#is he getting his fruits and vegetables? is his brother supplying him fruits and vegetables?

[autisticlancemcclain]

There’s a knock on his door.

Keith freezes. There’s never a knock at his door.

“…Yeah?” he calls out cautiously, dog-earing his book and setting it down on his mattress. Shiro doesn’t knock, Shiro just calls out from wherever he is. Or texts him. And it’s not like Keith even has friends over, because he’d have to have friends to have them over. Shiro is also, as it turns out, equally as uncool, and never has company.

The door handle turns, and Adam pokes his head through the crack.

“You busy?” he asks.

Keith blinks. “Oh. Hi.”

That makes sense. Adam is here a lot. Keith has kind of forgotten to count him as company, actually. He kind of just appears at random times. Keith is half convinced that Adam is actually some kind of hologram Shiro has created to argue with, mostly because imagining that is really funny.

But he’s never come to Keith’s room before.

“Hi,” he says back, smiling slightly. “Shiro had to run out to handle something because the Garrison would delve into chaos without him, apparently. So he’ll be gone until after dinner.”

He looks at Keith expectantly. Keith stares back, eyes big, because he has no idea what the hell to say to that. Like, he’s correct, Shiro is the one and only thing holding the stupid school together, but Keith’s not quite sure why Adam has come to announce that to him.

“So are you free?” Adam repeats.

“Oh,” Keith says, startling a little. This is a — Adam is seeking him out. Intentionally. Planned. The fiancé of his foster — father? brother? mentor? Keith should ask more questions — has made plans, and they include Keith. Keith is being considered as someone to be hung out with.

“Yeah,” he says, voice cracking. “I’m free.”

“Cool,” Adam says, nodding. “C’mon.”

Keith scrambles off his bed and to the door, not wanting to give Adam time to change his mind. Not that it matters, or Keith cares about hanging out with him. Or anybody for that matter. But he’s curious, so.

“What are we doing?” Keith asks, jogging after him. Adam is a power walker. There’s not a lot of space to power walk in the small apartment, but Adam manages to leave him in the dust anyway. More fuel to Keith’s hologram theory.

“Well, obviously I love your brother more than the moon and stars,” Adam says matter-of-factly, striding over to the kitchen and opening counters.

Keith blinks. Well. That’s one question answered, he supposes.

“But I’m worried.” Adam sets down his armful of supplies; a small mixing bowl, chopsticks, a knife, a cutting board, and an array of vegetables. “Takashi tries very hard at everything he does. It usually gets him quite far. But cooking?” He shakes his head, grabbing a strainer and a head of cabbage and stepping over to the sink. “I don’t know who cursed him, but he’s physically incapable. And you’re thirteen. You’re growing. You can’t eat boxed noodles and peanut butter sandwiches all day. It’s bad for you. Come here.”

“I eat a lot of fruit,” Keith offers, feeling strangely like he has to defend Shiro, or something. Not even necessarily against Adam. Perhaps against the Allegations. “He’s very big on oranges. And mandarins. All citrus, really. There’s a lot of it.”

Adam rolls his eyes. “That is because Takashi read a book about scurvy when he was fourteen and is now terrified of it, because he is a goober. He’s also afraid of squirrels, if you’re wondering. He found out that some of them are carnivorous and never recovered.”

A tiny, barely there smile quirks his lips. Keith bites the corners of his mouth so it doesn’t get any ideas, then steps hesitantly towards the kitchen island, across from Adam. He watches him scrub the leafy vegetable, careful to get in all the nooks and crannies, then pat it dry. He moves to set the cabbage down and then seems to think better of it, leaning back against the sink.

“Get me the salt,” he says, gesturing to a bowl on the counter with pursed lips.

Keith narrows his eyes at it suspiciously. “Why?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” Adam observes.

“You answer very vaguely,” Keith returns.

Adam barks a laugh. Keith finds himself pleased at the reaction.

“I’m going to scrub the cabbage with it,” Adam explains. “It’ll draw out the moisture and take out any leftover dirt, too.”

Satisfied at the answer, Keith grabs the salt bowl, bringing it over. He moves to go back to his spot but Adam stops him with a wet hand around his wrist, gently guiding his hands towards the cabbage. Keith wills his shoulders to relax.

“One hand open to support it, one hand in the salt bowl,” Adam instructs quietly. “Grab a handful and start rubbing it in.”

Hesitantly, Keith grabs the offered cabbage, hyperaware of how his shoulder brushes against Adam’s bicep when he moves; how he doesn’t move away, but he’s not crowding, either. Just…close.

“I can actively feel my fingers pruning,” Keith says in disgust.

Adam snorts. “Yeah, they do that.”

Step by step, Adam guides him through chopping vegetables, measuring spices, mixing sauces, and handling the stove until Keith is working his way through a basic stir-fry like a pro. He’s more shocked than he should be when he tries his first bite of it and likes it.

“You have managed to avoid being cursed, too,” Adam says around his own bite, pleasantly surprised. “I was worried that living with Takashi would curse you by proxy. But this is good.”

“I mean. It was stir-fry. We chopped and we fried. Hard to fuck up,” Keith points out.

“You’d think. When I tried to do this with Shiro, the pan was charred so bad we had to throw it out. I don’t even know what he did. I was right there. It’s like he destroyed it by rancid vibes alone.”

Keith hides a smile in his noodles. Adam notices anyway, and grins.

“Sounds about right.”

“You’re good, though, kiddo,” Adam says, and his hand is heavy on Keith’s head. “You’re good.”

Keith swallows the sudden lump in his throat. His face gets red.

He leans into the touch.

———

other parts in this universe

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Maze Runner chapter one

Newt x fem reader.

Friends to lovers, slow burn.

Multi chapter

I'd like to request a story about Maze Runner Newt x reader, of course of all 3 movies (scorch, trails and death cure) and following the story as it is, just a natural friends to lovers, in the movie after Alby came up first, Y/N came in later (with a little pet friend, any kind of animal, a wolf or lion or whatever kind of animal😂), the only girl in the whole boy glade, boys are respectful to the Y/N (she a tough cookie), some boys and Gally sees her as a sister, some has a crush on her (also some are chill with her friend pet friend and some are scared) and in the death cure at the end please let Newt live.

