#in 2 weeks I’ll be 4 years on t

[lichennthropy]

4 years on T

He/Him

[ellielatinagf]

Lacrosse! Ellie part 3

Summary: You finally get to meet up with ellie on a date! Is it a date? Technically….

Warnings: cursing, mentions of sexual activity, FLUFFFFFF lmk if I missed any

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

“Girl no those colors DO NOT match” Dina huffed

“Then what can I wear??” You asked almost getting annoyed. Dina had been at you house since 8 am. It’s now 10 am. You’d both been trying to plan a cute outfit for your little “date” with Ellie. Unfortunately Dina is going overboard and dressing you like your going to the red carpet.

“I’m gonna go take a shower Din, can you just pick something cute and casual for me please?” You asked

“Ugh. Fine. I guess no dress then” Dina said grinning a bit. You rolled your eyes smiling and went into your bathroom.

You looked in the bathroom window to see a small amount of snow on the ground. Winter came a bit early this year. Not that you were complaining, you liked the winter. You removed your clothes and turned on the shower to warm water.

As you stepped in you thought of your meet up with Ellie. You’d be wrong to say you weren’t eager about it. You’d thought of both the meet up and Ellie all week. Maybe Ellie a little bit more. You thought of Ellie at your front door holding a bouquet of roses and giving you that goofy grin she has. You thought of Ellie holding your hand while you two sat in a large fancy restaurant. You though of Ellie’s lips on yours at your own made up wedding ceremony. And guilty enough, you thought of Ellie above you naked and prepared to give you all the love she had for you.

Your thoughts were soon cut off by Dina talking behind the door

“Hey are you almost done? I had a lot of fiber this morning!” Dina said. You quickly finished in the shower and put on what Dina had picked out.

You had some boyfriend jeans with a Nike hoodie and a puffer vest over it. It was cute and simple. You looked at your shoe rack. You’d remember Ellie’s shoes. Crusty, old, torn apart converse. As much as it was kind of disgusting, it was kind of cute and made you giggle. You put on your plain converse, maybe Ellie would notice.

dina unlocked the door and came out of the bathroom and smiled at you.

“You look gorgeous” Dina smiled “thanks to me” you giggled at her weird compliment.

“Call me after okay? And give me every detail too. And I mean I wanna know the exact time she blinked too” Dina said

“Okay okay okay I’ll tell give you how many freckles she has” you replied giggling

“More than 50 and I’ll be concerned” Dina joked back and you both went your separate ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*10:45 am*

You walked in the coffee shop that Ellie had given you the address for. It looked small and family owned. Those were typically the best coffee shops in your opinion.

As you walked in you scan the facility. Would Ellie be here already? Does she like to be fashionably late? Maybe she’d think you were too early.

Your thoughts all went away when you looked and saw a familiar figure sitting behind the counter on the window.

She looked so good. Ellie wore a black t shirt with a red flannel over it. She also wore some faded jeans with them. The jeans has some pain splash’s and…is that charcoal? She also, as assumed, wore those same converse.

You walked towards Ellie and smiled. You tapped her shoulder and she removed her headphones to look at you.

“Hey” You smiled.

“Hey You” ellie smiled back. She turned her body to look at you. You felt her eyes travel up and down your body. You didn’t feel uncomfortable by it, it was almost like she was taking you in. She seemed to have come back to reality and patted on the stool next to her.

“Sit. Um, I ordered you a coffee already if that’s okay?” Ellie asked. She seemed a little nervous. You couldn’t help the small blush forming in your cheeks.

“That’s perfect” You smiled. “So how’s your week?” You asked trying to make small talk.

“My week? Um. Just a lot of practice” ellie chuckled.

Hot

“How about you?” Ellie asked

“It wasn’t bad” You smiled. A waitress came over and brought out the coffee.

As you two sipped your coffee Ellie talked about lacrosse. You didn’t know much about it but with Ellie, she could talk about a single grain of rice and you’d be interested.

“Sorry, am I talking to much?” Ellie asked cringing at herself.

“What? Oh no. I like hearing you talk” You replied. You felt yourself blush once again.

“I just think maybe I talk too much and it like, scares people away” Ellie chuckled awkwardly.

“I like hearing you talk” you repeat. Your cheeks were starting to feel hot. You contemplated going outside and shoving your face in the snow just to cool down.

“Yeah but…I like your voice too” Ellie mumbled. She said it so low, but you could just make out what she said.

“Is that the only thing?” You asked softly.

“Hm?”

“Is that the only thing you like about me?” You asked. You have absolutely no idea where and why this boldness has hit you like a speeding truck.

“….no” ellie replied sipping her coffee. You both looked out the window. The empty road. The white snow covering everything. The way that even though it was the afternoon, the grey sky illuminated the whole view.

“What else do you like?” You asked.

“….I like your smile” Ellie replied once again so softly you could barely make out the words. Your blush grew deep. But not as deep as you saw Ellie’s grow.

“I like your hair” Ellie said.

Oh she’s doing this…

“I like your pretty face” she says looking down in the cup of her coffee. You smiled and looked at Ellie. She turned her head to look at you. Once she saw that you weren’t uncomfortable by her words she smiled back.

“You wanna hear a good song?” Ellie asked.

“Yeah sure” you smiled putting your coffee down.

Ellie got out her phone and plugged in the earbuds. She handed you one as she looked for a song. You blushed and took the earbud in your ear and looked at Ellie with a look that said “I love you”.

Ellie looked at you and smiled. That smile. That grin your always thinking of. Those eyes you can never remove from your memory. Those freckles you wish you could kiss. Is there anything really stopping you from kissing them?

Ellie pressed play on the phone and you both listend to the lyrics

I thought that I was dreamin’ when you said you love me

The start of nothing

Had no chance to prepare, couldn’t see you coming

And we started, from nothing

Ooooh I could hate you now, it’s alright to hate me now

You listened to the rest of the song with Ellie. After it was done she smiled at you

“You like it?” Ellie asked

“Like it? It’s Frank ocean. Who doesn’t like Frank ocean?” You chucked.

“That’s what I’m saying! My friend, Jesse, says he’s mid and it doesn’t even make sense! Frank ocean is a lyrical genius, with the voice of an Angel” Ellie said. You giggled and smiled at her. She returned your smile.

For what seemed like eternity you stared into each others eyes. Her green orbs could light up any room. Her pink cheeks only helped bring out her freckles that were decorated around her face.

“What time do you have to go…pretty girl?” Ellie asked. Your face felt like it was on fire. You looked outside to see it be somewhat dark. Figures, with the winter change. You look at your phone clock

*3:17 pm*

“Hmm..probably now. I promised Dina I’d go to her house” you replied. Dreadfully of course. You wished you could just take Ellie everywhere you go.

“Me too. I have a game today” Ellie replied.

“Oh, you should send me your schedule. I want to go to another game” you smiled. Ellie chirped up and looked at you.

“Really?” She asked “but I thought you said you didn’t know anything about lacrosse?”

“Yeah but I mean…I can learn” you replied.

“Is there….any other reason you’d want to go?” Ellie asks. She knows what she’s doing doesn’t she?

“We’ll maybe…there’s Someone I’m looking forward to seeing” you replied blushing once again. With the amount of blood rushing to your face in this “date” you probably don’t have anymore blood in the rest of your body.

“Maybe someone’s expecting to see you too” Ellie replied smirking. That smile. God that smile.

As you both started to leave you both said your goodbyes at the door.

“Text me when you get home, mkay?” Ellie’s asked.

“Text me when you win your game” you replied. Ellie smiled at you. You stayed there, smiling and staring. You felt yourself leaning in toward Ellie. Like something was pulling you in. Ellie felt it too. You stopped when your lips were inches from hers.

*Dinasaur calling*

What a cockblcok

“Um sorry” you said chuckling nervously scrambling to turn off your phone.

“Oh heh no yeah sorry about that um…text you later?” Ellie asked

“Mhm yeah…bye Ellie” you said

“Bye babe” ellie replied smiling and walking away

after a couple minutes of walking you revived a text from Ellie

*if you could see my thoughts you would see our faces*

Your heart almost stopped. You thought your body was gonna explode. You knew it was yet another Frank ocean lyric, but you couldn’t help but be delusional over the fact that maybe it means something more. Maybe she wants something more.

You picked up the phone to call Dina back

“I’m gonna kill you” you huffed at your professional cockblocker.

I actually LOVEEEEEE this part omg. I hope you guys love it just as much as I do and I sooo wanted more fluff and I know you guys probably do too!Thanks so much for reading and I hope I won’t disappoint with the next part! Bye loves!! Free Palestine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

Tag list: @vqxen @bready101 @vampyangel @gato-chino @a-little-bit-of-everybody @lilylynne11 @lively-blues

Love you all!!! Free Palestine 🇵🇸 from the River to the sea🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

[drarryspecificrecs]

2024.02  ~ Top 6 longest fics posted on AO3

1. The Stag and the Dragon: The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by Jesse_James [T, 180k]

►On the night of October 31st 1980, in an attempt to subvert prophecy, The Dark Lord Voldemort launches a pair of attacks to rid him of the one chosen to defeat him. But when one fails, the world is changed forever. But in this universe, things are different. The rules are not always the same. And things will not always be as we remember. And with a different choice made with a young orphaned Harry's future, the consequences of this one act will echo across fate. /// Meanwhile, in a different family, another boy struggles against what he is, and what he was born to be. All while his father seems to orchestrate more than just his life.

2. Empty Spaces by nori_mari [T, 125k]

►What do you do when everything you know comes to an end? The battle is over, Voldemort's gone, everything they ever wanted has come to pass. So why is it so hard to return to a “normal” life? How does one simply pick up the pieces and move on? When your entire life and identity have revolved around this one thing for so long… what do you do you have left of yourself when that one thing is over?

3. Papa Needs Daddy's Help by @amillionregrets [E, 94k]

►Harry's life revolves entirely around work these days, and he's deeply engrossed in it, as usual, when an urgent fire-call from Ron abruptly turns his world upside down. Apparently, a four-year-old girl with emerald eyes and long black hair has shown up at Ron's shop, claiming to be Harry's daughter and seeking his help to save her papa.

4. The Boy from the Piano Shop by @soliblomst [M, 90k]  *typo

►After going blind in a reckless attempt to avenge Ginny's death, Harry battles with severe depression. One day, he stumbles upon a quaint piano restoration shop in the heart of London and meets the owner, a kindly old man, and his introverted young apprentice, whose voice sounds strangely familiar. As Harry and Draco slowly reconnect through private piano lessons, the small workshop becomes Harry's refuge, offering him a glimmer of hope in a world without eyes.

5. An Addendum For Depressed Authors by @queenie-jinny [E, 86k]

►‘The Misadventures of Harrison Portier’ six-part book series by J.E.P has been on the Daily Prophet’s best sellers list for 177 weeks straight, despite the author’s insistent anonymity and continuing avoidance of the public eye. After a long hiatus, the elusive final novel in the septology is about to hit the shelves, and Draco Malfoy, avid reader of the series and self-proclaimed number one fan (a proclamation he’d made to absolutely none save for himself), is determined to be the first person to read it. When the epilogue of the book leaves much to be desired, Draco has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. Thus begins a stormy correspondence that threatens to disrupt Harry’s hard-earned peaceful routine and maybe change his life in the process.

6. Draco's Splendid Decisions by @jocundasykes [E, 69k]

►Stuck in the doldrums of a rubbish summer holiday, an unexpected invitation beckons you back to the halls of Hogwarts for an eighth year. Should you go, and endure another round of academia? Dive into the mundane drudgery of work? Or escape it all with an international getaway? /// You're a free man. What happens next is up to you.

—

※ Word count: 1k ~ 10k

※ Word count: 10k ~ 40k

alive is a color you don't own by sectumsempra [E, 15k]

armstrong limit by @brosamigos [E, 11k]

Crossed Wires by @skeptiquewrites [E, 11k]

Enclosed is a Memory by Anonymous [M, 12k]

I'll Find You Again (I Always Do) by @dodgerkedavra [E, 15k]

The Month of Giving by Justlikewriting [M, 20k]

Nobody Except For You by @mistsound [T, 10k]

Oh, Overwhelming Passion and Seduction by AtelierOfStories [E, 19k]

These Old Feelings by Reloumi [E, 24k]

Time to indulge by @onehundredflamingos [E, 10k]

Until Now by crpage [T, 11k]

Warm Touch Makes No Sound by @rainjulyx [E, 13k]

—

Ongoing Fest/Exchange

※ Fics would be listed elsewhere.

Frottage Cottage WFAUFF Challenge

Knot Another Writing Fest: Knot Again 2023 | @hpknotfest

[uncharismatic-fauna]

At Last, the Atlantic Blue Crab!

A common sight on dinner tables in Canada, America, and Mexico, the blue crab-- also known as the Atlantic blue crab or the Maryland Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus)-- is native to the the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of North America. This species is a bottom dweller, and can occupy a range of habitats from freshwater tributaries to the open bays and gulfs of the ocean itself. At times it may be found at high tide, but most individuals remain submerged at depths up to 36 m (120 ft) deep.

As indicated by its name, the claws and front body of male blue crabs are bright blue. Females are carry a blue tinge, but are largely brown or olive, though the tips of their claws are bright red. Otherwise, the two sexes may be distinguished by the shape of their underside, or "apron"; males have an inverted 'T' shape, while females have a wider, rounder shape. Individuals of both sexes may grow up to 23 cm (9 in) in width, and weigh up to 136 g (0.3 lbs).

Spawning for C. sapidus can occur year-round, but for most populations it peaks in October or November. When females are ready, they travel up estuaries and rivers to where populations of males are more concentrated, and then release pheromones in their urine to attract mates. Male crabs then compete for access, and guard their chosen mates fiercely for up to a week. During this time, the female molts, at which point the male fertilizes her. Afterwards, she may retain her mate's sperm for up to a year, during which time she returns to saltier waters. A female can fertilize 2 million eggs at a time, and will carry them in a mass under her abdomen until they hatch, about a week after fertilization. She may do this as many as 4 times throughout a single mating season.

Once hatched, Atlantic blue crab larvae are released into the ocean. Each larvae spends 30-40 days going through seven larval stages known as zoea; these stages are similar to the instars of a larval insect. However, zoea have hard shells and must molt at each stage of development. After the initial zoea stages, juvenile C. sapidus enter the megalops stage, which lasts 6-20 days. During this time juveniles move from the ocean into the estuaries in which they spawned. Finally, they molt into their final form, which resembles an adult-- albeit much smaller. Both males and females continue to molt throughout the year until they reach their full size. In total, both sexes go through about 25 molts each throughout their lives, which spans about 3 years in the wild.

Blue crabs have a wide and varied diet, as they are omnivores. In their larval stages, Maryland blue crabs consume primarily plankton and detritus. Megalops and adults will feed on clams, mussels, and oysters, small fish, kelp, seaweed, carrion, smaller blue crabs, and animal waste. In turn, both juveniles and adults are food for eels, large fish some sharks, stingrays, and humans. In fact, predation upon larval and sub-adult blue crabs is so heavy that, of 8 million eggs released by the mother, only 1 or 2 typically survive to adulthood.

Conservation status: The Maryland blue crab has not been evaluated by the IUCN. However, in recent decades, fisheries have noticed a severe decline in abundance, likely due to over-harvesting and pollution.

If you send me proof that you’ve made a donation to UNRWA or another fund benefiting Palestinians– including esim donations and verified gofundmes– I’ll make art of any animal of your choosing.

Photos

Kim Cover

Lynn Strauss

Jo O'Keefe

[writing-blog-iguess]

Online Matchup 6

Summery: Y/N gets texts from someone the last person they thought of. In doing so, learns a few things about their sister and who gave out their number.

Warning: swearing, fluff

Words: 3.4K

A/n: Feed back is always welcome, hope you enjoy!

Taglist: @xoxoyourdoll

ao3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

————

October 23

Y/n (6:30 am) I thought you said you weren’t going to give Conner my number?

Jason I did not

Y/N Then why is he yelling at me for dissing his writing It has been two weeks And he’s still upset about it It’s been three hours since he started texting me And he’s still not done Why is the sunshine boy up at three in the morning anyways? I haven’t answered yet

Jason What the fuck No I didn’t give him your number And he begged me for it Should have known something was up when he stopped asking

Y/N Who the fuck gave him my number?

Jason I don’t know

Y/N Whoever it is, they are dead.

Jason I’ll help But Conner isn’t that bad 

Y/N No But he hasn’t stopped being mad at me for what I said He won’t even let me get a word in

Jason He’ll stop, just wait

—

Y/n (7:30 am) Are you done?

Conner Nothing to say I see

Y/N It’s been a few years I’m not going to talk about that It’s stupid So why are you even talking about it?

Conner I’m offended

Y/N Then stop

Conner Why are you so mean?

Y/N Because we’re talking about something that happened in the past A past that I do not care for

Conner You were never this mean in high school What happened?

Y/N I moved away and became a different person Gotham has harden my soul Why do you care? We were never friends

Conner Yeah, but you’re my girlfriend’s sister I gotta at least try

Y/N … What?

Conner Ah shit She didn’t tell you?

Y/N W h a t 

Conner Pretend I didn’t say that

Y/N NO I CAN’T PRETEND WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M YOUR GIRLFRIENDS SISTER?

Conner Your sister is going to kill me

Y/N CONNER KENT

Conner Has anyone ever told you how scary you can be?

Y/N Yes now answer the question

Conner I mean That’s pretty straight forward

Y/N HOW LONG HAVE YOU TWO BEEN DATING? AND AREN’T YOU LIKE ANCIENT

Conner I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I’M A FEW MONTHS OLDER THAN HER AND WE’RE BOTH LIKE TWO YEARS YOUNGER THEN YOU And like, almost a year

Y/N WHY DIDN’T SHE TELL ME?

Conner Something to do with her waiting for the right time

Y/N I’m offended

Conner Gonna have to take it up with her

Y/N I can’t, she’s in school Shouldn’t you be in class?

Conner Sick

Y/N That’s bullshit You don’t get sick

Conner I don’t have to explain myself to you You’re not my keeper

Y/N Nah, that’s my sister apparently 

Conner Not gonna let that go, are you?

Y/N Nope

Conner Shouldn't you be in class?

Y/N Not until three

Conner Be annoying somewhere else

Y/N Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you How’d you get my number anyways?

Conner Oh would you look at that! I gotta go

Y/N Bitch

—

Y/N (8:10 am) HE’S DATING MY SISTER?

Jason You didn’t know?

Y/N NO YOU KNEW?

Jason I feel like this is a trap

Y/N It’s not, and I’m not mad if you did How long did you know?

Jason Um, couple of months I think They’ve been dating longer though

Y/N Almost a year apparently I’m so mad And I can’t even call her because she’s in school Son of a bitch

Jason Let me know how that conversation goes

—

Y/N (11:02 am) Cannot believe you’re dating Conner Kent

Ellie How the fuck do you know that?

Y/N I’m offended

Ellie Hey, you didn’t tell me you were talking to Jason

Y/N That’s different Whatever I have going on with Jason is new And I didn’t want to jinx it You’re dating Conner for close to a year I think that warrants telling your sister

Ellie It never came up?

Y/N Bull. Shit

Ellie You never liked Conner, I was afraid you wouldn’t approve

Y/N I have never said I disliked Conner I may have said he’s annoying sometimes and he’s too bright Hence why I call him sunshine boy

Ellie Do you approve though?

