#ignore the mess of legs in the last panel

[h0rnsbydraws]

Drew this shit as fast as possible I love aramis and porthos’ relationship SO MUCH anwyay

[neon-junkie]

"you two go get those other systems online" - hunter, with whoever else you want ❤️ smut or fluff is fine, reader is fem?

Somebody needs to get the systems online? Sounds like a Tech fic to me 🤔 Poor Hunter ain't got a clue what's taking so long! I did change the wording a little to fit the scenario. Sue me. I just wanna write some Tech content, it's been so long!!

Fem Reader. 1k words. Reader is sex pollen. whoopsies >:)

"Tech?"

You can overhear Hunter's voice through Tech's comm, dialling in yet again to ask if Tech's current task is completed. Tech lets out a frustrated grumble as he comms back, "not yet," before returning to his work.

It's understandable that Hunter is concerned about how long it's taking Tech to get the final system online - an easy task that Tech would, normally, have done within minutes.

However, after splitting off from the Batch, you and Tech encountered some unpleasant plants on the way, and Tech didn't realise what they were until you had already inhaled the pollen. Tech was safe, thanks to his helmet, but you're out in the open, and now suffering the effects of the pollen.

Thank the Maker that you and Tech are romantically involved, even if your relationship is a secret - or an attempted secret, seeing as the Batch definitely know about your mingling, but continue to 'ignore' it.

"You do know what plant that was, don't you?" Tech had asked the second he pulled you into cover, entering the abandoned cockpit of the ship with one task on his mind.

After shaking your head, Tech let out a frustrated sigh. "Another thing to deal with," he cursed under his breath, before his goggled eyes met yours. "That pollen you inhaled causes aphrodisiac effects, and from that growing look in your eyes, I'd say that the effects are about to take place."

"Aphrodisiac?" you repeated, wishing Tech would speak plain to you.

"Sexual," Tech bluntly replied. "You're about to become incredibly aroused, Darling. I need to get these systems online, but you are free to do whatever you please to me to help satisfy the pollens effects."

With that, Tech got to work, leaving you a confused bundle of emotions on the floor. That conversation feels like it took place mere minutes ago, and perhaps it had? You're uncertain, lost in time and a series of overwhelming urges - urges that Tech is attempting to satisfy.

The first system was easy to get online, seeing as your pollen effects had not yet hit you in full swing. However, this system - the second to last one - is proving to be quite the challenge, especially since you're on your knees, attempting to ram Tech's cock down your throat.

Tech's knees continue threatening to buck beneath him, whilst his hands are a trembling mess, barely able to run through the series of wires that need reconnecting. If only this panel was on the floor, not high up on the wall! At least Tech's body would be able to relax and enjoy the sensation between his thighs.

"D-Done," Tech pants, plugging in the final wire. He gazes down at you, quite the sight with his cock between your lips; pools of saliva continue overspilling from the corners of your mouth, leaving a puddle of mess on the durasteel floor beneath you. Tech doesn't want to move away, but he has to, seeing as that final panel is a few steps from his current position.

"Come here, Darling," Tech coos as he slips his cock from your mouth, biting back the urge to cum then and there as he notices the saliva trail connecting your lips to his shaft.

Blown pupils meet his, and Tech's expression drops to a sympathetic one, hidden behind his helmet. "The last panel is over here," Tech comments as he forcefully moves away from you.

Kneeling down, Tech looks over the last panel, deciding how to outweigh his current tasks. You crawl over, and let out a whimper as your body comes into contact with Tech's. After calling out his name, you sigh as you say, "it burns, Tech."

"I know," Tech nods. "Here," he says as he sits on the floor, his legs spread, cock pressed against his armoured stomach. You shuffle between them, and press your back to his chest, knowing that Tech is going to assist you.

Tech's eyes meet the final panel as he single-handedly begins rewiring the system. His other hand comes up to his lips, and he orders, "off."

Pinching his glove between your teeth, you pull Tech's glove off, and drop it to the floor as his bare hand comes into contact with your soaked pants. "Shh, shh," Tech coos as he finds the hemline, and slips his hand beneath them, instantly finding your slick folds and needy entrance.

Whilst Tech may be focused on the main mission, a small percentage of his brain power is dedicated to you. Two fingers work their way into you, instantly curling and finding that soft spot on the roof of your walls. It doesn't take much for you to become a whimpering mess, legs spread over Tech's, whilst he continues rewiring the last panel.

Unbeknownst to Hunter, he annoyingly comms yet again, frustration strong in his voice. "You two need to get that final system online!"

Tech removes his hand from your pants, and pushes the comm in his helmet against his ear, unfazed by your slick coating his fingers. His other hand covers your mouth, keeping your whimpers and pants muffled whilst he replies to his Sergeant.

"We're working on it," Tech replies, clenching his teeth together in an attempt to stop himself from snapping.

Tech returns to his tasks, both of them, although his main mission is completed far before his second one. "They're online," Tech comms back, using his free hand to press his helmet, whilst the other continues focusing on you. "There is one other issue here that I need to attend to. You and the others can continue the main mission without us. We'll regroup back at the Marauder. Tech out."

With that, Tech turns his comm off. For good.

His helmet is removed and left unattended beside him, and finally, you feel Tech's lips against your neck as he begins smothering you. "You're my main mission now, Dear," Tech coos, his fingers still working their magic between your thighs.

"Now, let's get that pollen out of your system…"

[minsungjinho]

Terms of Endearment - Han Jisung X Reader

word count - 4.8K genre: smut, some fluff, kinda enemies to lovers, work related relationship warnings below the cut

warnings: sexual content, unprotected intercourse (birthcontrol), crmpie, soft dom!han, oral both f&m, one slight mention of blood, rough sex, teasing, begging, aftercare

A large amounts of buttons, and switches are fixated in front of you, your eyes zoned out on one in particular of which is flashing repeatedly. It's your typical work day, plastered to a cushioned desk chair in front of the control panel outside of the recording room. It's sound proof walls unfortunately can't block out ignorance and idiocy.

You've been waiting for the artist to come in and record a track for over twenty minutes, checking your phone every few minutes to see if he's canceled yet. A part of you wished he would cancel, and hopefully reschedule for a day you weren't working.

His voice wasn't the issue, in-fact his vocals and style were something you sought after for years while doing your apprenticeship work. His range was awfully special, from singing ballad type songs to rapping better than Kanye or Drake. The issue was his attitude and god-complex.

You lean back into your chair, watching the clock tick above the doorway to the halls. You sigh feeling exhausted and stand up to stretch your legs, wondering if he will ever show up. He's not typically late but when he is, it's always over thirty minutes. You walk circles around the room, stopping in front of the door and staring up at the clock.

The door swings open fast, knocking you back with a slow reaction. Before falling to the ground completely, a hand reaches for you and holds you up by your arm. You look up, and see none other than the man you've been waiting for.

"It's about time." You mumble, standing up straight and patting your clothes free of wrinkles.

"What are you doing standing right in front of a door? You do know what doors are used for right? They don't work that well when someones blocking the way." He scoffs and walks over to the lounging area of the room, throwing a couple of random belongings onto the couch. He takes off the bucket hat he often wears, tossing that onto the couch as well while rubbing his hair around to get rid of any lines or indents the hat created.

"Ready?" He asks with a sigh, his arms at his side as he stands in front of you and his hair a mess.

"Mmm" You hum, resuming your spot at your seat and getting the track loaded up.

This particular song was more mellow, soft and sad tones flowing all throughout. As he puts on his headphones and gets the microphone adjusted to his height you watch as he simply exists. You've always been quite the people watcher, but this time it was more out of curiosity for how his brain works.

"Do you need to warm up?" You ask him, communicating through the speaker system.

He shakes his head, "Did it on the way here." he says while pulling out a crumpled up piece of paper from his pocket.

"Alright, do a couple sample lines so I can adjust the settings real quick."

He doesn't respond, but simply starts singing. Sometimes you thought that your time with Han was easier than other artists because of his professionalism. No small talk, no dilly-dallying or messing around, just work.

His lyrics were sad just as you suspected, and his voice rarely faltered making this track easy to record. You finished up in good time, not having to record many lines or re-listen often.

Despite your feelings about him, you always make a point to compliment his work that day or say something moderately nice once the work is done. This time however, he was the one to compliment you.

"Good work today." He says quietly, regathering his belongings.

"..You too." You replied after a moment, making sure you heard him right.

He was the last recording of the day, and you were very glad because it meant you could go home and relax for the rest of your evening with no interruptions. You stretched your arms and back, letting out a small squeak before getting out of your chair for the last time that day.

With no further words exchanged, Han reaches for the door and steps through to leave for the night. You reach underneath the desk, grabbing your bag and coat. You power down all of the technology, and start towards the door to shut the lights off.

Yet again, it swings open and almost knocks you over. Luckily you weren't standing directly in front of it.

"Again with the door." He scoffs, leaning against the doorway with his foot keeping it ajar.

"Forget something?" You ask while speaking through your teeth, your lack of patience showing.

He shakes his head and keeps looking at you before speaking, "I was gunna go get dinner and wanted to see if you'd join me." Your lack of response made him continue after a long silence. "You know.. as a thank you for how well you record for me." He finally looks away, fumbling with his hat.

"Hmm." You were a bit surprised at the mood change, wondering where this sudden change of heart came from. "What are we eating? I'll only go if it's something good." You respond, seeing him visibly relax a bit.

"Anything you want." He retorts with a grin, no longer fumbling his fingers.

"Noodles. Black bean noodles, to be exact." He nods at your request. "With meat." You add, causing him to chuckle softly.

"Let's go then," and with that statement both of you left the recording studio.

~

The restaurant was a small, quaint mom and pop' shop, only a few other customers at tables across the room. It was nothing fancy, but you honestly preferred it that way. Both of you had been slurping your noodles and gnawing at the grilled beef for quite some time now, with very few words exchanged since you left the studio.

"Good enough for you?" He asks after a few moments, sitting back against the wooden chair looking stuffed from the meal.

You answer with a smile and nod, using your chopsticks to reach for the last piece of steak. Ripping it apart with your teeth, you notice him watching you contently, but you try not to pay much attention to it.

He kept watching as you finished your meal, practically licking the bowl clean from how well seasoned everything was. You grabbed your glass of water and rested against the back of the chair, taking a deep breath before sipping some down.

"I'm full, really really full." You confess, deeply breathing once more to try and relieve some of the pressure in your stomach.

"Wanna go grab some drinks?" He asks abruptly, not wasting a breath.

"Wow, straight to the point I see." You giggle softly before responding. "You've treated me to this meal already, thank you by the way. But treating me to a night at the bar is far too much of a 'thank you' for just doing my job." You shake your hands in front of your chest in protest, smiling politely at the offer.

He nods for a moment, looking down at his hands once more before speaking. "At least let me take you home, it's getting late and all." He doesn't make eye contact with you as he sits up from his chair, walking over to the cashier and paying for the meal. You stand and start for the door, grabbing your bag and jacket in the process.

Before raising a hand to push the restaurant doors open, Han reaches over you from behind, opening it for you. He nods at the jacket in your hands.

"Put that on, it's getting colder at night." He looked straight ahead while walking, no smug look or grin on his face, just contentment.

He was right, it was starting to feel a bit chilly as you walked in the direction of your apartment. You put it on, leaving it unzipped so you wouldn't feel too warm. A sigh from his direction catches your attention.

"I was really craving a drink tonight." He says casually, not really hinting at anything but simply stating what was on his mind.

You didn't say anything for a bit, contemplating what you would even say in response.

"I've got some beers at my place.." You replied in a hushed tone, almost hoping he wouldn't hear you.

"Perfect." He said before walking faster than he had before, as if the mention of alcohol put a pep in his step.

~ You opened the practically empty fridge and grabbed two beers, placing them on the counter and grabbing a couple of glasses to accompany them. Han sat on your couch that faced the window, watching the nightlife before him. He was leaned over with his elbows propped against his knees, simply observing.

You watched him for a bit, his messy hair in front of his eyes, his fingers interlocked with each other, his... Why were you thinking this? You shook the thoughts (literally) from your head and walked over to the couch sitting beside him. You placed the glasses onto the table and open a tall can of beer to pour. He picked up one of the cups and held it for you as you poured.

You exchanged small talk for a while, until eventually you starting to hit deeper subjects as the alcohol worked its way through your bodies.

"Can I tell you a secret?" He asked nonchalantly.

"A secret secret?" You retorted, making a joke based on one of his song titles.

"Yeah one of those." He chuckled. "Don't take this the wrong way, but when I reserve a spot in the studio to record I always make sure it's you that's going to be working that day."

"Me?" You questioned. "How come."

"I don't know.. I guess I just like recording with you. We work well together." he takes a sip from his glass.

"I get that, most of the time I look forward to working with you because it's painless. You know what you're doing and don't fuck around." You smiled while finishing your sentence, feeling grateful for that aspect of work.

"Most of the time, huh?" He leans into the couch before continuing. "I understand, I'm a lot sometimes."

You nod gently, not wanted to start anything or make the situation awkward; More awkward than having a customer over for drinks.

"It's a front." He lets out with a deep breath. "I'm not usually a douchebag, but it's easier to make it seem that way."

You looked over at him, watching as the city lights reflect in his eyes.

"Easier?"

"Yeah, if I'm the nice guy then I tend to get taken advantage of, or played around with. I'd like to hope people can take me more serious than they would if I were a nice guy."

"I would" You chimed in.

He turns his head to you and smiles lightly.

"I'm actually a pretty anxious guy." He nods and fumbles with his fingers. "Being an ass and putting up an act conceals that a bit."

"Well if it helps you don't have to be that way with me." You feel your cheeks blushing a bit at the statement, the conversation getting deeper with every word.

"Oh yeah?" Han questions in a teasing type of way. "I'll take you up on that."

You can see some of his actual personality shining through, it makes you feel warm inside knowing he's able to trust you enough for that. Or maybe it's just the booze.

"There's something I've been curious about, and I can kind of guess since I came over to your place but I'll ask anyways." You look over at him as he speaks, waiting for the question. "Are you dating anyone?"

You laugh loudly at his thought, wondering where the hell he could of come up with it.

"No, I don't have the time to see anyone. Honestly I probably see you the most out of any of the customers that come into the studio. Kinda sad to think about I guess." You take a long sip of your beer, finishing whats left in your cup and reaching down to pour another.

"I don't think it's sad, it mean's you're dedicated to your job. I enjoy seeing you." He starts to trail off, and when you set the empty can of beer down - you pause before it hits the table, looking over at him.

He's got a faint blush on his honey colored skin, and eyelashes that any woman would kill for. You set your glass down on the table next to the empty can and push yourself closer to him.

"You actually enjoy seeing me?" You asked him while squashing whatever little bit of personal space was between you.

He sucks his bottom lip between his teeth and nods, looking at you. Really looking at you, from the way your hair is draped over your face and slightly to the strap of your bra starting to fall off of your shoulder. Once he met your eyes the liquid courage had finally taken it's control over you, and before you even knew it you had leaned your body forward and kissed him.

You kissed him quickly, no tongue, but not just a peck either, a long and hard kiss that made you hold your breath until you pulled away. His eyes fluttered open, and while he looked surprised, he didn't look upset or awkward about it.

"Well, I'm glad one of us made the first move." He combed his fingers through his hair and chuckled.

"Why?" You asked while simultaneously tilting your head, like a dog hearing the word 'treat'.

"Cause now I can do this."

He pushed his body into yours, causing your back to fall against he couch cushions and watching as he propped himself over you. Your cheeks were a deep shade of red, the mix of alcohol and smutty intentions fueling the fire. His knuckles caressed your cheeks softly, gently pulling any small hairs from your face.

"I've thought about this a lot," He starts, speaking quietly. "kissing these pretty lips of yours." And he does just that, his arrogant persona starting to slip through as his lips ever so lightly brush against yours.

"Tell me more," You manage to whisper past his lips. He took that statement as permission to continue leaving little smooches all around your lips and face.

"Kind of embarrassing to say," As he uses his thumb to press against your jaw, pushing your face toward the window away from him. "I've actually dreamt of bending you over that couch in the studio." His confident words send a shiver down your spine with his face nuzzled into your neck leaving more trails of kisses.

"So you dream about me, hmm?" You tease lightly, your lips shuddering at his teeth graze across your collarbone.

"All the time, Y/N." This causes an insatiable need to raise your hips into his, feeling his bulge shove against your core.

You wanted to indulge him in the fact that you've also dreamt of him, but didn't want that to inflate his ego too much. His kisses against your skin started to get heavier, obviously getting impatient with the need for more physical touch.

You take the opportunity to touch him, raising a hand to his hair and threading your fingers through, the other lowering to his waist and gripping it firmly. He releases a small, barely audible moan; the strength at which you held his hair between your fingers was pleasing to him but also a tease.

His body raises over yours once more, his lips crashing down onto yours hungrily. His lips where kissed out, swollen and red from the constant pressure against them. You pulled his plump lip in-between your teeth sucking gently before nibbling on it, instigating another moan from his chest.

"Baby, you keep that up and we're going to be doing a whole lot more than just making out tonight."

"I wouldn't mind that," You challenge, lifting your hips into his once more.

"Mmhm," He groans into your lips. "The only question is where." "Where?" You ask, curious on his thoughts.

"Where you want me to fuck you senseless." His face is only inches from yours, the city lights pouring in through the window and illuminating your faces.

"Dealers choice?" You say shyly, looking away embarrassed at his dauntless question.

With no hesitation he climbs off of you, picking you up bridal style from the couch effortlessly. You gasp at the feeling of your body being lifted into the air, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

"You asked for it." He practically growled, carrying you towards the only closed door in the apartment to which he could only assume was your bedroom.

You assisted him in opening the door, turning the knob before he pushes it ajar forcefully with his leg. He sits you down on the edge of the bed, lifting your shirt off of your torso before doing the same to himself.

By the time you had been laid down on the bed making out again, you were both only in your underwear. You noticed his boxers were tight against his body, his dick fighting to be released from its hold.

You manage to sneak a hand between the two of your bodies, your lips still entangled as you grip at his dick lazily. He raises his face from yours, backing his body away and sitting against the headboard next to you. He pulls down his underwear, letting his cock spring out and leave a satisfying slap against his stomach.

You looked at his length, and then to his face, looking down once more before wrapping your hand around it and slowly starting to pump.

"Use your mouth." He demands, his voice lower and sexier than you had ever heard before.

You crawl between his legs, looking at his abs curve with the shape of his body as it's leaned against the headboard. "I'll be gentle," You hear his whisper, an audible grin on his lips. Your lips wrap around his leaking tip, using your tongue to lick up any precum that was daring to drip. This action brings a moan from deep within his chest, his hands immediately tangled in your hair making a messy ponytail.

He lets you set the pace at first, carefully bringing yourself further onto his length to avoid gagging. He notices your hesitation, bucking his hips before you can pull away from him. You attempt to gasp at the sudden surprise, failing miserably with his dick forced to the back of your throat.

He sighs and his body relaxes beneath yours, visibly enjoying himself as he uses your throat for his pleasure. Tears form in your eyes from the forceful shoves into your throat, though you find yourself wondering why the hell this turned you on so much. You hum a quiet moan, the vibrations causing him to shudder and inhale a breath through his teeth.

He pulls your head up forcefully by your hair, releasing it once his cock is out of your mouth, which is dripping with spit.