“Y/n, you in here?” Alby asked, popping his head into your room. The wooden structure has been the original shelter you and Alby had made when you first arrived in the Glade. Though since more boys had come up and the shelter extended this one had become your own room. The boys had been happy for you to have your own room and a little bit of privacy. Alby had been the first to arrive in the Glade and he was there alone for twenty four hours before you had arrived. The lift rose up with you, a box full of tinned food and a large crate that houses a tiger cub. All you remembered when the doors opened was your name. For a month you and Alby worked together to build the small shelter, the tiger slowly growing beside you.

At times the three of you would stand at the entrance to the Glade and wonder what was out there, but neither of you had the bravery to go out there.

You weren't sure how old you were exactly but the large supply of sanitary products made it clear that you were most definitely a teenager. In the back of your mind you felt like around fifteen when you first came up.

A month in and the lift you had arrived on came up once more, more food supplies, a large female pig with four piglets and another boy, Minho he called himself. The pair of boys quickly became like brothers to you. Minho was desperate to go out past the Glade walls but Albey kept him back.

Another month passed and you had worked to establish a small patch of vegetables and fruit. You figured you would be here for a while so getting a steady stream of food going felt like the right thing to do.

You were busy bathing yourself in the pond when the lift came up once more. You quickly pulled on your blue shirt and brown pants before running over. Albey was helping a frightened boy out when you got there. His blonde hair sort of glowed in the morning sunlight. Newt, was timid at first, kept himself quiet as Albey walked him around the Glade. It wasn't much more than a cook but, vegetable patch and your shelter. The pigs ran free in the grass and your tiger, mai mai, stayed always at your side.

Newt too was curious about what laid outside your Glade, but Albey was adminet that you should wait.

“Lol two months two boys. Let's just wait and see.” He would say.

The shelter was becoming too cramped for the four of you and your tiger, so you spent a few days working together to build something new. Luckily along with Newt had come several cases of Nails, hammers, ropes and planks of wood. The new building was larger and much more spacious. You used some of the blankets that had been sent up to line the walls in hopes of keeping out the cold a little more.

Four months passed and four more boys came up. You sat down between Newt and Minho at the fire.

“Do you think there will ever be another girl?” You asked, looking over at the boy. He was taller than you but smaller than Newt. He was scared, as you all were when you arrived but there was a determination in his eyes.

A key decided it was time to go and explore. He took four of the boys with him, Minho, Newt and Gally and Ben and out they went. It was a maze that stretched on further than they could map in one day.

Slowly over the next three years more and more boys came up into the Glade. Some you lost along the way. The discovery of the Grievers was the hardest. The creature had stung Trip. It didn't seem to bad at first just a small puncture wound in his shoulder but then as night fell he began to change. It started with the black veins, his eyes turning dark. Trip pounced on you unexpectedly as you cooked by the fire. He was bashing his teeth as you struggled to hold him back. Mai mai your tiger, bit into his leg and dragged him away. Everyone watched as she pulled him kicking and screaming into the maze. When she returned he was gone and you all understood.

Around the second anniversary of your arrival Newt sat by the fire, a cup of Galky’s homebrew in his hand.

“Hey.” You say sitting down beside him, “What's up?” You ask.

He looks at you for a second.

“I saw something out there today.” He said quietly.

“What?”

“A camera…someone, whoever put us in here is watching us. It moved and I heard it. I don't think the others did and I haven't told them.”

For days after that, the little spark of Newt seemed to drift away. He wasn't excited to go running in the maze anymore. Each day he would go out with the other runners and each day you would watch as Mai Mai would pace the opening. The tiger had grown as close to Newt as she had to you and you could tell she felt something was wrong. On the fifth day Mai Mai's ears twitched her head tilting from side to side. You watched her whole body shake before she darted into the Maze. Your heart faltered as you ran to the opening. Too frightened to follow her in. You waited there as others slowly wandered over to wait with you until you saw Minho and Gally running towards you, behind them Mai Mai had Newt on her long back. He clutched to her as she ran, dropping him by your feet when they were back in the Glade.

Newt had broken his leg, but he would tell you what happened. The tiger refused to leave his side for weeks.

That was the first time you felt something more than friendship towards Newt. After that you decided he would sleep in your room with you and Mai Mai. Newt was never the same after that day. A sadness had fallen over him that he tried to hide from you all. He stopped running and instead started helping you with the vegetable patches.

Life in the Glade in its own way became easy. Everyone had their places and their jobs and if you worked together it was even nice.

Frypan had become the main cook and he sure made a mean stew. None of you thought anything would change until one day the lift came up and inside the box was a greenie that would change everything

Next part

@fandomfan-102 @deanstolemydragon @afalls14universe

[asingleietsist]

"A Green Queen" AU

Chapter V

Mario got off the yellow Yoshi and looked around at the desert land.

He had told Peach that he wanted to take a trip for himself, so that he could learn how to cook meals from different lands. She hesitantly agreed, since she was a bit worried his journey was misguided. All she could do was hope he wouldn't cause any trouble for his brother.

Mario smiled as he checked the map she supplied him and remembered to avoid the Sphinx Prince's palace, for now at least. "Alright! Let's-a go!"

He hopped back on the Yoshi once he fed him some fruit and rode into the desert land.

The sun beat down on him as they trailed, in the distance he spotted a few swaying cacti looking creatures, "What..the-"

Before he could finish, they dug into the ground and began to slither into his direction.

Acting quickly, he lowered his yoshi and waited for the right moment. Once the creature started to raise its head, he ordered the yoshi to leap. They floated down as another tried to strike at the two, but Mario quickly changed direction.

A few more cacti became alerted and headed over to aid the two attacking.

"What the... Been a while since we've had tourists, huh?"

Mario landed the yoshi but they skirted before darting back and forth to avoid the clustering cacti. Their blank stares only made him more uneasy as they swayed.

"ALRIGHT! BACK IT UP!", a voice yelled.

