only Friends has lesbians. Actual FDA approved lesbians. Are they fucking nasty? No, but it's something. We are allowed to exist in the world of Only Friends and that's HUGE.
People have been complaining about the cringe. Only Friends removed that and replaced it rage provoking stupidity by the characters, and I approve of that.
Anyways, analysis is what I do for a living. TV is well within the ballpark. So while I'm only basing my thoughts on what I've observed and not cold hard numbers, there's only so much insight I can provide, but it's insight backed by years of experience. With Only Friends posting absolute numbers, we can expect to see some structural changes at GMMTV on the horizon, because this is going to create growth. Probably even stimulate a search for new actors to get on their roster, since they have a lot of actors that won't be able to deliver going into the new era. I also think this is going to help them land sponsorships from atypical brands, which is BIG. Mile getting Maserati on board for KinnPorsche is part of what allowed it to exist in an elevated form.
I also think the success is going to result in a shake-up with the quality of writers they hire, because that's at the core of a lot of issues in BL. They adapt these novels from these absolutely unhinged lunatics, these lunatics have WAY too much creative power despite the fact they're low brow porn writers, and it kills the quality of a finished product. America doesn't do that. Directors have the power to elevate material, and that's important. GMMTV got a proper writer for Only Friends, and it paid off in a big way. Mame is one of the names I hate in BL the most. Her goo-goo gaga shit is creepy, I hate it, it makes queer people look bad, and I'm hoping writers like Jojo just drive her out of the scene.
Anyways, I'm going to end things here. I just wanted to share some random thoughts I had.
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enby-trash-rat · 6 months ago
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Logan's Criminal
Ships: Intrulogical (Logan x Remus)
CHAPTER THREE
Well this is an interesting position" he mumbled before smiling more than he has in a while
he looks at him, smiling widely-I wish you would do that more often.
Logan looks confused for a second before shrugging and going back to smiling "do you mean smile?"
Remus nods slowly. "Yeah. It's nice to see you so..."
He pauses for a moment before speaking again. "Happy"
Logan nodded a little "I haven't been this happy in a long while" he admits before yawning a little.
Remus leans back a little pulling Logan with him as he closes his eyes.
Logan yawns again "Can I nap on you?" He asks softly as he rubs his eyes
"Of course." Remus whispers, smiling a little.
------------------------------------------------------
Logan fell asleep quickly but he wasn't asleep for very long before his phone went off.
Remus opens his eyes looking at him. Tensing slightly.
Remus opened an eye glancing down at him.
Logan groaned a little before picking up his phone and throwing it across the room "No more work only boyfriend time"
Remus snickers in response before moving closer to him. "Are you sure?"
Logan nodded "I don't want to work anymore today"
Logan listened to Remus' heart beat and mumble "you seem anxious about something"
Remus' whole body tenses once again, he glances at him, and shrugs.
"You could say that." He whispers.
Logan nodded a little "Do you want to talk about it or just stay like this?"
"Just a little stressed, no big deal." He tries for a smile. "I assume you have theories on why?"
Logan shrugged looking up at Remus. "Well one is that you're the criminal I'm looking for but that doesn't matter because I can just stop" he said before sighing
Remus goes silent for a moment, he was surprised Logan would do such a thing. Sacrifice his job. For him. "You would do that?" He says it softly, his heart beating slightly faster.
Logan nodded "Most likely as I have other cases and I could always just link it to someone different since there's no forensic evidence"
"Okay, sure, but what if someone else figures it out?" He stares at him not breaking eye contact.
"Then I'll be arrested and lose my job" he said as he looked Remus in the eyes
"Oh..." He frowns his eyes dropping to the floor. The stakes were heightened. If anyone found out that Logan knew and wasn't informing them... He could lose him..
"So are you this amazing criminal?" Logan asks as he stares at him intently.
Remus looks back down at him as he begins to rub the back of his neck, something he did when he was anxious, a tell of his.
Logan looks at Remus and tilts his head "You are, aren't you... damn.. my heart did it again" he chuckles as he kisses Remus softly.
He kisses him back, softly and slowly.
"Just relax I'm not gonna turn you in" Logan said softly as he held onto Remus
Remus smiles sadly, staring into his eyes-
Logan looks at the floor before grabbing the case file he had on Remus "lighter
Remus looked at him in confusion. Why would he need a---?
Logan sighed before getting his lighter out his pocket and burning the file.
Remus looks down at the flame for a moment, he wore a blank expression, still slightly shocked by the action.