Y/N Does he make you happy?

Ellie Yes

Y/N Then I approve How’d that happen anyways?

Ellie Newspaper

Y/N I still can’t believe you joined the school paper

Ellie I love writing You did it

Y/N That’s because Kate made me I wasn’t there by choice

Ellie Right So, how’d you know?

Y/N Your boyfriend let it slip

Ellie What?

Y/N Which reminds me, did you give him my number

Ellie You know I’d never do that

Y/N Someone did, and he’s not telling me

Ellie Hold on a sec I’ll find out for you

Y/N Someone’s going to die I just don’t know who 

Ellie (12:15 pm) Try not to kill Conner, I really like him Also, some guy named Tim I think that’s his friend or something

Y/N That son of a bitch

Ellie Do you know him?

Y/N Not personally, but yeah

Ellie Have mercy on his soul

Y/N Don’t you know him?

Ellie Why would I know Tim?

Y/N Isn’t Conner friends with the Waynes?

Ellie I think so…?

Y/N Eleanor You have been dating Sunshine Boy for almost a year And you don’t know?

Ellie Don’t call me that It makes me feel like I’m in trouble

Y/N Eleanor Stop deflecting

Ellie Okay, yes he’s friends with the Waynes I just never personally met them yet They kind of scare me

Y/N I’m ashamed to call you my sister

Ellie EXCUSE ME HAVE YOU SEEN THEM?

Y/N YES I’m talking to one of them, remember?

Ellie JASON’S A WAYNE?

Y/N Did I not mention that?

Ellie NO YOU BURIED THE LEAD ON THAT ONE

Y/N Oopsie

Ellie DON’T OOPSIE ME Y/N

Y/N Welp, gotta go

Ellie BITCH GET BACK HERE WE’RE NOT DONE Y/N

—

Y/N (12:20 pm) Your brother is dead to me

Jason I have like four You need to be more specific 

Y/N Tim

Jason Ah, yeah okay that tracks

Y/N Tell him to count his days I’m coming for him

Jason All this over a phone number

Y/N He doesn’t even know me Why would he do this?

Jason I don’t know I personally think he likes the drama

Y/N I hope he knows the consequences

Jason He’ll find out once he meets you Conner finally confessed?

Y/N Not to me

Jason Had a conversation with your sister I take it

Y/N Apparently, I had this ‘I don’t like him’ vibe going on And that’s why she didn’t want to tell me Which fair, I didn’t like anyone in high school much But Conner was okay

Jason And now they’re dating

Y/N Which I find bizarre but if she’s happy then it’s whatever

Jason Did you threaten Conner if he ever broke her heart

Y/N … No Excuse me please

Jason I am so glad he’s not my friend

–

Y/N You break Ellie’s heart I’m coming for you

Conner I would like to see you try

Y/N I will try And I will win

Conner Don’t know how, you know jack shit about me

Y/N I’ll ask Ellie once her broken heart is mended And then I will be coming for you

Conner Well, that won’t happen I don’t plan to hurt her

Y/N I hope so Cuz you’ll be dealing with me And I can be your worst nightmare

Conner Don’t you have a boyfriend to kiss?

Y/N Don’t you have girlfriend to kiss?

Conner I do and I’m about to go see her

Y/NNo Nope I don’t want to hear about your relationship Especially not you

ConnerAwe come Y/N Afraid of a little pda?

Y/NThat’s my sister you’re talking about Be careful Oh, before I forget Pass a message to Tim for me? Tell him he better watch his back

Conner SHE RATTED ME OUT

Y/N Sir, she is my sister She is my best friend And we’ll tell each other things you wish you could hear

--

Y/N I think I scared him

Jason He probably deserved it

Y/N Hey, what do you mean Conner’s not really your friend? Didn’t you hang out last weekend?

Jason Conners more Tim’s friend then he is mine And yes but only because I was doing something for Tim

Y/N He couldn’t have done it?

Jason Probably But I was coming out there anyways so I volunteered

Y/N You know what I think?

Jason No and I don’t think I want to know But you’re going to tell me anyway

Y/N Even though you claim you don’t like your family very much I think you secretly like your family You just hide it well Jason? Oh no I said something you didn’t like I’m sorry

--

Jason (4:20 pm) It’s okay So Wanna do something tonight?

Y/N: Ah, he speaks

Jason Okay, yeah that was kind of deserved I’m sorry for just disappearing on you earlier

Y/N It’s okay There will probably be times where I will do the same thing I just need some patience from you And I’ll be patient with you

Jason At least your honest

Y/N I just really don’t want to fuck this up

Jason I second that So, do you want to?

Y/N Do I want to what?

Jason Seriously? I asked like two seconds ago

Y/N Okay, but in my defense I am ~distracted~

Jason With another boy? How could you

Y/N Okay, first of all fuck you And second of all I’m trying to find the books I need

Jason Only if you’re going to help

Y/N I have some regrets right now

Jason Did you forget your library card again?

Y/N No, this time I actually remembered

Jason I’m proud of you for that

Y/N Mm, can’t tell if your being sarcastic or not

Jason 100% serious

Y/N Well damn Now I’m flustered

Jason Oh? Information to store away

Y/N I feel like I made a mistake

Jason Only time will tell

Y/N So, what was the question again?

Jason Scroll up?

Y/N Respectfully, no

Jason Lol okay Would you like to do something tonight?

Y/N Really trying to get to the fifth date I see

Jason Nah, I can wait for that I just wanted to hang out

Y/N Your brothers don’t need help tonight?

Jason Surprisingly no, they don’t. Are you trying to get out of hanging out with me?

Y/N Uh, no I’ve got a project I’m working on I don’t want to bore you

Jason Nonsense I can bring something to read It’d be nice to sit around and relax

Y/N If you're sure

Jason I’m sure I’ll bring food

Y/N You know where I live

Jason All I had to do is say food and you're in? Very easy to please huh?

Y/N I wouldn’t say that But yes, I’m very easy to persuade when foods involved

Jason Any food allergies?

Y/N Not that I’m aware of

Jason Alright I’ll text you when I’m on my way

Y/N Okay But don’t get to offended if I don’t respond There will be a chance I’ll turn off my phone once I get home I don’t want to get distracted Especially if Conner wants to yell at me some more

Jason Thanks for the warning

–

True to your word, you hadn’t answered when Jason messaged you. But he wasn’t too worried, earlier while he was busy at home, you had sent a message saying you got home fine and that you’ll be shutting off your phone soon. 

Jason had been too busy to answer, but his heart swelled at the care you seemed to have for him. That you knew he’d worry about you without having to say something. Sure, his family cared about him but there was something different when you cared.

He shot a text back saying he’d be coming soon before going about cleaning his guns.

An hour later, he was finished and left his apartment with food on his mind.

The sound of knocking at your door broke your concentration. You blinked back to awareness just as another round of knocks sounded. 

“Come in!” you called, leaning back from the coffee table to stretch. You let out a noise of satisfaction when your bones cracked.

“You should have your doors locked when you're home alone,” Jason called, closing the door behind him. “You never know what creep might come in.”

“Yeah, but I knew you were coming and I tend to hyper focus on my work,” you answered, turning around to watch Jason walk into the living room, carrying a couple of boxes of pizza. “Saves me the trip of opening the door.”

“There was a chance that it wasn’t me behind the door,” he said, setting the boxes down after you made some room for them.

“No, but I don’t have people come over.”

“What about your friends?”

“They have a key, and come unannounced. Aside from my neighbours, you're the only one who knocks.”

“Still, gotta be more cautious,” Jason warned, grunting as he sat on the floor beside you. “Hungry?”

“Starved.”

The two of you settled into a comfortable silence as you ate, only making idle conversation. The conversations ranged from what your favourite things are to embarrassed stories growing up, to darkest secrets.

Jason had kept his lips sealed with his secrets, but you weren’t mad about it. They were his, and his alone. If he didn’t want to share, he didn’t have to. And you made sure he knew you understood.

When there were only a few slices of pizza, and your stomach was full did you turn back to your homework. Reluctantly, you rather talk to Jason then do homework. But it wasn’t going to finish by itself and you needed the grade.

“Do you always work in silence?” Jason asked as he stood to stretch.

“Usually I have music playing, but the neighbours kept complaining about the noise level. And I don’t like blasting music in my ears,” you answered, and gestured towards your collection of CDs. “Help yourself if you find anything you like.”

Jason wandered over and whistled. “That’s quite the collection.”

“What can I say? Started it when I was, I don’t know, ten? And just kept collecting,” you said absentmindedly, “same goes with my books.”

“Let’s see what we have here,” Jason mumbled as he looked through them. “Classical, pop, rock, metal, jazz? Man you have a little bit of everything huh?”

“Yup.”

“Oh ho ho, what’s this?” Jason sang, catching your attention. You looked up just in time to watch Jason pull out a familiar CD. “A mixed CD? I didn’t know you were the type.”

You jumped up and tripped over the couch when you launched yourself over it. Picking yourself up from the floor, you ran and jumped onto Jason’s back, reaching for the CD he held above his head.

“Holy shit,” he grunted at the impact, stumbling forward, trying to regain his balance. “You’re a lot heavier than you look.”

“That is not something you tell a person,” you muttered, making a noise as you tried to reach for the CD. “Give it back.”

“What’s on there? Porn?”

“No,” you said, flustered, “why would I do that?”

“No you're right, you’re not that type of person,” he mused, moving the CD further from you. He glanced up and laughed. “I didn’t know you were such a hopeless romantic.”

“Shut up,” you squealed and shouted in victory when you succeeded in grabbing the CD from him. “Ha!” you said and jumped off him, you left the room to hide the mixed tape elsewhere.

“You know, there isn’t a hiding place here that I couldn’t find,” Jason said dryly when you walked into the living room.

“That I have no doubt,” you replied, sitting back on the floor. “But that cd is not one I would like to listen to right now.”

“Is it embarrassing?”

“Yes. I rather not cringe at all the memories those songs will bring.”

“That’s a juicy story I can tell,”he said, turning back to back your collection. 

“Only if you tell me your death story,” you shot back. When Jason said nothing, you nodded. “I thought so.”

“Okay, so we both have stories we don't want to talk about,” he confessed, “doesn’t mean they’re great.”

“Agree to disagree.”

Silence settled between the two of you as you continued with your paper and Jason kept looking through your CDs. A few minutes later, the room was filled with Tchaikovsky.

“Never thought you’d be a Nutcracker fan,” you commented as the first song started.

“Sometimes you just want to listen to the classics,” he said, moving towards your bookshelf. “Do you mind?”

You looked up to see him gesturing towards your books. You shook your head and went back to your paper. “I thought you were gonna bring a book.”

“I forgot it at home.”

“Too excited to come see me?” you teased.

“No, I had food on my mind,” he teased back and laughed at the look you gave him. “And you, I was also thinking about you too.”

You hummed, watching as he finally picked a book and made his way to the couch. He plopped down, he moved around a bit until he was comfortable before opening the book. You tilted your head trying to read the title and smiled.

“You’re full of surprises, Jason,” you said before turning back towards the coffee table again. 

“So are you,” he shot back, and that was the end of the conversation. For a while, the only sounds were the music, the occasional page flipping and a pencil scratching against paper.

There was a peace that settled with the two of you as you did your own things. A peace that both of you haven’t felt in awhile, so much that you kind of forgot the presence of the other person.

You stayed on the floor most of the time, only getting up to use the bathroom and to switch out the CDs once they finished. A couple of hours later, your homework was finally done, you sat back and stretched.

“Hey, I just remembered I have som-” you cut yourself short when you looked up to see Jason fast alseep on the couch. You weren’t sure at what point he had fallen asleep, but it looked like he needed it.

So, instead of waking him up, you let him sleep. Standing up, you reached down to grab the Jane Austen book he was in the middle of reading. You made sure to bookmark it in case he wanted to finish it the next time he was over.

Setting it on the coffee table, you made your way over to turn down the music until it was just softly playing before grabbing a blanket to cover Jason with.

“Rest well,” you whispered as you tucked in him slightly. “I think you need it.”

You turned back to your bookshelf and grabbed a book for yourself before going to sit back on the floor where you were doing your homework and started reading.

Jason woke up to his phone vibrating against his leg. He blinked, confused about where he was. The ceiling he was looking at didn’t look like his, and the last thing he remembered was reading on the couch. At your house.

“Oh shit,” he mumbled, as the puzzle pieces fell together. “I fell asleep.”

“Turn it off,” came a mumble from beside him. He turned his head to find you leaning against the couch, head tilting up fast asleep. “Five more minutes, Mom. I’m tired.”

Smiling, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and glared at the name that flashed across his screen. “What do you want, Tim?”

 “Where are you?” Tim asked instead of answering. “You were supposed to be here like, two hours ago.”

“I told you I wasn’t going out tonight. Bruce knows this, so does Dick and they said they were okay with it.”

“Yeah, but you promised.”

“You and I both know, I didn’t promise shit,” he whispered, “whatever it is, you’ll have to deal without me.”

“Its not the same,” Tim whined. “And why are we whispering?”

“None of your business.”

“You’re with Y/N aren’t you?” Tim asked, and Jason could tell he was smiling.

“You know, I hope that whatever Y/N does to you, you’ll suffer,” Jason snapped and tried to keep his laugh in at the “hey!” Tim yelled.

“What did I ever do to them? We haven’t even met!”

“Enough that they’re out for blood,” Jason said, not wanting to elaborate. “I have to go.” He hung up before Tim could question him further, and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Turning his head to look at you again, he thought about what to do next.

Sleeping on the floor like that couldn’t be comfortable and he knew should wake up and leave, but it was late and he wanted to let you sleep. Instead, he slowly got off the couch without waking you. He went to the bathroom before going around the apartment to lock the windows and doors, and turned off the lights that were on.

He made his way back to the living room, and gently picked you up before setting you back down on the couch. He tucked you in with the blanket you had given him.

Satisfied that you were safe in your own apartment, he turned to leave. But before he could, something grabbed his arm, stopping him. He stalled and turned around slowly, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed you staring at him.

“It’s late, Jason,” you mumbled, “I’m not going to let you go home this late.”

“How are you going to stop me?” Jason challenged. Instead of answering, you tugged his arm hard enough to make him stumble towards you. He braced himself against the back of the couch, preventing him from falling completely onto you. “You’re very bold when your half asleep,” he joked. You stuck your tongue out at him and tugged on his arm again.

“Shut up and lay down,” you mumbled, trying to get up from the couch. Jason moved to sit down beside you. “I’m too tired to move to my bed. So, you can take my bed or share the couch.”

He watched as you curled up on the one side of the couch and moved the blanket so he could have some too. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” you mumbled, eyes already closing. “I don’t make the people I care about leave in the middle of the night. You never know what could happen on the way home.”

Touched, and not wanting to make you worry, Jason took the corner of the blanket you weren’t using and settled down on the couch. He didn’t fall asleep right away. Opting instead to read more of his book. Within minutes of reading, however, sleep claimed him.

[hockeyandhrsepwr]

Birthday boy

*little Trevor Zegras x best friend (👀) reader insta edit for his birthday**

yourusername

liked by jamie.drysdale, _quinnhughes & others

Yourusername happy birthday Fucker  

view all comments

📌 Yourusername I’m just joking, happy birthday to the best friend a girl could ask for!! 🫶

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Masonmctavish23 unfortunately 

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_quinnhughes yep, Alex & Cole & Dylan

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TrevorZegras

liked by JackHughes, anaheimducks & others

TrevorZegras best birthday present I could’ve asked for #upgrades #shesmygfnow 

view all comments

Yoruusername that has to be the lamest hashtag ever. Are you 12?

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Anaheimducks obviously 

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Xxx

[one-squash-one-end]

I wrote a giant Raven Cycle analysis

Hi! Over the last year or so I've been working on a sort of essay about various themes in the raven cycle series, and I finally finished it a few weeks ago.

It is titled: "Why I love The Raven Cycle - An excessive analysis of the themes of friendship, queerness and growing up".

And since tumblr loves its meta (and bc I love peer validation) I've decided to start uploading it bit by bit here, making this the masterpost (if I can figure out the logistics of the linking lmao, bear with me)

(beware of spoilers up to greywaren starting at like 3b!)

Introduction

What even is the Raven Cycle?

Trust me, the characters are queer as fuck and I can prove it a) Blue Sargent b) Gansey c) Adam Parrish d) Ronan Lynch e) Noah f) Henry Cheng g) Honorary mentions

The Gangsey is a polycule

Analyzing the reoccurring themes a) Friendship b) Being a teen/growing up c) (Found) Family d) Magic (as a metaphor) e) Further themes I appreciate

Drawing a conclusion

Click here to start with the introductory parts!

1. Introduction

So here’s the thing: I love fiction almost as much as I love my friends. There’s something deeply comforting about the escapism, even if the book actually makes me want to scream and throw it on the floor (only one book has been thrown so far, I promise!).  Fiction is a healthy thing to occupy my thoughts with: headcanons! Quotes being on loop in my brain! Just fandoms!

And for me, if I am hooked on a book (series), it does not even need a good plot where a lot of things happen. In fact, I would say that my enjoyment of a book is made up of 30% plot and about 70% characters and vibes. If the characters are bland, if they do not make me feel much emotion, it likely won’t be more than 4 stars (additional info: I am way too nice rating books!). I really, really need to love the characters, to be able to relate to some aspects of them, or it just won’t become an obsession.

Since I have already started explaining that a bit, let’s look at this question: What is important to make a book special to me? 1. I need to cry reading it. 2. I have to think about it often, even weeks to months after having read it. 3. Obviously, I need to love the characters. 4. I need to be in the fandom! This can be hard with some books, but the internet is a whimsical space allowing you to find at least a small number of people who are obsessed with a work of fiction to a similar extent as you are.

Now, why am I elaborating on this so much? It’s because The Raven Cycle did all that for me. It is my favorite comfort book series at the moment, for all those aspects mentioned, but of course I cannot just leave it at that. No, I wrote a whole-ass analysis on headcanons and some of its themes. You’re welcome.

2. What even is The Raven Cycle?

The Raven Cycle is all I adore and live for (next to my friends). So, naturally, it’s a book series, specifically a four book young adult contemporary fantasy series by American author Maggie Stiefvater. The books in question are: The Raven Boys (2012), The Dream Thieves (2013), Blue Lily, Lily Blue (2014) and The Raven King (2016), and yes I will admit that the publishing dates are a bit of a red flag. There is also the very relevant follow-up series called The Dreamer Trilogy (Call Down The Hawk, Mister Impossible, Greywaren), but it’s a lot less easy to get into that here as I do not know these entire books by heart, so I’ll stick to the original tetralogy here.

To stick to red flags, the books are set in the fictional Henrietta, a rural town in non-fictional Virginia, US, in the 2010s. However, that doesn’t really say *that* much about the plot, so let me summarize that really quick, because I can do better than the official synopsis! (Or let’s pretend I can.)

Blue Sargent comes from a family of psychics, yet she does not have any powers of her own. Even worse, she is a bit of an amplifier for the others, meaning she is always somehow but never directly involved in the business. As if that isn’t enough for an identity crisis, every psychic she has ever met has told her that her kiss would kill her true love. Yikes.