"So pretty," He grins while lowering his body flat against the bed. "Come sit." He cooly requests. You sit for just a moment before he notices your nervousness. "Don't worry Princess, let me taste you." He motions for you to come to him, which you slowly do; feeling embarrassed having never done this before.

After crawling over to the height of the bed you roll your panties down your legs before carefully straddling his face. You melt into him as his tongue just barely separates your folds, tasting the sweet yet bitter wetness from your core.

He pushes against your clit ever so lightly, yet causing your body to jump in shock. He holds your legs down with his hands gripping at your thighs, overstimulating you with the flicks of his tongue. Han moans at the taste of you, raising his hips in response to his throbbing length. You lean forward, taking his dick in your hands before sucking at his tip lazily, your mind too focused on his mouth on your cunt.

You open you mouth wide as he forces his tongue inside of you, digging his nails into your legs. He uses to opportunity to buck his hips and flood your throat with his length, causing you to gag. You hear a stifled moan from beneath you and feel the vibrations on your core as you drag your tongue up to his tip, separating his slit.

He continuously pleasures you with his mouth while forcing his cock down your throat. You feel a heat build inside of you as he sucks and nips at your clit, you try raising your body from his face, struggling as he forcefully hold you in place. The need to close your legs is impossible to fulfill, his mouth quite literally eating you with his face smothered in your nectar. You moan loudly as he flicks against your clit repeatedly, his dick still sloppily fucking your throat.

Once you finally can't bare it anymore you back is arched high, sitting up straight on his face as you ride out your high on his tongue. Your nails are dug into his chest, gasps of air rushing into your chest as you feel your body relax from its climax.

You gently roll off of him, your chest heaving while trying to collect your breath. He sits up and leans into you, forcing his tongue between your lips.

"You taste so fucking good, baby." He licks his lips and pulls away as you taste yourself ever so slightly within your mouth. You pull a hand to your face, self-conscious and exhausted at the longest climax you've ever endured.

"I'm not done with you yet." He declares while pushing your legs apart.

He pulls your bra down exposing your full chest, reaching underneath you to unclasp the hooks holding the cloth together. "Now," He whispers into your ear while throwing your bra across the bed. "Do I get to feel all of you, or would you prefer protection?" He props himself on his elbow just a few inches from your face, looking down at how fucked out you already are.

He nibbles at your ear while you mumble: "Don't bother, I'm on the pill.", feeling his smile on your skin once he hears you.

He removes your hand from your face, placing it around his neck as he smiles down at you. "Tell me if it's too much," He says before leaving a small kiss on your nose.

Your lips part as you breathe, feeling only his tip at your entrance. As wet and aroused as you were you realized you would be feeling sore tomorrow with the size of his dick about to open you up.

And he does just that, gripping at the blanket right next to your head as he slowly pushes himself into you. He paces himself as he starts to pump, groaning and growling curse words under his breath. You spread your legs wide and lift them slightly, giving him more room to push himself deeper until reaching your hilt.

The slight pain on him pushing past your walls and stretching them wide shortly turns to pleasure, every vein and curvature of his dick stimulating you in different ways. Your nails dig into the small of his back, your head digging into the bed beneath you. The arch of your back brings his tip right up to your sweet spot, earning a moan escaping from your lips.

Han realizes this and pick up the pace, using his unpropped arm to hold your body up against his. Your breasts start to bounce more as he pumps into you faster, his breaths mixed with moans of bliss. Your toes curl as he repeatedly hits your g-spot, hands roaming all around his back and neck before finding their place in his hair.

His thrusts become forceful, pleasurably painful as he rams himself into your cervix. You find yourself breathlessly mumbling his name over and over, your body heating up in preparation for another massive climax. He must feel the warmth radiating from you and your walls starting to clench, bringing his movements to a painfully slow pace.

"Han.. please." You plead, whining at the lack of friction.

He shakes his head, his messy hair in front of his eyes as he gulps down a breath. "Not yet," his thrusts turn into grinds, feeling every inch of you. "I need to savor this incase I never get the chance again." He barely gets the words out, his face scrunching in different ways as he pushes and drags against your beaten walls.

You try pulling him into you faster, a hand digging into his waist. His strength outmatches yours, unwavering from the slow grind he seems to be enjoying.

"Why wouldn't you get this chance again?" You say impatient, willing for him to speed back up. Instead he stops, looking you in the eyes with a confused expression. "We could do this every fucking day." You said openly, staring into his honey brown eyes.

"You really think you can keep up with me?" He asks honestly, anxious for your answer.

You hum in response, nodding with a devilish grin on your lips.

"From this moment on I'm claiming you as my own," He says rapidly before ramming himself into you again.

A load groan escapes from you both, and the thrusts begin to quicken. He holds himself on his elbows at both sides of your head, bringing his hands to your cheeks and kissing you deeply. You pull away, brining his bottom lip between your teeth and biting down hard enough to draw a small drop of blood.

He moans the loudest he had that night, making you feel even more wet than you had been. He lowers a hand down to your core, separating your folds and finding your clit in an instant. He rubs and presses down against it at the perfect pressure.

You raise your hips and push into him with every thrust into you, his cock opening you up even more. Small whines and winces leave his lips, his pumps becoming sloppy. The heat in your core had returned simultaneously, your breath quickening to an alarmingly fast rate.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, keeping his body as close to yours as possible. "Fuck baby," he mutters, his face scrunched up even more than before. His raspy words push you over the edge, feeling the burst of pressure in your abdomen. His name leaves your lips over and over, muttering it, moaning it, screaming it as he fucks you through your orgasm.

"Fuck, Y/N" He pleads before feeling his own orgasm arise.

You feel the twitch of his dick inside of you, and not too long after- his abundant seed is dispensed into you, fucked deep into you as he thrusts hard and deeply into you. This orgasm had lasted longer than two minutes, leaving you completely motionless and limp as he slowly rides out his high.

A rush of white light covers your sight, your fingers tingling and every molecule of sweat on your body feeling known due to the sensitivity of your skin. Your body had officially called it quits, the oxygen to your brain not being quite enough to function properly.

You feel Han gently lower his body weight onto you, then wrapping his arms around your lifeless body and pulling you onto your side with him. You barely feel his fingers caress your body in a comforting manner, your focus on getting your breathing back to normal. The tips of his fingers push away stray hairs from your eyes, leaving room to leave a gentle kiss on your forehead.

Once you feel an ounce of energy return to your muscles you wrap and arm around him, nuzzling your face into your chest. His length is still rested in you, both of your juices leaking and dripping onto the sheets. You stayed like this for what felt like hours, until he gently rested your head onto the bed, getting up and walking out of the room.

He quickly returned before you started thinking useless, worrisome thoughts. You opened your eyes just wide enough to see him in nothing but his boxers, a wet steamy towel in hand.

"Let's clean you up, baby." His terms of endearment to you made you feel comforted and even slightly loved.

After cleaning you up, he helped you dress into comfy clothes for the night, climbing into bed with you and rubbing the ashiness from your muscles. He hummed the tune to the song you had recorded for him earlier in the day, looking down at your sleepy, fucked out body.

Without looking at him you knew he had a slight grin to his lips, hearing it as he hummed your favorite part of this song.

~

[whumpacabra]

What are Friends For?

Missing persons, found, exhaustion, unconsciousness, blood, cauterization, firearms, fire and dog mention

[Follows Missing]

His hands were sweaty on the minivan’s steering wheel as he pulled to the curb. He pushed his glasses up, sweat soaked curls falling in his face as he looked to his wife.

“This the place?”

“Yeah.” She was already getting out of the car, movements stiff as a tightly coiled spring.

“I’ll ask them. Um, if that’s alright - ”

“I’ll let the dog out for bit. Stretch his legs.” She didn’t want to deal with people anymore than he did after the last few days.

“…Okay.” He took a deep breath, looking at the door with bloodshot eyes.

The pair had driven through the night to check on their friends after their own brush with danger. Finding the safehouse aflame and poor Meowth locked in an otherwise empty car wasn’t a good sign.

There were other safe houses of course - not nearby, but close enough. If someone was injured. But RJ knew better than to drag their partner into this mess any deeper than they needed to, and it was convenient that his family home was an easy detour. Maybe too easy.

He knocked three times, sharp and polite. He couldn’t help but fiddle with his reflection in the glass pane of the doorframe. Hopefully the cut near his hairline was hidden enough, or the sweat and soot soiled button-up was enough to distract from it.

The woman that answered was what he expected and not at all. She was soft and silver hair and plump, nothing like her sharp and skittish son. Except for her eyes, blue and brilliant.

“Can I help you?” There was a hardness to her voice as he realized he hadn’t spoken since she opened the door.

“Um, I’m hoping so - your son - wai - OW!” He managed to catch the door before she could close it, and consequently had his hand slammed in the door. “Listen, I’m just trying to find my friend - ”

“Your friend?” She was incredulous, as though the notion that her son had friends was as strange as saying he sprouted wings and flew away.

“Yes, David, your son - I think. This is the Pinkerton house, right? I haven’t had Dave double check his records since - ”

“How do you know him?” Her eyes were narrowed, suspicious and accusatory. “Nevermind - why on earth do you think he’d be here? I haven’t seen him in years.”

His mouth had gone dry; mixing truth and fiction wasn’t his strong suit. He could tell her the truth, a truth she wasn’t likely to believe, and endanger David’s family without his consent. He could try to lie - he was never very good at it -

“Ma’am,” His wife was standing over his shoulder, coldly addressing the woman. “I have been awake for 45 hours. We both have. I have a 2 year old three states away I want to get back to. But I can’t do that until I know that my friends are safe. So, if you want to stand there and lie to our faces, that’s fine. But don’t waste our fucking time.”

“Sarah,” He hissed through clenched teeth. The woman at the door blinked in silent, confused and offended shock.

“How…how do you know he’s been here?” Her once steely voice had gone soft and fearful, blue eyes darting between the pair at her door.

“Oh, your garage was open and your street camera recorded him and his car last night.” Sarah ignored her husband’s soft murmur of ‘oh not again’ and ‘hacking is my thing.’ “And unless you have recently started repainting, I assume that’s his blood.”

The woman drew a sharp breath of retort only to blanche at the mention of blood, leaning through the threshold of the door to look at the wall.

Even he was shocked to realize his eyes had skimmed over the obvious, rust red splatters of dried blood that streamed down the pale yellow paneling, staining the welcome mat and concrete porch.

“You might want to pressure wash that.” Sarah grabbed her husband’s hand, tugging him toward the car. “He went south - probably the Aslpundth safehouse. Here’s hoping he made it.”

“Wait!” There was a new voice from the house, a willowy man with wire frame glasses stumbling down the porch toward them. “Please,” He glanced back to the woman now smothering her tears as she scrubbed at the dry blood with a wash cloth. “I - let me - I’m going with you. To find him.”

“You’re a civilian.” Sarah’s icy voice has lost some of its edge to exhaustion. “And he…might not be in the best shape if you want a reunion -”

“I wasn’t asking.” Mr. Pinkerton drew himself to his full height, a shimmer of his son’s stubbornness in the way he held his ground despite Sarah’s unwavering glare.

“You follow his lead.” She jerked her head to her husband as he walked around the confrontation to start the car. “He says to stay, you stay. Run, you run. Jump off a bridge - you jump because out of the three of us, he’s the one I trust to best estimate the depth the water below. Am I clear?”

“Crystal.”

—

A pit was forming in Mr. Pinkerton’s stomach the second he sat in the back of that minivan. The dog was a decent distraction to be sure - its orange vest, heavy head and calming presence soothing the turmoil in his veins.

His wife hadn’t told him that their son had visited last night. Not a word. She tossed and turned all night and complained about hot flashes. Some part of him was angry, another relieved.

Mostly he was glad he had an excuse to let her think about that choice while he was gone. He didn’t know what he would have done in her shoes, and he didn’t want to face that.

So now he sat behind a pair of exhausted, intense people who seemed more than willing and able to deal with anything they encountered as they sat in a suburban driveway Mr. Pinkerton had driven past a dozen times when the main road was out.

He wasn’t sure how to process the pistols they loaded or the knives they sheathed. His son had been a criminal, he had even threatened turning him in to the police if he didn’t move out. But smuggling drugs somehow was never clearly connected to bullets and blades, at least not the way these people handled them.

This was second nature to their practiced hands, and Mr. Pinkerton felt a flash of regret for his impulsive decision.

“Stay in the car,” The man didn’t have the same iciness as his partner, but there was a calculating shine to his dark eyes. He held out a device Mr. Pinkerton was relieved to recognize. “Don’t talk to us unless you’re being actively shot at, stabbed, or lit on fire.”

“Roger roger,” Mr. Pinkerton said, taking the radio. He almost missed how the man lit up at the reference before schooling his expression back to seriousness.

“Right. Uh, don’t leave the car unless I tell you to and only as I tell you to - drive away, go through the back door only, etcetera.” He squinted at his partner. “That all?”

“Yup. You’re not rusty quite yet.” She cocked her gun and set the safety. “Let’s do this,”

The pair left, and all Mr. Pinkerton could do was sit in silence, alone. Well, except for the dog, of course.

—

It was excruciating. She knew he was here; the blood that trailed across the driveway and garage concrete and carpets had to be his.

For a moment she wondered if RJ had made it here too - somehow. They hated to leave him alone for long. They hated to be alone themself for too long. But there was no tell tale sign of their meticulous attention to detail. They never would have left the pin pad outside bloody.

“Garage is clear, I’ll take the first level.” Harrison’s voice was steady and soft.

“Copy. Moving to second level.” It was so quiet. Too quiet. David snored when he slept - she could so clearly remember him on their couch, cradling her infant in his arms.

The blood led to the bathroom, handprints smeared on the door.

“Kitchen is clear. Moving to living room.”

“Copy, entering master bathroom.” The door creaked, hinges whining for WD40. The air was rancid - she was too familiar with the smell of burnt flesh and sterilizing solutions.

Her breathing hitched, her first assumption the worst. The floor was sticky with blood. The man in the tub silent and still, an arm draped over the tub’s edge and head lolling limply.

Then she saw it; the slow, shallow and shuddering breath that rattled his body, and she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“He’s here. Finish clearing and assist.”

“Understood.” There was relief in his voice too. She would have called him a target if he wasn’t alive.

There was no point in waking him - if he was going to bleed out, it would have happened hours ago. Sarah observed his wounds as she knelt beside the scene, setting aside the cold propane torch and blood smeared medical supplies.

He had done a decent job, considering how painful it must have been. A preferable alternative to bleeding out. From his handiwork she couldn’t tell if it had been a bullet or a blade, only that he had cauterized the area as effectively as he could have with the tools at his disposal.

“Oh fuck,” Harrison breathed, stepping softly into the bathroom and assessing the scene. “Mr. Pinekerton-?”

“Yes?” The eager fear in his voice was palpable.

“In the back of the minivan there’s a small lunch cooler - it’s green. Come in through the garage and go upstairs.”

“Copy, er - roger roger?”

Harrison was no longer amused by the older man’s attempt at levity. He wasn’t sure if David would appreciate his father seeing him like this, but many hands made light work.

And from the looks of it, someone would be carrying David.

[Directly before Twilighted]

(Part of my Freelancers: Post-Retirement series)

[alirasworlds]

Destiny 2: Assurance

Sooo I originally wrote this as a transmission, like the ones in H.E.L.M and decided to expand upon it into an actual scene, cause why not ^W^ Set sometime after Season of the Lost BUT likely before Witch Queen! (I haven’t decided fully when this happens, I just know it DOES happen before Season of the Haunted) {also shows how different Forsaken goes in this verse cause YEAH, It’s uh, different to say the least.} Minor TW for blood, injuries and a guardian getting into a fight without her light so she gets banged up pretty badly.

“Alira, can I talk to you?”

Alira started at the sudden sound of Crow’s voice behind(or really below her considering her current state) her, currently half hidden in part of her ship tapping at a hidden maintenance panel, doing some touch up on some calibrations for the jump drive and guns.

“Eh?” She twisted a bit from her position under the main control panel, glancing to see Crow’s boots not far from where she was splayed out on her back. “Gimme a sec, I’m in the middle of some calibrations.” She resumed her tapping on the interface and scrunched her face as the numbers that started back at her, she was horrible at math, absolutely horrid, but she knew those that the interface displayed back at her weren’t correct.

“It’s really important.” Alira paused at that lit, or rather tone Crow’s voice had, he stressed the word really, and the rest of the tone of his voice spoke of unsettlement, was something bothering him that she could help fix?

“Okay, just let me...” She could pause what she was doing, so she was quick to tap and tell the diagnostic program to pause for a moment and she quickly shifted out of the opening she was in, looking up at Crow who was quick to offer her a hand to pull her to her feet, a offer she accepted and he quickly pulled her to her feet. She brushed her leg armor down almost unconsciously and looked up at Crow as he stepped back a few paces to give her some space.

“Alright, I’m done mostly for the moment.” She tilted her head at the conflicted look on Crow’s features, immediate concern setting in at how he was holding himself and was glancing away from her, the distance between the both of them being larger than she was used to. “What’s up? Everything alright? I know everything with Savathun was gods damned bonkers...” It had been a while since Alira had last seen Crow, he had only recently reached out and reconnected with Alira and her friends after the mess with Savathun and Mara was sorted, and Alira had been frankly concerned about him.

Though she certainly wasn’t expecting this sudden visit to her while she had her ship docked at the Tower to do some maintenance.

"Yes, there’s,” He paused, a deeply unsettled expression crossing his features as he visibly struggled to figure out what to say. “There is something that's, been on my mind since, that."

Alira felt her expression furrow into one of concern as Crow trailed off, noting one of his hands fiddling with, his cloak? Wait no, his hand was under the collar of his cloak… Was he fiddling with the necklace she had given to him not that long ago? Either way, he looked greatly bothered by something.

The silence stretched on, Alira’s worry increasing the longer Crow was silent, as well as the fact he seemed to be looking anywhere but at her. Alira felt the back of her neck prickle in a cold manner, and she shook off the chill that suddenly went down her back, ignoring how her stasis was acting up in response to her emotions, and took a step towards Crow.

“ "...Crow?” She said and she saw how he suddenly inhaled, making her worry rise and mingle with alarm as she hadn’t ever seen him like this, well, besides shortly after his meeting with Savathun. And even then- “Is, everything-"

“How?”

“Huh?” She blinked, and Crow was quick to look at her, she almost would’ve said he rounded on her, if it wasn’t for the fact he looked so distraught, and close to tears.

"How, how can you look at me like that? I-I-" Despite his voice initially being so carefully restrained, it cracked as he choked up. "I-Uldren shot and killed you! You were LOOKING at him when he did it, if it wasn't for that odd hunter not killing your ghost, not, not killing Orpheus like he told them to, you would be dead!"

OH. Oh no.

It was hard to not remember that event. Rather hard.

After it seemed Orpheus and Sundance were killed, Alira and Cayde were on the backfoot just trying to survive.

Cayde was fighting with Uldren himself while she was currently dealing with his scorn, very much on the backfoot as she expended all the ammo she had in her clips for her guns. Her comm link was a abuzz with frantic messages of “Don’t anything stupid! We’re coming!” from Alex and “Just hang on! We’re almost ther-WILL THIS BIG ENEMY JUST FUCK OFF ALREADY?!'” from Raven as her fireteam scrambled to catch up the exo and ‘human’.

She got thrown against a wall, making her cry out in pain as her grip on her side arm was broken, the gun being sent flying out of her reach.