A rover tumbled through the Pokey and grabbed Mario and his yoshi to put into the back seat. The group retreated and the Pokeys swayed and jittered, trying to regroup.

"Woah! Thanks for that!", Mario noted as he sat down properly in the front seat. He turned back to check if everything was ok and the yoshi simply sat down trying to take care of his wounds. "Um, who are you by the way?"

"The name's Daisy! I was just passing when I saw you were in a bit of trouble!", She smiled as she made a sharp turn.

"Oh- Well, thanks! I was just trying to get through to this Kingdom, but I guess it's not easy to get through..", he huffed.

Daisy laughed a bit, "Right! The Pokeys aren't normally this agitated, so a sandstorm probably just ended and they're on edge."

He looked confused, "A bit?! If I'd known, I could've taken at least two on."

"That's the spirit!", She chuckled. "Anyways, where were you planning on going? I could drop you off!"

"Really?! Thanks, I was heading to the Easton Kingdom! I needed a few herbs and vegetables from there!", He yelled as she sped up. The engine riving as she did.

"It's on the way! You're a cook?!"

"Not really.. I-I'm more of a plumber! I fix pipes!"

"Oh shit! Nice, I could use that kind of help at the castle!"

"Wait, you have a castle?!"

Before he could get an answer he saw a large wisp of sand in the distance, despite its slow looking movements, he could tell they were heading straight for it

"Buckle up and put on those goggles!", Daisy ordered. "OH, AND DON'T FORGET THE MASKS! Unless you want sand for lunch!"

Mario nodded and got him and his yoshi buckled up and ready.

"ALRIGHT, HERE WE GO YOU TWO!"

"AAAAAAAAAA!!"

The ship started floating over some rocky terrain. A few statue-like figures were stomping about only to stop and settle into the soil.

Luigi wore a hot pressed dress with a jacket encrusted with green flames along the sides. The skirt part of the dress matched the lime green on the jacket, the lace of the dress shimmering with jewels sewn into it. He adorned a simple yet large crown, several sapphires rung the sides which a few Goombas noted brought a glimmer to his eyes.

He was fiddling with his lace gloves as he waited in the living room and paced. Kamek was giving him a rundown of everything, trying to calm the Queen's nerves.

"How many kingdoms-"

"Four."

"C-Correct, and their former ruler was-"

"Princess Daisy."

"This happened because-"

"Because King Totomesu was tired of being subjected to only his kingdom and overthrew the princess with his army as well as the other kingdoms' rulers coming to a truce to claim him as king."

"Good... So after.. the-"

"They pledged their allegiance to the King, but as he came into power, he fell ill and placed his power and magic into a locket. His son, Prince Khufo, took over as his father passed and harnesses his father's power in the locket."

Kamek blinked, "You've learned this all rather quickly! If you've studied and memorized the rest of the history, you'll be just fine during the meeting!"

Luigi sighed, "I don't know.. making decisions for an entire kingdom?! I can't-"

"You must. You'll do fine! Plus, you're not alone in all of it, the King will be there to help you!"

He face flushed, "R-Right.. Him. Where.. is he?"

"I last saw him in the hot springs room. Probably to think things over, calm some nerves.", Kamek said as he closed his book.

"Hot springs?! At a time like this?"

Kamek raised a brow and grinned, "I WAS going to get him, since we're almost there... But I need to pack some potions just in case anything breaks out!"

Luigi already knew what he was going to say next, but he still cracked a bit of a smile before clearing his throat. "I-I'll go get him!"

"Of course, your majesty. Great thinking!"

The Queen pulled the door in before walking out into the black cobblestone hall. His heels, that he somehow managed, clacked with every step. Spotty moved from their post at the door to follow closely, "Going for a walk, your majesty?"

"Sort of? Do you know where the hot springs are?"

"Oh! They're in a lower level of the ship!"

"Lower level?!", Luigi paused. He'd explored the whole top level, and knew that the ship was large enough to hold a sizeable army, but he didn't know it could go any deeper.

"Yes, your majesty. It's closer to the lava powering and heating the ship, so it makes a good place to put the hot tubs!"

He rubbed his chin for a moment and headed towards his room, "I want to change out of this first, if it's even hotter down there.. I don't want to sweat out this dress.."

Spotty nodded and followed along, "I didn't say it before, but you do look wonderful, your majesty!", The Koopa noted. They became a little bashful waiting for Luigi's response.

The Queen smiled as they walked, "T-Thank you! You're too kind.."

Spotty's face flushed a bit and their tiny tail wagged from Luigi's smile. "I-It's the least I could do, especially since you've been just as kind to me.."

Luigi turned to them and patted their head, his dress flowing behind him as he did. Spotty's head retracted into their shell as a few Goombas passed by on their patrol. Luigi waved to them as they bowed and headed on their way.

Once they walked further down the hall, Spotty lifted their head.

"Is something wrong?"

"The King wouldn't normally... Show much affection for his guards.. W-We know he's proud once we do our jobs right, but you shouldn't..."

Spotty tried to find the right words once he noticed Luigi's immense confusion. They sighed and shook their head, "Nevermind..."

"Are you sure? You can explain it to me later once we get back to the ship."

Spotty nodded.

"Alright, let's go then."

Bowser's head was partially submerged in the steaming water. His nostrils flared and his scales loosened as he was in blissful ease.

Small bubbles floated to the surface from the crack in his shell and he let out a low rumble as his body drifted in the water.

He enjoyed coming in here to get his mind off of things, he was still furious that the human touched his shell, but even angrier that something stirred in him when he felt the vibrations from the tiny palm graze the crack.

It only reminded him of the stupid brother that caused such an injury, but despite it, he couldn't blame Luigi for it.

The more he reflected, the more the feelings ached and confused him. His thoughts only trailed more into thinking about the Princess.

'What do I have to do to make her mine..?'

He huffed, a silly grin plastered on his face as he began to rumble. "What a beautiful..star..", he sighed.

Luigi rushed over, tripping on his shoelace as he looked up at the Koopa guards in front of the door. Spotty helped him up as he dusted himself off. "I-I need to see the King."