But because she is that amplifier, she comes to a church watch on St. Mark’s Eve, where psychics see the spirits of those to die within the following year. It’s important business, but to her it’s really just staring into the dark. Until she does actually see a spirit: That of Gansey. Of course this is not a coincidence. No, to add to this teen’s mount of problems, there are only two reasons why a non-seer would see someone’s spirit: They are their true love, or they killed them. Or, in Blue’s case, maybe both.

The aforementioned Gansey is Henrietta’s Golden Boy, the son of politicians (read: he’s fucking loaded). He does not run with the Republicans though, he runs with dead Welsh kings, meaning he has been searching for the probably dead, presumably sleeping Welsh king Glendower (*1350; †1416; yikes) for the past like seven years. Why the fuck would he do that? Well, legend says that he will grant a wish to whoever wakes him, and our favorite PTSD-ridden guy really wants that favor.

Aiding him are fellow Aglionby students Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch and Noah Czerny, plus Henry Cheng, though only a lot later in the series, but I really did not want to leave out that menace (affectionately) here. The paths of Blue and the boys cross because of Gansey’s search for Glendower, plus the fact that Blue works at a popular pizza place, but that’s a lot less whimsical. And, well, there’s the implication that Gansey might also be her true love, but perhaps she just kills him because of his bad fashion sense, it would be justified. Anyway, in true Famous Five fashion (Ronan is the dog; I won’t elaborate, the girls that get it, get it) they are of course not the only ones searching for the king, so it’s not completely a wholesome friend bonding activity all the way through.

Be prepared for: friendship and growing up, lots of treasure hunting, family mysteries, magical forests, illegal and slightly distasteful activities (our favorite of course), but most of all, heavily queer-coded (or even canonically queer) characters. Be Gay, Do Crime.

[somanyratsinthewalls]

Burning Hearts Chapter 3

Pairing: Law x Straw Hat Zoan Type (named) FemOC 

Word Count: 3000

Summary: You were teleported across the globe in an instant, away from your crew. Your body was badly broken and beaten, thrust into the harsh landscape of a Northern island. You are discovered by the Heart Pirates and brought back to health. Startled upon waking up in a foreign place with an unfamiliar crew, you are shocked with the news that you’ll be spending two years there. Trafalgar Law, the captain of the Heart Pirates has made a promise to train you, but will it become something more than a mentor relationship?

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 - Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

TW: Trauma, alcohol use, smokable plant usage. ;)

Hours went by. Or was it 5 minutes? 

Time didn’t feel real. 

The pillow under your face was soaked through. You had been crying for so long that your eyes had nearly swollen shut. Every time the tears slowed, the deep ache of your damaged bones and muscles throbbed and reminded you of your harrowing ordeal, causing the sobs to begin again. 

*knock knock knock knock*

You sit up in bed. Do you answer? Should you bar the door? You realized you were still covered in flimsy hospital clothes so you throw on the sweatshirt from your bag and sit back down on your bed. 

“Um… Yeah?” You hesitantly call out. The door handle turns and the door cracks open. A woman’s voice responds from the crack in the door. 

“Hey… uh… you missed dinner… I brought you some food anyway… Can I come in?”

“Ok…” You wipe your nose and eyes on your hand, sitting up straighter. 

Carefully, a woman with long, curly brown hair entered your room with a tray of food and some folded clothing. She was clad in the same off-white coveralls that all of the Heart pirates wore. She had a pointy nose and high cheekbones, long dark curls framing her face and shoulders. A yellow headband pushed her hair back into a curly crown around her head. 

“Hi.. I’m Ikkaku…” She smiles slightly and takes a tentative step towards you seated on the bed. 

“I’m Daisy.” You respond.

“It’s just some stew and rice, nothing fancy. We don’t really have a cook so we alternate kitchen duty. You’re lucky it wasn’t Shachi this week… he can barely boil water.” The woman chuckles. 

“Shachi…?” You say mostly to yourself. 

“Yeah. Pointy teeth, orca whale hat, stupid long greasy hair?”

“He was one of the ones who kept watch over me…” 

“That was him and Penguin. They’re complete morons, but they’re loyal guys. In fact, most of the people here are idiots. The captain is often not excluded from that. You’ll get used to it. I’m the only girl around here. Until now, I guess.” 

She sets the tray down in front of you on the bed. You also notice that the tray contains several off-white jumpsuits stacked together. Ikkaku sees you eyeing them. 

“The captain asked me to bring them…”

“I’m not wearing the fucking uniform.” You turn your head and shoot a vicious glare at the woman.

She puts her arms up in defeat. 

“I don’t blame you.” Ikkaku swallowed nervously.  “You don’t even know us and you’ve just experienced the most insane thing that’s ever happened to you. I’m not going to force you into a boiler suit.” 

Your glare softens. You drop your head and sigh. You realize your sweatshirt had ridden up and exposed the large brand on your lower stomach. Quickly, you pull your sweatshirt back down.

“Listen. I have some old clothes I wear on laundry days, I’ll drop them by later. They might be tight in the chest…” Ikkaku gestures at your ample chest and then back at her much smaller one and chuckles. “But it’s something clean.” 

“That… that would actually be great…” You sigh again and look back at Ikkaku. 

Ikkaku softly smiled. 

“Of course… I met your captain, you know.” 

You rubbed your eyes. 

“And? How was he?” 

Ikkaku laughed. 

“He’s a weird little dude. Pretty ripped up about losing his brother, though. One thing I do know, Daisy, is that he loves you and his crew a whole lot. I heard him tell our cap, he wants to make sure he never loses anyone he cares about ever again. That’s why he wants you to stay here and train with Law. It’s because he cares about you.” 

You feel the tears bubbling up again. Ikkaku’s woman’s intuition makes sure this doesn’t go unnoticed. She crouches next to where you were seated on the bed. 

“Hey… I know this sucks. You have to do what your captain asks. Just like I do… even though more than half of me was convinced you were going to rip my arms off when I knocked on your door. My captain was right. We have to trust them.”

You bring your hand up to your nose and mouth to try and cover your crying face. 

“If it makes you feel better… I got your weed back.” Ikkaku pulls out a red satchel and dangles it in front of your face. You sniff up your tears and lift your head. 

“No way… how?!” You grab it greedily out of Ikkaku’s hand. 

“I was cleaning the halls and found it in a wastebasket. I thought it had Berries in it so I grabbed it. Imagine my shock when I find this instead.” Ikkaku giggles. 

“Oh my gods, I seriously can’t thank you enough.” You genuinely smile for the first time since your incident. “I’m going to roll something right now. Care to stay? I owe you one. For the food, too.” You nod towards the tray of stew. 

Ikkaku looks at your bag, then turns her neck to make sure she had closed your door.

“As long as you don’t rat me out to my captain, I’d love to indulge.” Ikkaku smirks. 

You smile back and begin rolling a joint. After masterfully creating your signature spiked cigarette, you light the end carefully with your beautiful, gold engraved lighter that Sanji had given you for your birthday. You take a deep inhale of the sweet smelling herb and your eyes nearly roll back in your head in relief. 

You feel a twinge of pain in your back. 

“Hey, can you crack the window? I don’t need your weird captain barging in and apparently I can’t lift my arms anymore.” 

“Yeah, I’ll get it.” Ikkaku rises from the bed and opens your small window. You feel a rush of polar air from the crack in the window. Tiny snowflakes tickle your nose. She returns to her spot at the foot of the bed. You take a few more hits off the joint and pass it to your newfound acquaintance. 

Ikkaku wordlessly takes the smoldering cigarette in her fingers and takes a drag. She coughs violently. You offer her the glass of water on your tray that she accepts. After her coughing fit subsides, she laughs. 

“Man it’s been while. You must have a serious supplier, this is strong. Law is a real square when it comes to this shit.”

“Trust me, I noticed that. And I grew it myself, she’s my pride and joy.” You rolled your eyes. “What’s his deal, your captain? He isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy.” You take another long pull of the joint. 

“He’s seen a lot of shit. He seems hard and scary, but he’s really just a nerd. He collects ancient coins, for fucks sake. He’s got a strong sense of justice, he’s crazy powerful, that’s why we stay with him. He’s a gifted surgeon, saved countless lives. He may be a weirdo, but he’s our captain. I’m sure you can relate.” Ikkaku takes the joint from your fingers again. 

“Yeah… I get that…” You lean back against your stacked pillows. 

“What’s with the ‘Room’ thing? How does that work?” You asked, feeling that the altered state of consciousness would allow Ikkaku to open up to you more. 

“The Op Op Fruit, yeah, he ate it when he was a kid. He doesn’t like to talk about it. Shit, he’d kill me if he knew I was talking about it now, haha!” Ikkaku laughs, clearly less acquainted with medicinal herbs than you were. “He can make an operating room and control the laws of physics within it. He can swap people into each other’s bodies, he can do all kinds of weird shit. It’s the only reason you’re still alive. That, and his gifted skill as a doctor.” 

You finish the joint and snuff it out on the windowsill. 

“And your power?” Ikkaku asks. 

Your breath hitches in your chest. 

“My power?” You ask. 

“We… we saw your wings… I just assumed it was a-“ Ikkaku shakily inquires.

“I… I don’t know… I was forced to eat the devil fruit when I was a teenager. I’ve only used the wings. I guess a bat, there’s claws, though, maybe a lizard, or something, I guess… I don’t know nor do I want to. I can prove myself without devil fruit powers. I much prefer to use my blades in a battle.” 

“I see…” Ikkaku responds. 

“But your captain, he’s a swordsman… that’s why Luffy wants me to learn from him, right? He wants me to hone my skills with my blades?” You ask. 

“I don’t know what he meant. All I know is you’re here to train for awhile.” Ikkaku sits up. “After you’ve healed, of course. Eat up, gods know how long it’s been since you’ve had solid food. Thanks for the flower, I’m about to get the best sleep of my life.” 

Ikkaku rises and heads to the door. 

“Thanks for the food. I’ll see you around.” You nod. 

“Yeah, you will.” Ikkaku shoots you a warm smile before leaving. 

— — — 

You spent the next 3 days brooding in your room, accepting food trays from Ikkaku and sneaking to the bathroom when you were sure the rest of the crew had gone to bed. Time had still felt immeasurable, never able to sleep more than a few hours without waking from violent nightmares. 

“You can’t stay in here forever, you know.” Ikkaku had told you the night before. The sentence bounced around in your skull all night. She was right. You were feeling better physically and knew you couldn’t complete your captain’s assignment simply by wallowing in your bed for two years. 

This morning was the morning you were going to get up and start your new life. 

You haul yourself to the showers and spend an hour cleaning your hair, body, and face. Once finished, you dried off and pulled on an old set of Ikkaku’s clothes. 

Instead of trekking back to your room, you proceeded to find your way to the galley. 

“Haha! There’s no way you ever got that girl to come home with you, I call bullshit!”

“No no I swear! Remember that time-“ 

The chatter in the galley ceased. Each crew member dropped their conversation to stare at you as you gingerly stepped into the kitchen. There were almost a dozen sets of eyes on you, all silent as you moved through the door frame. 

“Don’t mind me…” You awkwardly slid towards the fridge, trying to be as small as possibly. 

“Hey, Straw Hat Girl! Heard you’re stuck here for awhile!” A large, brutish man shouts in your direction. 

“My name is Daisy.” You scowl. You grab a bowl of white rice that was on the kitchen island. 

“There’s fruit and eggs in the fridge, Miss Daisy. I can grab something for you, if you’d like-“ The large polar bear you recognized from the first time you regained consciousness rose from his stool and moved towards you. 

You frantically moved back, still apprehensive of the creature. 

“I’m fine!” You huffed out. “The rice is fine, thanks.” 

You scurried back to your room with rice and chopsticks in hand, sweating from the awkward interaction. Breathing heavily you slam the door of your room shut and sit down at your desk to inhale your breakfast. 

— —

“Well that was fucking weird.” Penguin finally blurts out after the girl’s sudden exit from the galley. 

“Leave her alone, she’s just lost her crew. Give her some grace.” Ikkaku states. 

“Yeah I’m still mad she tried to slaughter Penguin and I multiple times, though” Shachi remarks from across the dining table. The men around the table laugh. 

“You guys don’t get it. A woman being thrown into a situation with strange men she doesn’t know? You’ll never understand that fear. She’s handled it better than any of you could ever.” Ikkaku rises and leaves the table. 

A heavy silence fills the air of the galley. 

— — 

The day turns into evening and you roll over in bed to change the pressure on your damaged hips. You could barely walk still so you were mostly bound to your room, against your will. 

*bdpp bdpp bdpp* *bdpp bdpp bdpp*

You hear the hum of a mini transponder snail somewhere in your room. You rise from your pillowed nest to try and find the source of the call. You rip the closet door open and see a ringing snail on top of the clothing rack. 

You cock your head in interest. Who put that there?

You grab the ringing snail.

“H-hello…?”

“Daisy? It’s Ikkaku. The boys are finally in bed. I found the whiskey stores unlocked. Come down to the galley.” *click* The snail call ends. 

Whiskey? Your mouth waters at the mention of it. Normally you preferred to smoke your mind altering substances instead of drinking them, but a cold shot of whiskey sounded like heaven on earth. You pull on a pair of spandex shorts but don’t bother throwing anything on over your sports bra. You quietly creep towards the kitchen. You push the double doors open and find Ikkaku pouring two drinks into rocks glasses. 

“Hey girl. Glad you made it. I’m on watch and it’s been painfully boring.” Ikkaku pushes a very full glass of whisky in your direction. 

“I’m not one to turn down a drink.” You tiredly smile at your newfound friend. 

Silently, you and Ikkaku “cheers”ed your cups before each taking a large sip. 

*bddpp bddpp… motion detected. South Gate. Bddpp bddpp…” 

“Oh my god, these stupid monitors. Law makes us check them constantly. He’s so paranoid. I’ll be back in a bit.” You nod and Ikkaku excuses herself. 

Now that you were alone, seated at the kitchen island with a drink in your hand, you decided this was a perfect time to forget your present struggles. 

You slam your glass in one gulp. The alcohol was beginning to warm your veins. It felt good. Comfortable. You grab the bottle and pour another glass. You try your best to sip it slowly but find yourself chugging the whole cup.

More. 

More. 

The heartbreak and pain of losing your crew drifted further and further from your mind as you ingested more alcohol. On your 5th glass you stumbled and ended up catching yourself against the cool metal wall of the galley. 

“I’m so fucked…” 

— — — 

*CRASH*

The clatter of dishes and cups brought Law out of his office. He trudged down the hallway from his office to the kitchen to investigate the commotion. He swings open the double doors to the galley and looks around. 

Nothing. 

“Hnnnn… fuck…” 

Where was that voice coming from?

Law storms into the galley and investigates the noise. He finds the source quickly. He sees a tangled lump of brown hair with a grey streak laying on his kitchen floor. The body held an empty whiskey bottle in their hand. 

“Gods, Daisy.” Law sighs and rubs his forehead. 

“Luffy I think it’s fuckin great nnnhnn we can have more chips it’s a great idea. More chips, more dip. You an I… we fuckin get it…" 

“You’re wasted. I’m going to take you to your room.” Law states casually. 

“Who the FUCK are you… can’t take my dip..” Daisy lazily rolls over to try and resist, but falls again, pinning her own elbow onto the floor. 

Law takes a deep breath to calm himself and picks Daisy up off the floor, bridal style. Immediately, arms wrap around Law’s shoulders and neck. 

“I wanna go home…” Daisy whispers drunkenly into the crook of Law’s neck.

Law hears a weepy sniffle.

“I just wanna go home…” A wet sob is croaked into his neck.

He knows what she means.

"Please, I want to go home..." Daisy chokes out through sobs and drunk syllables.

“You’re going to go to bed now. We can train tomorrow.” Law trudges towards Daisy’s stateroom. Pushing the door open with his shoulder, Law enters the room. 

He walks carefully towards the bed and tries to gently drop her down, awkwardly letting her fall onto the sheets with an “oof!”

“You need to sleep, I must-“ Law starts. 

Suddenly a hand grips the back of his neck. 

“Can you stay?” A trembling voice calls out. 

The air is thick again. Law feels shaking fingers against his neck.

“What?” Law asks. 

“Every time I sleep…  it happens again. I see it again. It all happens over again. I can’t stop having these nightmares…” Daisy’s drunken grip on the back of Law’s skull tightens. “Can’t you stay here… with me?” 

Law was shell shocked. Not in his life had anyone ever asked for his touch or his presence. He knew anything he could ever contribute would make it worse. Daisy needed to grow… and his veiled comfort would only impede that. 

“I-I can’t…” Law pulled the blanket over her exhausted body. 

He stood up from the bed and peeled Daisy’s hands from his neck. Law shut off the overhead light and exited the stateroom with haste. He pretended he didn’t hear your wracked sobs and cries as he shut the door behind him. 

Law returned to his office and poured himself into textbooks, trying to forget the pain you were going through. His vision was blurred with thoughts of your desperate, curled up form as he tried to further his studies… 

Law knew you were going to be a bigger problem than anticipated. 

xx

Author’s Note: Something fun might happen in the next chapter hehe! Law is feeling conflicted. Should he leave Daisy to deal with her emotions on her own, or should he give in and comfort her? Who even knows what she wants right now. Also sorry OC is a stoner, it's suuuuch a devious self inset, LOL. Suggestions are open :)

[fandom-chic]

Happy Little Family: Chapter 1

Summary: When Vought asks the unthinkable, you are forced to play house with certified psychopath Soldier Boy. Your life (and dignity) may be at stake, but something about him draws you in.

Pairing: Soldier Boy x Y/N

A/N: Hello! New to the fandom and decided to try out a series. Let me know what you think!

YEAR: 1985

4 months, 3 weeks, and 6 days. That was the last day you saw Ben. You held your son to your chest as you sat on your porch at your farmhouse gazing out at the nothingness of nature. Only a month old, Ben still hadn’t met his first (known) child. Before leaving for his mission, he kissed your cheek and told you he’d be back soon. You guess that you should’ve asked for the definition of soon.

You rock in the chair as you think of the odd meeting you had with Ben.

YEAR: 1983

2 years ago, you were just a senior analyst at Vought in their operations department going about your average day-to-day. It wasn’t until you were pulled into the CEO's office that you knew something was up. 

You go through the large wooden doors into the vast room to see Wayne Peterson, the CEO of Vought, speaking to a tall man. You feign a smile as he notices you.

“(Y/N), please come in.” You nod, pushing a piece of hair out of your vision. You take a seat across from Wayne. You could see him fidgeting with his pencil, obviously nervous. You feel your breath hitch; something wasn’t right.

“Thank you so much for coming in. I’m sure you’re confused as to why I asked you here today. Well, I’ll let Ben here fill some of the gaps.” At that, the man turns around, and you immediately recognize the face of Solider Boy. Even with a mask on, it’s hard to deny this man was handsome. You unconsciously feel a smile come to your face as you acknowledge the presence of this handsome not-so stranger.

“Wow, it’s great to meet you Solider Boy. I used to watch your variety show every Sunday when I was a kid.” He gives a charming smile to you and nods.

“Glad to have such a pretty fan.” You feel a blush rise to your cheeks. Pretty. He thinks you're pretty. 