“Any second now, my partners are gonna roll in here and kill... Every. Last. One of you. And you, my man-”

“Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh... This is going to hurt... A lot…”

Her ears perked up when she heard the oh so familiar words echoing not that far from her, and she looked up frantically to see Cayde-6 was on the ground, a broken leg keeping him there, with Uldren standing over him, the Ace of Spades directly pointing at the exo.

No. NO! She swore that when she got her memories of her old life, where all this was just a game, that she would try to save Cayde, and SHE MEANT IT!

She surged to her feet, drawing her only remaining weapon that was her knife, and charged at Uldren.

“Any last-” Uldren’s words were cut off as he found a knife buried in his shoulder, twisting to kick Alira away as she was quick to dart back and around, circling to place herself between him and Cayde.

Her knife was coated in blood and she was almost proud of the slight wince that accosted Uldren’s features.

“If you want him, you’re going to have to go through me, bastard.” She hissed, ever aware of the fact she was lacking in any Light-oh god Orpheus her heart was ready to rend in twain at the seeming loss of her Ghost but she cAN’T THINK ON THAT RIGHT NOW- at the moment, of every trick she had involving it, but by GOD she was going to do her best in spite of it.

Uldren’s expression flickered in something akin to surprise and dare she say pain(in no small part due to the injury she just inflicted she assumed), before steeling himself.

“So be it.” He all but growled, and it wasn’t long before he was upon her, the two ducking and trading blows, with Alira on the backfoot the whole time. It was hard to get in a hit edgewise considering he had tucked the Ace in a holster and was coming at her with his own knife.

And considering the tears and gouges it inflicted on her armor, he was damn quick with it.

In the background, she could hear Cayde tapping the communication channel that he had with her and her friends. Telling them to hurry.

“You two NEED to hurry! Alira’s trying to fight UIdren and its not, it’s not good alright?” Cayde sounded….panicked? She couldn’t linger on it as she ducked out of the way of a knife to the face and Cayde audibly swore. “Fuck there’s so much BLOOD-”

“We’re on our way Cayde! Damnit Alira, I told you to not do anything stupid…!” She was fairly certain Alex didn’t intend on that last part being picked up by his communicator in retrospect, though she had to scramble out of the way of Uldren’s slashing at her as she nearly tripped on a slick patch of the floor-

Oh, wait, that was…. Her own blood, all over the floor. Ahaha, great, she was going to be so goddamn light headed later once the adrenaline wore off.

"Just Hunters being Hunters today, eh...? Always getting into trouble, we are...." Alira caught that from Raven’s line before she felt something hard coil around her wrist.

She barely had time to realize that Uldren had managed to grab her wrist before he spun and SLAMMED her into the wall, prompting a broken scream to escape her as she felt something twist and break, both in her arm and chest, a rib? She had no clue, she only knew that it HURT.

She tried to get a swing in with her knife but horribly misjudged her aim, and the opening left her open for Uldren to wrest her knife out of her grip and after a struggle, he threw her to the ground.

She rolled onto her front, beginning to prop herself up on her not fucked up arm when she heard the sound of a gun’s chamber being pulled back.

She looked up to see the Ace of Spades being pointed directly at her head, and Uldren then asked. “Any last words, hunter?” ………..If she was going to die anyway, might as well piss him off.

“Just, HACK! A few. Ehehe.” She coughed, roughly aware of her communicator going off but it was…. Strangely muffled, she couldn’t hear much. She thought for a moment, and then grinned even though her helmet hid it from view. “How's your sister, by any chance~?”

Her tone was snarky, cheeky and taunting, even.

Faintly, she heard a “You fucking idiot!” from her communicator, Alex she thinks it was?

She saw Uldren inhale and close his eyes, and then she heard the start of a gunshot, seeing the Ace’s barrel light up for the briefest of moments before everything went black.

Later on reflection Alira would bizarrely wonder why the thought of Crow remembering Uldren nearly killing her never crossed her mind when pondering him regaining his memories, either way Alira gaped at the fact he remembered that.

“.....Crow….” She began, trying to find her words, trying to think of something, anything to say, but Crow wasn’t done.

“You have every, every reason to not want to be near me or want anything to do with me, even more than the guardians who killed me several times over not long after I was revived!” His words were almost frantic, panicked and full of distress and pain. “Y-Yet, you still, you freed me from the Spider, and you’ve, you’ve spent so much time with me, teaching me how to be a hunter, despite me having killed you before! I, I don’t-”

“Crow BREATHE!” Alira was quick to close the gap between them as she saw he was on the verge of what looked to be a panic attack, or a sobbing fit, she couldn’t tell and her heart was twisting in pain at how upset he was and she didn’t know how to make it better. Her hands were quick to plant themselves firmly on his shoulders, hopefully being an anchor for him as his hands immediately came up to grasp onto her wrists and she realized he was shaking as she spoke. “Breathe, take a moment and breathe, please.”

He did as she asked, inhaling and it coming out shaky as he gripped her wrists tightly, asking in an equally shaky and vulnerable voice. “Why? Why are you...?”

The words, albeit fumbled to her, came easily and she spoke from her heart. “You’re my friend, Crow. I know you’re not Uldren Sov, and I’m not about to let your past life change how I view you. You are miles and galaxies away from being like Uldren.” Her words were honest, and the look she was giving him was much the same.

“But I shot you.” Crow’s voice was weak, and she could easily see he was replaying that moment in his mind, his eyes shining with tears in them.

Alira immediately shook her head, gripping his shoulders tightly in her hands. “Uldren shot me.” She said firmly, tone brokering no argument. “Not you, Crow. And quite frankly I care far too much about you to let your past life remotely affect how I view or feel towards you,” She then frowned, stretching her expression to the side and looking to the side as she softly admitted. “I’m the one who should be asking if you want to be around me now that you remember.”

“What do you....Oh.” Crow started, before stopping and trailing off as he realized what she was talking about.

Alira softly chuckled sardonically, recalling the moment vividly. “I shot and killed Uldren with Cayde's gun, so if anything I would understand you being afraid of being near me.”

“We should bring him in. Have him stand trial for all he’s done.” Alex had something of a point, but…

"...I don't think it'd matter, he's going to die anyway. We all know what Cayde would do if he was here." Alira was dead certain that if Uldren didn’t die here, Cayde would ensure he did as soon as he saw him.

“Yes. What would the notorious Cayde-6 do? You have his gun. Seems you get the last word. Everything I did, I did for her. Funny. The line between Light and Dark is so very thin. Do you know which side you're on?” …..Alira had the sneaking suspicion he was solely asking HER that.

“.....We all know exactly what side we’re on, and I know exactly what Cayde would do. Goodbye, Uldren.” 

Her finger pulled the trigger, and the fallen prince soon lay dead on the ground. Rather fitting, considering how things played out in the prison.

 “But, Crow.” She met his eyes and then pulled him close, hugging him tightly with one arm around his middle and her other hand cradling the back of his head. “You are my dear friend, one of my best friends, not the man who shot me. I'm not going to abandon you because of your past life or judge you by it. You are you, and not him.”

She desperately hoped that her fumbled(in her eyes) words conveyed her meaning, that no, regardless of what Uldren did to her, no matter what she saw Crow as Crow, not Uldren or anyone else. 

It wasn’t Crow who shot her dead, it wasn’t Crow who killed her and sent her to some blackened void with millions of voices whispering in the dark, I SEE YOU LIGHTBEARER before the Light desperately and frantically pulled her back. Not Crow. Not the man she loves cares for so, so much…

Crow was silent before hugging Alira back tightly, almost clinging to her as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, half hidden in her scarf as well. She felt her neck grow damp as Crow softly said. “Thank you, Alira.”

Alira said nothing, words were always so difficult for her, but nodded and held him closer to herself, doing her best to comfort and soothe Crow as he began to cry.

[conkerfrog]

Gonna do a lil' mini review for some of the bots I got recently, so here goes...

First off, Velocitron Scourge. Very, very, very nice figure, I love his colours, his lightpiping is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and hes an overall solid figure!

My only niggle is his gas tanks, which flip out from his thighs. After siege optimus' leg transformation, earthrise, kingdom, and legacies primes have fallen short in my opinion.

Trailer is decent, not much interest in that, but his sword and axe are cool.

8/10

Next up, we got Legacy Tarantulas. A cool, creepy dude, who looks absolutely epic. I love his colours, and his transformation is chef's kiss.

It might just be me, but i also feel like his head is just sliiiiiightly too big, in comparison with the other beast deluxes.

Love his grapple gun, and his pizza slicer, which is a nice reference to his transmetal form

9/10

Number three, SS86 Sludge. Hes a big boi. A very big boi. Quite possibly the biggest boi. And hes amazing! Transformation is brilliant, pretty much nowhere near what i initially expected, with so many clever little bits, hes just a joy to have, and he looks very good next to my grimlock (still need Sla... Slug. Heh. )

Hes got a big blaster that looks pretty good, but i have no idea what his gun is supposed to look like, so i dont know how accurate it is.

9/10

Velocitron Override/Nitro Convoy next. Shes ace. Ive watched the unicron trilogy once when i was younger and dont remember much, only that everyone says its terrible, which im choosing to ignore. However, i absolutely love the designs, and override is a shining example of how good they are. I love her epic shins, her head aculpt is noice, and i love the new design of her gun, and that it can hold one of the old cyber planet keys!

I do worry about her translucent red chest and the hinge its on, but theres been no signs of stress yet.

10/10

Heres the problem child though... Buzzworthy Terrorsaur... Honestly, I ordered him on a whim, and then immediately regretted it, and found out that you can't cancel an order on pulse unless you contact customer service, who got back to me after it had been dispatched and couldnt do anything. I decided to keep him, because the golden disk one costs more than I'm worth. Objectively, a very cool toy. Brilliant colours, nice mould, all that. The problem is that he's not MY terrorsaur, if you get what I mean. I never had the original toy, my only experience with him is the show, who had a completely different colour scheme. However, hes growing on me.

Also, his ankle vall joints are quite loose.

6/10

Most recent acquisition, today actually, is Legacy Blitzwing. Very mixed bag honestly, i love his bot mode, it looks brilliant, but the other two are slightly lacking.

Out of his alt modes, the tank is easily better. Thick, chonky, and bigg. Very nice. Only complaint is the cockpit on the front, which i feel couldve been covered up with some panels flipping in off the shoulders.

But the jet... Ehhhhhh... It wouldve been so much better with ough the sides of the tank just hanging off the underside. But as usual, one of the modes of a triple changer has to take the fall, and the jet mode was it. At least it wasnt the whole figure, like the t30 version!

Guns are cool, so is the sword, and i couldnt care less about the big hands. They went into the parts draw immediately.

7/10

I saved the best til last, Velocitron Cosmos. I love him. So much. Hes my chonky lil man. I love the colours proportions, headsculpt, even his lil flag and gun are brilliant. Hes definitely worth the arm and leg i paid for him, and i would do it again. Was it a bit much? Yes. Am i happy with my purchase? Hell to the yes.

His UFO/landmine/doorbell/boob mode is brilliant too, the gaps bother me nowhere near as much as i thought they would, and i love how the head flips into his chest, rather than messing about trying to pull the head from a tiny hole.

10000000000/10

Well, those are some of the bots I've bought recently, I'll probably post a full shelves pic soon, but theyre all messy at the moment, because when i mess with them, i dont always put them back in their pose.

Should be getting elita 1 next week, and I have all of wave 3 preordered (bar bombburst/blood) and flamewar too, so I'll post shots of them when they arrive.

Conkerfrog, out.

[gravitycoil]

Dream of 12/20/22

gore /

Had a family. I was the youngest out of my 3 brothers my name was Elias or something. My older brother Palacé(*) looked after me and cared for me most out of the family. When I was young I could speak and move around but some incident happened where I became paralyzed in my back and face I had to use a wheelchair mostly to get around. I could walk somehow it was just very wobbly and hard. Palacé showed me I could enjoy life still without mobility and limited speaking. We went through a lot of adventures together he had his full trust in me as I did with him. I was reluctant to try some things because I wasn't confident in my ability to execute them but he showed me I could do it. I don't quite remember what the incident was other than when it happened, I was rushed to the ER. They put metal rods in my spine and I think Palacé was the reason the incident happened? Like I think he accidentally did something to make it occur but he was very guilty or atleast he was as emotional as I was when I couldn't speak well. Palacé was always by my side at school showing me we could still do the same dumb shit even if this happened to me. I remember going to the gym room and for some reason we were both releasing very deadly scorpions under the bleachers and everyone was screaming which caused everyone to be sent home early and we were like fuck yea. I also remember one point we were moving or something like getting plane tickets and shit and Palacé looked at me to see how I felt about it and he could see I was really sad cause my mom was describing a lot of physical activities we were gonna do at the new place. I felt left out because I couldn't... do that stuff. Palacé just looks at me and gets this determined look on his face he says something like "We're going to have so much fun. Don't you worry about it" I also remember a really fucked up part where ... I don't remember how it happened but my stomach was ripped open as well as my back and one of Palacé's friends took me to the ER where, they did not take it seriously at all they were just like... well... we can't really help you because your verification isn't working. which... verification was stepping on this giant panel that recorded your shoe print (???) and I specifically remember my shoe being white and glowing green and the bottom of it had keyboard keys as a design. It was like sonic soap shoes but with elevation. lol. I then remember getting to our new house and being really shocked cause it was huge it was perfect. Palacé said I was gonna walk to it and I was like !!!?? he said he would keep a hold of me and we walked. It was like... using jello as legs and walking on a trampoline it was hard. We eventually make it and I just remember being really happy and feeling accomplished palacé just smiled at me. Last few things I remember was just random scenes before I broke my back. Hanging out with palacé. I miss that freak

dream shift

Had moved into a new house it was like. summer time or something my family were all in a pool and having fun or whatever my cats had ran out of the house and we're somewhere outside and it was stressing me out. I told everyone that I wanted to look for them and they all were pricks and rolled their eyes ignoring me. I remember I went back inside for a short break and for some fucking reason a tiger came in I was trying to scare him off and it worked eventually but I was like... wrestling with this giant ass tiger and it stressed me out even more cause I was like oh fuck what if they got eaten or killed or whatever and I was a mess. I go back outside and I just see wolves, tigers, and random stray cats that weren't mine. I try calling my cats' names but they wouldn't come. I'm like, crying at this point cause I just wanted to find them and get them back in the house. There was a large ass ladder to the pool that one of my cats had climbed and accidentally fallen off. It was a long drop like... he shouldn't have lived but he did and I'm just freaking out cause I see him fall and I just SOB cause I'm like he's dead there's no way he isn't. eventually I climb back down and see the impact on the ground he made and. somehow he went through the ground and is just chilling there. I try digging him out and my family is making fun of me? like being villains and freaks they're like "oh stop worrying Abt that cat I wish he died" LIKE??????? I got filled with so much rage but I eventually dig him out and bring him inside. I try finding my other cat and I eventually find her I don't remember details but I get her and bring her inside and im like so relieved at that point I like start crying again cause I was glad they were ok. But also I was so hot from the heat, being stressed, rage filled, and shit that I was really hot like. dangerously hot. and it kept getting hotter outside and I started to lose consciousness in and out I'm like wtf is happening I tried putting ice on me and everything but nothing really helped. Nor did my family help because they were just like it's not that hot. Go fuck yourself this is all I remember. Really messed up

[someonestole15]

Hysteria

Every problem starts looking like a nail.

Steady whining slowly building up, I strapped myself in and scanned the surrounding panels and switches. Lights, on, driver protection, deployed and ready. The panel lowered over the windscreen and showed static for a moment before loading up a display of the view ahead from the camera mounted on top the vehicle.

Give it some throttle, the engine revved up and whined as I pushed the gear selector to drive. Rattling beneath the wheels as a smile made its way to my face, fifteen tons of steel and polymer but enough power to reach speeds of 60km/h on rough terrain. Cloud of grey smoke trailing behind the vehicle as I turned a corner in search for a target to ram into, I soon found what I was looking for.

Two light scout vehicles, tubular frames designed to be quick but lightly armored, but not lightly armed. A heavy machine gun on one and a missile launcher on the other, I lined up the front of the APC with them and pushed the accelerator pedal to the floor. Wonderful sounds of metal warping to shapes it was not made for, the APC ramped violently up before falling forward as the chassis on the scout collapsed; I feathered the throttle and managed to get the vehicle over the other one before landing back on the road.

Plenty of sound, I saw a crowd of soldiers arrive on scene as I fired off a smoke canister and drove off in search of more targets. Two minutes down, the chaos seemed to have somewhat cleared up and the soldiers started setting up roadblocks and anti-vehicle mines on the roads to limit where I could go.

>>Warning: Explosives detected! >>Ground scanner active! Limit speed for optimal scans.

Message on the HUD along with a number showing my speed and the optimal speed. Too slow to keep myself alive, I kept the main scanners active for heat signatures in the forests and ignored the roads they were guarding.

Ten minutes, moments to breathe as they lost sight of me did not last long before another scout rolled up on me and opened fire. Light machineguns, not enough to penetrate but blinding when fired at the camera, disabling if they hit the tires. Mess with the bull, you get the horns, another scout rolled over into a nearby tree as a smoke trail covered the stretch of road behind me.

Four minutes, I ran into a mine. Shook the rear of the vehicle and flashed up the HUD with warnings and a damage report, the rear left wheel was punctured, limiting mobility by a small amount. Shell-shocked, I pulled the steering wheel to the left. Mistake, I pushed my leg on the brakes as I had driven to a dead end.

Not a wall, but a mobile anti-air parked in between two warehouses with armored cars blocking off the sides, the AA slowly turned its turret towards me, a pair of 35mm cannons staring right into my soul. Like a scorpion waiting to strike, I sat there, frozen as a soldier standing behind one of the cars brought out a loud speaker and started yelling through it.

“Kill the engine and step out of the vehicle!”

No, that is not an option. Think… Hell, I got something, but it is not exactly the best thing… This will hurt.

Done dumber things before but this still goes high on that list. Pedal to the metal, smoke canisters fired and a pull to the right, I braced for impact as the 35mm shells struck the side of the vehicle and punctured the tires. Was it enough? Just about, the AA stopped firing as the APC struck the armored car and pushed it aside. Cruise control set, I grabbed my rifle and ran to the back of the vehicle, kicking the hatch open before diving into the snow and smoke. Slow rotation, the AA turret kept turning before finally locking on and releasing another barrage of AP shells into the back of the APC.

Durable but not invincible, a fireball blasted out of the open rear hatch as the fuel tank detonated, I felt the heat as I pulled myself onto one knee and took cover next to the armored car. Enough chaos to keep me hidden, crawling underneath the car got me close enough to the AA’s track and with one more charge of plastic explosives, I mounted it against the vehicles hull and armed the charge.

Slip away, I kept my rifle close and used the side rail for aiming as I moved further from the vehicle, that fireball was only the beginning. Not flawless, got spotted once I was clear of the explosive range, crack of the bullets by my hood as I ducked behind a warehouse wall and pulled the detonator from my belt. Push it in, a small beep was followed by an explosion as the turret flew upwards from the hull and landed next to it with a loud clang. Made for a distraction, I ran away from the site and kept my sights up before I reached a quiet spot inside one of the warehouses.

“Phoenix, Hammer, status. Tell me you weren’t in that explosion.”

“Negative Hammer, still kicking but I’m running out of room.”

“Understood, hold tight, we’re almost there. Hammer out.”

Check the magazine, full, one in the chamber. There is still another charge out there, switched the detonator over and pulled the clacker again. Heard the sound, felt the pressure shake the warehouse paneling before I drew in some of the cold air and adjusted my mask.