Logan watched the file burn "There. No more evidence" Was it crazy? Most definitely.
Remus wore the blank expression for another moment before bursting into a hysterical laughter.
Logan tills his head "Should I not have done that?"
Remus grins as he finally calms looking at him.
"Lo, I appreciate the sentiment, love it actually. Only thing is they're going to ask for the case file, then your fucked, not mention that phone call you missed." He states.
"I have a backup on my computer" Logan explains before looking at his phone "I don't have to answer the calls from work because I'm not on call"
Remus smiles a bit
Logan sighed "I will delete the file if you want me to" He would. He really would. He'd make the sacrifice.
"You don't have to do that. They're going to become suspicious, they'll know something is up. If you suddenly just drop the case someone else will be on it." He states
Logan shrugged "That's why I have ways of leading to a suspect also it was pretty smart of you to change your tactic also the fact you leave no evidence it shows you listened to me" he rambled as he smiled
"Er, Thanks." Remus' face flushed pink. "And of course I listen, you have a soothing voice, honestly I thought you'd catch on sooner."
Logan sighed "well when you made it subtle and it definitely seems like you want to get caught by me" he said leaning his head on Remus shoulder "So why crime?" He asked curiously
Remus looks at him and shrugs. "Why not?"
He grins wildly. 'It's, what's the word..." He pauses for a moment. "Exhilarating. Yeah that's the word. If I'm being honest Lo, I was scared. I was scared of what would happen if you figured out it was me."
Logan nodded "Well are you going to continue doing crime now that I know it's you?" He asked after all it was now his favourite memories found out.
"I dunno. Remus shrugs as he stares up at the ceiling, an odd expression on his face.
He hadn't thought of that.
Logan smiled a little "Well it would be interesting if you do" Though the case had been stressful it was most definitely intriguing.
Remus stares directly at him and smirks. "You actually enjoy this don't you?"
Logan nodded "Yes I do" he said confidently before kissing Remus
(Previous Chapter)
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acourtofthought · 1 year ago
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forgive me if you've answered this before, but what do you think the "big betrayal" SJM hinted at in the next book is going to be? part of me is thinking its going to be az defying rhys and entering an affair with elain before that inevitably turns sour. I know a certain subset of fandom is suggesting gwyn is gonna be evil which is goofy, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Is this something she said in an interview or something hinted at in SF? I'd love to hear more about the Betrayal she spoke of! Up until SF and even in SF, we had proof of Az being defiant and announcing that he'd disobey Rhys's orders but we've never actually seen him go behind Rhys's back. I think if Az was planning on defying Rhys in regards to Elain, a few things wouldn't have happened. First, I don't think Az would have left the River House thinking to himself that he knew he had been right to avoid Elain. We're directly in Azriel's thoughts and if he had real feelings for Elain, I imagine we would have gotten something along the lines of, "Rhys just didn't understand" or "Rhys was wrong for thinking he only wanted Elain for sex". Instead, his silence to Rhys and lack of thoughts to himself sort of confirm that he really doesn't have the best intentions when it comes to Elain. We also get the line, "Rhys had rarely threatened punishment or pulled rank. It stunned Azriel enough that it knocked him from his rage." Which to me means that Az saying, "You can't order me to do that" is simply bravado because he's throwing a tantrum that someone called him out for irrational and irresponsible behavior. I think when Rhys finally used his commanding voice, it calmed Az down enough to see that he was acting out of line. It reminded him that he knew he should have stayed away from Elain because his jealousy over not getting what he wants (a mating bond like his brothers) is making him do things he knows he'd end up regretting. I really don't think SJM then added Gwyn into things if Az is planning on defying Rhys in order to be with Elain because this is what Az's story would look like: In love with Mor for 500 + years Starts to show interest in Elain while also still being in love with Mor Gets ready to kiss Elain but tells her it's a mistake. Can't confirm to Rhys that he's over Mor. Can't confirm that he's thought of a future with Elain but gets pissed at Rhys as if Rhys doesn't have a right to be pissed at Az's non responses however he still ends up spending the second half of the evening with Gwyn who makes him feel a bit better after everything that happened. Decides to give Gwyn the gift he originally planned on giving Elain and the thought of Gwyn's happiness makes him feel joy. Defies Rhys to be with Elain. That all sounds like a male who has some major issues. He would literally be bouncing back and forth to whichever female showed him the tiniest bit of interest at any given moment and I can't imagine SJM writing a male love interest like that unless she plans on tanking his character the way she did with Tamlin. Also, we do get confirmation in SF that where Az did first attempt to defy Rhys and Feyre with going after Briallyn, he eventually agreed to hold off. That to me was SJM demonstrating that while Az's initial response has been to rage and throw tantrums, he's starting to show respect for his High Lord and High Lady's decisions. If there is to be some big betrayal I think it's going to completely be related to plot (not ships, going behind friends and family just to date someone) and won't end up being a betrayal at all, at least not by a major character who is getting a POV. Whether it's an Elucien book or Gwynriel book next, it doesn't make sense to me to have one of the main characters get in over their head and need Rhys, Feyre, Nesta, Cassian, etc to save them. That makes no sense when the hero / heroine of a novel are the ones supposed to save the day. Also, if the IC end up betrayed we'd need their POV to see their emotional turmoil over having been betrayed or suspecting the betrayal in the first place and that doesn't make a lot of sense if it's an Az POV. It could work if say, Elain thought Lucien was betraying them and she decided to keep tabs on him to find out more information only to learn that Lucien never betrayed them at all but had a clever scheme going on which ends up helping everyone.