“So what’s going on? Is there a project or-“

“You could say that.” He said, a smirk on his lips. “My public image has been tarnished in the recent news, to say the least.” Your mind immediately flicks to his brutal break-up with Crimson Countess and the many civilian casualties in the Central Park attack. “I need to rehabilitate my brand. I think the best way to do this is to shift the conversation away from the shitty things and onto something more…” he was at a loss for words. 

“Wholesome.” Wayne interrupts. “So to make a long story short, you will be a trial run girlfriend for Soldier Boy.”

Your eyebrows shoot up, “Girlfriend?” Your voice wavers on the word.

“And if that goes over well with the press, marriage.” You feel your legs go weak at that word. Marriage? You were barely 23. 

“Wow,” Was all you could utter as the two men stared at you. “Marriage…” 

“Well of course.” Soldier Boy says matter of factly. “The ultimate prize if I do say so myself.” He snickered to himself at that.

“B-but… why me?” You stuttered, feeling for something to rest your arms on.

“A sensible question to say the least.” Wayne interjects, “As you know, Vought is an extremely intelligent, high-tech company. With that being said, and this stays between us, we make profiles of all Vought employees. This ranges from promotions, firing, marketing to this.” He gestures at you two. 

“And you are exactly the companion Solider Boy should be seen with and-“

“You’re the only one I’d be ok fucking.” Soldier Boy says, grabbing out a cigarette and lighting it. Your eyes widen.

“Obviously if it gets to that,” Wayne says to your expression. “In terms of perks, you will receive heavy compensation as well as new residence paid for completely by Vought. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” 

“So, what do you say.” Solider Boy says, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Your mouth is gaping.

“Wow, this offer truly is…” you search for words, “An honor to say the least. Can I take a day to think on it?” 

“Because of the urgency of this pairing, you have an hour to decide, or we go elsewhere.” At that, you’re ushered to another room to sit and think. 

You take a seat and your head falls into your lap. What the fuck is going on? What the fuck do I do? As these thoughts swam through your head you hear a knock. There was no way your time was up this early. Then Solider Boy enters the room.

“Am I interrupting?” He says with a cheeky smile on his face.

“Well, only a little bit.” At that, he takes a seat next to you. You expect a speech about how you don’t have to do this and how there is no pressure. But that’s not what you get.

“You do realize you have to do this.” 

“Excuse me?” You’re in disbelief. 

He nods. “What will come of your career if you just turn down every other opportunity that comes your way? Your bosses won’t be impressed, and you’ll stay at the bottom of the food chain till you’re let go. Do you really want that?” You feel dread and anger building in the pit of your stomach. “With a fancy degree from some prestigious New England school, don’t you think that should go to something?” At that, you were silent. He wasn’t wrong. What would everyone say if you just turned down opportunities that were put in your lap? This might not be directly what they had in mind, but Vought stresses the importance of team players. And what if this counts as not being one. You feel your leg start to bounce in anxiety. 

“No. I don’t want that.” You grab your knees and squeeze. 

“Good. So we’re good to go?” He says with a clap. 

“I guess…” You mumble as he stands up and begins to make his way out. “But wait.”

He turns towards you, a hint of annoyance in his eyes that leave almost immediately.

“Why did you choose me.” He gave a snicker that had a hint of sourness in it.

“We told you, you have a good background, you’re hot, you seem like the-“ 

“No but really?” You insist, standing to face him. He takes a step from the door, and he sighs, running a hand through his bangs.

“You are normal. Boringly normal. You won’t distract anyone from me.” That humbled you, to say the least.

“Ok.” You whisper as he officially leaves the room. You sit back down and feel like the blandest piece of cereal in the box.

You are then ushered back into Wayne’s office as papers are thrown at you to sign. As you leave the office, you realize you’re officially Soldier Boy’s boring girlfriend.

[hamlos]

Valentine's day {2/3} <[Smg3 pov:]>

Smg3 put the phone on the table. He began to meet people who decided to gather in his cafe and take orders. Smg3 decided to give a small discount today for those who come with their love. Mario also came to the cafe and sat down at the table, putting the spaghetti on as if they were sitting opposite him and were his love of life.

3:Mario? What the hell are you doing?

Mario: I'm going to celebrate Valentine's Day with the love of my heart and life. Mario points to spaghetti; probably SMG3 is even glad that Mario is acting less irritable and more stupid right now. He decides to give Mario a discount so that he doesn’t cry like a little baby or something.

3:Oh yeah, this is adorable, Mario.

Mario:Can I eat it now?

3: Well, then I’ll cancel your discount.

Mario: No, please don't do this to me. Waaah, you are cruel!

3:You literally tried to kill me and SMG4 several times this week, and you call me cruel?

Mario: Canceling discounts is much worse than attempted murder.

3: Oh my God, listen, Mario, could you tell me why you’re not trying to destroy anything today?

Mario: Oh, um.

3:Did someone tell you to be less destructive? Are you planning something? Who else works with you? maybe smg4?!

Smg3 noticed that for some reason the cafe became a little quieter. A couple of visitors noticed how Smg3 was almost screaming, and he immediately became very quiet and calmly began to stand next to Mario.

Mario: Oww, Mario can't tell.

Smg3 looked at Mario again and then, looking around a little, continued talking quietly, but to himself.

3:This is definitely all planned by stupid SMS 4, but why?

The door to the cafe opened again, and Luigi was there. It didn’t look like he came for coffee or anything; it felt like he was worried about something and was looking for someone. Luigi looked at Mario and quickly approached him, while SMG3 decided to leave Mario, but when he saw Luigi approaching Mario, he decided to eavesdrop on their conversation a little.

"Luigi: Bro, it seems _____ is a testament to us _he has some other idea instead of a cafe."

"Mario:oke doki"

Mario ate the plate along with the spaghetti and quickly walked away from the cafe with Luigi. SMG3 was just glad that Mario didn’t order anything. Because he didn’t know then what to do with this poisoned spaghetti, no one here in the cafe even eats any damn spaghetti with poison. But Smg3 was also worried about what Luigi said. Could it be true that Smg4 is preparing something for him? or for someone... Smg3 just hoped that this was all some kind of joke or that Smg4 would just give him a friendly gift or something. Smg3 gradually began to feel strange; it seems that the power of the meme guardian is working on him again. Apparently,  Smg4 is already somewhere near his cafe. He decides to go to the table to take orders and just wait for Smg4 to arrive. He hopes that this idiot will not cause trouble in his cafe.

<[Smg4 pov:]>

During this time, Smg4 managed to meet a couple of his friends and even Mario and Luigi, who seemed to be walking from the Smg3 cafe. It was there that Smg4 was going right now because he knew that almost every friend and acquaintance of friends of his was there. Even if there was no big reason for it, they definitely came there and tried to destroy something there or drink.

Because of their common strength with smg3, he began to feel his presence, which did not surprise smg4. He already knew that smg3 was there; it would have been stranger if he had not felt it.

He opened the door of the cafe and walked in. There seemed to be a small ringing of bells above his head. It seems that SMG3 hasn’t gotten rid of all the New Year’s decorations since that time, or maybe he just decided to add them as a warning to the visitor?

Smg4 adjusted his handbag on his shoulder with valentines and looked towards the tables and then straight to the cash register, but for some reason Smg3 wasn’t there; had he gone somewhere?

<[Smg3 pov:]>

Smg3 went into the pantry for a while because, for some stupid reason, he got very nervous when Smg4 arrived. Smg3 decided to look at himself again in the mirror that he put in the pantry because he was going to put it somewhere in a better place, but he didn’t think of it yet and left it here. He looked at this mirror image of himself and was horrified. Oh my God! Did he really always look that stupid!? What is this strange black jacket, those punk boots, and those white pants? This is just a terrible outfit for someone who would meet this day with someone. No, wait, what? You don’t celebrate this day; you drive it out of your head. On the contrary, why should it suddenly bother you now? stupid day for the weak-minded. Smg3 nervously walked up to the door and tried to look serious, as if he didn’t care about the presence of Smg4. Who cared about him at all? You took and pulled the door handle; it instantly opened, and you left the storage room and began to confidently walk to the cash register, feeling that Smg4 was almost here. You opened your eyes and focused on looking cool—oh my God! You again closed your eyes for a while and then quickly opened them again. You saw SMG4 in a very delicate white and blue suit, with dark pants and a dark blue jacket, just like yours but not as cool.

3: Why are you wearing this sh*t?

4: Why are you dressed like a damn punk? Did you even look at the calendar today?

3: Oh, you know, I don't care what day it is.

I just want you to leave me alone and order something.

To some extent, SMG3 lied.

4: Don't worry, I’m not here to buy 20 boxes of coffee today.

You noticed how he quickly turned around and took something out of his small bag; you saw something pink, and you got nervous.

I'm here to just congratulate everyone on Valentine's Day, including you, even if you don't like this day.

He carefully took the entire valentine and placed it on your ordering table, and of course it was a valentine in the form of a heart. Oh my god. You seemed to feel some kind of panic but tried to keep a calm face. You obviously couldn’t do it; you were easily embarrassed, and for some reason, SMG4 was happy when he embarrassed you. This makes you even more furious and embarrassed. Smg4 was again delighted by your reaction and sweetly put his hands to his mouth, covering his smile and closing his eyes. You only wanted to cover your face with something a note book or your hands but you were in such a terrible panic and internal hysteria that you forgot how to move your hands.

3:WHAT THE HELL, GET OUT OF MY STORE!

You couldn't come up with anything better than to just try to look angry and outraged by this, which is a very big lie to yourself, but you need to not lose your reputation as a villain even more because of this idiot. You took the bomb, and you activated the bomb. Smg4 noticed it and decided to quickly run away, but you still threw it in the end when he had already opened the door, and you were still able to throw it outside the cafe. And not as usual, there was an explosion and a frightened scream from Smg4, but you know for sure that he is fine. Again,  the feelings of the guardian of memes are working on you.

What an idiot...

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[dilf-din]

Suddenly

Chapter 1: Spring

Din Djarin x Florist!Reader

WC: 2100

Warnings: absolutely none, all fluff and domestic cuteness, no use of y/n but reader does have a nickname and is female presenting

A/N: I told y’all I was going to exploit this little house and the time has come. I was planning on this just being a little one shot, but I fell in love with the dynamic so it’ll be a short series, just 4 chapters! Listen to Venus by Sleeping at Last to get the inspo for this little story. Enjoy 💖

Chapter 2

After a while, I thought I'd never find you

I convinced myself that I would never find you

When suddenly, I saw you

“It’s good to have you back, Mando,” Karga smiled warmly sliding a bag of credits across the table in exchange for the cleared pucks he had brought into the High Magistrate’s office. Mando sat relaxed in a large leather chair across from Greef Karga, open arms draped lazily across the seat. He was tossing a small green fruit up into the air and catching it with a gloved hand listening to the man’s booming voice brag about the shops that would be opening in the newly renovated town square.

“We’d love to have you at the opening ceremony, you are a vital part of our economy here on Nevarro, after all.”

Mando hummed in response. “I’ll do my best to be there.”

While he did feel some sense of obligation to the man who had gifted him a house, he also didn’t do things that he didn’t want to. Karga knew that. For years their relationship had been a bit of a power struggle, but Mando always came out on top.

He looked over at Grogu who was quietly watching a children’s program on a holopad in the seat next to him.

“Time to go, kid,” he said, rubbing his ears gently.

Grogu nodded, lifting up the pad for his dad to tuck into the pack that hung on his hip. Mando tucked the bag of credits next to it and rose to shake Karga’s hand.

“Two days from now! I’ll save you and the little one a seat to watch the parade!” he called after the pair as they made their way out of his office.

When they stepped outside on the warm path, Grogu held his hands up and chirped, “Buir!”

Din chuckled and scooped him into the crook of his arm. “C’mere ad’ika.”

The morning sun climbed higher into the cloudless sky casting warm rays onto the crowded market place. Din’s boots made a padded thud as he marched down the black stone path towards the booths selling local treats and produce. A sea of voices chattering with the vendors, the smell of roasted meat in a sweet marinade, bright colored banners advertising their wares, Grogu loved coming to the market. His ears turned in every direction at each new voice, nose pointed up to follow the wafting scents.

Din purchased a dozen of his favorite sweet rolls, passing one to the child to munch on while he stocked up on the rest of the supplies they would need for the coming week. With a pack sufficiently full, Mando made his way to the edge of town, where he had parked the old speeder bike he bought off of the Anzellans. It wasn’t anything high tech, parts of it rusted with age, but it got them from their little cabin to the bustling town and back. The ride out was twenty minutes of silent bliss. Some scraggly trees and shrubs dotting the otherwise barren landscape, no other homes around for several kilometers. He reveled in the solitude. Din had considered planting a small garden come summer, something to add some color to the greys and browns.

He wiped his boots on the mat in front of the door before entering their small home. Grogu did a flip to the floor and took off after a ball Greef Karga had gifted him with. The cabin came fully furnished but minimally decorated. There was nothing about it that told you anything about who lived there other than the basket of toys that sat in the living area hinting at a small child’s presence. The kitchen and living area were connected in one large space, the only separation provided by a lengthy island across from the stove. Two bedrooms sat at the far end of the house separated by a bathroom in the middle. The second bedroom was made up for a guest if he ever had one. A bedside table with a lamp, an empty closet, a nice sized bed with white sheets covered in delicate grey leaves and vines. Din had purchased a bassinet for Grogu, it stayed tucked in the corner of the main suite he slept in. They preferred to sleep near each other after all their travels and time spent tucked in the sleeping nook of the Crest.

Grogu giggled and babbled about his ball, contentedly smacking it around the room, weaving in between the couch and arm chairs. Din chuckled to himself. The bag of groceries sat heavy on the counter, threatening to spill over at any moment, so he set to unpacking their little haul. Fresh fruit and bread laid out on the counter for easy access. Some meats and cheeses stocking their fridge unit alongside some of Grogu’s favorite juice. Din had even picked up a fresh bag of caf to brew from some far off, mid rim planet.

He breathed in, lungs full of thankfulness. When he first laid eyes on Grogu those years ago that felt like a lifetime, he never imagined their story playing out the way it had, that he would be so lucky as to live out a quiet life with him between jobs. Din felt like the puzzle was finally coming together. There was no box to match it to, but he could see the picture coming into focus with just a few missing pieces. He paid no mind to those blurred out areas, he was more than content, he was happy for the first time in his life.

Din stood behind the crowd, arms crossed over his beskar plated chest. Karga had Grogu in his lap as they watched the small parade circle around the town square. All the school aged children in bright colors waving and grinning, a few of the older kids from the secondary school beating drums and playing a light melody on flute. There were a few dancers and people handing out flowers and candies to the townspeople lining the street. Grogu was clapping and waving, that’s when Din saw you for the first time. His breath caught in his chest in an inexplicable way. Your hair was braided back with flowers tucked in carefully, a crown of daisies atop of your head. You had on a white, billowy shirt that hung off your shoulders tucked into a long, flowing turquoise skirt with a thick belt of brown leather separating the two garments. You were hand in hand with one of the younger kids, skipping along beside them. When you passed by the section they were watching from, you plucked the flower crown off of your head and set it atop Grogu’s.

“Buir!” he squealed in joy turning to face Din. Your eyes followed Grogu’s and you gave a small wave to the silver plated man before dancing further along the stone path.

Din felt a rush of heat to his cheeks, an ache in his chest he wasn’t sure he was capable of feeling again until this moment. Suddenly, the blurry parts of the picture started to come into focus, and it looked a lot like you. No, this was crazy, he was jumping way too far ahead. He didn’t even know your name.

He didn’t even know your name, and yet he felt drawn to you, captivated by your kind smile, the gentle rhythm of your feet as you danced away. The lilt of your laugh carried to him on the breeze, and he knew he was a dead man. His gaze returned to Grogu who was bouncing with excitement, his little hands drawing up to touch the flowers resting on his head.

Din kicked off of the wall he was leaning against to bend his head into Karga’s earshot.

“Who was that?”

“That was my lovely new flower shop owner!” Karga beamed. “She just moved here from Naboo! I think she’s going to make this little town a lot prettier, ‘eh, Mando?” he asked with an elbow to the ribs.

Although he couldn’t see his face, Karga could imagine the exact expression painted across it and he laughed heartily before pointing out a juggler to Grogu.

Din leaned back against the wall with a slight shake of his head. The parade was nearing a close, and he wondered about seeking you out when the festivities died down.

He decided to make a few stops around the market before heading to see if you would be at your shop to speak to you. He tried to calm down the race of his heart as he assembled a small welcome basket to present you with. He tucked a black kerchief with delicate silver stars stitched across it into the bottom of a small, woven basket before filling it with a fresh loaf of bread, a jar of jam and local honey, a brick of hard cheese imported from another system, and a magnet that said “Welcome to Nevarro!” across a background of two volcanoes with a river of lava running between them.

What if you thought this was silly or too forward. He almost talked himself out of it, but his feet on autopilot pulled him to the front of your shop. “Bloom” stretched across the top of the large window in a curling font, the space below filled with blue and lavender floral arrangements. A small wooden sign that appeared to be hand painted swung above the door when he pushed it open. A small bell tinkled alerting whoever might have been there to his presence, so he decided it was too late to back down.

“Be right there!”

You were up on a stool, in the same white shirt as before, but paint covered overalls now hanging from your lower half. A paintbrush in hand as you carefully listed your prices in thin white paint strokes against the navy blue wall behind the register. From here he could see that top of what seemed to be a delicate geometric tattoo running the very center of your spine. You finished the number you were carefully outlining and hopped down, recognizing them instantly.

“Well hey you!” you smiled warmly at the pair approaching your counter. Grogu hopped up wiggling his little legs as he got his footing and waved at you. You knelt down to his level and waved back.

“Here,” Din said extending the basket, “I wanted to get you something to say thank you for today.”

Your eyes wide at the kind gesture, “Well thank you, but that isn’t necessary. It was nothing.”

“It wasn’t though.” Din hesitated, his words coming slowly as if carefully choosing them, “He’s had a very hard life, endured much more than anyone should have to, so anything or anybody that allows him to just be a kid is something I’ll always be thankful for.”

Your gaze softened even more somehow as you rubbed his soft head. Grogu leaned into the touch, big brown eyes squeezed tight.

“Well thank you again,” you trailed off, the empty space searching for a name.

“People call me Mando, and this is Grogu.”

You gave him your name with a smile, “But a lot of people call me Milla.”

“Like the flower?”

You cocked your head to the side, “Yeah, how do you know of millaflowers? Have you been to Naboo?”

“A handful of times. My work takes me all over the galaxy.”

“Well I’m sure you’re full of stories,” you grinned straightening up from where you had been bent over to talk to the child. “You’ll have to tell me some sometime.”

“I’ll be seeing you around I’m sure, I was thinking of planting a small garden soon. I’m sure you can recommend a few things that will take well to the soil here.”

“Come by any time. It was a pleasure to meet you, especially you, Grogu,” you smiled once more reaching out to rub his ear.

“Take care, Milla,” Din called as he exited the shop. You smiled at the nickname and the gentle tingle of the bell as they disappeared from your view.

Grogu grunted in disapproval as his father carried him out of the shop and back towards their parked speeder.

“I know kid, I didn’t want to wear out our welcome, but trust me, I could’ve stayed there all day.”

He was already thinking of excuses to stop by your shop again. He’d open a kriffing landscaping company if it meant he got to see your smile every day. Maker, he was in over his head.