Say a little prayer perhaps, one-foot forward and rifle raised, the glow in my eye flickered in orange as I heard gunfire in the distance.

“Phoenix, we’re here. Facing heavy resistance at the gate.”

“Roger, I’ll thin them out, see you at the gate.”

“Don’t dare to die.” Valkyrie added as my comlink finally connected.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Marker on my map pointing towards the gate, my GPS marker. Close the map, I brought my rifle close and ran across the base, making use of rooftops and less conventional routes until I finally reached the road leading towards the gate.

“On approach, ETA 2 minutes.”

Running down the road, I spotted my first targets. A squad of four soldiers holding up a line with a machinegun lined down the road with some barricades providing them cover. Not much resistance against 7.62, eight shots was enough to clear them out of their foxhole; I made sure to grab the LMG from the ground before I advanced further.

Belt fed and a box magazine, the weight made me slightly slower as I reached the frontline.

An armored car with a heavy gun mount on the roof was keeping the Renegades from advancing. Remote controlled, no disabling it from outside without heavier equipment, I racked the bolt of the LMG and focused on the targets surrounding the car. Take a knee and pull the trigger, steady rattle from the bolt as the magazine ran down and the soldiers fell, the armored car turret turned its attention to me and opened fire as the box ran dry, the resulting click sounded like thunder to me as the turret locked on.

One shot flew over my left shoulder before the car was hit by a rocket. Shaky hands, heavy breathing, I dropped the LMG to the snow and caught my breath as familiar faces emerged around the vehicle and ran over to me.

“Hey, hey, we got you. Come on, we can’t stay in the open.” Andrei said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “Can you walk, are you hit?”

“I’m fine… thought I was dead when that turret locked on.”

“Heh, you bought us just enough time there, Lockpick stuck it in fifth once we heard the boom.”

Moment of walking, we made it inside the field command set up inside the guardhouse and I sat down at the table to rest a moment.

Looking down at my vest, I noticed the silenced pistol that Elias had recommended for me; I snickered quietly and thought how it might have been useful.

Well, no point in worrying about it now, stealth is no longer the key. Lockpick brought over some gear better suited to the new mission parameters; I had a look and picked out a new loadout.

This… this will do just fine.

[sunflowergyeomie]

can you handle it?

sypnosis: jeonghan is a real pain in the ass, we all know that. he always seems to get you to do things you never agreed on doing, you try not to fall for them though. what if one day you accidentally fall into his trap and give in, without knowing at all?

pairing: yoon jeonghan x gn!reader (vagina bearing)

genre: established relationship, fashion design student!au, architect!au, smut (18+ only)

word count: 2.9k

warnings: profanity, m!dom, degradation, lots of cum play, fingering, creampie, unprotected sex, pet names, size kink?? if you squint

a/n: bcos the irl girl version of jeonghan (aka my devil angel twin) @shuajeong told me "there aren't any fics of jeonghan lately", thus ✨this is written purely for you and your pain 😘 i have to say though, this isn't my best work :( i kept going back and forth and i rewrote and changed things at least three times so 😖😖 (i'm lowkey done with it so i'm sorry i tried, i really did) please forgive me.

Challenge?

Oh, it’s a challenge, alright.

Annoyed is what it is, lips pressed tightly together as you sink in the indescribable feeling. That’s what was currently happening seeing how there is a huge load of cum in your panties – an ignorant aftermath of your quickie with Jeonghan this morning before he drove you to class.

He even had the nerve to question how long you could stay like that for the entire day. You took that as him asking for a challenge and having been with you for a while now, Jeonghan knew you were never one to back down from them. Having basked in the afterglow of sex sure made you think anything was possible – or more accurately speaking his dick just made you dumb.

Now that it’s almost noon, you’re absolutely starting to regret the choice you’ve made, especially when you’re sitting halfway through your second lecture for the day, simply feeling that load threatening to spill out from the cotton panel, onto your inner thighs and slowly ooze down your legs.

Multiple calls of your name put a halt to your thoughts. A hand waves across your face while your eyes focus and refocus as the silhouettes come into sight. Your friends, Mingyu and Minghao are both staring at you, confusion etched across their faces, anticipating an answer from a question one of them probably asked. But in all honesty, you couldn’t recall the subject matter, nor did you give a shit about their issues because your main concern at this time is to get the hell out of there. “Oh, huh? Oh yes, sorry, yes, I’ll absolutely do that.”

A little laugh escapes from Mingyu’s lips while Minghao frowns. “I said.. What are you thinking about?” Mingyu asks, “You have a weird look on your face.”

“Are you not feeling well?” Minghao chimes in. “We can take n-“

“I’m fine, guys. Just a little tired,” You brush off, not wanting to go too deep into whatever you were currently feeling. It’s not that the guys weren’t close to you. In fact, they grew to be one of the closest ever since freshman year when all three of you showed up in the same pattern drafting class, wary looks on everybody’s faces in a new environment. Since the fashion department itself is small with only a few hundred students enrolled, it also meant that classes were taken with familiar faces, rarely is there a fashion student you haven’t seen before. Not to mention you were always being grouped in numerous projects and that’s how the three of you came to be. Both of them knew of your relationship with Jeonghan, of course, but there’s just some things that are better off left unsaid even if they are your best friends.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the both of them stealing glances at you every now and then. Even though they didn’t buy your excuse, Mingyu and Minghao knew better than not to bug you about it so throughout the whole three-hour lecture, you could just sense their concern emanating off their bodies. Adding on to your growing anxiety, making you more on edge, terrified that at any moment they would catch a glimpse of whatever dirty secret you were holding in – quite literally. Pulling out your phone, you quickly sent a text.

[12:03 PM]

you: I can’t take this anymore.

hannie: what’s wrong, princess?

You groaned, exasperation coating your breath. Was he playing dumb?

you: you know what I mean, han.

hannie: and what about it?

hannie: if I recall correctly, weren’t you the one who practically begged me to cum inside of you? Was just doing what you asked me to, princess :)

Scoffing in disbelief, you ignore his message, tossing the device straight into your bag, now furious at yourself for agreeing to it.

Stupid dick.

You weren’t even that horny this morning.

The cement walkways on campus greet the three of you as you step through the warm breeze. The sun shining through every leaf on the tall oak trees above you signal the firsts of many beautiful days now that summer is just around the corner. The bright weather is a big contrast to your dampening mood as your feet slowly drag along the blocks, leaving a gap between you and your friends while you try to keep up. You weren’t too keen on walking too fast right now. One wrong shift and you could be at risk of having Jeonghan’s gooey, semi-translucent, and not-so-warm release pooling down from underneath your mound. The two paid no attention to you though, they’re happily chatting about lunch options and the next possible location for studying afterwards. Not that you were going to join them anyways, not until you get the mess in between your legs situated.

“How about donkkaseu?” Mingyu turns around to ask, head whipping back mid-sentence to look at you, only to turn around and see that you’re already gone. His head turns left and right, trying to find you in the crowd of students, squinting his eyes for even a glimpse of your backpack but you’re nowhere to be seen.

“Where’d she go?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Minghao gives him a pointed look. “Jeonghan.” He says bluntly.

Jeonghan works downtown, a full hour away from your university. He was a busy man, well-equipped with knowledge and never failed to take pride in his work, no matter what it was. Your boyfriend was a well-wanted individual – not only with people who desperately wanted to be in his inner circle but also in his field of work with the numerous clients fighting for a slot in his schedule. Jeonghan has never-ending project proposals, spending most of his hours reviewing alterations and redevelopments on his building designs – a perfectionist, you often say or an obsession as others might call it. Knowing how serious his job was to him, you made sure not to meddle in with his profession, seeing how much it irritated him whenever he couldn’t concentrate, but this time was different – and you couldn’t hold yourself back from making the journey. You bow as you greet the secretary at the front desk. She takes one look up from her screen and already knows who you’re here for, immediately telling you of your boyfriend’s whereabouts while you nod back in thankfulness.

Pushing the heavy doors to Jeonghan’s office, the first thing you notice were his eyebrows deeply furrowed upon his face, a definite telltale to the attentiveness of the task in front of him. A few coworkers were surrounding him, each hovered over what seemed to be like another one of his drawing plans. At the click of the doorknob, Jeonghan’s head perked up when he saw you enter. A smile threatens to pull at his lips, but he bites them to prevent the joy from appearing. He’s been waiting for you all day. Having expected you to cave in earlier so he could have an excuse to take a long break. The current deal he was working on was getting to his head even though he’s gone over it a couple times already. He just needs a reset, a breather of some sort, … a release. Jeonghan fakes innocence however when he asks why you’re here. Simultaneously, his brain has already got his fingers wrapped around the string – pulling once, twice, three times, officially starting the internal mischievousness in him. A devious idea accelerating right before your very own eyes.

You furiously start making your way towards him, hair flying in all directions, nostrils flared in annoyance, your cheeks flamed red from built-up anger since the early morning you got to school, and the wrinkle between your eyebrows. You were a hot-tempered mess, you knew that but god, all he could think about was how beautiful you look. The way your eyes are rounded with the curvature of your nose bridge, adding on to the natural tint to your soft lips. Your lips that pout ever so slightly whenever you want something, your lips that taste like a mixture of yourself and that artificial strawberry-flavoured chapstick you apply every morning, your lips he so badly wants to feel against his own.

Your voice cuts through, interrupting his trance. “Excuse me, can I speak to you privately for one second?”

“Of course.” Jeonghan grins, dropping the pen as his hands start pushing his body up from the plush chair, quickly dismissing his staff with a wave of the hand. They take a hint as one by one, each of them starts leaving. He stands up, arms already going around your waist to pull you close, “Hi baby, how was your day?” He asks, head tilting as his hands are already reaching up to run his fingers through your hair.

You open your mouth to spew words, anger bubbling in letters as they boil up to the back of your throat but all of which dies down when the fire is turned off. Blocked off after the door is shut behind the last person when his demeanour takes a turn and switches a whole 180 degrees. His plan finally comes into action as his acting skills gear up. Licking his lips, his hands drop as he takes a step closer to you, hovering over your tiny figure. He’s finally got you where he wanted you in the first place. His eyes peer down from the lenses of his wired glasses, “Don’t you know better than not to interrupt me while I’m working?” He pauses. “What do you think my staff will think if you’re here for too long?” The back of his fingers gently trails down your face, almost feather-like as you try to press your face against his palm, leaning more into his touch.

“Guess you couldn’t keep it in, huh? I always knew you were a little slut.” Jeonghan tsked, “Was my cock not enough that you needed a second filling? It’s only been a few hours, darling.”

He starts walking back to his desk, hands going into his pockets as he leans against the edge. It shouldn’t have intimidated you, the way his eyes bore into yours but you gulped anyways, a feeling of excitement stirring in your lower abdomen as you clenched around nothing. You opened your mouth to retaliate, only for it to be shaped like what seems like a silent ‘o’. One of his eyebrows raise, a silent gesture for you to come.

Out of habit, your legs start moving obediently on their own until they reach the fronts of Jeonghan’s dress shoes. Tracing the outline of his long, toned legs hidden underneath the carob brown material of his trousers, you couldn’t help catching onto the small details of the garment. The modern leg-lines seamed in to elongate his legs, waistband wrapped around his torso showcasing his slim but strong build, the button with its holes as imaginary eyes and a crossed thread disguised as lips silently screaming ‘open me, open me!’.

He grabs your jaw, forcing you to tear your eyes away from his lower half to look at him. “I thought you came here to say something, but I can practically see the drool coming out of your pretty little mouth, staring at my cock.”

“I-“, He spins you around, positions changed now that you’re the one leaning against the desk. Jeonghan dives his head to capture your lips with his. You’re taken by surprise as a gasp escapes from your mouth while he takes that as a chance to deepen the kiss, his tongue slipping past your bottom lip; full of need and desire, desperate to let out his frustrations. All your effort is focused on keeping up, molding your mouths together. Your anger is now replaced with lust. His hands are moving down to grip your ass.

Your breath hitches when his lips start trailing down your jaw, gently nibbling the soft skin on your neck before travelling down the valley of your breasts. He doesn’t bother trying to take off your top, opting to unbutton the first few, just enough to expose your lacy bra. Slipping underneath one cup to carefully knead your honey soft skin before latching his mouth onto your nipple, sucking gently but firmly. You whine as he hoists you up and places you on the surface, his face never detaching from your soft and full chest as he quickly pulls your pants off, leaving you in just your soaked panties.

“Maybe it was a good idea to leave my cum in you,” Jeonghan’s fingers hook onto the waistband. He smirks before pulling them down completely, stopping mid-thigh. “Easier to prepare.”

A trail of your slick follows as his digits spread your pussy, using his middle finger to slowly drag up your wet slit. His other hand is gripping your thigh when he reaches down in between, scooping the leftover cum from the previous session and forcing it back into your pussy. You watch with wide eyes only to have them roll back completely when he finishes by stuffing them all the way into you, resulting in a loud moan.

“P-please”

Jeonghan chuckles, satisfied by your reaction. He had you beckoning at his every move yet you were sure the satisfaction still wasn’t enough for him, not just yet. He pulls his fingers out to strip himself of his own pants, popping his member out. The hand with the fingers that were just inside of you is now rubbing all over his cock, using the little beads of precum along with a bit of your slick to pump himself.

Jeonghan’s cock is pretty, like the boy himself. He’s not too big or too small but he knows his angles and he knows how to use them right. Every time the two of you get intimate, which is quite often, his thrusts are sharp, clean and reach to the most inner parts of you – something that leaves soreness inside of you for days. But that doesn’t seem to matter whenever the two of you are having hot and steamy sex five days out of the seven weekly.

“You better stay fucking quiet.”

One hand is gripping your waist for extra support while the other is slowly guiding his length into you. The growl in his voice sends another wave of arousal between your legs, the wetness starting to spill and gather down your thighs. His eyes diverted down to pay attention to the way his length was disappearing inside of you. Each stroke covering his manhood with even more of your juices.

“F-ffuck, baby.” He curses under his breath. “You’re still so tight.”

His voice was breathy, almost like a whine before he picks up his speed, splitting your folds with a sloppy rhythm, expecting to chase both your highs before his coworkers come barging back in. Although the thought of getting caught in such a compromising position arouses him, Jeonghan couldn’t risk letting anyone seeing you in your most vulnerable state. Not when you have all the right curves, exclusive only for his viewing.

At some point, his hands start pulling you into him to meet his every thrust, your tits bouncing as you start feeling the delicious new angle he’s ruining you from. The tip of his cock rubbing against your cervix with every stretch. The familiar feeling of tension starts to build as your eyes squeeze tighter, your orgasm is approaching faster and faster. You’ve never wanted to scream his name out loud so badly when he slams once, no, twice into you, releasing the coil sending intensifying waves of pleasure throughout your whole body. Your tight heat clenching and unclenching around him causing Jeonghan to groan, “Shit.”

“Cum in me.” You insisted weakly. He gives in as he presses himself balls deep, cock twitching as he unloads inside of you, cum shooting in spurts coating your walls in white. The groan emerging from the back of his throat muffled as he quickly smashes his lips onto yours to conceal it. Your muscles move on your own, hiding your own whimper as your lips move together in unison. His body slumps over yours while he rests his head against your shoulder, pressing a light kiss as a way to say thank you.

In the intimacy of the moment, your arms are thrown around his broad shoulders, subconsciously pulling him closer as the two of you try to catch your breaths. When he lifts his head up, his doll eyes are already staring into your glossy ones. A tender smile spreading across his face, pecking your lips one more time before he slowly pulls out. Straight away, the emptiness is evident as his warmth disappears, your hole gaping while he looks down to appreciate the work done on your ruined pussy.

You feel your panties being pulled back up, now snug on your hips as he lets go of the elastic waistband to hear it snap back on your skin.

“Guess you have two loads to keep in now.” A devilish look covering every inch of his handsome face.

“Jeonghan!” you lunged at him. He cackles maniacally, successfully dodging while you attempt to jump on his back. The blood in your veins starts boiling again, both hands reaching up to cover your face when you realize your mistake for the second time today.

Jeonghan’s dick really did make you dumb.

[andreafmn]

Choices - Part 1

Word Count: 3,913

Requested: by me; inspired by a TikTok POV

Story Description: After the snap (Y/N) and Steve decided to shift their friendship into a romantic relationship. After the Battle of Earth, and Thanos’s ultimate defeat, Steve had to travel back in time to return the stones, but what (Y/N) doesn’t know is he’s not returning. The man leaves to his best friend the hard task to break the news to his lover. But what will happen if Steve returns in an unexpected manner? 

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader

Part: 1/3

A/N: I just gotta say I only have spoiled knowledge of what happens in Endgame because I refuse to acknowledge its existence and I’ll never watch it. Anything I write that is not cannon, whoops. But this one-shot is inspired by a POV I stumbled upon in TikTok and I just needed to write. Had to divide it into two parts because it was getting too long.

Follow Me!

Next ->

                                                        ***

 It had taken 6 years and losing almost everyone we loved for Steve and me to admit our feelings for each other. After seeing our closest friends dissipate into fine dust we decided life was too short to wait for the right time. 

That was 5 years ago. Our relationship had been solidified as the years went on and the loss of Nat and Tony in the Battle of Earth only bringing us closer.

But something had changed. These past few days Steve had grown distant and quiet, only acknowledging me when we were in our bedroom or stuck in training. All I could attribute it to was that he was nervous about traveling to return the stones. Normally, he would talk to me about what was clouding his mind but nowadays he was acting as if we were strangers. 

Thankfully, I had a friend to occupy my time with. Bucky and I had developed a close friendship since meeting him back when he still was the Winter Soldier. Being part of his recovery was the catalyst to the relationship we have today. Losing him in the blip was horribly heartbreaking but it brought me and Steve closer. Now that he was back, I was able to have someone I could confide in the understood the Captain’s brain. 

“Hey, Buck,” I announced my arrival as I saw Bucky getting some water in the kitchen. “Couldn’t sleep?” 

“Not really,” he sighed. “The nightmares, you know?” 

He was right, I did know. Although I wasn’t blipped I had my own demons I was still battling with. “Yeah, I get it. I’m making grilled cheese, do you want some?” 

“Grilled cheese? At 3 am?” He chuckled. “What’s wrong?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Come on, (Y/N). You only eat grilled cheese at this time when you’re worried about something.”

“You know me too well,” I sighed. “It’s Steve. He’s been really weird this past few days.” 

“Weird how?”

“He’s been kinda avoiding me lately and I don’t know why.” A few tears were threatening to spill, but I did my best to dry them before they fell. “It’s like nothing I do is good enough, like he’d rather be anywhere but close to me. Does he hate me? Is it something I did?” 

Bucky got up from the chair he was sat in and wrapped me in a hug. I couldn’t hold off the tears this time. “There’s nothing you could do that would make that man hate you, he’s probably just in his head about traveling in time.” 

“I thought so, but why wouldn’t he talk to me about it. There’s not a single thing we haven’t been able to talk about up to ‘til now. What’s so important about this that he can’t talk to me about it.” 

“Don’t stress yourself over this, doll. I’m sure after tomorrow everything would go back to how it was.”

Bucky’s POV

And at that time I did believe it. Knowing Steve I really thought he was just nervous about the journey he had to take in the morning. That was until he said he needed to talk with me. 

“What is it, punk? You too nervous?” I chuckled until I saw the serious face he held. 

“I need a favor from you, Buck, and you might not like it.” 