What could also be a possibility is if a secondary character (i.e. Eris) is the one to betray them. He strikes me as a very Loki like character who bounces back and forth between doing good and being ready to throw them all under the bus if it no longer serves his purpose.
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joshuaorrizonte · 3 months ago
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Untitled Chapter Eight: the Scylla
@zottower (btw, thank you so much for your comments! I sincerely appreciate them, even if I'm too shy to reply to them!) @eventide-imp
Ask to be tagged/untagged!
C/N: Discussion of inappropriate sexual contact (nothing graphic)
They didn’t return to the galley that night. And Kain did not return to his bunk.
They knew they wouldn’t be disturbed. They were rooming together, in a cabin for honored travelers. Apparently the ship’s captain had no love for the governor of Elymont, and regarded them as something of heroes for undoing the man. None of them asked why that was, and the captain didn’t tell them.
Kain could hardly believe that they had made love; now that it was done, it felt like they’d been lovers for years. When he mentioned it to Gavin, the dark knight took several moments to respond. Just as Kain was about to apologize for his presumptiveness, Gavin said slowly, “You’re right. This feels… different than when I was with Dryden. Like we belong like this. Like it’s always been this way.”
Kain smiled and kissed the top of Gavin’s head. “Now that I have you,” he said in a rough voice, “I don’t plan to let you go.”
“You sound like you’re in love,” Gavin scoffed lightly. Kain responded with a little misty smile, and Gavin smacked his chest lightly. "You're not. Stop."
"Maybe I am. I've never felt this way before."
"Are you sure it's not indigestion?"
"Gavin!"
"I'm sure the cheese has already turned."
"I can't believe how flippant you're being about the possibility that I'm in love."
"It wouldn't be the worst thing, I suppose," Gavin said softly, "but it sure would imply you fall fast."
"Yeah, that's giving me pause. As far as I know, I don't fall easily. Otherwise I'd have had lovers constantly."
Gavin looked up at him, stunned. "That's right," he murmured. "You said you've never had a lover before. Are you sure about this?"
"Too late now." Kain's voice was almost smug. "For what it's worth, I don't mind. I know it's difficult to believe but I really care about you. I know it doesn't seem possible with how short a time we've known each other, but-"
"Tell me it was love at first sight and we're never having sex again."
Kain barked out a surprised laugh. "Don't worry, I don't believe in that nonsense. I can admit that I was infatuated when I saw you without your helmet, though."
Gavin snorted quietly. "I will admit I was attracted to you the moment you intervened on my behalf. I wasn't so addled that I'd have called it an infatuation, though."
Kain feigned indignation, giving an exaggerated gasp. "You wound me. Addled? I had full function of my brain, thank you."
"Which brain?" He laughed softly as Kain swatted at him and he dodged, catching Kain's hand in his own and kissing it. "For what it's worth, I'm pretty infatuated now. You are... I've never met anyone as simultaneously alluring and infuriating as you. It's fascinating and I want to get to know you better."
Kain gave him a half-lidded look, his smile tender and full of promise. "I think I'd like that. I think I'd like to get to know you better, too."
~*~
When they left their cabin the next morning, they left it together. If Liashta thought anything of it, she said nothing. Stormsong, however, was over the moon. She immediately caught onto how things changed between them; how close they stood to each other, the strange adversarial attitudes they carried smoothed out to something gentler. 