"Sorry, your majesty. We were ordered strictly to not let ANYONE pass! Especially you."

"Uh-huh... Let me in."

"Your majesty, we cannot let you in."

Luigi took a deep breath, "Please, let me see the King. It's urgent."

The Koopas looked at each other and one sighed, "Okay, your majesty.....". They started to move aside as their claws pulled the large doors open.

Luigi could spot Bowser's horns sticking out. He heard the doors creak and slowly rose from the hot springs. Steam emitted from his opened scales as he combed his claw through his hair. The streaks of water dripped down his shell, each drop seeping into the crevices of his underbelly.

"Mama mia...", The small plumber gulped.

"What do you want?", He grumbled.

Snapping back into it, Luigi lifted his fist to his lips and cleared his throat. "W-We need to go...to..", he whispered.

A Koopa holding a pile of towels brushed past him, and lifted the pile to Bowser's claw.

"Is that it?", Bowser scoffed. He took the towel and started to wipe his face, "I'm already aware that we're almost at the palace. You didn't need to remind me."

"We should get ready just in-"

"Uh huh, you mean YOU should get ready, I don't see you dressed.", He gawked.

"I was dressed, but I had to come get your stupid,...scaly, ass out of the hot springs!"

"I don't need you to take care of me, Greenie. Besides, you should worry more about how you'll make ME look.", the beast replied. He stammered past him and as he got to the door, he glared down at the guards who kneeled down before him.

"I told you not to let anyone in."

"S-Sorry, your highness! His majesty was persistent in seeing you.."

Bowser took a look back at Luigi, "And you listened? I gave you an order!"

Luigi rolled his eyes and hurried over, "Quit it! I told them to, so i-if you're going to get upset at them. You'll have to get through me first!"

The monster's eyes lit up as Luigi held out his arms to shelter the kneeling Koopas. They slightly glanced at each other in confusion, but kept their heads low just in case.

"Fine.", The beast replied. He took a deep breath and a bit of smoke brushed against the Queen's mustache as he did. Bowser turned away and started down the corridor to the stairs, he didn't want to fight now especially since he could careless about two foot soldiers.

Luigi coughed from the smoke and was quickly swiping it from his face. He looked over his shoulder to see the two guards looking up at him, weary of him.

"Are you two ok?", he said as he reached out both hands to help him up.

The two nodded and reached out hesitantly. One paused, noticing the bandages on the mid section of Luigi's right arm.

He noted the hesitation and trailed his eyes, "Oh, this? Don't worry, it's supposed to seal up in a few days.". Luigi lifted the arm slowly and patted his flimsy muscles, "I'm stronger than I look, a little tug won't hurt! I'll need to gain strength back into it anyways."

He chuckled a bit, putting the guard at ease as they stood up. "T-Thank you. Your majesty..."

"It's fine, really! I just wanted to make sure you two didn't get hurt on my behalf... Unlike the other guy from last week..", Luigi gulped. He remembered himself and Spotty carrying the Dry Bones to his chambers, trying to put it back together before they inevitably fixed themselves.

"I'll help you to your room, my Queen", Spotty chimed in.

"No, I can head back myself, I think. Can you make sure these two get cleaned up?", He retorted and pointed to their scuffed knees.

"But- !"

"I'll be ok..", Luigi smiled weakly. He felt a bit lightheaded from the encounter and just wanted some room to think.

"Yes, your majesty.."

The ship started to descend at the side of the palace, the Troopa spilled out of it slowly as they filed into formation. The Prince of Sarasaland strutted out and planted his behind in front of the fountain, unimpressed. His locket glistened in the sunlight and reflected off of the water.

Kamek appeared at the head of the troops and began to announce, "Now presenting! The King and Queen of the Koopas!"

Bowser stepped down with Luigi's hand in his claw. He waited as Luigi lifted the dress and gently stepped down, "Wow... Tough crowd..", he whispered.

The two made their way down the column, Spotty trailing next to one of Bowser's own guards, and a few murmurs were made as they walked passed.

"Quite the entrance... A bit much, don't you think, Kingy?", Prince Khufo scoffed. He was checking his claws for dirt, unable to really give his attention to the Royals.

"Young Prince, we should just get to talking about a share of the-"

A small claw was quickly placed on Bowser's lips, making Luigi flinch when he saw Bowser's fury.

"You look SO tense and I think you and your husband could use a nice spa day. We'll get to the boring stuff soon."

"We had a deal about-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer, unless you want to feel the wrath of my father and MY magic!"

Bowser grumbled and glared down at Kamek who cleared his throat. "If you don't mind your highness, we should just get to talk about the land distributions, we have-"

"Ew, what is that?! Why is he so old?! Those wrinkles are going to get worse in this heat! Come inside and we'll talk!", the Prince yelped. His paws were shifting the MagiKoopa's cheeks back, trying to diminish the wrinkles.

Luigi chuckled and stopped when he felt Bowser's grip tighten. He looked up at the beast, "He's a kid... in charge of an empire.. this is probably one of the few times he's had non.. threatening allies over? Cut him some slack."

"Slack? What is-.. Non threatening?! Does my army look like a joke to you?!"

"N-No, I just meant, he doesn't know others his age! Geez..". Luigi slipped his hand away from the large Koopa's grip and started up the stairs to the Prince.

Bowser rubbed his temple and clenched his eyes shut, "Think of the Princess... Think of the Princess.."

Luigi slowly walked over slipping a bit as his heels hit the polished marble while he tried to give a welcoming smile, he knelt down to the young Sphinx's level.

His dress puffing around him like a beautiful blooming flower, "E-Excuse me, your highness. We'd love to go to your spa... it sounds like f-fun! Plus Mr. Grumpy could use it..", he winked.

Prince Khufo's face lit up and he bounded onto Luigi. The two tumbled backwards and the Koopa guards immediately stormed the stairs as they saw their Queen in danger.

Luigi quickly sat up, raising his arm to the troops, even seeing Bowser mid-lunge. "I-I'm fine, he was just excited!"

The Prince sat up then backed up a bit, "You folks really don't get out much, huh? It's all battles to you."