Mando’a translations

Buir: father

Ad’ika: little one

Taglist: @harriedandharassed

[lovebeinaprincessworld]

Just us - Three

(Felix Volturi x reader)

I‘ve decided to write this into a whole series, because this story has been on my mind for a while now. The parts are going to be published slowly, it always takes me awhile, but as I said before they all have a mostly ‚closed‘ ending so it’s still satisfying to read. Feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Parts: 1 2 3 4 5

Masterlist

Description: Bella invites you to her wedding and it unfolds a whole lot of alterations.

2734 words

“Oh my god, no way!”, you squealed into your phone, making Bella utter a small ‘ouch’. A few weeks after Felix came back from dealing with the newborn army in Forks, you decided to call Bella while taking a walk around the courtyard, but what you really didn’t expect her to tell you is that she’s engaged. “Yeah I can’t really believe it myself, I just wanted to tell you before the invitation arrived”, she told you in her usual calm voice. “I can’t wait honestly, I’m so happy for you! Do you already have a date?”, you asked excitedly, sitting down on a bench and enjoying the sun. “Yeah we decided on August 13th and will hold the ceremony in the Cullens garden. Do you think you’ll be able to come though?”, Bella asked sounding kinda anxious. “I think I gotta ask, but I mean why not? Everyone still thinks I have an internship here so why shouldn’t I be able to visit. Someone probably has to come with me though, do you think I can bring Felix?”, you asked thoughtful, considering all the possible outcomes bringing him could have.

“Yeah, yeah we already talked about that and decided that’s fine, he just needs to hunt somewhere else”, Bella confirmed and you could hear someone with a male voice say something to her. “Sorry (Y/N) I gotta go, there’s so much to plan you wouldn’t believe it. Anyway, will you let me know if you’re coming?”, Bella asked and you could hear her moving around. “Yeah sure I’ll let you know! Love you”, you answered and after a ‘love you’ from her you hung up the phone. Looking at the clock on top of the tower you saw that it’d be only two more hours until Felix was done with his duty today and you really couldn’t wait to ask him to go with you.

You stayed out in the courtyard enjoying the sunset, but with the dark starting to settle in, there were also more vampires walking around the courtyard. They didn’t get damaged by the sun, but a lot of them - especially the newer ones - didn’t like walking around in the courtyard in Italys summer heat. And even though they were under strict orders not to touch you, you also knew that the control vampires had over their thirst could be easily lost, even by the smallest triggers. You just had to think of Bellas Birthday last year and your feet moved a little faster in the direction of your chambers.

When you made it back and closed the door you released a breath you didn’t know you were holding, but when you turned around you already had the next heart attack incoming, because Felix was standing right behind you. “God, I told you not to do that!”, you complained pressing your hand to your racing heart. “Sorry mia cara, I didn’t mean to, I was just about to go searching for you”, he laughed and picked you up effortlessly so that you hooked your feet behind his back and your hand behind his neck. “I thought I’d make it back before you”, you hummed and pressed a content kiss to his cold lips. “The trial was over faster than we thought, so I rushed back to you, my love”, he smirked and sat you both down on the couch.

“I have some very big news”, you smiled with a giggle making his eyebrows raise in wonder. “Really? Something big happened in the last six hours we didn’t see each other?”, Felix grinned and looks at you. “Yes, Bella called and guess what she told me”, you excitedly changed your position to sitting on your knees. “She finally realized Edward is a failure and broke it off?”, Felix teased you and you playfully hit his chest, not to hard though (remembering what Bella told you about the time she hit Jacob). “No! The exact opposite actually, they’re getting married next month!”, you finally told him, smiling excitedly. His eyes widened and you were kind of proud of yourself for actually being able to surprise the millennia old vampire. “He really got her to agree, huh?”, Felix asked, referring to the time you told him about Edward only being willing to try having sex with Bella if they’d get married.

“Don’t say it like that, you make it sound like he’s forcing her to the altar in chains”, you giggled, “Bella was just worried about people thinking he knocked her up.” That made Felix let out a laugh: “This century is strange.” “Whatsoever, they invited us to come, so…?”, you came to the question you’ve been wanting to ask, hoping he’d say yes. “Really? Mhm…I would have to correspond with the masters, but if they agree I don’t see why not”, he reluctantly answered, making a joyful smile spread across your face. “Will you ask tomorrow?”, you pressed on, scooting closer to him, his hand laying down on your upper thigh.

“Yes, sure I will”, he smiled at how happy you were for your cousin. Simultaneously it made him wonder if you had ever thought about getting married, specifically getting married to him. That thought lingered in his mind, even after you pulled him in a hug and staying close after pulling away. “What is it?”, you asked scanning his face. He let out a huff, always amazed by how easily you could read him. “Nothing, nothing don’t worry”, he tried to shoot down your attempts to find out what was bothering him. No matter how much he loved you, he was scared of overwhelming you by talking about marriage (even though it was something he definitely wanted someday, with you). “I can see something’s wrong love, why won’t you tell me? Is it something bad, did something happen?”, he could see you were getting anxious and he could hear your heartbeat speeding up. “No, no amore it’s not that”, he tried to calm you down, “I…I was just wondering if you had ever thought about getting married.”

You were surprised to be honest, but in retrospect you could have anticipated it. He was very old fashioned and getting married was really important back in his time and with all this marriage talk, why wouldn’t it come up. „Yeah of course, why?“, you wondered, studying his face. „And what are your thoughts on marriage?“, he seemed to be carefully considering what he said, as if not trying to deter you. „Uhm I guess I always thought I would marry one day, committing to one another like that seems romantic. Nothing big though“, was this leading where you thought it was?

„Mhm“, Felix was lost in thought. Ever since being a vampire he didn’t really think about human traditions like marriage, but he knew that back when he was human these values were very important to him (eventhough he didn’t remember much from his former life). So the thought of marrying you appealed to him greatly, making his mate his the human way, he liked that thought.

——————————

„Congrats Bella! I’m so happy for you, you look gorgeous by the way“, you hugged your cousin after you finally got your hands on her at the reception, there were so many people that wanted to congratulate the happy couple. „Thank you, I’m so happy you made it“, she smiled at you, Edward and Felix only standing behind each of you, neither saying anything.

Shortly after that interaction you were pushed aside by the next guests that wanted to get to the couple, so you and Felix made your way over to your seats. You didn’t arrive there though, because a slightly familiar voice interrupted you. „(Y/N) is that you?“, Mike Newton pulled you into a hug before you could react. He was your classmate in highschool, but you always got an odd vibe from him.

„Who would have thought we would see you again? Heard you finished high school in Italy?“, he asked, and you felt Felix hand slide around your waist. „Yeah I did, it’s amazing over there“, you smiled, trying to cut this conversation short. But you were too quick to hope, because now Angela, Jessica and Eric were walking up to you.

„Wow, would you look at that“, Jessica smiled at you, but you could tell she was unhappy that Mike didn’t pay attention to her. Nothing ever changes in Forks, doesn’t it. „It’s nice to see you again (Y/N)“, Angela smiled, and you smiled back, her being the only one of the pack you ever truly liked. „And who might that be?“, Jessica asked curiously, pointing at Felix behind you who had been quiet until now.

„My name is Felix, I’m her partner“, Felix told them with his voice a little deeper than normal and his arm tightened around your waist. „Wow, maybe I should visit Italy if all men look like that“, Jessica laughed, but before the situation became to uncomfortable Alice swooped in and saved the day. „Excuse me, I need to whisk these two away from you for now“, she giggled and lead you away.

„Thanks for saving us Alice“, you laughed when you were out of earshot. „No worries, I know how they can get, you looked really uncomfortable“, she smiled and left you to your own devices again.

You finally settled in your seats, Felix immediately sliding closer with his chair, gripping your thigh with his strong hand. „If that human ever touches you again, he will be my dinner“, he grumbled making you pat his hand. No need to mention that - going by his smirk - Felix noticed right away that his possessive display of jealousy kind of turned you on.

—————————

You have been back in Volterra for almost a week when Felix approached you with an uncertain look on his face after he came back from his guard duty. You were sitting on the couch with your favorite book, and when you noticed his apprehension you put it away to give him your full attention.

„What is it?“, you were concerned, he rarely was unsure about anything. „Am I that easy to read?“, he chuckled and sat next to you, immediately pulling you into his side and giving you a soft kiss. „Only for me“, you grinned and gave him another kiss, before pulling back a little to like at him expectingly.

„I asked Aro for some time off“, he started to tell you what was on his mind, surprising you with the nature of it. „Time off? What for?“, you wondered and took his big cold hand that was playing with the hem of the blanket in yours, trying to give him comfort.

„I though maybe we could…I mean you told me how great you thought the honeymoon Bella and Edward are on is, and I figured even if we didn’t get married we could still get out of here for a while“, he came clean and you were stunned for a second. He surprised you again and again, who would’ve thought he is so thoughtful and sweet. God, you were so in love.

„Just us two?“, you breathed, excited at the prospect of having some real alone time with him. „Yes, if you’re comfortable with it I mean, if you don’t want to that’s-“, you interrupted him immediately, not wanting to entertain any insecurities. „Of course I want to, honestly that sound amazing“, you smiled and laced your hands behind his neck.

„Great“, he seemed to lose all his tension, sinking into your embrace and resting his chin on your head. „Where to were you thinking?“, you asked curiously, thinking about all the possibilities you had. All of the places that were really touristy or populated would probably not be in the race.

„The Volturi have several isolated properties around the world, believe it or not sometimes we do like to travel“, he chuckled, pulling you a little tighter against him, „we could use the one on an island in the Mediterranean Sea or there’s a cabin in the mountains in Switzerland.“ Humming you considered your options, you’ve never really liked beach vacations in the first place and autumn was approaching anyway, so you were leaning towards the mountains.

„Switzerland sounds nice“, you sighed closing your eyes, the affection and proximity of your mate always giving you comfort. Felix grumbled in agreement, and you were already wondering if maybe up in the mountains in a cozy cabin, Felix would feel safe enough to try - sleeping with you that is.

————————

You had left for the cabin the following evening, taking a small private plane and then a car from the airport. You had to travel throughout the night, because it was safe for Felix not to be spotted. When you arrived at the cabin you were in awe. It was really high up, there was snow as far as you could see. Pine trees were all around, only a small, at least a mile long, dirt path marking the way from the street to the cabin.

After Felix had carried your luggage inside, you two spent most of the day lounging around and just enjoying the calm and quiet for now. At some point you had to get up to make yourself dinner though, Felix keeping you company by sitting at the small kitchen island while you were cooking. In the evening you were laying on the couch together, the fireplace keeping you warm and cozy, while Felix was holding you close.

„You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to do all day“, Felix broke the comfortable silence and sat you both up slowly. You could feel him taking a shaky breath, making you wonder what was happening as he didn’t need to breath after all. You turned around to look at him, the spacious couch allowing you to sit cross-legged and hold his hands still.

„This isn’t as big and pompous as it could be, and I sincerely hope that I know you well enough to be right about you preferring this the small way“, he cleared his throat and you could feel your heart pick up its pace, „I still remember the moment I met your eyes for the first time like it was yesterday, and how I realized that after millennia of being alone in this world I wouldn’t have to be anymore. My love for you is so profound, endless and unconditional and no superficial human tradition could ever capture the lengths I would go for you, but I still want to make you mine in every possible way.“

Your heart was beating so hard the blood was rushing in your ears. He let go of one of your hands and pulled something out of his pant pocket, your mind already making the connection before you fully realize what’s happening. There in his hands is a beautiful but simple ring, and your free hand started shaking, covering your mouth in shock.

„So eventhough there’s no one here to officiate anything, I still want to ask you to marry me right here, right now, just the two of us“, he finished and you were left speechless. Of all the things you were expecting to happen here, this was the last thing you were prepared for.

Not quite finding your voice yet you nodded repeatedly, and some of the tension left your mates body and he smiled. „I need to hear you say it, mia cara“, he smiled lovingly and waited patiently for you to gather yourself. Taking a deep breath you removed the hand from your mouth. „Yes“, you answered with a small voice, „yes of course I’ll marry you.“

Pure unfiltered joy broke out across Felix face. He softly lifted your hand a little, slipping the ring onto your finger. You couldn’t hold back anymore, falling into his arms and burying your head in his neck. „I love you so, so much Felix. This is perfect“, you whispered, knowing he would hear you with his vampire ears and you could feel him pull you in even tighter.

You pulled back a little and he took your face into his hand, softly meeting your lips with his. You still being human meant you had to pull back sooner than you would’ve liked, still needing to breathe. „So this is a honeymoon“, you giggled, Felix just chuckling before pulling you close again.

[x0x0josephinex0x0]

The Hope in the Fault Lines, Part 2

I was expecting this part to take much longer to write.............but here it is!! part 2 of 5 in the series. Go read Part 1 if you haven't already!! Warnings: implied sexual behavior, sick child, one scene takes place in a hospital, implied PTSD (it's never said but she has it), death of sibling, this part is a bit of a rooooooooooough time but bear with me Word count: 5.6 k for part 2

par t 1 | part 3 | part 4

Before

You bit your lip as you looked at Jeri in the mirror. “You look beautiful,” you had told her, your voice hesitant.

“You sound so convincing,” she said sarcastically, adjusting her veil and smoothing her hands over the sleek bodice of her minimalist-chic wedding dress. “What’s your deal?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” you had asked her. “Get married? I mean, that means you’re stuck with him.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Not everyone is a workaholic and commitmentphobe,” she reminded you. “I’m in love with Jisung, sweetheart. We’ve been together for two years.”

“Is that long enough?” you had wondered out loud. “I mean, what if there’s something bad you don’t know about him? What if he committed a crime or something?”

Jeri gave you her best “you’re being ridiculous” look. “You remember who we’re talking about, right?” she asked you. “Jisung gets stressed out if he accidentally forgets to signal when he changes lanes. There’s no way he could commit a whole crime.”

You had to admit that was fair. She took your hands in hers. “I know what this is really about,” she said. “And I’m not making the mistake that mom made. I know what I’m doing.”

You had smiled at the confidence in her tone. In that moment, she seemed so mature and self-assured that you forgot she was your younger sister. Somewhere in this beautiful house, you knew Jisung was coming apart at the seams, and the thought of how the man must be panicking over every single detail of the day while your sister waited calmly to walk down the aisle was suddenly very funny to you. Downstairs, the music started, and you squeezed Jeri’s hands before tucking one of them into the crook of your elbow. 

“Ready?” you asked, feeling a whirlwind of emotions -- pride, worry, joy -- but giving your sister a smile.

“Ready,” she confirmed, and together you had headed down the stairs, where everyone in the wide chapel room had stood and turned their heads to gaze open-mouthed as you, Jeri’s only sibling, walked her down the aisle.

***

“Thanks for texting,” you say as you arrive home and Mingyu hands Sara into your outstretched arms. “The updates are really great. And thanks for grabbing the books! I’ll read to her tonight.”

The first two weeks of Mingyu’s employment have seen a drastic improvement in your mental state. For one thing, Mingyu keeps the house clean, so there isn’t the added weight of messiness and clutter. For another, you are able to work without the mental load of being away from Sara because you receive regular updates throughout the day. And finally, though it’s a bit embarrassing to admit, Mingyu is just a soothing presence. You only see him for a few minutes before work and after work every day, but it’s always so easy and pleasant to talk to him that you genuinely look forward to it. 

Your weekend time with Sara seems to be improving, too -- perhaps she can sense you’re breathing easier, which makes her less fussy, or maybe she’s just gotten used to you. Either way, she’s becoming more like she was before the accident, which does your heart a lot of good. And you love holding her, talking to her, and hearing her little babbles and shrieks. Obviously the circumstances of your parenthood are shit, but the actual parenthood part is turning out to be better than you thought.

“Just a heads-up -- I think she might be a little under the weather. She’s been fussy and low-energy today.” Mingyu looks between you and Sara, a little worry tinging his voice.

You look down at Sara’s flushed pink cheeks in worry. “Oh no,” you say. “Um, thanks for letting me know.”

“I got baby cough medicine,” he tells you. “So if she does come down with something, it’s in the cupboard where you keep your vitamins.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” you breathe. “Thank you.” You stroke Sara’s head, which she’s buried in the crook of your neck in exhaustion. “Don’t wanna say bye to Mingyu?” you ask her softly.

He brushes a broad hand over her black curls. “Bye, Sara. See you tomorrow.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” you say suddenly. “I have to leave Thursday night for a short day trip for the magazine. It’s nothing major -- I’m only staying overnight because the city is a couple hours away and I don’t love driving at night. Would you be alright staying with her?”

He nods. “As long as you’re paying me, I’ll be here,” he jokes.

“You’re a star,” you say, and he chuckles. “I’ll pay you time and a half for overnight stuff.”

“Thanks,” he says. “I’ll let you get her to bed, then.”

He gives you a smile that would make anyone weak in the knees, and you can’t help but smile back as he leaves. Turning your attention to Sara, you inspect her face. “Hmm,” you say, your brow creasing in worry at her dull eyes and ruddy cheeks. She does look ill, and this thought seems to hover uncomfortably in the back of your mind as you sit her in the bathtub. She fusses and cries during her bath, which is uncommon -- she loves splashing around, and usually bathtime is full of giggles and smiles. You bite the inside of your cheek and wash her off, toweling her dry a bit more thoroughly than usual to make sure she doesn’t go to bed with any part of her still wet.

You bring her to bed with you instead of putting her in her crib. You used to do this because you were so exhausted during nighttime feedings, and falling asleep in the rocking chair meant an aching neck in the morning. You still remember how terrified you were that you would roll over Sara and suffocate her. But gradually you learned that you woke with any small noise of Sara’s, and your fear had subsided. Now, she slept in your bedroom more nights than she slept in her crib -- and tonight, it felt extra necessary to keep a close eye on her.

Sure enough, around four in the morning you wake to sniffles punctuated by soft coughs. Sleepily, you lift Sara into your arms. She nuzzles into you, and you relax a bit -- clearly she is well enough to at least be aware of you. Allowing yourself to doze off, you wake up just before 5:30 and decide to actually get ready before Mingyu arrived.

You lay Sara back on the bed with a small kiss on her cheek, noting that it isn’t much warmer than it usually is (which means no fever), and take an open-door, open-curtain shower -- one where you could still see Sara’s little figure swaddled in the bed. You don’t get your hair wet, and you curl it once you get out. Finally, you actually put on makeup for the first time since your sister died. 

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you realize that you barely recognize this creature staring back at you. Her hollow cheeks and dark under-eyes have been concealed by an artful hand, but the colors in her gaze betray her. Perhaps it was just because you knew everything you’d gone through, but it is obvious to you that the eyes tell all -- the crushing nothingness of grief, the bitter rage, the dimness of despair. You remind yourself to avoid looking at the mirror too closely from now on.

Sara is still fast asleep when you finish around 6:45. You decide it’s best if she stays asleep for the sake of her health, so you carefully move her to her crib just as Mingyu’s knock sounds at the door. You tip-toe down the stairs to get it. “Hi,” you whisper to him as you open the door.

He seems taken aback for a moment, but recovers quickly. “Hey,” he says at a normal volume as he strides over the threshold and removes his shoes. “You look really nice, boss.”

“Oh!” you say, still whispering, remembering the makeup and the woman you couldn’t say was you in the mirror. “Um, thanks. Uh, Sara’s still asleep.”