And Stormsong couldn't have been happier. “My goodness, little one,” Gavin said, his soft voice even quieter than usual, but much less tense than it usually was. “You’d think you’re the one who got a boyfriend last night.”
“So you admit it!” Stormsong squeaked. “You and big brother finally got over yourselves and told each other how much you love-“
“Let’s not get carried away,” Kain interjected hastily. “We are together, yes, but it’s far too early for-“
“It’s never too early to tell the one you love how you feel!”
Bewildered, Gavin and Kain looked at each other helplessly. “You created a monster with your constant pining,” Liashta said airily, “and now you get to deal with her.”
“Constant pining?” Kain repeated, brow furrowed. “What do you mean, constant pining? Liashta, what do you mean? I wasn’t pining-“
“You were,” Gavin called after Kain, as he chased Liashta through the passageways. 
“So were you!” Kain exclaimed over his shoulder.
Stormsong just smiled at Gavin, starry-eyed. Gavin looked down at her, torn between irritation and amusement. “You have to know that if I’d known you’d make such a big deal of it, I’d have never talked to him about the issue,” he told her, bemused. 
“But you did! You did, and now all the world will know that you and big brother-“
“Oh-kay, now, it’s time you and I had a talk.” Unceremoniously, Gavin picked the child up and slung her over his shoulder. Stormsong laughed loud and long as Gavin carried her back to the room she shared with Liashta.
Their spirits were all high as the days at sea passed. The three adults helped with fishing efforts to bulk up the ship’s food stores; the captain said they could be at sea for two weeks or more, and none of them wanted to run out of food in that time. 
Liashta, meanwhile, drew close to Ash, spending most of her free time with him. They didn’t exclude Gavin, Kain, and Stormsong; on the contrary, Ash taught the adults games of chance with his dice and cards. They didn’t have much to spare, but Ash let Kain, who was inexplicably the best at these games, to play him for real money. Maizana’s mayor would have odd jobs for them, Ash told them, but it would help if they had funds getting into the city, so the woman and girl wouldn’t need to sleep on the street. “If you think Elymont’s streets rough,” Ash said quietly, “you do not want to be caught outdoors after dark in Maizana. Not even the little one would be safe.”
“I can take care of myself,” Stormsong said fiercely.
Ash gave her a humoring smile that faded as Kain said, “Maybe that’d be true if you weren’t stuck like that, but you are, indeed, stuck like that, and you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself against someone who meant you ill.”
“What does that mean?” Ash asked. “What do you mean, she’s stuck like that? She a wizard what had a morphing spell go wrong?”
“Something like that,” Liashta said uncomfortably. Kain shook his head sharply and she added, “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on it.”
“Don’t plan on what?”
“This is a delicate situation,” Gavin told him. “And it won’t matter soon, anyway. We’ll be taking our leave of you as soon as we reach Maizana.”
“That’s true, I suppose.” But Ash was clearly unhappy with the situation, and Kain cast a wary look in Ash’s direction. The porter had been nothing but kind and helpful to them, and he had no reason to suspect the man of ill intentions, but their situation necessitated that he do so. Everyone was a danger to them, danger in every shadow. Especially with Gavin’s former lover after him. From what Gavin told him, the man was powerful, not one to take well to being spurned as Gavin had done. It made sense that he would send Gavin away from Darkfell and then try to prevent him from coming back. It was revenge, and it left a sour taste in Kain’s mouth.
Kain sighed finally, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Ash,” he said, “but it’s really better for everyone if you don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know what the full situation is, or how much danger we’d be putting you in if we were to explain everything to you.”
“Danger? From this little girl?”
“This little girl is the most dangerous person you’ll ever meet,” Gavin said grimly, “even though she doesn’t look it. But no, the danger is not from her.”
“Then what-“
“Enough, Ash,” Liashta said quietly. Ash immediately quieted. That was an interesting dynamic, Kain thought to himself, although he said nothing. He wondered idly if Liashta would insist on remaining with Ash, or if she intended to go back to him once the dragons were found. He wished her well; whatever she decided to do, he hoped it would be something that made her happy. She deserved happiness, no matter how he felt about her. 
He was painfully aware that his resentment was one-sided. They had been best friends before he attempted to seduce her mother, and he knew that she regretted everything that happened in the aftermath. She didn’t acknowledge that it had been none of her business, but she did acknowledge that she hurt him, and badly, as well as her mother. It hadn’t been enough at the time, and Kain hadn’t thought it would ever be enough.
But perhaps time truly did heal all wounds. 