Luigi nodded, "They can party, but they're not much for tranquility~"

Prince Khufo snorted, "Well, whatever, let's get going!"

Bowser grumbled as they started toward the palace doors.

"WOOO! What a storm! Are you two good?!"

A pile of sand slowly dusted away as she yelled that. Mario shook off the rest and looked back at his yoshi, "Uh, Are we in the Easton Kingdom?"

"Yeah, I'll drop you off at the cavern market!"

"Cavern?!"

"Yup, we'll be there in a few shakes!"

"Well alright!", he noted. He sat up determined and fixed his sun hat. "If I haven't already said it, thanks for taking us through the desert. If you don't mind me asking, are you perhaps the lost-"

The dune buggie jolted as her foot stepped on the acceleration, Mario held onto his hat, frazzled. He tried to ask again, but was met with several leaves and flora.

"We're here!", she smiled. The mist and leaves cleared slightly, as she slowed into view of a large waterfall with two large Tokotoko statues on each side. Mario's lips separated in awe when he gazed up at the floating brick platforms, topped with spikes and rolling stone surrounding it.

"Is..how do we get closer?"

"Well, if you've made it all the way here, you'll know the only way over there isssss?"

"Oh no.."

"Yup!", She said cheerily. The buggie beeped as she locked it and took out a small red mushroom. "I have some if you need, they're under the seat. I'll see you on the other side!"

Before he could get a word in, she took off. Running to the edge and bounding towards the platform, as she glided, the air became filled with her laughter. Jumping and twirling to avoid spikes and several falling Ganchans. Her heart racing from the thrill of nearly dodging the heavy boulders.

Mario watched, only remembering a similar display from the Princess a few years back. He grumbled a bit remembering the mushroom he had to eat in order to join up with Daisy. "Just a bit more... I'll be there soon Luigi.."

He reached over to her car seat and took up a mushroom, once he ate it he hopped out the side and stared daringly at the course ahead.

His yoshi yawned and hopped out, it ran past him, not before Mario gripped his reigns. The two bounded off, the mustachioed man barely missing the spikes as he opened his legs.

"Hey hey! Slow down!", He yelped. He could feel his stomach churn, yet the feeling of light, cool droplets hitting his face and the bits of sunlight dancing on his pores were worth it.

As he quickly got onto the yoshi, it began to float down towards a Ganchan and bounced off of it before it shuffled it's feet to float downward.

Daisy smiled and crossed her arms, "Cheating much?! Aye there stranger!". She teased.

He rolled his eyes as the landed, "Well, I gotta keep the lil guy fit!"

His yoshi bucked him off and shoved him over as Mario tumbled over.

"Right..~", she mocked. "Anyways, follow me!"

Mario tried his best to wipe the rich soil off of his pants before following her. The three started getting closer to the falls and as he was going to stop her, she went through the watery blanket.

"Is...this safe?! Hey!"

She poked her head through, "It's fine, plus you're going to thank me for getting water on those clothes. The sun'll dry it off!"

"Sun?"

'In a cavern?'

He lifted his sun hat slightly, trying to shelter himself from the water, but to no avail. As he tried to wipe his face, the yoshi shook off right next to him and snickered. "Oh c'mon!"

The yoshi snickered as he walked over to Daisy. Mario opened his eyes to see crystals glowing over small stands. Tokotoko began trading with Shy guys and Koopas, "The residents mostly do trades, but if you have coins then you'll get your worth in gold."

Mario was still in disbelief as he was looking around at the vendors, keeping pace with Daisy, "Wow... Are you also here for some things?"

"Yeah, just a few things. I actually have to get a trade to do myself, so if you'll excuse me", she said as she placed her hair in a ponytail. "Meet back at the waterfall entrance when you're done. Unless this is where we part?"

"uh huh...". Mario bumped into her, still taking in the cavern spectacle. Daisy grabbed his shoulders, forcing his attention as they met eye to eye.

"Waterfall. When you're done. Got it?"

"Yup-"

"Good!", She let go and headed down the row of stands.

The yoshi stopped beside Mario and nudged him slightly. "Yeah yeah, I know... We need the ingredients the professor used to... Ah, I think I see the powder. Let's go!"

A ripple from the murky cream tinted water formed when Luigi's toe was dipped in slightly. He quickly retreated, gripping his towel closer once he felt the water burn it a bit. "Ow!"

Bowser entered the room stretching and groaned, "I doubted you there pipsqueak, but the massage was nice."

Luigi only pulled the towel up further over his chest once he heard a low growl coming from behind him.

"You gettin' in?"

"I-In a moment.. it's a bit too hot still."

Bowser crouched down and dipped his tail in, "this is barely piping. Even Junior's kiddy scales could handle this."

"Well human skin isn't as rugged, plus my arm-"

Bowser grumbled and swiped his tail under Luigi's feet causing the shaking man to slip into the water with a splash.

Luigi flailed for a bit before finding some footing near the rim of the springs. His injured arm was barely able to keep him up on the polished sandstone. "Are you insane?!", He spat.

"You're in aren't you?", Bowser chuckled. "You're welcome."

The Queen began to move his soaked bangs from his eyes, revealing Bowser's snout slightly closer to him. He blinked, almost wanting to push back, yet he stayed as the scarlet eyes peered down at him.

"......Thanks"

"What was that?"

"Nothing, just get in."

Bowser turned his head away as he laid beside the large pool of water. His side profile which revealed little scars on his lower jaw and nose, "Mmm, I don't want to."

"Ok, then do you.. want to talk?"

He grumbled and closed his eyes. Luigi side and turned his back to him.

"You're polite in public appearances, but any other time it's just... Rage and stupidity."

"Stupidity?!"

"I-I meant like .... naive"

Bowser lifted his head and grumbled, "Do you take me for a fool?!"

"No, sorry.."

Luigi began to hear his father's voice begin to stir.

"Do you think I don't understand shit others say?!"

'Do you think this is funny? This is your career and your letting your brother ruin this for you?!'