“You’re scaring me, Steve. What’s wrong?” I couldn’t help but think that this had to do with why he was avoiding (Y/N). 

“When I go back today, I’m not coming back in 5 seconds.” 

“What are you talking about, Steve?” 

“I’m going to stay back and have a life with Peggy. This is my last chance to be with her and I’m taking it,” he ran his hands through his face. He knew what he was asking of me and he knew it wasn’t fair. “I need you to tell (Y/N) for me once I’m gone. She’s gonna need someone to lean on and I need it to be you.” 

“You can’t do that, Rogers. It’s not fair to me and it’s definitely not fair to her. (Y/N) loves you with her whole being. This is going to crush her.” He had been ignoring her out of guilt and he was leaving all these feelings behind in a couple of hours, leaving me to deal with the aftermath. “You know, she’s been beating herself over you avoiding her and I thought it was just nerves. But this is a new low; the Steve I know would never do this.” 

“Bucky, I’m sorry. I just think it’ll go over quicker if it comes from you.” 

“What you’re doing is cleaning your hands of a mess you’re making.” The anger was boiling inside of me by now. (Y/N) did not deserve this ending, she did not deserve to have her heart broken in such a cowardly way. 

“Please, Bucky. I don’t think I could tell her face to face.” He took a paper out of his back pocket. “I wrote her this letter, hopefully, it’ll help things to smooth over. Please, Buck, please. You have to believe me when I tell you the last thing I want to do is hurt her.”

I snatched the letter from his hands and guarded it in my jacket pocket. “I’ll do it only because I owe you my life and she’ll need someone once I break her heart for you. But, I get it.” 

“Thanks, bud. I know that for now, it must seem like a horrible thing to do but hopefully in time you’ll see my point of view.” I accepted the hug he offered. Although my head was telling me to be loyal to Steve, my heart was breaking at the thought of breaking (Y/N)’s. 

Before I knew it, Sam, Bruce, (Y/N), Steve, and I were standing in front of the machine that would be the catalyst of inevitable heartbreak. 

3rd person’s POV

“Well, this is it,” Steve whispered. They were standing to the right as Banner made sure everything was ready for Steve’s trip. 

“You know, it’s not too late to back out,” (Y/N)’s hands traveled to his chest. “We can have someone else go.” 

“It has to be me, (Y/N). But I’ll be back before you know it, doll.” His head lowered and left a deep kiss on her lips. They lingered for longer than usual, and she couldn’t help but imagine that there was an underlying message to it. “You know I love you, right? And I would never do anything to purposely hurt you, right?”

“Of course, Steve. I love you, too.” (Y/N) smiled and kissed him once more, allowing him to engulf her in a tight hug. “Be careful, okay? I can’t lose you too.” 

“I will,” he smiled. “Now, I’ve gotta go.”

“I know, be safe.” She smiled once more as she watched Steve get on the machine. She made her way over to Bucky, his arm circling her shoulders. “It’s just 5 seconds, right?” 

“Yup,” he smiled, ignoring the burning sensation coming from the paper inside his jacket. “Just five seconds.”

“Ready, Cap?” asked Bruce from behind the control panel. Steve nodded, one hand on Mjolnir and another on the case that held the Infinity Stones. “Alright, we’ll meet you back here, okay?” 

“You bet,” he responded. Two of the people present knew that it was a lie, but no one else had picked up on it yet. His head was encircled by the helmet and he stared at the two people that meant the most to him in this lifetime. Hurting them was the hardest thing he had to do, but he had been living for everyone else for too long. He decided that it was time to do something for himself. 

“Going quantum in 3, 2, 1,” Bruce announced. A breath hitched in (Y/N)’s throat as the time went down, all she had to do was brace herself for five seconds. Banner hit the button and (Y/N) had to blink various times to fully grasp the disappearance of the man she loved. He had vanished as quick as a thought, one second there and the next just a memory. “And returning in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1....”

Nothing. Bruce clicked the button and nothing happened. The body of Captain America was nowhere in sight. 

“Bruce, what the hell is going on?” (Y/N) spoke up, but she wasn’t sure if her voice was heard. Her mind raced a million miles an hour and she could feel her legs giving out. Had it not been for Bucky’s left arm, she would have crashed to the floor. Bruce stammered with his words, not knowing what to say. “Bucky, where is he, Bucky? Where’s Steve?” 

Bucky knew it would hurt to see her cry, but this was shattering his heart. Her body was falling limp in his arms and the tears were streaming out of her eyes faster than he could dry them. Her words were slurred but he understood the gist of it. She was hurt; she was betrayed; she was beyond heartbroken. 

“Come on, let’s sit down.” Bucky led her to the tent that was propped up behind them. “There’s something you should know.” 

“What is it, Buck?” She sobbed. 

“Please don’t hate me, but Steve is not coming back.” The girl looked up at her friend, not know what emotion she was feeling in the moment. Her tears stopped momentarily, needing to hear the words that would spill from Bucky’s mouth. “Steve decided to go back in time and have a life with Peggy. He needed you to know that he didn’t want to hurt you. He also left you this note.” 

Her shaky hands extended to take hold of the piece of paper Bucky handed her. She dried away the tears that were clouding her eyes and began reading. 

My dearest doll,

 If you are reading this letter, you know I am not coming back. I decided to take hold of the chance to have the life I would’ve had if I stayed in the 40s. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling in this moment, and I’m sorry for all the hurt I know I’m causing you. I need you to know that I never knew I could love someone after Peggy and I’m thankful for all the years we had together. I was in love with you and I still am, but I could not continue on knowing I have a chance to answer one of my biggest ‘what if’s. I could not go on in our life with the weight of my past on our shoulders, you deserve better than that. I hope you can pardon how big of a coward I am being in the moment, I knew I couldn’t do this face-to-face and you deserve at least a worded explanation of why I left. You are strong, amazing, beautiful, and deserving of all the love in the world; I’m sorry I couldn’t provide it. I want you to promise me that you’ll move on and be happy, even if it’s not with me. I also hope you don’t hate Bucky for being the bearer of bad news, he didn’t know until today and I gave him no other choice thant to tell you. If there’s someone that can understand what you are feeling right now, it is him.

I hope one day you will forgive me for this,

I love you until the end of the line.

Steve

She folded the paper back up and broke down once again. Bucky engulfed her in a hug and held her as she shook. “He’s gone, Buck. He went back to be with Peggy. I wasn’t enough for him.” 

“Oh, doll, I’m so sorry.” 

“Guys, we’ve got to head back,” Sam peeked his head through the tent, heartbroken by the view in front of him. “I’ve got her, Buck. Go get the truck started.” 

Bucky released (Y/N) into the arms of Sam Wilson, and left to start the car to head back to the tower. Sam ran his hands over the sobbing girl’s hair trying his best to soothe her. Even though he didn’t fully understand the situation she was in, he got the jist of it. After everything was packed back up, (Y/N) had fallen asleep in Sam’s arms, so he picked her up and laid her on his lap to not wake her. She would be needing all the rest she could get. 

“You guys good back there?” Bucky asked.  

“Yeah, she’s out like a light,” Sam whispered. 

“Good, she’s gonna need all the energy she can get to recover.”

“What happened?” 

“Steve decided to stay back and be with Peggy; left me to tell her the news.” Busky gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were pale white, his anger building up inside him. 

“Wow, I never expected that from the Cap. I don’t think it’ll be easy for her to move on from this.” He looked down at the sleeping figure in his lap, wiping away the few tears that had slipped out in her slumber. “She might be physically strong, but she’s very sensitive and rarely gets attached.”

“I still don’t understand why he chose to do it this way. The little punk.”

The duo waited until Banner was inside the truck before leaving the spot they were in and back home. Unbeknownst to them, behind the trees, a figure stared at the scene in front of him with a broken heart.

                                                           ***

It had been almost three weeks of robotic movements from (Y/N). She would wake up, sometimes eat, sit in front of a window and stare down the New York skyline; other times she would lay in bed wearing one of Steve’s shirts and sprayed the room with his cologne as she sobbed into his pillow. There were the nights that she drowned her sorrows in a bottle of whatever liquor she could find, until the other members started hiding the bottles. But that didn’t stop her from stashing a couple of bottles in her closet. Nighttime was always the hardest. (Y/N) had grown used to falling asleep in Steve’s arms and being engulfed in his warmth. Now, she thrashed around in a bed that was too big, too cold, and too uncomfortable.

The rest of the team had tried their best to lift her spirits, but nothing seemed to work too well. Sam tried his best to make her favorite meals, which she gave thanks for but rarely ate, pushing the food around in the plate; Bucky tried to entice some emotion by asking her to join him in clearing his list of movies to watch to catch up on the times, but she would zone out for most of the movie; Bruce would ask her to join him in his afternoon reading sessions, but every time she picked up a book she re-read the same page over and over not retaining a single word; Wanda would try her best to get her to partake in normal hygiene practices, which the girl had held off on for a couple of days, only getting her to shower every other day.

(Y/N) was a walking zombie, doing the bare minimum to survive.

But today she had woken up differently, her heart hurting a little less than the other days. She got into the shower, brushed her teeth, and even got dressed in her own clothes. It was three in the afternoon, but she was up. She was detangling her hair when her bedroom door opened.

“You’re awake?” Bucky said, startled to see a clean and awake (Y/N) in front of him. “Don’t mean to sound so surprised, but I came in here with the intention to startle you awake once again.”

The girl chuckled and continued her brushing. “Thought it was time to do something by myself.”

“Here, let me.” Bucky took the brush from her hands and started brushing through her damp hair. It finally smelled of her normal shampoo and conditioner, and not a mix of her hair oils and Steve’s cologne. The smell of strawberries and vanilla emanated from her head and Bucky couldn’t help but breathe in deep. His left hand ran the hairbrush through her hair as his right hand smoothed it down. (Y/N) leaned into his touch and smiled at the comforting strokes he was providing. Unknowingly, Bucky started humming a lullaby under his breath.

“What are you humming?”

“It’s a Russian lullaby I overheard one night while under HYDRAs hold. There’s not much I like to remember from those times, but this I don’t mind.”

“I like it,” she rocked to the movements of his hands and smiled as she listened intently to his humming. She couldn’t see him, but the veteran was smiling at her. It had been the first time she had shown any kind of emotion in the time that had elapsed. He finished her hair in a sloppy braid, not fully understanding the mechanics of the three-strand braid. “Thank you, Buck.”

“How’re you feeling today, (Y/N)?” He finally asked.

“I’m feeling better, don’t know how long it will take to get me to 100% but I’m feeling like a 45% today.”

“That’s good to hear, you know. It’s better than where we started.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she leaned into him, enjoying the warmth his body emanated. “So, what do you want to do today?”

“Have not gotten up to that point.”

“Well, Sam’s already cooking up something in the kitchen and I’m on the second movie of The Lord of the Rings, so we can watch that one.”

“Okay, that sounds good.” She smiled at the man that was next to her as they exited her room.

The rest of the team had gathered in the kitchen, working on ways to cheer (Y/N) up when they saw her emerge from the hallway with a small smile on her face. Everyone’s jaw fell open when they saw the girl looking partly human and with a spark of energy. It had been a while since she had resembled the (Y/N) they knew and loved.

“Guys, please pick up your mouths off the floor, your eyes do not deceive you.” (Y/N) joked.

“Glad to see you’re alive, (Y/N),” Sam spoke. “Come have some food.” 

She smiled at her friend and sat next to Wanda as Sam placed a plate of chocolate chip pancakes in front of her. Bucky served himself and her a cup of coffee and added the cream and sugar she enjoyed with her drink. She happily munched on the food as the people around her stared in astonishment.

Thankfully, the staring didn’t last long. Wanda and Sam had a quick recon mission and Bruce had some work to finish in the lab, leaving Bucky and (Y/N) to enjoy The Two Towers in peace. Bucky had the curtains drawn and the movie all set up as (Y/N) took out blankets and made a hole between all the pillows that adorned the couch. The duo settled into their spot and bundled themselves in the blankets, settling in for the 226 minutes of the extended version of the movie.

She wasn’t sure at what point in the movie she fell asleep, but she was woken up by Bucky softly shaking her awake. She mumbled something she didn’t even understand, so Bucky decided to carry her to her bed. (Y/N) had burned too much energy by being around too many people too fast. It didn’t seem like a lot but being around the whole team had taken a toll on her. The sun had started to set and so were the last slivers of happiness she had felt.

Bucky set her down on her bed, tucking the blankets around her. He turned to leave when a small hand wrapped around his right wrist. He looked down and saw a teary-eyed (Y/N) looking up at him.

“Stay, please.” Her voice was barely a whisper and it trembled slightly. She was the vision of the heartbreaking scene that had hurt him three weeks ago.

He smiled softly at the girl and went around the bed to climb in. “Today was hard, huh?”

“Yeah, I thought I was ready to go back to normal, but it took too much out of me. I feel so useless.”

“You are far from useless, doll. You’re hurting, darling, we all understand.” He pulled her in close and laid her head on his chest, the thin layer becoming wet with her tears. “It’ll get better someday, that’s the only thing I’m sure of.”

“How do you know?” 

“Because we all do, after a while we all get better.”

“I wish we knew how long a while was. Everything would be easier.” 

“I know, doll, but let’s take it all one day at a time. Just remember you’re not alone. You have me – and the rest of the team.” He cleared his throat trying to disguise the importance she held in his life. Bucky would have never said anything, but he had fallen for the girl. He held her already in high regard for the care she had given to his best friend, but his feelings had started to shift when she started caring for him while they were on the run.

“Thank you, Buck. I don’t know where I would be without you.” She laid a kiss on his chest and drifted to sleep with Bucky’s arm rubbing circles on her back.

One more week had gone by and (Y/N) had grown used to having Bucky sleep with her at night. He had helped her pack away all the things Steve had left in the room – specifically the cologne that still hunted her, – he started waking her up earlier and making sure she got at least two full meals a days before she went to bed, and he made sure that she didn’t spend her nights crying for a man he called his best friend.

All of Bucky’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed. The remaining Avengers had noticed how the ex-assassin cared for the broken girl, going further than the rest of them did. And his feelings for the girl did not fly by the mind-reading witch that currently stared at him preparing lunch for (Y/N).

“When will you tell her how you feel?” The redhead spoke, casually sipping on a cup of coffee.

“What do you mean, Wanda?” 

“What she means is that you’ve been in love with that girl for far too long and it’s time you confess already,” Sam jeered. “Nothing’s stopping you now.”

“Except for the fact that she’s still reeling from my best friend breaking her heart by going back in time and leaving her to be with someone else. I’m sure she’ll be jumping with joy if I confess right now,” he mocked. “Anyways, how did you know?” 

“You’re not very secretive about it,’’ Sam laughed. “You’re always in a sour mood but magically when you’re with her you become someone else. The White Wolf become (Y/N)’s puppy real quick!’’

“I am not that obvious with it.”

“Okay, lil’ pup.”

“Whatever. Anyways, it’s not the right time for that.”

“When will it be the right time then, Bucky?” Wanda inquired.

“I don’t know. But it’s not right now.”  He plated what he was cooking and headed to (Y/N)’s room. The last thing she needed at the moment was a new relationship, even if that’s all Bucky wanted. 

[gaiuswrites]

World's Best

Pairing: Frankie Morales x fem!Reader

Summary: Not every day is easy. Frankie makes it better.

Rating: Explicit

Word count: 2.2k~

Warnings/tags: smut, vague-ish descriptions of depression/mental health, hurt/comfort, fluff

Notes: Do y'all ever get into a funk and then attempt to write yourself out of one? Well, this is the v self-indulgent product of said instance heh. I have tagged a random assortment of potentionally interested people but obvi no pressure? idk? :) Sending so much love and well wishes to you guys. x

Masterlist | Read it on Ao3!

A sea of knotted sheets spans between you—as tangled as your legs—too tired, too leaden to unweave. The fan rotates in the corner, blowing stale air your way every few clicks. You dangle a foot off the bed, skin prickling as the weak breeze sweeps over you and a bead of sweat licks from your knee to slope down your calf. Morning sun leaks through the window— the finch perched on the tree just outside it chirping once, twice, before flitting off.

You’ve been reading the Sunday paper for a solid twenty minutes—which, in all honesty, is an overstatement; you started and quickly abandoned the Sudoku after a measly ten, and you’ve been staring at the same sentence in the local section for the other half, blinklessly hovering over the fine print.

You’re not here today. Not all of you.

There’s this sinking feeling, hollowing you out and unmaking you. It’s as if something unseeable is oozing over you - dripping - something treacle, something thick. You’re far away from yourself—far from the cornflower blue walls and the framed photos hanging on them—the happy faces in the pictures smiling back at you— far from the plants basking in the tines of filtered light by the sill, far from the body lying beside you.

You’re not always this way. Not every day drags like an inky smear, your mind meandering sluggishly in circles, holding you hostage in a prison of your own making; but you can’t say it’s foreign to you either. It’s old, familiar—like that sweater in your closet you’ve had for centuries and rarely wear, but can’t bring yourself to get rid of. You know it well, this slog—you have unwillingly memorized it’s sodden intricacies, and today you feel it. You feel every single one of your days—each grey hour— weighing heavy on your very bones.

heavy heavy

heavier, still.

If you’re not careful, you’ll sink straight through the mattress. You’ll nestle deep into the springs and make a home in the down. You’ll sleep there until you become it. Comfortable. Catatonic.

Frankie sips his coffee. He doesn’t look up from the email he’s skimming. “What’s wrong?”

The baritone of your boyfriend’s voice sucks you back to the present—to the tick of the clock marking the seconds, the whir of the fan. The paper crinkles as you lay it to your chest—big eyes feigning ignorance as you blink up at him, chewing your lip. “Hmm?”

“Baby, I know that face.”

“What face?”

“The one you’ve got on,” he replies, “that’s your ‘I’m-upset-and-I’m-trying-to-hide-it’ face.’”

“I-” you frown, “no it’s not.” Gingerly, you pat a hand around your temple, your cheek, as if you could see your expression through touch.

“Uh huh.” Frankie rolls his digit upon the mousepad, clicking and scrolling down the webpage, and your vision glazes over again—ugly thoughts fogging up the panels of your mind—

“You gonna talk to me about it?”

You blink, swallowing, “nothing to talk about.” You flap the paper, ironing out the pleats, and scan for that pesky paragraph you never managed to finish.

“Mhm,” he replies absentmindedly, bringing the mug to his lips and drinking with an all too obvious slurp.

“Really, I’m fine,” you say weakly. You’re not that convincing—you barely convince yourself.

“Sure, sweetheart. If you say so.”

He’s too casual; he’s letting it all go too easily and God, he’s gotten good at this—at coaxing the truth out of you. He doesn’t even have to try any more. He’s so kind and open and sincere, all he has to do is crack the door ajar—tempt you with an inch of space, with only a sliver of leeway—and immediately you want to plunge through it and chase after him, like a dog and a bone.

He makes you want to share; not because of what he says, but by everything he doesn’t—the welcoming gaps he leaves you with, the gaps you’re urged to fill. This happens every time—it’s pretty damn annoying, actually. You’re so miserably predictable. After three and a half years together, sometimes you think Frankie might know you better than you know yourself.

A scary thought—wonderful, too.

“I’m just-” You run a hand over your face, pressing into the bridge of your nose and you grunt, frustrated. Exhausted. “I’m just tired.”

Frankie settles his coffee cup on the hill of his sternum, closing his laptop quietly. He swivels his head to you, hair mussing into the wall.