Ash excused himself quietly, rising and heading out of the boys’ cabin. Liashta sighed as he went, rubbing her forehead. “So,” Gavin said quietly, “is all this teasing about me and Kain just projection on your part?”
Liashta looked at him sharply. “What exactly does that mean?”
“Are you sleeping with him?”
“That’s none of your business!” Her face colored, rolling her eyes in irritation. “But if you must know, no, I’m not. We're just friends, and I'm enjoying being close to someone again, so don't you dare ruin this for me, Kain."
"I would never-!" Kain gasped. 
Gavin's expression went stony. "I want to know what happened between you."
"That's none of your-" Liastha started. 
"It is. I *am* sleeping with him, and of there’s something in his past that may change my mind-"
"She accused me of attempted rape."
Stormsong's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped in horror. "Big brother?" she whispered. 
"It wasn't true," Liashta said hastily. "My mother was in that position fully willingly. She wouldn't have lied to protect him if she wasn't. I had no right to speak for her."
"So why did you?" Kain's voice was hard and pleading all at once. 
"You need to understand what it looked like. I thought I knew my mother. I didn't think she'd willingly find herself in that kind of situation with someone she helped raise!"
"And you thought that of a man who had been raised by her?" Kain arched an eyebrow, disbelief written on his face. 
Frustrated, Liashta retorted, "It seemed more likely than she was seducing you. In hindsight I see how ridiculous that was, and I'm sorry. I don't know how many times you want me to say it!"
"I want it to have never happened!"
"She can't do that." 
All of them looked at Gavin. Kain scowled. "Stay out of this."
"I will not. I'm involved in this by virtue of being involved with you. And she can't undo what she already did! I'm sorry your reputation suffered-"
“You’re sorry that my reputation suffered?” Kain spluttered. “Gavin, this has nothing to do with my reputation! I’ve never cared about my reputation, and if people want to think the worst of me after my supposed victim defended me, let them! This is about the fact that someone I love thought me capable of such evil, and that’s where her mind immediately went, no hesitation! What does that say about me?”
“Kain, no,” Liashta immediately protested. “It says something about me, not you! From the moment I made the accusation, it was about me and how cynical I am-“
“Stop,” Gavin said, his soft voice firm. “What happened to you, Liashta?”
“What… What do you-“
His gaze was intense as he spoke. “It sounds like you were almost raised as siblings. Am I correct?” Liashta nodded, swallowing hard, and Gavin shook his head slowly. “What could possibly make you think your brother would do such a thing? People don’t make those accusations without reason.”
“I had reason. My mother-“
“No. You know what I mean. What did he do to you?”
"Not him."
Abruptly, Liashta stood, her head down, and briskly headed for the door. "Lia!" Kain cried. She ignored him, barreling out of the cabin. Kain put his head in his hands, breathing deeply. "I didn't want to deal with this," he half-sobbed. 
"What is this, exactly?" Gavin asked cautiously. Kain didn't answer, and Gavin said his name softly. "My father wasn't the most honorable person, it seems," he said bitterly. "Something happened between her mother and my father that drove him from Reythak. He abandoned me with her mother before he left."
Gavin's gaze turned sympathetic. "You are not your father," he said quietly. "No matter what he did, she didn't have a right to assume the same of you."
"I know," Kain said miserably. "I know, but I don't know that Lia does. If she did, it never would have crossed her mind."
"That may be so. That's hers to work through, Kain. It's not even any of your business. Not now that she knows for certain that she misjudged you so badly.”
Kain’s glare was harsh and unforgiving. “How do you know she misjudged me?” He demanded harshly. “How do you know I’m not just like-“
“I’ve been with you.” His voice was dry as a bone picked clean by scavengers. “I don’t think you could hurt someone that way if you wanted to, and you don’t. Besides, you don’t know what your father did, do you?”
Grudgingly, as if it pained him to admit it, he said, “No.”
“For all you know it was an affair that both of them agreed to.” Gavin shrugged. “Could involve nothing of the sort. The fact of the matter is that you don’t know, Kain. And even if you did, his shame is not yours to bear.” Gavin took a shuddering breath. “We are not our parents. I have to believe that.”
Kain looked at his lover, sympathy reaching his eyes. “Your parents weren’t all that great either, huh?”
“To put it lightly.” He swallowed hard, looking away for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “Don’t try to change the subject, you. This is about you. You and Liashta. You need to talk to her. You need to clear the air between you. Because if you don’t, you’ll make traveling with each other torturous, and I’m not subjecting myself to that. Especially not when I was prepared completely to make this journey on my own.”