Luigi slowly sank a bit, "N-No I just-"

"You don't know what -"

'Your Mama and I have done to get you boys a decent life and a good education! You got steady jobs why let your brother-'

"-He drags you around and it was my troops that found out about-"

"LET ME TALK!"

Bowser snapped his jaw shut as he saw Luigi's arm raise to his eyes, his shoulders slumped, and his head drooping. He got up and slowly padded over to him, "I.."

"Look, I don't think you're dumb, just a bit narcissistic", he sniffles. His voice was shaky and little tears rolled down his face. ", You're loud, obnoxious, and the more I think about when I said yes to your LITERAL threat and I see everything.. I-I don't even know how to process it."

Bowser bit his lip, he wasn't sure how to console him and wasn't sure he wanted to. He remembered when any of his kids cried, he'd sit and listen. Getting up, he strode over to the pool, slowly sank in and moved in behind him.

Luigi stiffened, he didn't know what to do, but the tears kept rolling down. "I-I'm... I don't feel.."

"Let's... just talk."

He blinked after hearing those words and took a few deep breaths. He could feel a bit of Bowser's belly rising and retreating as he stammered to breathe.

"would telling you..how I cracked my shell stop you...weird crying?"

"Weird?", Luigi chuckled wiping his tears.

"Your facial hair droops and your eyes bulge, it's gross. Don't get me started on that weird snorting."

He laughed, "Like you haven't cried before!"

"Nope!"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you want the story or not?"

"Yeah..", he smiled. His shoulders relaxed a bit, but he still made sure to cover his scars.

"I was getting ready for my coronation as King. There were lights, a cake, presents, even a rock band playing my written theme song, in my honor . It was epic, of course."

'Theme song?'

"Anyways, the gates finally opened and as I was making my way to the podium to be crowned, the carpet rudely ruined my awesome entrance. I ended up tripping on a hole my claws got stuck in and normally I'd land on my stomach."

"Mhm..", Luigi replied. He cupped a small pool of water into his palms.

"But I was trying to save it with a shell spin and instead of fully landing on my spikes I hit my side and a small crack formed..", he choked. Admitting such a failure caused some heat to rise in his face, a light red glow tinting his scales.

Luigi snorted, "And this was the carpet's fault?"

"Yes! If my subjects had maintained the only thing properly, I wouldn't have ruined such a glamorous piece of art!"

"Right, you consider your shell to be art?"

"My body is a temple, I'm a chiseled creation known as perfection."

".......You have quite the ego..", Luigi added.

The Prince strutted near an entrance across from the two. "Hey you two! I hope I didn't ruin a moment~"

Luigi blinked once he remembered that Bowser was behind him, naked, and quickly swam to his side. "N-No, your highness. We're not-"

"Modesty, I get it. Regardless, I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves. I actually plan to step out for a bit, the Mudai Kingdom is having a few issues and their ruler wishes to meet on common grounds." His tail swayed with his words as he grinned.

"I'm afraid we can't stay that long while you play King. I only agreed to come this far if matters were dealt with in a couple of hours.", Bowser growled, deterring from the countless marriage comments.

"Ugh, fine. We're doing this the hard way, and right when I was trying to be a good host", he pouted. Shuffling the locket between his claws a dark purple aura surrounded it as his paws waved around it. He was murmuring something causing his eyes to glow with the same magic.

"Kamek!"

"On it , your highness!".

The MagiKoopa readied his wand as the Prince kept chanting. Khufo took a deep breath and the room filled with the foggy darkness. Kamek shot towards the Prince, but the locket simply absorbed the magic.

Luigi's eyes widened as he rested his palm on Bowser's claw, slowly swimming closer to him. Despite his impatience, he knew fighting with a potential ally would get him nowhere. Besides, he had to keep the green brother safe for now.

"Fine.. we'll wait."

All the magic and chanting stopped, the locket hit Prince Khufo's furry chest, and he happily clapped his front paws together. "Splendid! We can discuss this tomorrow, hm?"

"......Sure", Bowser growled. He hated the wait, since he had other matters to attend to, but eased his scales once he felt Luigi's body slump against his claw in relief.

The Prince padded out with a grin. "My assistant will show you two to the guest room for the time being, ta-ta!"

Luigi felt his face heat up, "He means separate rooms... Right?"

Bowser rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and he even scheduled a visit with your brother!"

"Really?!", He beamed. His eyes glistened in excitement.

Bowser blinked slowly with a smirk on his face. "No."

Luigi frowned only giving Bowser the satisfaction of his little prank, "You cruel turtle..."

Bowser gave a hearty laugh, "The one and only~". He felt a bit of light-heartedness wash over him after teasing the little plumber and the tension eased between them slightly.

Spotty was near the door watching, they frowned seeing Luigi's eyes light up once he splashed the King in revenge.

'He shows the King such kindness.. how do I make him see me?'

[drafthorsemath]

Antidote (TBB Tech x afab Reader)

Tech x AFAB Reader (use of she/her pronouns), but all of the Batch included

Word Count: Five words over 3.3k

Warnings: Sex pollen but not the usual trope (no sex and an alternative is found), suggestive sexual language and situations but nothing acted upon, restraining for safety, some strong language, frank description of biological processes, creative use of a tampon, some feelings of shame but they are addressed, NSFW, younglings begone

A/N: I can’t read sex pollen fics. I tried. It wasn’t my thing, but then I got an idea and @staycalmandhugaclone encouraged me so here we are. This is not a call out or meant to be negative toward any sex pollen fics. This is just a different take.

Also on AO3.

You met the Batch on Pabu and in the months since, found yourself spending more and more time with them. This was especially true of Tech. You found his thirst for knowledge and direct nature easy to understand and get along with. Though, you were doing more than getting along. You weren’t sure how to tell him, but you had fallen for him.  His brothers all noticed, but he seemed not to. What you didn’t know was that he simply didn’t know how to bring up his feelings just yet.

The boys had decided to visit a nearby planet and since there didn’t seem to be any danger, no one had any objections to you coming along.  You hadn’t been on a ship since you first traveled to Pabu and you loved watching as you flew through hyperspace. Tech landed just outside of a city and you all headed toward the market. Hunter and Echo went in search of supplies while Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair all helped buy food to bring back to Pabu. You were particularly interested in the local fruits and vegetables that didn’t grow on the island you called home.