“Of anything in particular?” he asks, linen soft.

“No, yes—I don’t know,” you heave—an errant thing fluttering around in your chest as you fold the newspaper, letting it float to the floor with a splat. “It’s just-” you worry the inside of your cheek raw, fumbling with the blur of your emotions. You shake your head. “It’s just a bad brain day.” Your voice is small as you slump into him, letting your body go limp.

“I’m sorry I get like this. I’m okay—I’ll be okay,” you mumble, face burrowed into his arm. He smells summered, like sweat and heat and the promise of long days fading into even longer nights, and you take a heady drag, inhaling his scent.

You hear him sigh, stretching as he sets the mug and computer down on the side table. He shifts back to you, snaking an arm under your body as you coil your own around his center, hugging him close.

“You know, it’s alright if you’re not,” Frankie murmurs into your hair, planting a kiss at the crown of your head. “And you know you don’t have to hide from me when you aren’t.” His thumb finds your arm, the chewed nail bed scratching soothing circles along your skin.

Your gut somersaults, flipping and purring, and all you can do is press your lips to the cottoned shoulder of his tee shirt—the one with the holes in the collar and motor oil stain on the hem; all you can do is tighten your grasp, wringing around his cozy waist.

“And you know that nothing you say is gonna scare me away, right? I’m always going to be here for you.” Frankie gives your forearm a reassuring squeeze.

God, this man.

You nuzzle further into his chest—snuggled and swaddled in the safety of his warmth—and you mumble something incoherent, muffled against his relaxed body. His beard catches on your fly-aways as he dips to hear you better. “What was that honey?”

“I said,” you crane your neck, lifting out of his side, “you really are the ‘world’s best uncle’.”

A ripple of confusion twists over his features before you bat your eyes up to meet his, shooting a glance over to that exact phrase wrapping itself around the ceramic cup beside him.

You got stuck with it at some terrible white elephant exchange last Christmas. It’s fucking tacky and aggressively large—not even you - you, in all your caffeine dependency - can chug that much coffee fast enough in one sitting without it going cold— and neither of you have any nieces or nephews to speak of…

Naturally, it’s become your favorite mug.

Frankie barks out a laugh, his stomach flexing against your grasp. “Oh yeah? Is that all I am?” he smirks, a glint of mischievousness reflecting in his irises as he bores down at you.

You quirk an eyebrow, a coy tug blooming across your lips. “I dunno,” you drawl sweetly, “you going to prove me otherwise?”

His face is split into a grin now, wide and aching and unnecessarily endearing. His hair is a mess, wavy tufts jutting out every which way, and his eyelids are still puffy from what little slumber he was lucky enough to get in your hot, cramped apartment.

You really can’t keep putting it off—you need to buy an AC unit.

His focus dances from your eyes to your mouth, breath hitching as he watches you skip your tongue over the plush mound there. “I just might,” he growls playfully, maneuvering you onto your back with one broad swoop, pinning you to the bed.

/

He makes love to you like a man unburdened - untouched - by time. He fucks into you slowly, unhurriedly—at a pace that’s mind numbingly measured and patient. Frankie devastates you, dragging himself through your walls from head to hilt, letting you feel every ridge, every vein of him; filling you up so impossibly well—his thick cock sauntering in and out, and in and out again. Each roll of his hips makes you gasp, his blunt tip brushing against that deep, uncharted chasm within you that tempts you into oblivion. Your legs are locked around him, crossed at the ankles, and the perspiration at the pits of your knees slicks his sides.

Frankie’s palms dimple the fitted sheet as he brackets your head, burying himself into the crook of your neck. He moans—hot breath ghosting over the prickled skin there, babbling disjointed strings of guttural praise into your ear.

Fuck baby—fuck you feel good

How’d I get so lucky, how’d I-

God, you’re a— fuck

You’ve got the perfect pussy—made for me

Made for me, made for me, made for-

You turn your head and capture his mouth with your own, whimpering into him as he nips at your bottom lip and bites. You scrape your fingers through his scalp, pulling at his locks, and Frankie whines a tortured noise—giving an especially hard thrust that pries a yelp from your throat. He rears his head back, catching your gaze, a concerned line creased into his brow. “Y-You okay?”

“No- nono, yes Frankie. Again, right there,” you beg, lashes fluttering.

He darkens—the timbre of his voice made husky and raw as he drinks in the sights and sounds of you mewling for him, splayed and needy. “You like that?” Frankie drives into you again, sharp and searing as he bottoms out, the smattering of curls at the base of him soaked with your gloss. “You need it hard, baby? You want it rough?”

You whimper, clawing desperately at the nape of his neck. “I just—I just want you, all of you,” you pant as you hold his stare—the gorgeous, chestnut gleam of it—and the wordless expression that crests over his features makes you want to cry. The precious indent in his cheek, the stubble littering his jaw, his sculpted nose and clever lips, the sad rings under his eyes—the grooves he thinks you don’t notice, the grooves he tries to mask by always taking care of you, always putting you first, even when he shouldn’t.

Fuck, he’s so beautiful—he’s so beautiful you could weep.

“You have me,” he rasps breathlessly, bowing to meet you in a messy whirl of tongue and teeth before breaking away—forcing himself up off his hands and back onto his shins. He hooks an elbow under your knee, letting the other frame the outside of his hip. “I’m right here—you have me, you have me-”

Frankie’s hips are frantic now, pulsing in short, strong bursts as he grinds into you. He dips a hand to your center, pad of his thumb working erratic, sloppy flicks over the sensitive nub of your swollen clit. Your feet arch, the muscles there constricting as the tension in you mounts.

“Babe.” You’re whining now, vulnerable and shaking and fuck, you’re going to come apart—any moment now, any unbearable second, you’ll snap. “F-Frankie, baby oh god—”

You clamp a hand over your mouth, eyes screwing shut as you shatter. Like a vase crashing onto kitchen tile, you break into a million jagged fragments. Your cunt seizes, legs spasming against him as he fucks you through your orgasm, and it doesn’t take long for the tight contractions of your heat to yank him right off that same ledge. The both of you—tumbling and fracturing into terrible, perfect shards—to be intermingled and scattered among each other’s glass pieces.

Indiscernible. The same.

When you glue yourself back together again, you will find parts of him there - here, within you - filling your jigsawed cracks like golden ore.

Frankie slips out of you with a squelch and a huffed groan, collapsing to the mattress in a panting heap. His cum dribbles from your apex and you shiver at the feeling of it—at the feeling of him, warm and wet and lingering inside you. He rests his cheek on your breast while you both catch your breath—rising, falling. Waxing, waning. Two pitter-pattering hearts beating in time.

The sheets have been sloughed, lazy and forgotten, to a crumpled pile on the wood floor and the steam once rising from the mug on the nightstand has long since disappeared. It’s too muggy for you two to be this entwined—his leg draped over you, a big arm slung across your belly—but neither of you dare move. Neither of you have the energy, never mind the desire.

The clock whispers in the morning quiet.

A new bird claims the branch the finch left—she sings now, roosting there in the birch.

“I’m sorry,” you murmur sleepily, drawing patterns into the valley of his spine, mapping out his freckles and moles and scars. “Thank you,” you say. Thank you for putting up with me, thank you for understanding me, thank you for listening even when I cannot speak. “I love you so much.”

Gently, silently, Frankie tilts his head, bristled hair peppering your flesh as he mattes your skin with his lips; laving along your breasts, across your clavicle and up the plain of your neck—each kiss a response, each kiss a truth.

You don’t have to apologize

You don’t have to thank me

I love you

I love you

I’m right here

I love you

tags:

@pedros-mustache @roxypeanut @frannyzooey @djarinsbeskar @read-and-rec @keeper0fthestars @krissology @greatcircle79

[2jaeh]

Bibliophile | Xiaojun x Reader

Genre: fluff, smut

Word count: 2,3k

Warnings: mature themes

Author: SIN

Two literature master students decide to make their steamy romance troupe debates a reality.

——————————————————————————

Your heels clicked against the marble floors as you ran over to the university library, hoping the evening rain wouldn’t worsen when you crossed the open courtyard.

Most of the students were either heading back to their dorm rooms or messing around in the common areas, while the only thing that rang in your head was to not be late for your part-time job at the restricted section of the library.

At first you had no damn clue why they needed someone to work there, especially since some of the books were even restricted to lecturers. But thanks to your century old university and their obsession with keeping their sacred books in pristine condition, all they needed was a literature masters student to help out from time to time.

You entered the library and greeted the woman at the front desk before she buzzed you in through to the door that led upstairs to the restricted area.

You quickly jogged up the stares and swung open the door only to be greeted by the only other person working around here, Xiao Dejun.

“You’re late again” his lips curled into a smile as he pushed up his gold framed glasses and inspected a dust covered book.

“Yeah the rain was just-“

“Crazy ?” Dejun peered up and pursed his lips, knowing that every excuse you had always ended in the same word.

“Yeah crazy” you half chuckled and removed your burgundy coat, making your way over to sign in the shift card.

All you knew about Dejun was that he finished his masters and was offered a lecture position at the university but decided to take up this job instead. He was very reserved and once told you that he craved the utter peacefulness of the restricted area, where he was usually either on his own or with you.

“I’m halfway on my thesis now” you said casually as you started fixing the binding of a physics book from the 70s.

“Oh?” Dejun raised his eyebrow and pulled out a chair next to you to tend to his own book repair, “I’m sure you’re glad it’s almost over right?”

You squinted your eyes and sighed, burying your head in your hands as that familiar migraine began to set in. “I’m....stuck” you groaned and peered up at Dejun, “I decided to dissect the romance genre of literature and honestly most of it is hot garbage.”

Dejun let out a laugh and you admired how his dark eyebrows knitted together, making his face look quite animated.

“What books have you studied if you don’t mind me asking ?” Dejun asked, his curious eyes met with yours as he shifted closer in his chair.

“Everything from Shakespeare to Nicolas Sparks, I just hate them all” you pouted and slumped back in your chair, moving the half bound book aside,

“Don’t get me wrong, I chose romance because I love it you know ? I just don’t think that those ‘classics’ do it any justice.”

Dejun nodded at your words and shrugged, “I agree with you, not a fan of that forbidden romance and rich girl poor man stuff either.”

“Right ?” Your eyes lit up and Dejun grinned at your passionate attitude. He’d always found you cute. Every so often he had the chance to work with you on a shift we’re always his best days. He’d listen to you rant about your professors, the music you hated on the radio, or the fact that someone stole your favourite parking spot.

“So....” Dejun folded his arms, “how would you change it ?”

“Change it?” You quirked a brow.

“What’s your perfect romance troupe ?” Dejun smiled softly and his soft brown eyes drew you in and made you feel warm, safe.

“Well for starters I think intimacy should come first and then the characters learn how to love each other as they develop their relationship” you explained, getting up from your chair and began pacing the small room,

“I don’t mind the cliche of they grab the same book or vinyl, I just prefer that instead of 7 chapters of them thinking about that moment they just take the leap right there.”

Dejun pondered on your words for a bit and also got to his feet, leaning against the table as he watched you pace back and forth.

“Would it work for people who somewhat knew each other before hand though ? A friend ? A colleague ?” Dejun quizzed and you nodded quickly,

“Yeah if there’s no prior feelings or hookups then why not ?”

“I guess we can’t test it then since we like each other huh ?” Dejun smirked returning to his seat innocently as you stopped abruptly and quickly tried to process what he had just said.

“I....we...don’t like each other ?” You stammered while ignoring the fact that your heart was racing against your chest.

Dejun chuckled as he carefully inspected one of the pages of his book, “the funny part is that you’re practically experiencing your ideal romance troupe and contradicting yourself by not owning up to the fact that we do in fact...like each other.”

Your mind was racing on every evening that you’ve spent with Dejun up until today. First day it’s true you both did a double take on each other and you found him extremely attractive. Day seven the two of you reached for the only hard cover copy left of Pride and Prejudice and spent the whole night critiquing the book until you lost track of time. Day seventeen you were packing books on the top shelf and as you descended down the steel steps you lost your balance and fell right into his arms.

You were literally living a goddamn romance troupe without even knowing it.

“By your words y/n, we need to skip a few steps now shouldn’t we ?” Dejuns eyes were still on his book, but he knew damn well that your eyes were on him.

“You’re right Dejun” you finally said and folded your arms across your chest.

Dejun turned his head to face you and narrowed his eyes, “I’m supposed to be the one making the move ? What happened to a change of scenery ? Uh women empowerment?”

You grabbed his hand and headed to the back of the room where the roof slightly slanted and the window panels were covered with water droplets as the night sky drew in. You neatened your blue plaid skirt and leaned against the old wood of a work station desk. Dejun cocked his head as you bit down on your lip, not knowing how to proceed to the next step.

“Why here ?” Dejun raised an eyebrow, removing his glasses and tucked them in the top pocket of his white buttoned down.

“I don’t know the setting is....pretty, also when we first met you were sitting at this desk reading the last book a literature master student would be reading” you stifled a laughter.

“Hey Harry Potter is my childhood” Dejun groaned, cutely rolling his eyes, something he did quite often and you would pester him to the point of seeing that reaction.

“Dejun,” you placed your hand on his cheek and his attention was focused on you, those soft brown eyes bore into yours as he took a step closer.

You felt the butterflies in your stomach as he softly wrapped his hand around the small of your back and placed the other on the back of your head. You finally leaned in and he did the same meeting your lips, for the first time and sighed. The kiss was soft, the two you just melted in the instant connection, basking in the feeling before continuing to deepen the kiss.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer until your bodies were pressed against each other, fitting each other’s silhouettes perfectly. Dejun slipped his hands down to your thighs and picked you up and placed you on the desk, not breaking the kiss as he slipped in between your legs.

“I’m afraid I’m going to want more than this” you sighed into the kiss, unable to remove your hands from his toned body as you felt the closeness of him between your legs making you feel aroused.

“Come back to my place” Dejun whispered as he began attacking your neck with kisses and played with the hem of your skirt.

You can’t remember if you said yes or just nodded but you were now in Dejuns car on his way to his place. You enjoyed the passionate kiss he shared with you at the stop street and the occasional squeeze of your thigh when he would make turn into a new road.

The rain had begun pelting down and thankfully you were already pulling into his apartment lot before it became really hazy. Dejun turned to his backseat and realized he had left his umbrella back at the library and sighed,

“Running hand in hand in the pouring rain troupe ?” He held out his hand and you chuckled, “always been on my bucket list anyway.”

The two of you ran for about half a minute in the pouring rain but it was enough to completely drench you from your head down to your shoes. Dejun quickly punched in the code of his door and pulled you inside, already covering you in kisses as his blonde hair stuck to his forehead.

It was one item of clothing after another as the trail of clothes led down to his bedroom, where he had you in just your lacy nude coloured two piece set while he was slowly ridding himself of his pants.

You fell into his bed as you watched him slowly pull his leather belt from its hoops and his black slacks finally fell to the ground,

“You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met you know that ?” Dejun groaned as his eyes scanned over your body and he hovered over you.

“I could say the same about you Xiao Dejun” you mused and pulled him in for another hot passionate kiss. His warm body settled on yours and you wrapped your legs around his waist, wanting him closer even though it wasn’t even possible at this point.

Dejun unclipped your bra and moved his lips down to your breasts, squeezing one in his hand while licking and nipping at the other. You arched your back wanting more but also not wanting to rush him.

“Really want this to last much longer but I’m at my wits end right now” you moaned and Dejun chuckled as he peppered kisses all the way back up to your mouth.

“We have tonight, tomorrow, the next day and the day after that” he smirked against your lips before tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth.

Distracted by the stinging sensation from your lip you shivered at Dejuns icy fingers that was now hooked in the waistband of your panties, slowly pulling them down.

He watched as you squirmed beneath him. Watched how your eyes closed and how you sucked in your bottom lip, awaiting his next move.

You mewled when you felt the cool air hit your arousal and Dejun rubbed slow circles on your clit before pushing two fingers inside you, making you moan his name for the first time that night.

His fingers moved slowly but roughly while his lips softly pecked your hips, abdomen and the very top of your mound.

He was so gentle with you but his movements were still dominating, the mixture was absolutely intoxicating. You pulled him up missing the taste of his lips and before pressing his mouth on yours he caressed your cheek,

“Let me know if it’s too much okay?” He whispered against your lips and you nodded not knowing what you were in for.

Dejun locked your arms above your head and used his free hand to remove his boxers before entering you, already finding a rhythm to his thrusts. You threw your head back and moaned his name yet again as he slammed in and out of you, his grunts and your whimpers filling the bedroom.

His hand stayed locked on your wrists as he used his other hand to knead your breast, giving you multiple sensations at once. You almost hated the fact that you were close to your peak and it hadn’t been more than five minutes of him inside you.

“God I really don’t wanna cum right now” you whined as he still pounded mercilessly inside you.

“Good thing I’m not gonna let you” Dejun murmured and just as you thought your orgasm had reached, he pulled out of you and rolled onto his back,

“Get on top.”

You listened to his instructions but before sitting back on his member you gave him a few pumps, finally able to see him squirm under your touch this time round. Dejun gave you a small smack on your butt, and you finally abided to his request and sat on top of him, the new position already bringing you back to where you started.

Dejun sat up to meet your thrusts as you rode him, and you found your hand tangled in his messy locks as the two of you practically screwed the hell out of each other. The kiss this time was filled with lust, filled with lip biting and exchanging of saliva as you felt your orgasm fast approaching and noticed Dejun’s pace was slowing down too,

“cum for me baby” Dejun mused as he used the last of energy to give you a few hard thrusts until you finally came undone and he followed quickly after.

It took about two minutes of trying to catch your breath before you finally rolled on the bed next to him and wiped the beads of sweat from your forehead.

“Yeah this...this was definitely missing in some of those novels” you turned to Dejun who had a smile spread across his face.

He pulled the covers over your bodies and pressed his lips to your forehead and cheek,

“Should we write our own novel then ?”

“Yeah, yeah we should” you smiled, closing your eyes feeling at peace as his warmness enveloped you.

[steveroger]

Colouring rainbow gifs

The lovely @buckiecap​ and @djarsdin​​ requested a tutorial of some gifs from this TFATWS rainbow set.

My colouring process is kinda chaotic and it always depends on the gif itself. These three gifs will highlight the similarities and differences in how I colour my rainbow gifs.

You’ll need some understanding of basic gif making and adjustments. I use Photoshop 2021 but I imagine these processes will still work in other versions.

Some basic tips:

When doing rainbow sets, once I've got my base gif ready, I always make a hue/saturation layer on saturation +100 so I can see what colours I'm working with. I just keep it hidden so i can check how my colours are doing throughout the editing process.

Also something to stick at the back of your mind: you want your final gif to be as “monochromatic” as possible - make sure your final palette will be only black + shades of whatever colour you're targeting. This is not only to make the gif as colour-focussed as possible, but it also helps with saving your gif under 10mb. That saturation +100 layer I always keep hidden at the bottom of my gif so I can keep an eye on what colours are present.

It’s also helpful to understand how RGB and CMYK colours work and what to add/subtract when you want to bring out a certain colour. A good example of this is with Colour Balance:

You’ll notice the colours on the left are Cyan, Magenta and Yellow (CMYK), while the other side is Red, Green and Blue (RBG). So if you want more cyan in your image, you’d push the bar towards cyan, but then you’re compromising the reds. In Selective Colour adjustments, the panel is reversed.

This knowledge is absolutely necessary when you’re doing any adjustment, so keep this in the back of your mind as I work through the tutorial.