Irritation flashed through Kain. “You don’t regret bringing us, do you?”
Gavin gave him a misty smile in response. “Of course I don’t regret it. I… well. I don’t regret it, at all, and I hope you don’t regret it, either. Maybe I don’t care for Liashta being with us, but we had no choice. I wasn’t going to leave her at the mercy of people who were trying to brainwash you and openly wanted me dead. Of course I wasn’t going to do that.”
Kain regarded Gavin thoughtfully. His mind again went to how he’d been taught that dark knights were evil, how night elves were the only ones unholy enough to decide to take that path for themselves. He’d already figured out that the belief that night elves were inherently wicked was a load of horse dung. The prejudice against dark knights, though, was slower to let go. The lessons he’d learned in his training as a dragon rider told him that Gavin should’ve been a selfish prick, at best. He shouldn’t have cared what happened to Liashta. 
Or Kain, for that matter. 
Gavin met Kain’s gaze, his mouth quirking in a sardonic smirk. “Keep staring. I may do a trick.”
“I’m not allowed to look at my boyfriend?”
The smirk turned to a genuine smile. “You know, we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“How things changed between us.”
Kain scoffed, “We don’t need to talk about that. We were friends before. We’re lovers now. That’s all that changed.”
“We were friends?”
“Don’t do that.” Kain stood, stretching. “I’m going to go talk to Lia. Stay here and entertain Stormsong. Sweetheart… tell Gavin what you’re thinking. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you went completely silent on us.”
“I’ve got her,” Gavin said reassuringly, and Kain ruffled Stormsong’s hair before moving to head out of the cabin, looking for Liashta. He stopped to ask the sailors and deck cadets if they’d seen her; most hadn’t. A handful had, though, and directed her onto the main deck. 
He found her at the stern of the ship, leaning against the taffrail. “Lia,” he said softly, coming up to stand beside her.
She glanced at him; he could see that she was still holding back tears of frustration. “I’m sorry,” she said, again. “You’re right. You’ve always been right about this. I was wrong to assume what I did. I was wrong not to listen to my mother.” She turned a baleful glare on him. “But you have never admitted you were wrong as well.”
“I was, and I’m sorry.”
“You put her in a horrific situation-“
“I know. It was unacceptable.”
“-especially since she raised you as her own!”
“Exactly. I got it in my head that she wasn’t really my mother so it was okay. I was wrong.”
She gritted her teeth. “And now I get to stand here and listen to you make—wait, what?”
He smiled, looking at her askance. “Did you just hear what I said?”
“I…” She swallowed hard. “I wasn’t expecting that of you. At all. I’m… glad. Glad that you admit how wrong you were.”
“I’ve admitted it since you caught us,” he said softly, “although it’s was only grudging at the time. Lia, you’re right. It was a foolish crush and I should’ve never acted on it. It wasn’t my reputation that was shot after it, as Gavin said, it was Alanna’s. But I didn’t ruin her reputation alone, Lia. As you said, she raised me as her own. She saw me as her son until then, and so did the rest of the village.” He paused as she stiffened and inhaled sharply. “But your very loud accusation also put her in an impossible situation. She either had to go along with you and save her own skin, or defend me and save mine. I might not have ever regarded her as my mother—you both made damn sure I knew she wasn’t—but she still saw me as her son. Of course she was going to defend me.” He looked away, out to sea.
And froze, his whole body tensing. “And what did you want me to do, in that situation?” Liashta demanded hotly. “With what I thought I had walked in on?” 
“Talked to her,” he murmured, “before you ran off to get the head of the peacekeepers to arrest me. Lia, do you see that?”
Liashta growled at him for changing the subject. But her gaze focused on what he was looking at, out in the distance. “The water is churning,” she murmured, all hint of rancor gone from her voice. “Kain, what-“
“I don’t know,” he said tightly, “but I want you to go warn Gavin that something’s wrong, and stay with him.”
“But-“
“You’re safer with him and Stormsong than with me,” he insisted, stepping away from the taffrail. “I’m going to go find Ash. He’ll know where the captain is. Go, hurry!”
Without checking to make sure Liashta was obeying him, he darted away, searching the deck. Ash was nowhere to be seen; but there was someone in the crow’s nest. “Hey!” Kain hollered up at her. “Hey! Lookout!” At that, the woman looked down, irritation on her rough features. Kain ignored it. “Look toward the stern!” He shouted. Rolling her eyes, the lookout obeyed, pressing a spyglass to her eye. 