“I think this is enough,” you said, putting down the last crate next to the pile.

“Is it,” Wrecker asked. “I could eat all this in a couple days.”

“Yes, but we’re just getting what we can,” Crosshair responded. He didn’t want to make more than one trip back to the ship.

“Well, we can carry more,” Wrecker retorted. “At least I can.”

Crosshair gave him a half-hearted glare but helped purchase a few more crates.  Wrecker easily carried most of the load.

You turned around to look for Tech.  He was busy scanning some kind of contraption that caught his eye one booth over.

“Ready to go, Tech?”

“In just a moment,” he replied.

Wrecker and Crosshair walked ahead, catching up with Hunter and Echo who were waiting near the edge of town with some ship parts.  You knew a moment for Tech could mean anything from a few seconds to much longer than that but wanted to stay with him.

He put the item down and walked with you. “The wiring on this new style datapad results in faster computations. I want to see if I can rewire my own and achieve similar results.”

“That didn’t look like any datapad I’ve ever seen,” you replied.

“Ah, the outside is only meant to grab your attention. It is a new model. The inside is what interests me.”

You smiled at that.  Tech offered to carry the crate you still had, and you kindly accepted.

Once back at the ship, Wrecker took the crate from Tech. It was decided you all would spend the night on the ship and head back the next day.  Tech cleared his bunk so you would have a place to sleep, insisting he could sleep in a chair.  While you felt it was incredibly nice of him, you also couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like to share a bunk with him.  The thought left your mind as he asked if you wanted to come with him to document some of the local flora.  After dinner, the others stayed around the campfire while you and Tech walked over a few hills and to the edge of a forest.  He excitedly took pictures and samples, telling you about each plant and its properties.

“This one has several medicinal uses,” he said, handing you a pink flower. You smiled at it and then back at Tech.  You gathered several and put them in their own storage bag for transport.  Multiple species of flowers were packed before you looked a little further into the woods.

“Tech! Come see!”

He walked over and immediately noticed the large teal blooms that opened as you walked by.

“Fascinating,” he said. He took a picture and noticed that as he got closer to you, the flowers seemed to open even further. He scanned them, looking for any known properties. His face dropped as soon as the results showed up.

“We need to go, mesh’la!”

“What? Why?” You sneezed.

“It may be too late.” He took your hand and briskly walked you out of the woods. Your face suddenly felt hot and your throat burned.

“Tech, I don’t feel well.”

“We must get back to the ship,” he said nearly panicking. “I believe those flowers create an aphrodisiac that specifically affects females of several species.”

No sooner had he said that, and your limbs felt like jelly and you fell against him.  Something wasn’t right. You could swear you felt all your blood rushing to your groin and let out a moan. You tried to run, but felt a great weight on your ankles. Tech lifted you like you weighed nothing and ran toward the Marauder. Hunter stood as he saw his brother carrying your body. Preparing for the worst, the boys all stood up asking what was wrong and following Tech on to the ship.

“A large flower opened, spreading pollen,” Tech stated. “I believe it is an aphrodisiac and it has already started to work.”

He sat you down, scanned you, and confirmed your symptoms. The others stood behind him, looking rather helpless. He sighed and gave you a rundown of what to expect. Very brief fever followed by extremely high libido and high energy until satisfied.

Crosshair looked from you to Tech and asked, “Isn’t there a way she can take care of this on her own? You know? Manually?”

“Negative,” replied Tech. “Based on the information available, orgasm does not help in mitigating the symptoms. It appears this particular pollen only effects females and it does not wear off until either sexual intercourse with a male is completed or her hormones shift with her next menstrual cycle.”

“Next period?!” You really started panicking. “I can’t feel that way for that long!” You wanted to cry and yet you could feel that you had to fight to remain yourself even now. You knew it would only get worse. “Look I… Tech I…” You searched for words, feeling overwhelmed. This was not how you wanted to have this conversation, but it seemed like you had better get it over with. “Tech, I have feelings for you. I really like you, but I don’t want to have sex with you or anyone right now, for that matter and I’m afraid of what I might say or do in the next however long.”

Tech quickly processed the information and couldn’t help but smile. “I believe the feeling is mutual,” he said, still kneeling in front of you. “I promise no one will do anything you would not want done in your healthy state of mind. You have my word.”

“That’s great,” chimed Echo, “And I’m really glad for you two, but how are we going to fix this without waiting?”

“I have an idea,” Tech replied.

No sooner had he said that and the fever hit. You felt like you were on fire and cold as ice at the same time. Wrecker stepped toward you to hold your hand. “It’s gonna be okay,” he said. “If anyone can solve this, it’s Tech.”

You tried to nod. Your whole body shook with fever, but within a few minutes the fever was gone. You knew that you weren’t yourself, but there was no way to stop it. You looked at all five men greedily and started to take your shirt off.

“I want Tech first,” you said with a smirk.

“Now now,” Wrecker said, still next to you and taking your hand away from your shirt. “None of that.”

You tried to stand up and looked at each member of the squad. You giggled to yourself that you just thought about the word “member.” They would do nicely, but you would give anything for Tech to throw you onto his bunk and fuck you through the bottom of the ship. You walked closer to him and he adjusted his googles.

“I know this is not you,” he said.

It quickly became clear that you were going to be quite a handful.  Tech did research as fast as possible, finding flowers that reacted similarly.  Wrecker held you in his lap with his arms wrapped around you after you tried to jump on Hunter as he walked past to assist Tech. He was also trying to keep you from acting out your latest threat of walking up to Tech and sitting in his lap naked. You made several comments about each of the men, but would not stop talking about how much you wanted Tech.

“We know,” Crosshair said, sitting next to Wrecker.

You turned your head toward Crosshair and smiled like an idiot. “Jealous,” you asked him.

“I didn’t say that,” he replied in annoyance.

“It’s okay if you are,” you countered in a sing-song voice.

Your body then decided that since you were sitting on a man’s lap, you might as well start thrusting your hips.