He nods, looking a bit sheepish at how loud he’d been, and that little pinch of worry reappeared between his eyebrows. “Did she sleep okay?” he whispers back.

“She slept through the night, actually,” you tell him. “I’m thinking we should just let her sleep as long as she wants -- her body needs rest.”

Mingyu nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. How did you sleep?” he asks you, eyeing you carefully.

“Not too bad,” you say, feeling a little anxious under the weight of his gaze. “I woke up a little earlier than normal, but I got enough.” You give him a small smile. “How did you sleep, now that we’re at it?”

He grins. “I slept great. Thanks for asking.”

“Good to hear,” you say. 

You just stand there in the kitchen, smiling awkwardly at each other, before Mingyu says, “so...have you eaten yet?”

“Oh! Um, no,” you say, wondering why you’re always surprised whenever he chooses to speak to you even though you’re literally the only one in the room.

“Let me make you something,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of time until you need to leave, and I’ve never seen you eat breakfast.”

“I’m surprised you noticed that,” you say quietly. 

He winks at you. “I notice everything,” he says. “So, do you like eggs?”

He goes to the fridge and starts removing things. “Yes, I do,” you say, sincerely hoping he was just teasing and he doesn’t notice how you’re blushing. 

You only realize you’re staring him down when he looks at you with one eyebrow raised. “You in there?”

“Oh,” you say, yet again. You’re flustered today -- for some reason, it feels like your thoughts are taking a longer time than is average to come out of your mouth in any way that makes sense. You fixate on his broad hands chopping some garlic, and suddenly you’re speaking. “Yeah, sorry. It’s just...it’s a little stupid, but Jeri -- my sister, you know -- she was the one who always made me breakfast when we lived together in college. Even...even years later, she’d still text me occasionally to make sure I’d eaten.”

Where had that come from? Sure, it was all true -- the hard lump in your throat that made it difficult to say was evidence of that -- but why had you suddenly confessed such a thing to your nanny? You sigh. “Sorry, I don’t -- don’t really know why I just...told you that. Out of nowhere.” You look down at your hands, embarrassed.

He nods slowly, and his smile is tinged with sadness. “It’s okay,” he tells you. “I don’t mind.” He begins cracking eggs into the pan, stirring them with a pair of chopsticks to scramble them up. “What was your sister like?”

You raise your eyebrows at him. “What?” he says. “I’m curious. You don’t have to tell me, but I do genuinely want to know.”

Your mouth twists into a half-smile. “Well, she and I were like two sides of the same coin,” you say, going to sit at the island in the middle of the wide kitchen so he can hear you over the sizzling vegetables and eggs in the pan. “Inseparable since childhood, you know. She’s two years younger than I am, but it always felt like we were twins, somehow. She was...” 

You trail off, thinking. Mingyu is glancing between you and the eggs on the stove, but you can tell he’s listening. Maybe it’s the quiet of the morning, and maybe it’s just him, but the dam breaks, and words spill out. “She was just as stubborn as me, but she didn’t have the ambition I have, or maybe the better word is ‘hubris’. I wanted to build something that would outlast me, but she just wanted to live somewhere quiet with her husband and a houseful of kids. But neither of us ever...ever tried to talk each other out of what we wanted. We both knew, I guess. She knew I couldn’t stand being mediocre, and I knew she hated the spotlight. And God, I loved that about her. She never resented me for my success or my money, because there was no competition.”

Mingyu takes the eggs off the stove and plates them in one smooth move, setting them in front of you as you finish speaking. He smiles at you as he hands you a fork. “She sounds great,” he says. 

“She is,” you say. “Was,” you correct. Your eyes suddenly burn, and to distract yourself, you pick up a glob of eggs with the fork and blow on it, eating it. Your eyes go wide. “These are good!” you exclaim.

Mingyu gives a sarcastic little bow. “Thanks,” he says. He’s interrupted by a cry from the baby monitor -- Sara seems to have woken up.

You move to stand up to grab her, but Mingyu stops you. “You eat,” he instructs. “I’ll go get her.”

You watch him go up the stairs with the trace of a smile as you continue eating the eggs. He comes downstairs with Sara a few minutes later, and her little head is resting against his big shoulder. He’s bouncing her gently, and you are struck for a moment at how tiny she looks in his thick arms.

In minutes you’ve finished your eggs, knowing you don’t have long until you need to leave. But you do wash your plate and the pan that Mingyu used to make the eggs, despite his protests. “I may not have given the impression that I know how to do the dishes the first few weeks you worked here, but I promise I do,” you tease. 

He shakes his head, amused. “I know you do, you just don’t seem like someone who should wash dishes.”

“Why?” you ask indignantly.

He shrugs. “Kind of like how a queen shouldn’t make her own bed in the morning. You’ve got me for that.”

You actually laugh at that. “Are you calling me a queen?”

He nods his head emphatically. “Of course you are,” he says with a grin. 

Your smile is big enough that it’s hurting your face. “Well, thank you,” you say. “But you’re not my maid. In fact,” you continue, and grab your now-clean fork, “I think you deserve a promotion.”

In a dramatic march, you make your way over to Mingyu, who watches you with amused eyes as you stop in front of him, reaching up to tap both his shoulders with the fork before tapping the crown of his head. “You’ve been knighted,” you say seriously. And he giggles at you -- a surprisingly high, breathy sound that instantly fills you with warmth.

“I’m gonna ask all my friends to call me Sir Mingyu,” he tells you. 

Solemnly, you nod. “I’m glad to know this went straight to your head.”

He laughs again, and you start to walk away. “Well, Princess Sara and Sir Mingyu, have a lovely day. The queen needs to go to work.”

He’s still grinning at your antics by the time you make it out the door.

On the drive to work, you catch yourself smiling to yourself. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been silly like that -- it had probably been since college, and even then that side of you didn’t come out often. You had grown up far too fast, a necessity in a household like you grew up in, and the only person who really could bring it out of you had been Jeri, whom you had been that way for to try to save her from growing up too fast, too.

When Mingyu had entered your house today, he’d been your employee, but when you’d left the house, you felt that you had kind of become friends. The thought, as odd as it was, was also comforting. Because raising a child with a nanny felt clinical and business-y of you, but raising a kid with a friend was probably the closest this could get to how it should be. You make a mental note to make a raise schedule for Mingyu so that he never ever ever leaves your employment.

***

Before

You look between Jisung and Jeri with a raised eyebrow. Letting out a puff of air, you lean forward. “The things I have seen today,” you say while pinching the bridge of your nose, “are things I never thought I’d see when I asked you to house-sit for me. And things I’m expecting and hoping to never see again. Are we clear?”

Jisung’s face is bright red, and Jeri looks traumatized. They both nod.

“Although I am pretty impressed at your creativity,” you continue, feeling the need to lighten the mood in the room. “The kitchen island, Jisung? I mean, that was acrobatic of you both.”

The two of them look at each other and burst into giggles. “Okay, we’re sorry,” Jeri says, her face just as red as Jisung’s, but she can finally look you in the eye. “But can you blame us? I mean, we’re newlyweds.”

“Newlyweds who got carried away,” you agree. “Jisung, it’s okay. I’m not going to commit any murders today. You can look at me.”

“I am so embarrassed,” your sister’s husband groans. “It was my fault, I just --”

Jeri cuts in. “No, it was me, I just --”

You roll your eyes. “I really don’t care who started it. I just care that every single inch of this kitchen is sprayed with medical-grade chemicals and that you promise to never ever ever let me catch you like that again. Especially in my own house.”

“Deal,” says Jeri. Her eyes are twinkling with humor, and you have to concentrate to keep yourself from grinning at her. Because she knows what you’re about to say as Jisung hurries out of the room for the bleach.

“Damn, girl. Good for you.”

***

“Boss?” Cory’s voice sounds as though it’s coming to you from down a long hallway, and you snap back to earth with a little shake of your head.

“Sorry, Cory,” you say, shifting in your seat and reaching for your glass of water. “What were you saying?”

Cory picks at the potatoes on his plate and looks around the fancy restaurant at anything but you before fixing you with a blue-eyed gaze that is surprisingly intense. “I figured this would be the best time to confess.”

What? You’re sure you misheard him. “Confess?” you repeat.

“Yeah,” he says, and in spite of himself, he’s grinning. “Listen, we’ve worked together for seven years. We met freshman year of college, and you really believed in me more than anyone ever has in my life. I -- I’ve kept this in for a long time, actually. Years.”

“Are you telling me you have feelings for me?” you ask him bluntly.

“Well, yeah,” he says, and he blushes. “Are you telling me you had no idea?”

“I seriously didn’t,” you say, your head spinning. You take a deep breath and pray you’ll find the right words. “Listen...I appreciate you so much, Cory. I couldn’t ask for a better editor, and you’re absolutely right -- I have so much faith in you and your skills. This business, my business, wouldn’t be anywhere without you.”

He gives you a sad half-smile. “But?” he says.

“But,” you say, nodding. “But my sister just died, like, three and a half months ago. And I’m still trying to figure out what my life looks like from here. A lot is changing for me...and even if it weren’t, I still don’t think I’d be sure how I felt about being in a relationship with anyone.”

Cory seems to chew on these words as you speak. “Well, I can’t say that comes as a surprise to me,” he says after awhile. “But it was getting to be too much for me to hold in.”

“I understand,” you say, avoiding his gaze.

“Listen,” he says, and he reaches across the table to put a hand over yours. “I want you to take your time and think about it. Think about me, in that way. Figure out if it makes sense in your head like it makes sense in mine. I won’t give up on you, so take your time.”

“Okay,” you say. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” he says -- but you aren’t apologizing for anything you said. You’re apologizing for the way you want to run out of the restaurant, far away from the yearning look in his eyes.

***

Before

“But what if --”

“Save it,” Jeri says, brushing mascara over your eyelashes. 

“Seriously though. What if I --”

“You’re not going to mess it up,” she tells you. She closes the tube of mascara and then pulls the graduation cap from your bag. “Just do the speech like you practiced. You ran it through with me like a thousand times.” She pins the cap on in record speed.

“But what if I do mess it up?” you finally say.

She puts both her hands on your shoulders and gives you a look that shuts you up right away. “If there’s one thing I know about my sister, it’s that she is always prepared.”

You swallow hard at this. “Oh, God,” you breathe. “I’m not sure...”

“Why are you so nervous? You were fine yesterday,” she asks you.

“Because what if it all fails? Not just the speech,” you clarify at her quizzical glance. “All my plans, the magazine, the business...what if it all just fails?”

She gives you a gentle look. “Then we’ll start over. We always do.”

This is what gives you the strength to walk onto that stage: the knowledge that even if the worst possible thing happens, you and Jeri will always have each other.

***

There is, in your opinion, nothing worse than being exhausted and anxious. It creates the perfect storm: desperately wanting to close your eyes and escape the thoughts swirling around in your brain, but also being entirely unable to relax, which is the state you find yourself in after the dinner with Cory. So you toss and turn in your hotel room, a three hour drive from home, and wonder how Sara is doing.  

Your last text from Mingyu had come in at around 7pm, and he was putting her to bed then. According to his updates, her cough had gotten worse. Cory’s confession truly couldn’t have come at a worse time, when you were already so preoccupied with Sara’s health. At 10:57pm you check your phone one final time before your exhaustion beats back your anxiety with a stick and you reluctantly sink into uneasy dreams.

It seems like minutes of sleep before you wake to your phone ringing. Your eyes fly open, but you suddenly realize your arms and legs aren’t working as you try to reach for it. Your breath speeds up, but you can’t open your mouth to scream. And spiders seem to be crawling out of the shadows on the walls.

Finally you can twitch your fingers, then move your arms, then sit up and grab your phone. Still shaking, still hyperventilating, still sick with worry, you check the caller ID and your stomach drops -- it’s Mingyu. 

You quickly answer. “Hi,” you say breathlessly.

His voice is slightly muffled. “I’m taking Sara to the hospital,” he says, his tone urgent. “I don’t think she’s breathing very well.”

The air has left your lungs. You hear yourself answer him -- something about thanking him and you’ll see them soon -- and then you drop the phone. For a split second you’re frozen in panic. Then, you leap into action. You grab your keys from the nightstand, leaving everything behind but your phone and its charger, and race down the hallway to the elevator in your pajamas.

What follows is the most tense three hour drive of your life, riddled with flashbacks to phone calls from police officers on the highway. “You’re sister’s been involved in an accident,” you hear over and over in your head. “Come to the hospital.” You’re gripping the wheel so tightly that your knuckles ache, and you alternate between struggling to breathe and silently weeping. There are whole minutes, maybe more, from the drive that you don’t remember. You don’t know if you’re speeding. You don’t know what time it is. The only thing you can think is Please God, don’t let another member of my family die in that goddamn hospital. 

You had hoped you’d never have to walk into this lobby again -- never have to smell the chemicals or see the doctors or talk to the front desk people and tell them who you’re there for. You never wanted to be in this same elevator, going up to this same floor, possibly to the same hallway you’d visited nearly four months earlier. And yet, here you are. It’s like your brain can’t believe it -- nothing feels real. If things got any weirder, you’d be tempted to reach your hand out to the nearest wall, half-expecting it to dissolve into smoke in your hands. 

You round a corner, arriving in another one of those identical hallways, your heart in your throat, and you see him. Mingyu is standing about halfway down the hallway, talking to a doctor, his shoulders set in anxious tension, and before you can stop yourself you’re calling for him. You don’t even register his shocked expression as he turns to see you, and you don’t even realize that you’re running to him before he opens his arms to you and your collide with him.

He wraps you up tight in his grasp. “Hey,” he grunts in your ear, probably from the speed at which your body crashed into his, but his voice is calm. “She’s okay, they’ve got her on an oxygen machine. They’re giving her great care. She’s gonna be fine.”

The doctor clears her throat. “Who is this, Mingyu?” she asks. 

Mingyu doesn’t let go. “She’s the child’s legal guardian,” he explains over your head. 

The doctor makes an understanding noise. “I’ll let you have a minute,” she says.

Mingyu turns his attention back to you. “Breathe for me,” he says. “Big deep breaths.”

You try to obey, and the only thing you can think about is how shaky the breath sounds as it enters your lungs. “Can I see her?” you say, and your voice comes out in a raspy whisper.

“Yeah,” he says. “She’s just in here.”

He ushers you into the hospital room, where Sara lies in a little crib, her nose hooked up to a cannula pumping oxygen into her lungs. You approach her sleeping form, only vaguely aware of Mingyu’s arm across your shoulders, and bend down to brush a trembling hand over her forehead.

“She’s really going to be fine,” Mingyu murmurs to you. You look up at him, and for some reason, the way he is looking at you is what tips you over the edge. The emotions spill over, and you find yourself burying your face in his chest as you sob.

He doesn’t say anything. He just wraps his arms around you, pulling you closer into him and letting you cry. You don’t even have it in you to be ashamed of how desperately you’re clinging to him, fingers bunching into the fabric at the back of his shirt, crying the first tears you’ve shed in front of another person besides Sara since the funeral. His grip on you tightens the harder you sob, and you dazedly consider the idea that Mingyu might be trying to squeeze the sadness out of you. It’s an oddly comforting thought, and soon enough you’ve released all your emotions, the evidence of them two unflattering tearstains on Mingyu’s tee.

You take a calming breath in, pulling back to look at his face. His eyes are red, and his face is set in stony lines. It is then that you realize he’s not okay. 

Several pieces of the puzzle that is the man in front of you seem to collide together in your brain at once: the way he talks about kids and the ease with which he interacts with Sara; the way the doctor seemed to know him on a first name basis; the way he’d held you almost as though he was also trying to hold himself together too. Mingyu is familiar with this particular part of this particular hospital. Mingyu has had personal experience with sick kids.

But you don’t say anything about it yet -- you know it would be too much to ask him to explain what is most probably a complicated and painful history. So you just give him a watery smile and say, “thank you for being here. And for taking such good care of her.” You pause and draw in a hitching breath before adding, “Sir Mingyu.”

He gives the tiniest smile. “I’m glad I was able to get her here in time to get her help.”

“Well, you’ve got a job until Sara moves out,” you promise him.

The smile gets bigger. “That’s a long time,” he says in a falsely skeptical tone. “You sure you won’t get sick of me?”

You roll your eyes. “Oh yeah, I forgot that you’re incredibly unpleasant to be around,” you say scathingly. “But seriously. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to take care of Sara. You need a raise or something.”

He shakes his head. “Just pay Chan a finder’s fee instead,” he jokes. “I’m sure he’d love that.”

“He probably would. And I probably owe him one,” you say, wiping the sticky tear residue from your eyes.

To your surprise, you once again find yourself wrapped up in a tight squeeze from Mingyu. “Thank you for getting here so fast,” he says quietly.

“Of course,” you say. You hesitate before winding your arms around him and squeezing him back -- perhaps hearing the unspoken truth that Mingyu needed you there as much as you needed him.

***

Before

“I’m never going hiking again,” Jeri complains, and Jisung laughs.

“You’re going to see the view, and you’re going to change your mind,” he predicts. 

You grin at their banter -- this is only the second time Jeri has invited her new boyfriend along on one of the hikes, but you can tell he really likes her. And according to that last comment, he also knows her pretty well.

Cory is nearly sprinting up the trail ahead of you. “Come on, guys!” he calls. “We’re almost there.”

You’re feeling a little irritated with him because he tried to guide you in the complete wrong direction, but you try to keep that off your face as you trudge up the mountain. Sure enough, around two more bends is the summit. You are looking into a deep valley with a crystalline lake at the bottom, and the sight pricks your eyes with emotion. You refuse to cry in front of Cory, though, so you instead turn your attention to Jisung and Jeri, the former of whom is carrying your sister the remaining fifteen feet to the summit.

But when your sister sees the valley and the lake, she hops off her boyfriend’s back and scurries nearly to the edge. You have to grab the back of her backpack to stop her from overextending herself and hurtling over the edge of the cliff. “Easy there,” you say to her, but she’s not listening, her eyes shining with the sight. 

“Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?” Jeri asks. 

You look back at Jisung, and you can see it in his eyes -- he’s absolutely whipped for her. You’re almost surprised that he doesn’t kiss her in front of all of you. Exasperatedly, you chuckle, thinking privately that you should probably start adding to Jeri’s wedding fund. 

You stay up there for almost an hour before disaster strikes, but surprisingly, it’s you who twists an ankle tripping over some rocks. You wince as the group is making its painfully slow way down the mountain, your ankle throbbing with every step. “I need a breather,” you tell them. “Go on without me.”

But as Jisung and Cory start to move away, Jeri plants herself beside you. “Go on without you?” she repeats. “But we’ll be so entirely lost without you. Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you.”

***

The hospital keeps Sara in for one more night before she’s improved enough to be off the breathing machine. You can’t help but tear up as they place her into your arms, and she reaches up to your face to pat your chin clumsily. “Hey, baby girl,” you coo. “You did so good.”

Alone, you soak in the feeling of her comforting weight on your chest for a few more minutes before gently laying her in her carrier. She fusses a little, and you speak in soothing tones: “Shhh, it’s okay, my love. We’re going home. You won’t have to be in there for too long.”