And in the next moment, she was yanking on the alarm bell next to her, screaming, “Sea monster, off the stern! Battle stations! Now!”
Activity erupted on the deck. Alarm bells sounded through the air as the sailors abandoned their tasks and rushed to the canons, drawing their swords or their pistols, or dashing for the ladder heading below the main deck. Ash rushed up to him, face red and splotchy. “Will you help us fight?” He panted. 
Kain nodded, grimly drawing his sword. “Lia is below with Gavin and Stormsong,” he told him. “You don’t look like you’re going to be much help here. Go to them.” In response, Ash pulled a weapon from his sash, a large-bore pistol, and clicked the hammer. Kain whistled. “Okay, that’s not a gun, that’s a hand-canon. I was clearly wrong about that.”
Ash flashed him a smile. “You’re not exactly wrong,” he said. “I’m not the healthiest person on this ship. And a few shots from this thing will knock my shoulder out of its socket, so I’ll need to retreat anyway. But I’m not useless.”
“I can see that.” Screams from the sailors pierced the air as the canons roared. Kain turned back to the stern, and his heart skipped a beat in terror, seeing a huge woman rise from the churning water, spear held high above her monstrous head. Six dog heads circled her, snapping and howling at the approaching ship. She screamed, an ear-piercing shriek that set Kain's teeth on edge as she raced the waves towards the ship. 
Ash murmured, "A scylla. I hope you've made your peace with whatever god you follow, Kain, because we're not getting out of this."
"Where there's life," Kain retorted, shifting to a sidesword stance, "there is hope. She hasn't killed us yet, and gods willing, she won't. Don't give up before the battle's even started."
"Oh, I'm taking one of those dogs down with me," Ash replied, arrogant and confident.
"Focus on staying alive," Kain snapped. "Are you ready?" 
Another volley of canonfire hurled towards the scylla. Ash nodded. "Let's see what you've got, dragon rider."
That was all the confirmation Kain needed. He dashed forward with a yell, sword flashing in the rapidly fading light as black clouds rolled in. He didn't have time to ponder such an ill omen before one of the scylla's dog heads clamped down on the deck, and Kain's sword slammed into it. 
Around him, the battle with the monster raged.
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oblivious-idiot · 2 years ago
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✨ allie's masterlist ✨
hey all! since i now have a handful of fics it makes sense to have a masterlist! i'll try my best to update the list whenever i can <3
shout out to linnie (@wellgoslowly) for inspiring me to update my list and write more! the layout is very much influenced by their list - thanks bestie <3
feel free to send me prompts or requests! i currently write for: lockwood x reader, george x reader, lucy x reader, and kipps x reader! if you're after something from another fandom, my current interests in my bio - i'm more than happy to expand my list and write for other ships or x reader prompts! i mainly write fluff, hurt/comfort and angst, but i'm open to other suggestions too! - allie x
i also tag all of my writings under allie writes !
Lockwood and Co.
anthony lockwood x reader
don't wanna see you crying anymore
1.5k, fluff, angst, language/swearing
after lockwood deems you housebound while your injuries heal from a case (broken arm and cracked ribs), you reconnect with kipps, which only makes lockwood jealous
heart patterned pyjamas
500, mild swearing, fluff
after a case, you bump into lockwood after a shower in just a towel, but you can't help but notice his pink pyjamas (inspired by the deleted scene)
marker mayhem
800, fluff
you find lockwood asleep in the living room from waiting up for you but your delirious state gets a bit carried away with your permanent marker.
now that i'm grown (i'm scared of ghosts)
2k, fluff, hurt/comfort, aged up lockwood
as kipps' older sister and deprac officer, bumping into anthony lockwood is inevitable. that doesn't mean you're thrilled when you have to save him from visitors.
patching up
1k, fluff, hurt/comfort, mentions of injury
where you comes home early in the morning from a case, the last thing you had planned was collapsing as soon as you stepped foot into 35 portland row.
subconscious actions
1.3k, fluff
lockwood has a tendency to do little stuff for you without thinking. he's so oblivious to it that he's even confused when confronted by lucy and george.
george karim x reader
london calling
1.4k fluff, spoilers to the season finale, swearing
you and george met while working for fittes, you now end up secretly helping lockwood and co on cases. george has big fat crush and gets flustered.
midnight comforts
700, fluff, hurt/comfort, season finale spoilers
you keeps having nightmares and has to keep checking on George to make sure he’s alright
the break of dawn
1.2k, fluff
you and george get separated from lockwood and lucy after a case, it’s almost dawn in the city, which calls for the best comfort food - pizza.