Green gif - Eli's door

So I start with my hue/saturation on saturation +100 to check what I’m working with here. This gif of Isaiah's grandson opening the door has green, yellow and red as the dominant colours, and I can see a bit of cyan on the right. I’ll keep that hue/saturation layer hidden as a reference.

Normally when I make gifs I start with a curve or levels layer to get any unwanted hues or create a more visible scene. But in this gif, I'm pretty happy with the colours, so I'm just using a simple curves adjustment, because I want to have whatever is behind the door as the ‘background’ and the door frame is the ‘foreground’, so only a slight adjustment is needed here.

Since the colours are already prominent, I'm going to make the green more visible and vibrant. I do this by using selective colour in the green colour to make the green stand out. When thinking of CMYK adjustments, you might think that Magenta -100 would work, as that normally pushes the greens, but I find that this makes things grainy and patchy looking, as you can see here:

Instead, I’m enhancing cyans and yellows, and only pushing the magenta back just a little bit towards green. I’m not sure why green specifically does this, but it’s useful to know this when you’re colouring.

With the yellows, I want to push those more as well, since the amount of yellow usually influences the green-ness of the gif.. I'm also going to max yellow too since that will also make the green pop, but I also have to be careful not to distort the skin colour too much. I also want to balance the skin tone with a little redness so he doesn’t look like he has jaundice (skin tone will be explored later in the gif process)

I've added another selective colour layer on top of that, only adjusting the greens just to make it pop a little more. Don’t be afraid to use more than one selective layer, this can really bring out vibrant colours if you use it right.

Just to get some more depth, I add a colour balance layer, again just subtly pushing the cyan and yellow up and not playing with the green too much. Then my usual last layers are with a vibrance and brightness/contrast - I’m usually quite generous with contrast so I can bring out the different shades and it makes things a little more vibrant too.

This next step is really important when colouring people with dark skin - you want to lower the redness from their skin so they don't look unnaturally orange, as you can see here:

There is a fantastic tutorial here about colouring dark skin tones and avoiding the orange-washed look, and I recommend all gif makers to take note! It's difficult especially when doing rainbow gifs, and it takes some practice. I do this with a hue/saturation layer, and specifically targeting red and yellow and reducing saturation. I might need to play with selective colour or colour balance to get it right. Luckily Eli doesn’t move around too much, so I can use a mask to adjust only his face. 

And that’s the end product! now just ignore me as I re-upload the green gif in my set so you don’t see such a horrible jaudiced skin tone sldkfjsldkf

Yellow gif - Karli vs Sam

I'm gonna be completely honest here - this gif was very tricky to do. I actually have about three different versions of it. At first I thought "this is the yellow gif so I'm only going to have yellow tones", and did selective colour to get rid of any traces of green AND red, because I didn't want any orange at all. It ended up looking quite dull:

I mean.. yeah it’s yellow........... but it’s kinda boring. So I deleted all adjustments and watched the raw gif, and noted the orange light contrasting with the pale light. The raw gif itself already had some beautiful lighting - why get rid of it? It depends on what you want, but I like my rainbow gifs to have a different colour there to contrast with the main colour. 

Starting off with a hue/saturation layer with saturation 100+, I can see there are clearly yellows and reds and a bit of green on the ceiling. 

I thought the contrast of the orange and pale lighting was too good to mess up so I started with that. My first layers are vibrance and brightness/contrast to exaggerate the silhouettes and bring out the colours that are already there. 

I added a channel mixer layer to narrow down the colours. I wanted to fill the white bits with yellow, and with channel mixer I’m able to manipulate colours into something else while still looking natural and blended. I won’t be doing too much colour manipulating here so the settings are very minimal. I don’t know how to explain it but it just takes a little fiddling to figure out what works for your gif. You’ll notice the white reflections on the ceiling are now a solid yellow colour:

Next is a colour balance layer. I'm basically trying to bring out the yellow out. This is really just trial and error. I added a bit of magenta to bring the depth of the orange colours in the darker shades:

Now for selective colour. I'm often adjusting all of these while hiding/showing the hue/saturation layer I have kept at the bottom. This time, I’m aiming to subtract the reds and bring it down to a warm orange, and I do that by bringing it towards cyan/away from red, and away from magenta/towards green. 

Then I max out the yellows so it becomes the most dominant colour. I've also manipulated the green to make sure it is excluded from the gif - again, checking with the hue/saturation layer at the bottom, while keeping my eye on the ceiling and other places where I’ve noticed green lurking about. I don’t want any unwanted shades ending up in the final colour table.

Finally, I finish with yet another vibrance and brightness/contrast layer, just because I like things bright and vibrant!

And there it is! The orange is still there and adds a contrast, but you can tell that the main colour is the yellow. This gif seems very straightforward but I assure you, it took me quite a while to get this one right. This gif was a joy to work on because Sam was so very extra in this fight sequence lolll

Pink gif - suspicious mechanical grenade? idk

While this gif may look simple, it actually took a couple of tries before I got the colouring right. You'll notice when the ball activates, there is a bright green light that highlights the gas released and it reflects on the chair legs and carpet.

At first I tried this with the above mentioned selective colour method - which I thought turned out okay but it didn't sit with me right. Notice the reflection of the blue light on the carpet - it definitely isn't blue and more like a green-orangey kinda colour, and it doesn't look natural at all.

So I re-started from the beginning and had a look at what I’m working with, starting with hue/saturation at saturation +100. I can see that the original gif has red and green as the dominant colours, with yellow bits blending the two on the carpet. That’s what I was having issues with the selective colour - so I’ll be doing it differently. 

Enter: channel mixer. I’m gonna be honest............. I have ZERO idea how the channel mixer really works! It’s all a matter of trial and error, but I’ll try and explain my process step by step. 

I normally start in the blue channel (again - no idea why, it just works for me). I start with the reds, and I know if I go over 0, it will push the reds towards cyan, which will get it more purple-y:

Ooooh looking good!!! then I want to push the greens towards magenta, so that needs to go over 0 as well:

Woohoo! It’s already starting to look good. The green light and the way it blends into the red/pinks have all been completely changed into the cyan hues, so there’s a perfect reflection you can see on the carpet! Yay! I had a fiddle with the green and red channels but nothing too drastic. Here are the settings:

Even with just the single adjustment, I was already pretty happy with it and only did a few touch ups: I added a selective colour layer to bring out a more pinky-purpley colour, then a levels layer to brighten things up. It might seem very backwards to add a brightening tool at the end, but I didn’t want to mess up the original colour shades because I liked having the dark shadows lit up by the ball’s light.

And that’s it! Only three adjustment layers, but it took some time to play with the different adjustments and what worked best. Channel mixer can be really intimidating but it works like a charm when you manage to figure it out.

the end!

Finally I have to give credit to some amazing content creators and their brilliant colouring tutorials that have made such a huge impact in the way I edit. Some brilliant guides include:

this colouring tutorial by @favreaus​​ 

this colouring tutorial by @inejz-ghafa​​ 

this colouring tutorial by @meliorn​​

​I hope this tutorial has been helpful! I’ve tried to explain myself as best I can, but let me know if you’d like any clarification or have any questions. I’m still learning how to do things, and honestly most times it’s just randomly clicking things until something works out! 

[lunar-wandering]

reverse reverse

so, i wrote a one shot for my Uno Reverse Card Swap AU- and i’ve decided to put all my oneshots and drabbles for it in one fic on ao3.

...anyways though, boom, heres the fic, bon appetit-

Word Count: 1.4k

Read on Ao3

-

MK tossed the staff as hard as he could, his frustration at his lack of progress seeping into the move. Wukong briefly looked shocked for a split moment (a very rare sight to see), before he ducked down, letting the staff sail over him.

Having missed it's initial target, the staff crashed into the electric panel on the wall, loud enough to grab Mei and Red Son's attention, from where they had been training on their side of the room.

"....Uh." Red Son said, watching how the electric panel sparked and hissed. "That's probably not good."

And then the training room doors slammed closed.

"Ah. That's very not good." The fire demon holstered the water gun he'd been using, walking over to inspect the damage.

"I'm sorry!" MK said, running over and pulling the staff out of the electric panel. Surprisingly enough, he didn't get shocked, instinctively twirling the staff in a circle before sliding it into his pocket. "I'm- I'm really sorry, can you fix it??"

"...If we were on the other side, yes." Red Son poked the panel, pulling his hand back just before a stray spark could hit it. "As of right now...I'd say we're pretty much trapped."

"What if somebody needs Dragonmist or Spitfire though?" Mei asked, "We won't be able to help if we're stuck in here."

"..I'm sure Sandy or my parents could do the job just fine..." Red Son mumbled, barely paying any attention to what Mei was saying, as he turned on the electronic band on his arm, a holographic screen appearing in front of his face. "I think I can get the doors to open again if I can reactivate the system....But with all the changes I had to recently make to prevent a certain few hackers from getting in the system again it might take me a while."

That seemed to be all the incentive that Mei needed, and MK watched in confusion as she took a few steps back.

Said confusion changed to comprehension just seconds before Mei took off, running at the door at full speed.

...And slamming into said door, falling backwards and landing hard on her back. The loud clang made MK cover his ears, and startled Red Son out of his focus.

"You- did you just try to break through the door?" Red Son knelt beside Mei, poking her to check if she was still alive (which she was). "The door that I specifically designed to be unbreakable?"

Mei only groaned in response, accepting MK's help in lifting herself back up into a standing position. As MK steadied her, he looked over her shoulder, noticing how...quiet Wukong had been the whole time.

The Monkey King was just standing there, exactly where MK had left him, in fact, it didn't seem like his mentor had moved at all.

MK lightly tugged on both Red Son and Mei's jackets to draw their attention over to Wukong

Just in time for Wukong to let out a scream of frustration, taking the fake circlet off of his head and throwing it at the wall- karma immediately playing it's hand as the circlet bounced off the wall, flinging back to hit Wukong on the nose, before reverting back to being a strand of hair.

"Fuck." Wukong hissed, staring at the hair that now rested on the floor as though it had personally offended him.

"....Monkey King? Are.....you okay?" MK quietly asked, Red Son and Mei also looking at Wukong in concern.

"I'm fucking fine- Leave me alone!" Wukong glared at them, before turning around and sitting on the floor, cross-legged, his tail swishing back and forth in irritation. MK, Red Son, and Mei shared a worried look.

"...I'll get back to trying to unlock the doors?" Red Son said, "Also Mei, please do not try slamming yourself into the door again. It's not going to work, and I really don't know why you thought that was a good idea in the first place."

"I didn't think it was a good idea, I just thought we might as well try it." Mei shrugged, "I did think it might go faster than just you trying to hack your own system though."

MK tuned out the bickering between his two friends as he focused in on Wukong's back. The Monkey King's fur was all....bristly, standing on end, as though he'd been startled. In between that, his little outburst a few moments ago, how his tail was rapidly swishing from side to side, and the fact he was chewing on his thumbnail, well, MK could only conclude one thing.

Wukong was scared.

As for why he was scared, MK had a few guesses. Most of which pertained to mountains and furnaces.

MK wondered if he should give Wukong some of the advice Macaque had given to him during their last therapy session- but almost instantly dismissed the idea. Wukong would definitely pick up on the fact that MK was quoting Macaque, and the Monkey King simply refused to take any advice the shadow monkey handed out.

MK couldn't just walk over to Wukong and try to distract him either. For one, he had no idea how to even start that kind of conversation, not to mention that Wukong didn't look like he wanted to talk to anyone right now. He couldn't tell Wukong that he knew that the Monkey King was scared either, from what he'd manage to garner about Wukong's personality, that would surely just send Wukong down a path of denial and overcomplicate the whole situation.

Which only left one option. Waiting.

Many people didn't know this, because of how quiet and reserved MK tended to be, but he absolutely hated waiting.

"Hey, Red Son?" MK asked, interrupting Mei and Red Son's petty bickering. "...How long exactly will it take you to hack the doors back open?"

"Uh...." Red Son glances at the holographic numbers hovering over his arm. "...I think the shortest amount of time I could do it would by 15 minutes, at most about 2 hours."

Out of the corner of his eye, MK could see Wukong's back tense, and something tells MK that even 15 minutes would be just a bit too long.

...This was all his fault. If he'd been paying more attention, hadn't gotten so frustrated, they wouldn't even be in this mess.

MK pulled the staff out of his pocket, looking at how it lay small and innocent in his hand. He looked back over at Wukong, who was still resolutely facing away from the rest of them.

He took a step towards the control panel.

"...MK." Mei noted his movement. "MK, what are you doing?"

MK doesn't give a response, the staff extending in his hands.

This was his fault. He's going to fix it.

"Wh- hey, MK, you'll get yourself electrocuted you-" Red Son takes notice of MK's actions a moment too late.

MK shoved the staff into the electrical panel, ignoring the way the electricity made his arms go numb and his nerves tingle. He'd been forced to get used to the sensation a long time ago. Focusing as much as he could, he grabbed hold of the warm power that lay within him, channeling it through the staff and into the control panel.

He didn't stop until he heard the whoosh of the doors opening, and was certain that they would stay open.

He pulled the staff out of the control panel, setting it down as he rolled his shoulders, shaking the tingles out of his arms. He registered Mei and Red Son staring at him in concern, but purposefully ignored it.

A breeze went past him, and suddenly Wukong was standing on the outside of the room, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet, wearing an obviously fake smile.

"So uh, MK, the next time you fight me-" (Wukong' refused to actively call it training, instead saying that MK was simply fighting him for real. Since he was actually somewhat teaching MK now, nobody dared to call him out on it.) "Try seeing if you can catch me off guard on Flower Fruit Mountain, yeah? Yep, okay, uh- fuck, I forgot something with the monkeys, should make sure they didn't fucking destroy it, so uh, bye!"

Wukong vanished, leaving behind no trace that he had even been there. MK blinked, processing the Monkey King's parting words.

Did.....did Wukong just invite him to Flower Fruit Mountain for the first time?

[maybe-theres-hope]

Tarlos Fic - Dinner Date

3.2k | T | Warnings: Blood, Injuries (mostly minor) | Contains: Judd/Carlos friendship, Tarlos being perfect, blue Camaro (rip)

Read on AO3

“So, what are your plans for the night?” Nancy asked as they exited the ambulance, their shift nearly over as long as the bell didn’t go off in the next ten minutes. 

TK smiled to himself for a moment before he spoke. “Well, Carlos is taking me to Jeffrey’s, so…”

“Holy mother,” Nancy breathed, looking at him with obvious envy. “Do you guys have a ten year anniversary or something coming up? Did he get some kind of commendation at work? Because I know your last one was like a month ago, so.”

“No, no anniversary, that’s in a couple of months. And its three years, Nance.” He chose to ignore her muttering about their mushiness ‘aging me ten years’. “And nothing from work that I know of. Maybe he just loves me?” TK couldn’t stop grinning while they stocked the bus and readied for the handover. 

“He loves you crap ton! Their wagyu strip steak is a hundred and twenty-five dollars!” Nancy had her phone out, obviously googling the menu. 

“Well at least we’ll save money on wine,” TK said with a chuckle.

“I’ve heard of the place by reputation but like, dude, who ever gets the chance to actually go there?”

“TK it seems,” Tommy cut in. “Why don’t you go on? We got it here and you’re gonna need at least an hour to pick out an outfit.”

“And gel your hair. You and your dad are way more alike than you want to admit,” Nancy added with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. You sure, Cap? I can stay and help?”

“I’m sure, kiddo. Go get dolled up for your man. Eat a few bites for us, yeah?” Tommy yelled at his retreating figure. She and Nancy looked at each other with grins as they caught the little skip in his step. 

“So, what do you think the occasion is?”

Tommy looked back at Nancy with a gleam in her eye. “I can wager a guess, but I don’t want to jinx it.” Nancy just gave her a look and went back to restocking.

--

Around 8 p.m., Owen was sitting in his office toying with his phone in his hand, smiling at his last text exchange. 

we’re just leaving the house now, wish me luck!

you’re not gonna need it, kid :)

“Not if I know my son anyway,” Owen said aloud to the empty room. He wondered if it’d happened yet. No incoherent string of emoji’s from TK yet, so he doubted it. 

He was shoving the phone back into his pocket with the bell went off. 

--

“Alright guys,” Owen said into the mic from the Captain’s chair. “Dispatch says three vehicles involved, two still on the road and one went over the side into the ravine. Police are on their way but we’ll probably beat ‘em there. Strickland, Marwani, soon as we get there I want you to harness up and get down in that ravine. Judd, you too. You’ll be in command down there and I’ll stay up top with the other two vehicles. Everybody else you’re with me, got it?”

A chorus of “Copy that, Cap,” and suddenly they were on the scene. 

--

“Marjan, Paul, we’re goin’ down!” Judd called to them as the rest of the crew went over to the silver Prius and black Mazda that were crumpled in the middle of the two-lane highway. Judd wasn’t a prayin’ man, but he sent up a little something to the man upstairs that this went their way. It looked bad. 

Paul arrived at his side first, strapped into his gear. “Marjan’s grabbing the bag from the truck, she’s coming.” 

“Alright. We’ll go down this way,” Judd said, pointing to a safe-ish stretch of hillside. “Can’t see the other car from here but dispatch said bystanders saw it go over. Probably just hidden in the trees.”

“Okay guys, let’s do this!” Marjan called, harnessed and carrying the medical bag and a backboard. “TK’s gonna be sad he missed this. Medical doesn’t get to harness up a lot and I know he loved it. He coulda helped.”

“Nah, he’s got better things tonight. Carlos was takin’ him to Jeffrey’s,” Paul said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Ohh, fancy,” Marjan said with a smile. “What’s the occasion?”

They’d reached the bottom and were starting to look through the brush and low-hanging trees for a vehicle. 

“Don’t know,” Paul answered. “But I think Cap’s in on it somehow.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” Judd cut in as he whacked a few branches out of his way. “Carlos came by the station a few weeks ago, and they sat up in Cap’s office for an hour before he left grinnin’ like a possum eatin’ a sweet tater.” 

“I have no idea what that means,” Paul said with a laugh. 

“Hey guys, look!” Marjan called from a few yards to the left. The other two went to her position and saw what she’d found. A track in the underbrush where it had been torn at and flattened. “Think this is the place.”

“Let’s go,” said Judd. They followed the path through the brush for a couple of yards before they caught sight of it: taillights. “Alright, Marjan you go on the passenger side, I got the driver. Paul you see if you can clear some of that brush off the back in case the doors are jammed and we gotta get ‘em out that’a way.”

Visibility was still low despite the lights of the car and their flashlights, but as they approached they saw the car wrapped around the trunk of a tree on the passenger side. “I don’t know if I can get in there, Judd, but I’ll try,” Marjan said as she broke out into a jog.

“Wait!” Paul cried. Judd looked over at him, and he would have said such a thing couldn’t happen to a calm and collected person like Paul, but his face had gone ashen. “That’s Carlos’s car,” he said on a breath. 

“What?” In the dark, now that he was really looking, he could see they were coming up on—what used to be—a blue Camaro. 

“I’m sure of it. TK bullied him into putting that sticker on the back because he said it was too pristine and it needed personality.” He shone his flashlight at the rear bumper and sure enough, there was a SXSW sticker half ripped off from the path the car had taken to get there. 

“Come on,” Judd said, heart rate kicking up.

“Should we call Cap?” Paul asked.

“No, we stay down here and do our jobs, and he stays up there and does his. We’ll get ‘em.” His voice sounded numb even to his own ears, but he was determined. 