And then finally, finally, finally, you get home. Walking in the front door with Sara to the empty house feels both soothing and incomplete, and you realize as you hoist her carrier to her bedroom so you can sit in her rocking chair that your mind is on that tall, dark-haired man who laughs at your ridiculousness and held you when you fell to pieces. You had bullied Mingyu into going home to rest, knowing that if he had stayed with you like he planned, he’d be in caretaker mode. You don’t regret your choice to send him home, but you also realize that you feel that he should be here, with the both of you. The fact that he isn’t leaves a small empty space in your heart.

Still, it’s heaven enough to hold Sara and rock her and clean her stuffy nose off every few minutes. Settling back into the chair and letting Sara’s weight onto your chest, you think that there’s almost nothing that could make this moment more perfect. 

And then, you cough.

[kalevalakryze]

Yhe'na Det Och'sa

Chapter Five: Det Baht

Summary: "You're too young to fight a war," Ahsoka had said, with little room for argument. But Shin knew they were ready, knew they were meant for more than that, knew they were worthy to fight at Ahsoka's side... If only they could find some way to prove themselves... Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3| 4 AO3 Link: Here! Notes: All amazing artwork posted in the fic done by @somewillwin

Tension had risen in the weeks since Shin had found their Kyber. The rebellion was beginning to make moves, moves that put them in the public eye, actions that could not be brushed away as separatist outlier activity. The Empire and all of its citizens were beginning to face the truth of the Rebellion that’s been brewing under their feet. 

Ahsoka was so busy lately, too. She was meant to be training Shin, but now, the Padawan was lucky to see their Master once in the mornings. “I want to come with you,” Shin declared that fateful morning over breakfast. They’d done their morning meditation alone, they’d helped Huyang attend to the ship alone, and now, as Ahsoka pulled her cloak over her shoulders with half of a burned piece of toast hanging past her lips, Shin knew they would be spending much more than breakfast alone. “You’re not ready yet, Shin,” Ahsoka sighed, not even looking at her. 

“Isn’t this what I’m training for?” The twelve-year-old demanded, hands flailing towards the door Ahsoka planned on walking out of. It was almost as if every time they had the displeasure of docking with a Rebel Cruiser, Ahsoka would be gone for days , something about a Ghost Crew . Shin couldn’t help the bristling feeling that came with every story of a Padawan boy and a Mandalorian girl that was shared in their brief times together… 

“No,” Ahsoka sounded definitive; Usually, that would be enough to quiet the brunette. Today, however, they found a burning in their heart, a restless anxiety that wanted her to beg not to go, a creeping feeling in the Force that made their skin crawl. “You’re training to be something else. You aren’t a soldier.”

“Well… Why not?” Their breakfast went forgotten as they stood from the table, scrawny arms crossed over their chest as they tried to put themselves between the door and the woman trying to go past it. “I have the weapon, the galaxy needs the help. Who’s going to watch your back out there?”

“Shin, you are twelve, you are not fighting a war.” The fire in Ahsoka’s eyes matched the stubborn might in Shin’s own, a brewing typoon that would destroy everything if they’d let it. Ahsoka never talked about it, and Shin had never known to ask, but the words hung in a haunting manner. Ahsoka would not raise another child soldier, but… would the galaxy truly give her that choice. 

“Isn’t it the will of the Force that I’m at your side?” 

“I’m just trying to keep you there in one piece,” Ahsoka acquiesced, bristling under the long-forgotten familiarity as she reached to place a hand on their shoulder to usher them out of her way. “I’ll be back later, we can discuss this attitude when I get back.” 

Her words were final, and with a deflated huff, Shin watched as Ahsoka swept down the ramp and into the bustling hangar bay to board the ship that would take her to the Ghost Crew. 

“You do not hate her,” Huyang pointed out as a simmering Padawan joined him in the cockpit of the T-6, watching as Ahsoka’s small starship shot out of the hangar bay and entered hyperspace a short ways away. “You hate how powerless the situation has made you feel.” He added unhelpfully.

“Thanks, Huyang,” The pre-teen grumbled as they dropped into the copilot's seat and pulled the seatbelts tight. “Can I drive?”

“No thank you, I value my life.”

“You’re twelve,” Shin mocked, in what was yet again, another pathetic rendition of the argument from that morning. “I’ll not allow you to do what it is that I’ve been training you for,” The young Padawan scoffed as she passed a small torch to Huyang. “How kriffing ridiculous,” 

Huyang was either endlessly patient or he’d tuned her out entirely. From an old radio in his voicebox, speakers played almost calming music, though it did nothing to quell the pre-teen’s frustrations. “Huyang, meht had to get up to something before, right? There’s no way she would have stayed behind.”

“You are a much better-behaved Padawan than she had been, that is correct,” He answered for the first time since they’d angrily barged into his quarters for something to do. “I need that spare emitter in box four cresh, please.”

“Right! I am a good Padawn. I’ve done everything right!” Shin continued, as if she hadn’t bothered to hear the droid, but still pushed off her stool to sort through the box and grab the burnt and ruined lightsaber emitter he’d asked for. “So why isn’t any of it good enough for her,” 

Digital yellow eyes clocked onto the brunette as they gathered materials for his next step. These were words he’d heard often, across several lineages of Padawans going back eons, however… This lineage, when they spoke in such a way… he’d learned to become cautious. 

“Perhaps you should find another subject to ponder, young Tano. Do not feed those thoughts,” 

Silver eyes narrowed at him; “I can control my mind just fine, if that’s what you’re afraid of, Huyang,” 

The two stared at each other, Huyang refused to be cowed by the way silver eyes crinkled towards him, the way the human’s nose crinkled as if they would get violent to prove their statement. “Whatever, I’m out of here. Let me know when Ahsoka wants me around,” They huffed, pre-pubescent rage fueling the way their feet stomped to their room. 

At least, in space, the comm towers were easier to connect to. The connection was good enough that, as Shin tossed themselves into their bunk and dialed Leia’s comm chain, the Princess was accepting the transmission before they’d even righted themselves in the bunk. 

“Shin!” Leia sounds relieved as her form strikes into the holo. Two-vee is parading around the Princess’s head, tutting something or other about taking calls without being proper. 

“Hey,” The pre-teen croaked, tucking her small tooka doll into her arms as a welcome companion as she placed the comm disc on a small shelf near the head of the bunk, full of various other trinkets. 

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Even through the artificial life of the holoprojector, Shin could feel the warmth in dark brown eyes as they focused solely on her. Leia always was kind like that, even with everything she had going on, with her apprenticeship in the Senate and preparing for her Day of Demand, she was always ready to set it all aside for them. 

“My mom and I got into an argument,” They grumbled, burying their face into the crook of their elbow as embarrassment crept onto their cheeks. 

“You and Ashla? But you two never fight?” Leia squinted at the brunette suspiciously, finally succeeding in getting Two-Vee to back away from twisting her hair into braids, allowing both girls solitude. 

“It’s been happening a lot lately, and I just. . .” The pre-teen huffed out a frustrated exhale. There was so much she couldn’t say, things that she couldn’t tell Ahsoka, or Huyang, and things that she really couldn’t tell Leia, for her safety. “It feels like she doesn’t get it . If anyone would understand, you’d expect it to be her, from what Huyang said about her time as a…kid, but then she just acts like…” There was a shuffling noise from Shin’s end, the brunette resorted to animated hand movements that made no real sense but seemed to express what words could not. 

“I get it,” Leia admitted, tone touching a tad softer now as she folded her hands neatly over the desk. “Perhaps… she doesn’t want to see you make the same mistakes she had?” 

“Don’t be rational with me,” Shin groaned, the pillow they’d cradled into their stomach with their free arm being moved to rest over their head as silver-blue eyes peered past the gap pathetically at the older girl. 

Leia laughed at this, bubbly and warm, and enough to bring a smile to Shin’s lips as well. “Alright alright, no rationality from me, promise. Have you thought about dying all of her clothes pink?” 

“Oh my makers, you’re a genius. The next time we get to Alderaan, we need to get the dye,” 

“Oh, it’s so on. Where are you guys at anyways? When can I see you again?” 

Letting the pillow fall from their head, Shin peered to the star map settled on the nightstand, just out of frame. “We’re out in the outer rim, bringing some supplies to Jakku.” Leia’s eyes seemed to light up at the thought. 

“I wish I could be out there with you, helping people..” 

Shin’s eyes lowered. You and me both… “There’s important work to be done in the senate. My mother is still trying to push past the siege on Mandalore to be allowed to deliver supplies to the citizens who have been cut off by Imperial restrictions. Without people like your father and you, we may never succeed,” It was the same Bantha Fodder that Ahsoka always fed her, when they would ask about Leia joining them on the ship, or when Shin would question her about Leia’s knowledge of the Rebellion and when they would finally be able to be truthful to each other. 

Leia seemed to tire of this response as well, idly picking at the fresh paint on her nails as Shin spoke. “There is, but it doesn’t feel like it has as big an impact as actually helping a person, face-to-face.” 

“Every choice you make has an impact in some way…” Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Shin shifted in their bunk, reaching to unclip their saber from their belt and stuff it in its safe place, between the mattress and the durasteel wall. “What have you been up to, anyway?” 

As Leia went into the tirade of her recent exploits with her father in Coruscant and her plans for her Day of Demand,  Shin let herself sink into the familiar feeling of being around someone normal . 

It was nearly two standard hours later, as Leia discussed her plans to climb Appenza Peak, that the chill began to permeate everything around Shin. No matter how many blankets they burrowed themselves in, the cold persisted. 

“Shin, where are you? I think you’re breaking up-“ Leia’s voice crackled, pulling them from their inquisitive respite, idly reaching through the Force for the source of the cold. 

“Huh?” Blinking, the brunette pulled herself into a sitting position, blankets pooling around their waist as paranoia began to flood their veins. 

It felt like frost was permeating their very being as they rose from their bunk. Leia’s form was distorting as the comms wavered. With a willing tug of the force, Shin’s saber flew to their hand, easing the anxiety that ate away at their mind. “Huyang?” Shin called, foolishly hoping that the strange feeling had something to do with his work. 

The ship rocked with the energy of someone docking with the shuttle, she could hear Leia bark their name one final time before a jammer cut the signal entirely at last. 

As Shin slipped from their bunk room, fingers flexing around the bolt of their saber, they heard the telltale hiss of hydraulics as their airlock was being forced open. 

“Lady Tano, you need to-“ Shin didn’t give him time to finish as they sped across the cabin; his chassis was hard against their shoulder as they body-checked the ancient droid, sending him tumbling back into his workspace with a loud clang. 

His back caught on the sharp edge of a table, and with a wince, Shin noted the sound of wires being ripped from their sockets and the sight of the lights in his eyes powering down. With a quick flash of their saber through the control panel, the door slid shut and locked tight. They had to hope it was enough to keep him safe, at least. 

The airlock popped at last, flooding the cabin with a choking darkness that permeated their soul in its venom. Shin took a breath to steady themselves against the tidal waves in the force, thoughts straying briefly to Ahsoka, hoping that some sort of warning would reach her through the jammer. Hells, maybe she was on her way right now . 

As heavy footsteps thudded against the durasteel floors and their hands wrapped around their saber, raising their defenses, they sent out their last Hail Mary. Meht… please hurry. 

The Ghost crew moved like a well-oiled machine on most days. If that well-oiled machine was chock full of different parts that misfired constantly. But ever since Fulcrum told them who she was- to a degree- they’d found their footing and were making good on nearly all of their strikes against the Empire. 

Ever since the Inquisitors started showing up, Ahsoka had been so awfully busy, not only were they hunting Ezra and Kanan, but Ahsoka learned that they had information on other survivors, people Ahsoka had only hoped to find in her years since the purge. 

The halls of the light cruiser they’d found floating in open space were crowded with the stench of decay. Stormtrooper corpses mottled the ship in all places, with lightsaber scorch marks all across the plastoid and walls. 

“Eyuch,” Ezra complained as he stepped over a body, nose scrunching up slightly. “Can’t believe we found something that smells worse than Zeb ,” The teenager scoffed, actually putting himself closer to the Lasat like a moving air freshener. 

“Yeah yeah, kid,” Zeb grumbled, checking his shoulder into the boy as they rounded a corner, bumping him into one of the walls. 

“Will you two cut it out?” Sabine’s voice was distorted through her helmet’s vocoder, though her annoyance dripped through it as she pulled her blasters close, popping her arms back out once she was around and clear. 

Hera moved quietly between Ahsoka and Kanan, pinching the bridge of her nose as the bickering continued. “Chop, get the door to Hangar nine open, please,” She called over her comms, receiving a warble in reply as they moved. 

As the door opened, Ahsoka’s step faltered. Klaxons were blaring, and darkness was flooding a small ship, when she looked at the sabers in her hands, it was not the orange of her skin or the emerald green of her own sabers that met her eye, and it certainly wasn’t Greivious or Pirates piling past the airlock . 

“Ahsoka-“ Kanan’s hand was heavy on her shoulder, brows furrowed in concern at her stumble. When she focused back on the real world, it was the familiar and unwelcome comfort that came with the chaos of a battlefield. Ezra stood before the two Clone War survivors, blocking them from incoming lasers, Hera and Zeb each took up one side of the door, firing blind into the smog that filled the hangar bay, while Sabine’s gloved hands pressed into her biceps, steadying her where Kanan couldn’t, with his own saber raised in their defense. 

Shaking her head quickly, Ahsoka righted herself, brushing off the support readily as she ignited her sabers. “I’m alright, let’s focus-“ 

Another wave, a choking presence across the only Force bond she’d allowed herself.

  Meht…  

Her blade faltered, and a bolt of plasma broke her defense and singed the collar of her tunic, though it didn’t do much in cutting through skin, not with the thick material of the Akul hide protecting her body. 

“Chopper! Get these doors closed, now!” Hera shouted; forever perceptive when it came to her Force Sensitive companions. 

As the doors slammed shut and the chaos was silenced, Ahsoka found that the ground was rushing towards her all too fast, knees hitting durasteel almost simultaneously as Kanan dropped, a hand to his head as the darkness pervaded his defenses, poison sinking into the three of them with fangs they could not hope to remove. 

“Ahsoka-“ Ezra’s face had paled, Zeb’s arms were wrapped tight around him, keeping him up as a cold fever rushed across his skin. “ What is this? ” 

“We need to go- I need to go-“ Fulcrum rushed out, once again brushing off the Mandalorian and Twi’lek’s hands from her arms as she forced herself to rise. It was no coincidence, and it was not just the Force trying to warn her, it was Shin, reaching across boundless space to call for help… and that darkness, it was an inquisitor. 

Everything she’d done to protect them would be in vain if she didn’t get there fast enough. “Where do you need to go?” Hera offered readily, heart bigger than was safe. 

“I need to go alone, it won’t be safe for your crew,” The pilot was going to argue, but Ahsoka didn’t have *time,* the moment she was on the Ghost, she was moving to the phantom. “I have to ask that you don’t track this, Hera. But I will return as soon as I can.” 

Uneasy with the situation, Hera found herself acquiescing with only a nod of her head and a brush of her hand against the Togruta’s bicep. “Be safe, Ahsoka,”

Ahsoka did not acknowledge the crew further as she climbed into the Phantom and flew through her flight checks, undocking and engaging the thrusters and hyperdrive the moment she was able. 

I’m coming, du tungama. 

Scrambling to a panel along the far wall, Shin cut the remaining power to the shuttle, leaving only life support and the dim emergency lights as a way to see. There was only one lifeform pushing past the hatch and that , Shin could handle.

Huyang had left a box of spare lightsaber hilts out, which Shin was quick to take advantage of, spilling them out onto the floor around the airlock before scrambling to find cover under a bench as the stranger passed through. 

Metal clanked and rolled as heavy footsteps found her surprise, though instead of something more startled , the stranger only laughed. Low, poisonous and foreboding. Through the dim lighting, Shin caught the lights reflecting off of black gloves, just barely catching sight of the stranger plucking a hilt from the floor. Tutting to themselves, the stranger allowed it to drop back down.

The noise reverberated through Shin’s skull, prompting them to huddle closer to the inside of the bench as the stranger began moving through the largest part of the cabin, looking for… something. When the door to their bunk hissed open, Shin took their move, scrambling on their hands and knees to crawl out from under the table. 

Heart hammering in their chest, silver-blue eyes tried to focus, to see past the literal and figurative darkness that clouded their vision, forcing their breathing to still despite the effort that came with each forced inhale. If they were too loud, then she’d be done for; she just had to buy Ahsoka enough time- 

This was the mantra they repeated to themselves as they scurried across a dark floor, hauling themselves into the cockpit and all but throwing themselves into the pilot's seat, fingers flying over the controls to see what could be done about forcing the ship to detach and getting comms back up. 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” The woman sing-songed from the main cabin, footsteps heavy on the floor as she made her way around the outskirts. Shin focused on their presence in the Force, nearly recoiling from shock at the feeling that enveloped the stranger. How can a person be so… dark? A shiver ran up their spine, bile gathering in their throat as she heard the clatter of things being thrown around; the shattering of a datapad rang particularly harsh in their ears, though they did not have time to mourn the loss as the footsteps rounded closer; “I know you’re in here, Fulcrum,” The woman hissed sharply. 

The concentration it took to topple the plate on the table from their spot in the cockpit was immense, feeling through the force for the forgotten porcelain with stale toast sitting atop it. Just as the dark stranger passed the threshold, Shin found her grasp, sending the plate and food off the table behind them with a clatter.

A predator who’d just smelled blood, the woman turned away from the cockpit, steps loud as they retreated back to the table. The click hiss of a saber igniting was familiar, freezing Shin’s blood as they hauled themselves into the small hollowed space in the cockpit walls. 

The table split in half all too easily under the sweeping strike, if Shin hadn’t moved, they were certain that the swing of the blade would have gone clean through their head. Crimson light bled through the doors into the dark space, filling the air with burning ozone and the reek of crisped bread.

“Coward!” Their voice was distorted like they were speaking through a mask, though Shin could hear the raw anger in their scream as the saber sliced through what they had to assume was a bench. The smell of scorched fibers let Shin know that they’d neglected to move their poncho from the back of the bench like Ahsoka had asked them to at least five times before she’d left that morning .

Meht, please get here, I won’t argue about coming with you ever again, just… hurry, please . 

The walls didn’t extend very far, at least, not the hallowed portions that they could move through. The pipes were hot, and Shin could feel perspiration building at their temple as they moved to the gap in the ceiling that would give them some kind of vantage point. 

Through the first gap, Shin caught sight of the stranger, tall, draped in black cloth and adorned with shining armor, equally as black, with a mask that they weren’t sure anyone could truly see out of covering their face. The woman was nearing the door to Huyang’s room, obviously catching the still glowing embers of where Shin had punctured his control panel. 

There was a tug in her gut as she watched them approach. Ahsoka had told them about Huyang’s survival, of his importance to who the Jedi were, had been for so long; no one knew what it meant to be a Jedi more than him, and the Empire would soil that; She couldn’t let this… Imperial ruin that for the world. 

A discarded saber hilt flung through the air at Shin’s command, bouncing harmlessly off the armor, scraping against the polished paint job once it hit. As the woman’s head turned, Shin dropped down from the vent, boots smacking the ground with a bodily thump . 

The Inquisitor was quick to turn towards them, though they did not seem startled by the sudden appearance, in fact… were they shaking?

Her shoulders shook as dark laughter barked from her throat. 

Oh… being laughed at. This was the worst way to die… huh?

“ You? You expect me to believe Agent Fulcrum is a child? ” She could barely speak through her laughter as Shin lifted their chin. 