late night collisions
1.6k, fluff, teasing, kissing/making out, George isn't good at Uno
you and george had many things in common, one of them being your love for sleeping in oversized t-shirts. little did you know how much lockwood and lucy would speculate.
the only exception
2k, fluff, hurt/comfort, mentions of injury
george was never the most touchy feely person, but when you get ghost-touched, he can't help but come to terms with his feelings.
lucy carlyle x reader
sweet nothings
800, fluff, hurt/comfort, mild language
you and lucy both run into each other in the kitchen late one night, after you both have had nightmares and can't sleep. next thing you know you're falling asleep on the couch together.
spellbound
1.5k, fluff, hurt/comfort, lucy realises she's bi lol
when one of lockwood's old friends joins the agency, lucy can't help but fall in love with her.
quill kipps x reader
the recruitment fair
1k, fluff, young quill kipps
you had been dreaming about the day you'd finally go to the fittes recruitment fair, what you weren't expecting was to meet your future partner in the agency.
Headcannons
pancake day
how lockwood and co would celebrate pancake day with you
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shallyne · 1 year ago
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Feysand Week Day Seven
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This is part of my Biscuit Series but you do NOT have to read the rest of the series for that oneshot. It's just a lot of oneshots in a random order
Feyre was stressed. She didn't expect it would be easy to plan a wedding but she wouldn't have expected all the tiny steps in between were very important. One extra step was her own fault because she insisted on having her cat being part of the wedding. Biscuit played a big factor that Feyre and Rhysand even were where they are now. They had grown closer over taking care of Biscuit, they had found her together and Rhys was the only other person who Biscuit trusted as much as she trusted Feyre. Most of the time.
It would be a small party, simple. As much for Feyre's sake as it was for Biscuits sake. Everytime Feyre mentioned that her cat would be a part of her wedding people made this face that told her that they thought she was absolutely weird but Feyre didn't care. Rhys understood and that was all that matters.
Sighing, Feyre pushed the planner to the side and took a look at the color swatches when suddenly a purring sounded from her side. "Oh, hello Biscuit." she said in a baby voice, heaving her on Feyres lap where Biscuit curled together. "That's a surprise, you're not in your hammock." she kissed the top of Biscuit's head quickly before she turned away. She suppressed a laugh at the annoyed look Biscuit threw her. "I ordered cat biscuits for you but don't tell Rhys."
"Don't tell me what?" Rhys asked.
Feyre looked over her shoulder, where Rhys stood at the counter of the open kitchen and shrugged off his jacket. "That you buttoned your shirt wrong." she told him and the moment it took him to check and realize that Feyre lied, she changed the topic, "How's Naya?"
Rhys sighed, "My mother almost bit my head off when I went into her sewing room because she was working on your dress. Don't worry, I didn't see it, she made sure." he flopped down on the couch beside Feyre, scratching Biscuits between her ears. "She's good, excited for the wedding. So is Selene." Rhys's sister. "And my Father kept asking about wearing a suit."
"You told him no suits, right? Biscuit is afraid of middle aged men in suits!" Feyre said.
"Biscuit is also afraid of peas." Rhys snorted, watching the cat resting on Feyre's lap.
"That's why we won't have any!" she replied, grinning at Rhys.
He rolled his eyes but smirked, "Yes, I told my father about the no-suits rule. Although I can't remember a day in my life when he didn't wear one."
Feyre clicked her pen in thought, careful not to disturb Biscuit, "Maybe it will be fine if he doesn't tug his shirt into his pants and leaves the jacket. We'll have to test that." Feyre made a note on a small piece of paper and tugged it into the planner.
When she looked back at Rhys, he was already watching her with a serene expression. He twirled a strand of hair around his finger. "I can't wait to finally call you my wife, you know that?"
"You already do that." she giggled, taking his hand.
"I can't wait to officially call you my wife." he countered, clearly satisfied with his answer. Feyre leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his lips. He smiled when she pulled back and sighed, "By the way, why did I get an email about an order confirmation from a pet bakery?"
Shit, did she use his email address? Feyre shrugged, "Weird," she only said, going back to planning their wedding.
Feysand Taglist:
@captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @edgyellie @starfall-spirit @rhysiedarling @corcracrow @sydney-fae25 @tothestarsandwhateverend @aayo-whatt @dreamlandreader @officialfeysandweek2023
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