“They were on their way to dinner,” Paul said lowly.

“Yeah, probably takin’ the backroads to avoid traffic,” Judd said, shaking his head. Fate was hell sometimes.

When they reached the car, Marjan was yelling. “TK! TK can you hear me?” She turned to Judd. “I can’t get in there. The tree trunk is halfway into the car, probably pinning him to the console. He’s unresponsive.” Her face was also pale, but determined. 

Judd went to the driver’s side and saw Carlos, head hanging to the side facing the broken window. He tried the door as he called out. “Carlos? Hey Carlos, come on buddy. Can you hear me?” The door wouldn’t budge; Judd figured the car had rolled a couple of times coming down the hill, crumpling it like a tin can. Then he heard a soft groan.

He looked up, and one of Carlos’s eyes was trying to open. The other was swollen shut, where he’d probably hit his head on the steering wheel before the airbag deployed. Half his face had burn marks from it. 

“Hey, hey Carlos, look at me, that’s it.” That one eye tracked around before it landed on Judd, drawn to the light of the flashlight on his helmet. “Hey man. We’re gonna get you out okay? Now, can you move your fingers and toes for me?” Judd stuck his head into the window to see down in the floor boards. “Alright, likely no spinal damage. How’s your head?”

“Hurts. Shoulder, too.” His voice was barely audible. 

“Okay, it looks like you dislocated it,” Judd said as he prodded his left shoulder. “I don’t see anything broken but we’ll have to get you out to determine that.”

“TK—“ a wheeze, “TK…first. Been out…a while.”

Judd peered over to the passenger side, where TK was shoved almost fully into the center console, head laid back on the headrest and his face covered in blood. Marjan and Paul were still hard at work outside trying to clear a path into the car. 

“We can’t get to his side just yet, but we can get you out first and then we’ll be able to pull him out this way, okay? We wanna focus on you right now.”

“Alive.”

“Yeah, you’re alive, Carlos. You’re not gonna leave us yet,” he said as he assessed the door panels where they could cut through with the saws they brought. 

“No. TK. Weak, but…alive,” Carlos breathed out, coughing through the end.

“We’ll make sure he’s alive, okay?” Judd said, trying not to lose his professionalism at this whole messed up situation.

“He is.” Judd stopped looking around and looked back at Carlos. The man raised his right hand just as much as he was able, showing where he had two fingers on TK’s radial pulse. 

“Good, that’s good Carlos,” Judd assured him. That meant Carlos had had some minutes of consciousness after the accident before they showed up. “Was he talking at all? After you hit the tree?”

“Little. Minutes, maybe.”

“That’s good, that’ll help. Alright Carlos, we’re gonna get this door off so I’m gonna cover you with this while we do okay?” Judd waited for a small nod before he covered Carlos’s face and torso with his own turnout coat. 

After an agonizing four minutes, the door popped off in a shower of metal and broken glass. Judd removed the coat and went back in to assess. “Carlos? How you doin’?”

“Tired. But won’t…sleep. Promise. That’s bad.”

“You learn a few things from your Paramedic boyfriend?” Judd said with a watery smile.

“Mmm.”

“Judd, I got the back cleared. Maybe we can get in there to at least check TK’s vitals,” Paul informed them. 

“Get on it, I’ma try to get Carlos here out onto this backboard. Marjan, radio for another backboard and have two RA’s ready to go topside!”

“Copy that!” Judd had to admire those two. They never let their professionalism slip too far, though he could see they were worried sick. He could relate. He wouldn’t relax until both of the boys were back up the hill and on the way to the hospital.

From the looks of things, maybe not even then. But he had hope.

“Alright, Carlos, I’m gonna grab your legs and behind your shoulders here and pull you out, okay? It’s gonna hurt like hell, but it’ll be quick.”

“Wait.”

Judd stopped cold.

“Left…pocket. Please.”

“You want me to get at your left pocket?” A nod. “Alright, hang on.”

Judd carefully shifted Carlos’s leg so he could reach into his slacks, which had probably been part of a very nice suit at the beginning of the night. His fingers searched until they hit a small bump, an object no bigger than a baseball, soft velvet over a hard shell. He sucked his lips between his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as he pulled it free in his hand. 

“Keep it…safe…for me?”

Judd looked down at the little black box for a moment, then clutched it tight in his hand before transferring it one of the innermost pockets of his turnout. 

“Of course, man. I will guard this with my life.” He looked up and saw Marjan coming back with another backboard. “Alright, buddy. It’s go time.”

Carlos gave a weak nod and winced when Judd started to pull. 

--

“Welcome back, man. You had us worried there for a bit.”

Carlos opened his good eye to see Judd sitting at his bedside, smiling softly. It took a moment to remember where he was. Hospital. Accident. Tree.

“TK—“

“Is fine. Banged up and will need crutches for a few weeks, not to mention a killer headache with no meds, but he’s fine. All things considered.”

“Where is he?”

“On his way, so you just stay put, okay? You’re pretty banged up, too, ya’know.”

Carlos shifted a bit and winced. His left arm was in a sling, his head bandaged over his left eye, and his right side hurt like hell.

“Broken rib when the tree went into TK’s door, door went into TK, TK went into the console, then the console went into you. He’s got a femoral fracture in his right leg but like I said, all things considered, you’re both pretty well off for how far you fell and probably rolled.” 

“Yeah, he said his leg had gone numb but he could still move his toes. He made sense for about five minutes, then started talking all jumbled, then went quiet. I uh…freaked out a bit after that. I thought he had…” Carlos trailed off, looking haunted. 

“Yeah, and you kept your fingers on his pulse that whole time. What you were able to tell us at the scene helped us treat him. You did good, Carlos.”

“Not good enough to swerve in time,” he said.

“Not your fault. And don’t you dare go thinkin’ it is. I don’t wanna hear it, Carlos,” Judd said in what TK called his Dad Voice. Stern and no room for argument. Carlos just nodded. 

“And uh, hey. I been waitin’ to give this back to you.” Judd stood and walked over to the bed, holding out a tiny black box. Carlos took it and cradled it against his chest. “It better be a nice one, cuz I about had a heart attack while I was showerin’ thinkin’ someone was gonna come get my pile a’clothes and take ‘em to the laundry while I was gone.”

“You didn’t open it?”

“Nah, I figure the big reveal? TK deserves that all to himself.” 

“Owen’s seen it,” Carlos countered, smirking.

“Uh huh. He approve?”

Carlos laughed. “He whistled and said I spent too much.”

“To impress the Cap it must be a lot,” Judd said with a small whistle of his own.

“Well, what was it Michael Scott said? Three years’ salary?”

Judd’s eyes almost popped out of his head, and Carlos laughed harder before wincing again at his broken rib. “I’m kidding, Judd. But I can tell you, no matter the cost, TK deserves the best and that’s what I hope I got.”

“You gonna make another reservation? Soon as y’all get back into fightin’ shape?”

Carlos looked down at the box again for a moment, contemplating. “I…don’t think so.”

Judd had a confused expression on his face but at that moment, a nurse was wheeling TK into the room, followed by most of the 126. Carlos’s face lit up like starlight at the sight of him.

“Hey, babe,” TK said with a smile. His leg was in a full cast, so the nurse was careful in maneuvering him around to Carlos’s bedside. 

“Hey, I feel like you should be the one in bed! Why are you out and about?”

“Because you were still asleep and he’s an absolute menace. We made multiple apologies to the staff on his behalf for the last hour,” Owen said as he walked into the room behind his crew. “He’s a stubborn little shit. Always has been, always will be. You sure you’re up for that?” He asked knowingly. TK was still looking at Carlos, blushing at his dad’s ribbing. Carlos met his eyes and said, “Yes.” He blushed more. 

“In fact,” Carlos continued. “I’m ready to get started. I’ve waited too long anyway. I mean, how many times do you and I have to beat death before I get the nerve to do this?” He said, looking into TK’s beautiful eyes which were looking confused. 

“What are you talking about, babe?”

“Look, I’m sorry this didn’t go how I planned. And I’m sorry I can’t get down on one knee right now, but. I hope you love me enough not to mind.” He lifted his good arm, his hand holding out the box. “A little help, Judd?”

“It’d be an honor,” the man said before leaning in and opening the box, since Carlos only had one good arm. 

At the sight of the contents of the box, TK’s eyes went as big as saucers. Surprise was written clearly over every inch of his features, which were all still beautiful even scarred and stitched up as they were at the moment. God, Carlos loved this man so much. 

“Tyler Kennedy Strand, you are the love of my life. I tried so many different scenarios in my head of how this speech would go, before I just said screw it, I’ll speak from the heart. You’re kind, funny, sexy, sweet, and everything in between. You can’t boil water and you absolutely can’t properly separate laundry. I have a dozen pink shirts as proof of that.” At this, the gathered group chuckled and TK went bright red. “Ah, but you also know just how to ease the tension from a long day just by hugging me on the doorstep. And I can always count on you to be there for me when the world gets too much, when what we see out there creeps in too far. And I want you to know, that I want to be that for you too, for the rest of our lives. So, TK. Will you marry me?”

The room was silent, apart from the hum and beeps of the machines. Everyone on the edge of their proverbial seats, but no one having any doubt to the outcome. 

“Oh, my God! Of course I’ll marry you! Yes, yes! Yes!” The last was said through TK’s fingers covering his red face, hiding the few tears that had started to fall. He held out his left hand to Carlos, who Judd had kindly helped by removing the ring from its box and handing it back to him. He slid it over TK’s finger, smiling like an idiot the whole time, barely registering the whoops and hollers of the 126 throughout the room. 

He only had eyes for TK. 

“I love you,” TK breathed through his happy tears.

“I love you too, baby. Always.”

“Oh, my God, dude, were you seriously surprised?” Nancy asked incredulously once the commotion had died down.

“Well…yeah? I didn’t expect this at all,” TK said, looking sheepish. 

“TK…my dude…he was taking you to Jeffrey’s! How could you not know?”

Once again, the room erupted in laughter and TK ducked his head again. Carlos reached out and touched his chin, catching his eyes again.

There was nothing but love there. 

CLEARLY every Tarlos fic I write has to have a proposal in it *shrug emoji* 

Also I wrote this in like an hour after I had a dream so please excuse any typos I didn’t catch!

Please reblog if you liked it! I would really really appreciate it :) Thank you for reading!

[whirlybirbs]

✶  ———  MENDING  ;   d.d.

summary: something has unsettled din. you set to find out what. affections brew.   * set post!chapter 11. contains spoilers! *

pairing: din djarin x gender nuetral!reader

word count: 1.8k of pure pining ‘n’ identity crises !

a/n: it’s another notes app fic, baby! the gif above is from this set by the lovely @thewaythisis​! anyways, din can plow me like a field of wheat under the harvest moon whew (panting spongebob meme)

something is bothering him.

it would be a lie to say that din djarin was quiet soul — plainly put, he wasn’t.

he was, if anything, a purposeful and succinct soul who knew how to measure the weight of words when they were spoken. with all the little bell-like tinkers that came from his every step — beskar on beskar — quiet was not a fitting adjective to match that of din djarin. no. he was strong. sturdy. a chant of mando’a in the afternoon sun. intimidating.

something is definitely bothering him.

the ship is a wreck — you’re sure that alone is enough to strike a sore nerve with the mandalorian piloting the vessel. so, as he plots course for the little planet on the edge of nowhere that the striking bo-katan spoke of, you make work on what you can. reinforcing some structural plating, running diagnostics on the fuel-lining that runs beneath the floor plates, and welding the paneling the mon calamari engineer installed to cover the gaping hole in the side of the ship occupies you for a long while.

just the bright flicker of flame and your thoughts.

din hasn’t uttered a word since entering the ship.

you hope, at the very least, he’s taken the time to eat something away from your prying eyes.

the welding torch is hot in your gloved hands when you hear footsteps coming down the ladder into the swaying belly of the razor crest. you knew it was the wing equilibrium counter-weights the moment you took off. not much you can do about it from the inside.

the good news is that the rocking put the child right to sleep.

you pull your goggles down and watch as din djarin carefully carries the little woolen bundle to the hanging hammock within the small cot compartment. he’s exceedingly gentle, incredibly careful. once the child is inside, din dims the lights and closes the door.

you work your gloves off.

he sighs.

again, you can’t help but be struck with worry. the sort that nibbles on your heartstrings just enough to wring a flinch out of you.

“have you eaten?” he asks. his voice is even, almost cold.

you shake your head.

his helmet glints in the overhead light as he juts his chin to the cockpit; wordlessly, you stand and follow — swallows whole by his bulky shadow that looms over you as you hike yourself up the ladder.

din has done some mending of his own, it seems. the netting and twine that was keeping the dash steady had been removed. you can see the tedious, small welding marks from his own tool kit along the seams. you make a mental note to go over it later. in the corner, there’s a pile of the mess.

you land into the passenger’s seat with a huff.

the tube of protein paste that din offers you from his stash beneath the razor crest’s controls has you frowning. but, it’s bantha flavored. better than nothing. if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine it being a piece of steak.

almost.

if a steak was cold, pureed, and poured into a jerky-shaped tube.

din is quiet when swings in his chair, turning to nearly face you. he stretches, straightening his back out, then he crosses his arms. his boots plant themselves on the floor. his stance is wide. his posture is sagging.

you swallow your meal.

“did you eat?” your voice feels small.

din nods.

hm.

“... are you hurt?”

more silence. finally, he shakes his head. you know it’s a lie — the last forty-eight hours have left you both with your fair share of lacerations and deep-tissue bruising. beneath the armor, you can only imagine the sort of bruises he’s gotten.

“... tired?”

“this checklist you’re doing,” he rasps out, head lulling to the side as he looks up at the ceiling, “you should be doing it on yourself.”

you scoff into your meal paste.

“maybe.”

a grunt.

silence follows the exchange for a few minutes. it’s once you’ve managed to choke down the entirety of the bantha-flavored mush that you speak again. it’s not courage the drives the question, but concern.

“be honest, din,” you breathe, “are you alright?”

his helmet turns, t-visor glaring at you in the dim light of the cabin. you can see his fingers, gloved and tucked neatly against his biceps, twitch. he inhales deeply. the beskar glimmers with the light of stars that pass by beyond the cockpit window.

he’s rather a sight to behold.

“no.”

you’re startled back to the moment.

when you speak, your voice is soft. the sort of soft that’s begun to erode din’s usual beskar-grade composure. he’s begun to waver, begun to hesitate around you. he finds he can’t help it. he’d grown quite fond of you and your innate ability to give a shit. you’re not asking because you want to get paid, because you expect something of him. no, you’re asking because it matters to you.

he’s finally starting to understand that after cycles and cycles of time spent trying to find the child’s true place in this mess of a galaxy. you’ve been traveling with him since before nevarro — before... before the covert’s split.

before he started to feel so alone.

and confused.

and angry.

so angry.

how many moments has he denied himself because of this armor? how much kindness, how much care? how many friendships has he ignored for the sake of the creed? how many loves have come and gone, as fickle as stardust? what has he missed?

... has he truly even missed anything? that is the way.

he is all sorts of swirling bitterness now, mouth pulled into a firm line beneath the lip of his helmet. to see those others — true mandalorians, ones with clan-names, with lineage-graced armor, who speak the tongue and have touched the soil of the place he has never called home, but always idolized — reveal their faces...

he’s one of them...

children of the watch...

din’s foot taps.

you lean forward.

“din...?”

“the others,” he speaks suddenly, almost in a bark, “called my clan a coven of zealots. fringe radicalists. they showed me their faces and —”

a ragged sigh.

suddenly, you’re beginning to understand.

he’s frustrated.

“i’ve lived my life under a strict code,” din continues, helmet tilted up the ceiling. he’s tracing the bolts with his dark eyes, “one that has given me a purpose, a family, a home. but i can’t help but begin to question the cost.”

you’re listening. you’re pulling your knees up, arms cradling them close. your expression is soft.

“i thought...” then, he lets out a gritted huff of frustration, “i — i never considered my practices to be radical. i thought they were as every mandalorian lived.”

your words are soft. “... in all fairness, your people are living in a diaspora, din. the empire scattered you all to the far corners of the galaxy. it wasn’t as if you were seeing your kin every weekend."

din grunts.

you roll the hem of your tunic between your fingers.

“why is this bothering you?”

“i’ve spent my entire life in armor.”

you frown. din’s head turns and you feel a sad look pull your brows together. you hadn’t... well. his mood is beginning to make a lot of sense now. the frustration, the quiet. all of it.

“i’ve never felt the sea breeze on my face,” he continues, “or... or the kiss of another person. all because i lived my life by the creed i was raised upon. and i was told upon breaking that creed, i’d no longer have a purpose. dar’manda.”

“dar’manda?” the language is harsh on your tongue.

“to... to lose your heritage. to not be mandalorian. the covert believed that bearing your face to another outside of marriage was grounds for ex-communication from the clan. exile.”

“well,” you say after a long moment, crossing your legs and perching on the chair, “that explains the lack the kissing. certainly wasn’t the most important thing on the docket, was it?”

that manages to worm a laugh out of din. the sort that rattles his shoulders and makes his armor swell. he ducks his chin. the sound is still warm as it crackles through his vocalizer.

“interesting point of focus.”

“shut up,” you shirk, “you brought it up.”

“... do you blame me?”

you grow quiet at that but shake your head. your chin finds your hand.

“no,” you say softly, “i don’t. i’m sorry.”

“don’t be.”

“what will you do?”

din straightens a bit at that.

there’s only kindness in your eyes.

“it doesn’t matter now,” din says curtly, as if it’s the easiest answer in the world, “the child is my priority. keep you both safe is my priority.”

slowly, you amble up. your hand finds his pauldron, pressing gently into the fabric between his neck and shoulder oh-so-gently. you mind the affection blooming at his words; you’re careful with how you approach it, just as he is. as if a reflex, his hand snatches up to grip yours tightly.

you welcome it.

you squeeze the cold leather of his gloved hand.

“it does matter,” is uttered out like a sigh; din can’t look up at you. he’s sure his entire chest will burst, “you can’t bear the weight of the world on your shoulders, din.”

“i can manage.”

“let me help.”

a scoff. suddenly his hold tightens. his thumb, ever-so-carefully, ghosts the knuckle of your hand. 

“you do enough.”

it’s your turn to snort.

“i’m practically freeloading, din —”

“no,” he barks, sitting up a bit straighter. now his visor tilts up, and you swear if you looked hard enough, you could see the slope of a nose, the curve of a lip. maybe, if he tilted his head, you could see his jaw — a ghost of a beard, a flash of a throat. he is human. it’s moments like these that remind you, “no, you’re important. you care.”

“— and i eat all your food —”

“you care about me and you care about the child and it matters more than you realize.”

his tone is so final, you feel as if it’s struck an ending note. as if the conversation has ended. that the welling of emotion behind his words is not to be questioned, not to be considered. in the last few cycles, moments like these have become more frequent but still cherished. as rare as they are, they never fail to make you feel like there’s star-shine in your veins. he isn’t one for grandiose confessions. but... this feel special.

his words leave your lips parted, mouth agape. 

and then, in the tiny cockpit, hand in hand with din djarin, all you can muster is a flustered:

“you know, if that helmet wasn’t in the way i would have kissed you cycles ago.”

now, he’s embarassed. it has him laughing — but quiet and shy and all sorts of meak that make the brute of a man seem boyish. his voice is crackled alive with a new-found comfort. he is better now, more like himself and more.

“don’t feed the indentity crisis.”