The child did not respond, simply squaring their feet like Huyang had taught them, cementing their place between the woman and the door. Ahsoka will be here soon.  

The snap hiss of their saber activating was grounding, something familiar they could use to anchor themselves as blue light ignited the cabin, allowing them to see the damage that had been caused at last. Everything had been torn from their places and scattered across the ground, broken and destroyed without a care in the world. Even the picture frames that held digital memories flickered and faded, screens cracked beyond repair from where they’d been stomped all over. 

“Mmm, perhaps I did underestimate you,” She could not see the woman’s eyes, but she could feel them, how they raked over her form and analyzed the stance. “ Jedi? Clearly trained…” Shin was taken aback a moment as the woman rambled off notes to herself. “You’re in a form two stance, I haven’t had the pleasure of gutting many who’d favored such a form, would you like to be the first?” 

“Sounds like you’d rather be the first one to die here,” They ground out with as much courage as they could manage, though their voice wavered on the syllables. Shin had never taken a life, never imagined it as something they would have to do, but… if they had to do it to protect Huyang, then they would. “You can take this chance to walk away, though, it doesn’t have to go like this,” 

The woman across from her blanched at the words, and for a moment, Shin had the childish belief that she would listen, see the error of her ways, and go away . Luck, however, did not appear to be on the Padawan’s side as a crimson snap hiss seemed to suck the air from the room, and her lungs. Red, blue, and purple lit up the inside of the ship, suddenly, Shin’s saber felt heavier, everything felt like too much, and there was a flash of hopelessness that filled their senses. 

“The Jedi Code is a sickness,” The woman mocked. Silver eyes caught the way her fingers twitched, a hint that The Force was being turned on them to weigh them down with the malady of the Dark Side. “Do you know why your people failed so easily, young one?”

Shin did not answer, though they assumed the woman would have continued either way as their saber rotated smoothly around their wrist, as if it were some kind of plaything. Or maybe Shin was the plaything and had only tricked themselves into believing they were an equal .

“The one thing people in this galaxy love to see more than Jedi heroes is to watch them fall. This galaxy.. It’s sick . How the scum of the world turned on their heroes so fast, just to enjoy the fall. In spite of everything you do for them, they hate you, have from the start.” A pause as if she was considering her own words. “But… you’re young yet… your Master…” 

Shin’s breath hitched at the mention of Ahsoka, was the Inquisitor in their head? A tilt of the woman’s head across from her confirmed the theory that their shields had fallen. “Your Master thinks you aren’t ready, yet here you are, standing up to me…” They could practically feel the smile on her lips. “It isn’t too late for you, Padawan.” 

“I warned you,” It was all Shin could choke out before they found themselves lunging forward. Their blade moved along the side in a wide arc, clashing against red all too easily as rich laughter bounced off the walls. 

“Oh yes, how could I have forgotten,” The woman barked, seemingly enjoying herself as she countered the swift blows Shin threw at them in quick succession. Tutting occasionally, Shin found the woman calling out tips on their form, calling out their openings instead of moving in for the kill, and allowing them the time to cover the holes in their defenses. 

Calling upon the Force to lend them strength and energy, Shin found themselves dipping into Form Five, though they had nowhere near the same skill as Ahsoka in this form, they found that the Inquisitor quieted with the change, and even seemed to be exerting themselves to keep defending themselves. 

The smell of burning flesh met one of their strikes, startling enough to throw Shin off center as the Inquisitor hissed and jumped back from the blade that had sliced through their thigh. The woman cursed in a language Shin did not know, though when they bounced back, it was with renewed vigor. “Perhaps you aren’t as pathetic as I thought,” She growled, hand shoving out to command an invisible wall of the Force that sent Shin back into the wall. 

It took every ounce of training she’d ever had to keep hold of her saber as her back crashed into the mess on the counter from Ahsoka’s caff. Pinpricks itched at their back where glass had shattered, though it was forgotten as the pre-teen was quickly pushed on the defensive against an opponent much larger than themselves. Each hit came down with a staggering force, keeping the child pinned at the counter as they intercepted the crimson blade with their own. 

Bracing their hand against the counter to push back against the growing force against their saber, muscles tiring quickly as sweat ran in rivers down their face, Shin was helpless but to watch as a heavy boot was raised and kicked out against their hand, smashing it between the edge of the counter and the crisp tread of their sole. 

Their breath caught in their throat, swallowing the shout of pain that threatened to tear past, tears welled up in their eyes and their teeth grit together hard, even as the boot stayed against their hand, putting it there as more weight was pressed into it. 

The Inquisitor was getting joy from their bitten-back screams, finding delight in the way their brow wavered as sweat and silent tears made the white paint on their reddening face begin to run. 

Reaching past their sabers, two gloved hands reached out to grasp her jaw, earring another choked sound as their head was turned to face the white-hot light of their sabers clashing together. “You’re good stock, it would be a shame to waste your potential,” 

Words were not spoken to Shin, but about her, as if they had nothing to offer besides a pretty face, even as they managed to hold their… mild, defense against the older woman. 

Shin’s saber deactivated in a knee-jerk reaction; the sight of a red blade streaking towards their head felt a lot like free-falling through the air, though they were fast- fast enough to duck their head below the blade and shove back up, catching the hard material of the woman’s mask with their forehead. 

The Inquisitor stumbled with the force, releasing their hold on Shin’s foot as they took several steps back to steady themselves, a hand even disappeared under their mask for a moment. 

Shin noticed with glee, as their heart plummeted to the floor, and with it, their knees giving from under their frame, broken hand and still burning saber hitting the ground in a way that had them biting back a yelp, the Inquisitor’s glove was bloody when it came from under the mask. 

But Shin had no more fight in them, their arms shook from exertion, and the pain in their hand shot from their fingertips all the way along ignited nerves to their chest.  Every ounce of their weight supported on their left hand that found support through broken fingers threatened to break the dam, their control of the Force was slipping with each attempt they made to will it in helping her stand, and the Inquisitor was recovering fast.

“You are going to regret that!” The Inquisitor growled, voice slurred, as if she were speaking around a heavy tongue, a minor win in Shin’s book, until, at least, the same boot that cracked down on their hand began to lift again. 

Shin’s hand raised a vain effort, a silent plea for mercy as she drew near. Their head turned down, catching the bottom of the boot in the back of the head, squeezing their eyes shut tight just in time; they weren’t sure if they’d have been able to stomach just how fast their face had met the ground. The searing pain that exploded had been enough to put the child out, slumping bonelessly into the ground beneath the Inquisitor’s foot. 

Where was Ahsoka…?

As the phantom pulled into the last coordinates of the T-6, Ahsoka immediately noticed the signs of forced entry. Airlock hatch pieces floating uselessly in the open space around it. As she began the approach, she scanned for a signal, of some type of life. “Huyang?” She called over the comms, grimacing at the static that flooded the line she was met with. 

As she advanced, she heard a quiet beep, hidden under the static, a beeping noise, the sound of a recording being rewound as the static cleared. “Imperial patrols are boarding the ship. I repeat; Imperial patrols are boarding the ship. I… I think it’s an Inquisitor, it’s dark… and so cold. Please hurry. There's not much time… I’ll try to hold them off, meht… I’m sorry…” Then, a loud flash of static and a robotic monotone. “This message will repeat.” With panic stirring in her heart, Ahsoka managed to use the phantom’s emergency gear to latch onto the side of the T-6 and jerry-rig a connector for the airlock, dropping into the dark abyss that met her the moment the door was open. 

The darkness that enveloped her the moment she crossed the threshold was overwhelming, though, after going yoke to yoke with Darth Vader, she’d found it easy to push past the veil and forge onwards. 

Lightsaber hilts cluttered all over the floor, spilled in what would have been a strategic way if someone hadn’t already trampled through them all. Burning metal, fabric, and the familiar tang of blood met her nose as she continued her investigation in the dark, blue eyes practically glowing as they adjusted to the barely there emergency lights.

There were scorch marks all over the ship; from a cut through the table and benches, so slicing through the door of Shin’s bunk room. As Ahsoka explored, material possessions cracked under her boots, unable to find a clear path that avoided the scenes of the battle. She could hear the recent echos in the force, and with each blink, she would watch as blue met red in a flurry of motion, as a towering black figure advanced on someone much smaller, though each time she tried to focus on the Force’s interpretation of the small figure, they would change. One moment, she would see Shin standing against the figure, then herself, from the Clone Wars, ending with a vision of herself in the present. It didn’t make sense, as only one of these days had come to pass in the worst way possible, though Ahsoka did not have time to focus on that. 

There was one marking that seemed strategic, the burns had long since gone cold, so it couldn’t have been from the fighting. Igniting her saber and bringing light to the scene in front of her, the Togruta was forced to take pause. Red ichor painted the countertop around shattered mugs and an old teapot she’d gotten from Rex before they’d parted ways. “Shin…” Her voice was that of a mournful rumble, the pain too great to handle. 

Falling into her old ways was easy, a second skin to the survivor who had no choice. The pain was pushed to the recesses of her mind as she focused on her next steps; Where was Huyang? Was Shin alive? How would she find them? Did she give up on her? Did Ahsoka fail her not only as Master but as mother as well?

Focusing on the task at hand, Ahsoka sunk her blade into the durasteel of Huyang’s door. The metal did not give easily, offering a hearty resistance as she sliced a hole through the shot panel. Once a hole big enough to step through was created, the woman pushed forward with her saber held high.

“Lady T-T-T” A malfunctioning voice rasped, though there was no light in the collapsed droid’s eyes. “Tano,” 

“Huyang,” Ahsoka breathed, finding a small relief in the professor’s survival. “Huyang, what happened, where is Shin?” She knelt before the droid, peering at the mess of limbs and wires that had been damaged in his fall. 

“Padawan Tano lo-lo-lo-locked me in here before they arrived-” His head snapped at a ninety-degree angle with a crack before slowly righting itself to face her. “I went into low power mode, they must have assumed I powered off,” 

Reaching into his chassis, Ahsoka managed to reconnect enough wire to get his eyes lit back up, and even get him movement over his own arms again. “She’s alive, the Inquisitor wanted her alive,” He managed to recall, using his renewed control of his arms to shift himself off the corner of his workbench, allowing Ahsoka to sit him on the table to lean his upper half back against the cabinets. 

“We need to get the ship back together and find her… fast.” 

“Agreed, although…” His eyes shifted to the carnage beyond his doorway. “We have our work cut out for us,”

“We won’t be able to land anywhere near the Rebellion, they’ll have eyes on this ship, and I need to get the phantom away from here as fast as possible… If they can track us, who’s to say they can’t track Her.” The Togruta worried her lip; Focusing on Leia was easier than focusing on the Shin’s pain that echoed through the force here. 

Putting herself to work on fixing Huyang was good, it was productive, and she didn’t have to think as she went about the methodical task of removing ruined parts, reattaching pieces that had only been tugged from their sockets, and moving around his workspace, tugging down drawers of spare materials, to his annoyance. 

By the time she’d finished, Huyang had most of his fine motor skills back, although she wasn't able to reconnect the pieces that went to the arms on his back with what she had, they’d need to find a real droid mechanic somewhere out here first. 

The rest of the ship… was a bigger problem. Oil, coolant, and fuel leaked out inside the ship, thanks to the deep gouges across floors and walls, the only reason the fumes didn’t get her was in part, thanks to the fact that life-support had stayed on, allowing the vents to increase their usage once the lower explosive limit alarms had been set off. “We won’t be able to start the ship,” Ahsoka complained as she popped open the face of an intact control panel. “Not until we get those leaks contained and find some way to refuel.”

Huyang had trailed after her out of his workshop and had paused at the carnage around their home, though Ahsoka did not hear anything from him, even as she got the lights to power back up. When she turned her head to look over her shoulder, her heart nearly froze. 

Shin’s lightsaber was cradled in both of his hands, blood smeared across the Alderaniaan hilt, scratches, chips, and scuff marks marring the materials where it had been thrown around. Ahsoka stood there, unable to move, breathe, or speak, as Huyang’s thumb swiped down the saber’s hilt mournfully, blinking at the sight before him.

Tearing her eyes from sight was one of the hardest things anyone could have expected her to do, and still, she managed to do so, focusing instead on darker droplets of blood just feet away from where Huyang had been standing. “Huyang, look,” With the lights on the stains around the cabin, it was clear that the ichor spilled was from two different beings, and the blood in front of her was clearly from someone dark and twisted, everything about them had been poisoned, so it only made sense even their blood would be tainted.

Huyang studied the droplets as well, rising to his feet after a moment as he tucked Shin’s saber safely at his hip for the time being, “Ahsoka,” He began, putting himself in her path, unallowing her from pushing past to the cockpit, “She is alive,” He spoke as if trying to offer comfort, though he did not see the way her lip quivered on her next breath.

That’s what I’m scared of . She was already facing the reality that Anakin very well could have Fallen, she couldn’t lose Shin, too. But she’d known the Fifth Brother and the Eighth Sister herself, had passed them in the Jedi temple all those years ago. They’d been younglings then, and Ahsoka understood that with the riht motivator, even the purest of people could be made to do the worst things. “We’re going to get her back,” Is all she could say, turning her head away from the droid  as she pushed past him, ignoring the stinging in her eyes as she began picking up around the cabin. It was all she could say to keep the air in her lungs steady, to be able to take that next step forward at all. Whoever this Inquisitor was, they would pay, somehow, someway, Ahsoka would be sure they received everything the Force had in store for them.

[siphoklansan]

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐢𝐩𝐡𝗼𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧!🎉🎂

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝗺𝗺𝗼𝐧𝐞𝐝: Bwuh-! Grim, don’t just jump into my arms like that!! [Shutter Noises] Eh…huh..? Wait- don’t tell me the photo’s taken already! I didn’t blink, did I..?!

𝐒𝐮𝗺𝗺𝗼𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞: What time is it….gah! I overslept again?!? And…on my birthday too?!?

𝐆𝐫𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝐯𝐲!!: [LOCKED]

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞: *GASP* Don’t tell me….I smell gyoza!! Wait here- don’t go anywhere! I NEED to go grab a plate ASAP!!

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐥𝐞 1: Professor Crewel gave me a big present! I haven’t opened it yet— but I think it might be a giant teddy bear that I mentioned a week ago. Mm…nah, I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐥𝐞 2: Anan told me to stay at his dorm for a while after the birthday party. Charin insisted on it too. I wonder what they’re trying to do? They mentioned a sleepover for a week too. Something’s definitely up.

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐥𝐞 3: [LOCKED]

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐥𝐞 - 𝐋𝗼𝐠 𝐈𝐧: Is the party to your liking? Crowley was the one that planned the whole party, actually. I’m surprised at the effort he’s put in! …but he’s not here…again.

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐥𝐞 - 𝐆𝐫𝗼𝗼𝐯𝐲: [LOCKED]

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐩 1: Look look look!! I got some skincare products made personally by Vil. I can’t wait to try it— oh! I have to ask him about the steps for these stuff first, be right back!

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐩 2: Floyd got me a HUGEEEE eel plushie! It’s cuddly, I can’t wait to sleep with it. Hm…I have an idea! I’ll give him a shrimp plushie for his birthday next year. Do you think he’d like it?

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐩 3: Wonder Boy (Ortho) just made a giant projection— he teamed up with Adeuce, Epel, Jack and Sebek to find embarrassing photos of me to display…and everyone saw it. I’ll kick their asses, I swear!

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐩 4: [LOCKED]

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐩 5: [LOCKED]

𝐇𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐩 - 𝐆𝐫𝗼𝗼𝐯𝐲: [LOCKED]

𝐃𝐮𝗼:

[ANAN]: I heard you wanted to play the Chakhe again…*chuckles*

[SIPHOK]: No way…oh- I THINK I’M TEARING UP!

𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝗼𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞: T-Thank you for your wishes um…I’m still in my pajamas, sorry. That’s why I’m hiding behind the door. Hm? Oh c’mon! I set the alarm, alright? It’s not like I overslept on purpose. But thank you for um coming to the party. You can stay in the lobby while waiting- I’ll go get you something to eat!

ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘ ᴄʜᴀʀᴛ ʙʏ ʙʟᴜᴇʙᴇʀʀʏᴛʜᴀɴ ᴏɴ ᴛᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ!♡´･ᴗ･`♡

❥ the event is officially open! Have fun!!<3333

[rosekeu]

soft like a bunny : r. sukuna

this is part 2!

a/n: highschool au, fem!reader, reader has braces, shy+nerdy+sensitive reader! [if you don't like that then leave ig lol] soft spot for reader ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡

sypnosis: looking for your sensei lead to you bumping into your bullies but luckily a feared first-year saves you from your torment!

【 playlist 】

[ part 1 ] [ part 3 ] [ part 4 ] [ part 5 coming soon! ]

y/n sat anxiously in one of the two seats which were in front of the principal’s desk. she fiddled with her thumbs as she wondered what her friends were doing. sukuna sat in the chair beside her, his eyes glancing over at her here and there. 

‘he’s looking at me!’ y/n thought as her eyes never met his.

sukuna right leg bounced, losing his patience. but principal yaga didn't keep them waiting for long as he sat in his chair silently. 

“y/n l/n and sukuna itadori, correct?”

“yes” both said in unison, giving their principal their full attention.

“y/n, could you tell me what happened?” 

“of course– i was looking for my teacher, gojo-sensei, and then a few guys blocked my way. t-they um- they j-just shoved m-me onto a locker and–”

“cut the crap! they literally assaulted the poor girl, saying the fucking meanest insults and putting their grimy hands on her face!” sukuna yelled at not only the principal but y/n herself as he gripped the armrest a little too tight, turning his knuckles white. y/n squirmed in her seat as she heard his words, her [e/c] eyes staying glued to her lap.

“is that true l/n?” yaga asked. 

“yes–” y/n murmured, her head hanging low as she gripped her skirt. ashamed of her anxiety.

“i’ll handle the situation with the boys who did that, sukuna you're going on a one week suspension young man” yaga said firmly, finding the papers which were for the corresponding situation. sukuna groaned, stretching his face with his hands.

‘fuck my life’

“p-please principal yaga– don't suspend itadori-kun, h-he helped me and he shouldn't get in trouble for my fault. i am incompetent–” she said softly, her eyes holding guilt. sukuna’s eyes widened with her statement. was she really going to convince the principal who was known for his strict suspensions?

but she was a star pupil. 

“alright– alright. i’ll make it a 2 day suspension, does that sound good l/n?” y/n cracked a smile. sukuna let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. 

‘i’m an atheist but this girl is my goddess’ 

“you both may leave my office, you both are free right now… use your time wisely.” yaga said looking at his wristwatch.

“yeah, whatever you say, old man.” sukuna said quickly exiting the office, y/n following not far behind. 

both of them leaving, y/n was already making a beeline to the bathroom but got stopped by a hand on the back of her shirt.

“i appreciate what you did back there or somethin’...”

“no problem– i’m glad you didnt get in trouble that much,” she said nervously as she turned to him.

“i know i’m not much but, i helped you at least, right? i'm y/n by the way, you probably know that already..” y/n’s said remembering the principal introducing the both of you.

“you did more than that, fuck, you saved me from an ass whooping from my mom.” he said, internally thanking this angel of a woman. 

“you're welcome and i’m really, really sorry for getting you in trouble.”

“stop apologizing, its annoying.”

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