“Nope,” Wrecker said, lifting you off his lap. He was strong, but you were giving him a run for his money with how much you were squirming.

“We’ll sit with her awhile,” Hunter offered, dragging Echo with him. “Crosshair too.”

“What? Why me?”

“Because you’ve only sat next to Wrecker. I think we’ll all have to take some limbs or something.” Wrecker sat you down on the bunk and Hunter held you back before you could lunge at Tech. You nearly yoinked him halfway across the Marauder. Hunter managed to sit you back down with Echo holding one arm, Hunter the other, and Crosshair sitting on the floor hugging your legs.

“This is ridiculous,” you giggled. “Just let me fuck your brother. Just once.”

Hunter sighed. He knew you were going to be upset later. Tech had already discovered that there is no lapse in memory for this particular drug, so you would remember every moment of this.  He hoped you would find solace in the fact that they all knew this wasn’t really you. 

They were all getting tired and while Wrecker wanted to help Tech, he knew there was little he could do, so he tried sleeping until it was his turn to hold you again. Tech worked furiously through the night. He grimaced when you hit the next stage and complained you felt throbbing.  You had gone from flirty to begging for someone to put your out of your misery “with as much cock as possible.” When that didn’t work you cried. He knew it must be painful by this point. He couldn’t stand to hear you cry.  Your body was simply reacting to a drug. He felt guilty for not knowing this plant was in the vicinity, but it had never been documented on this side of the planet before. How could he have known?

In the middle of the night, Wrecker woke to stay with you while Hunter, Echo, and Crosshair tried to get some sleep. You made a lot of noise, but they tried. Wrecker had to admit that he didn’t do any more than doze. They were all worried for you, but being in war and under stress, they had learned to sleep when they can and then get up and do their part when it was time. They got what sleep they could.

You wailed when Wrecker held you, trying to scramble away to get to one of the men. He just kept apologizing and telling you he was keeping you safe. You managed to turn in his lap and wrap your legs around his waist.

He sighed. “I know you don’t want that. Not really.” You started crying again and all you could seem to feel was your pulse between your legs and a chemical drive that would not go away.

At the front of the ship, Tech started to make some progress.  He smiled to himself when he found a research article on this species of plant. He needed one of the pink flowers you’d collected earlier along with two drugs from the med kit.

Hunter hadn’t done much more than close his eyes, but he sensed the med kit being opened and went to try to help his brother.

“Will you restart the campfire,” Tech asked.

“Sure. What progress have you made?”

“We are not able to create or obtain the hormones needed to trigger her menstrual cycle and end this using that method. However, it is theorized that the reason sexual intercourse causes the pollen to cease its effect is because of the presence of semen in the vagina. Specifically, one protein found in seminal fluid. Now, obviously that is not an option for us, but it appears a similar form of this protein can be synthesized using the pollen of some flowers we collected. While not ideal, there are some items in the med kit that can help this chemical process.”

“Great, but how do we get it in her,” Hunter asked.

“We don’t,” answered Crosshair, now standing behind them. “Put whatever you make on a tampon and ask her to do it herself.”

“Would that work,” Echo asked, joining them.

“I believe it is the least invasive option,” Tech replied.

They all nodded. Hunter went outside to start the campfire.  Tech sterilized some equipment and joined him.  It seemed simple enough. He only needed part of the flower and then the heated wound disinfectant along with bacta gel would cause the protein to be isolated. Hunter dug a tampon out of the emergency supplies.

Echo and Crosshair helped Wrecker who held your legs, while the other two sat on either side of you. You were tired, but still acting ravenous. Your method had gone even further in the direction of complaining about how you were hurting, and you just wanted all this to be over. 

“It doesn’t have to be Tech,” you declared. “I’ll take any of you. Please!”  You then melted in Echo’s arm and looked at him with stars in your eyes. “Changed your mind yet? Any of you?”

He simply shook his head, trying to show he cared, and held on so you couldn’t pounce on anyone.  You turned to Crosshair on your other side. He held your arm and tried to help keep you still as best he could. You quickly moved to try to bite his neck and he pulled away. “No thank you,” he said. “I’m saving that for someone special.”

You were trying so hard to fight the drug coursing through your system, but it was a losing battle. After what felt like ages, Tech seemed satisfied with the concoction. There wasn’t much of it, but once it was cool enough he dipped the end of the tampon in the gel and walked back onto the ship. The boys let go enough for you to walk toward him. Your flirty symptoms appeared again, and you wanted Tech so badly. You looked up and down his body with no shame. He really took your breath away.

Tech found your glances made him nervous, but simply cleared his throat.  Just as he was about to explain why he was holding a tampon, you started sniffing the air.

“That smell,” you said.

The men all looked at each other. “Can you smell it,” Hunter asked. “The protein?”

“Whatever it is, I want to sit on it,” you replied with a grin. You homed in on the tampon.

Tech cleared his throat again and explained, “I have created what we hope will reverse the effect of the drug, but you need to insert this yourself.”

Crosshair and Echo were still each holding your arms, but not too tightly. You seemed to calm and they let go. You took the tampon and went to take your pants off, but everyone stopped you. Tech opened the refresher door and you walked in. He closed it and everyone sighed.

“I hope this works,” said Echo. “All I smell is floral bacta gel.”

In the ‘fresher you regarded the tampon with a little suspicion, but your body seemed to be on autopilot. You placed the tampon and immediately the ache started going away. You took slower breaths. You washed your hands and realized your nerves had been on fire for hours.  You looked at yourself in the mirror and felt the heat in your face start to drain. Instead, you realized all that you had said and done, or tried to do. All kinds of emotions flooded your system. You were sure that Hunter could sense the change in you from the other side of the door, so you made no effort to report what was going on. You weren’t sure you wanted to see or talk to any of them yet. You were covered in sweat from all your activity and wanted a shower.  You stripped off your clothes and briefly stood under the water. Just enough to clear away the feeling on your skin.  When you got out, you noticed someone had left you the spare clothes you’d brought, and you slowly put them on. After a few more minutes of staring blankly into the mirror and letting the antidote work, you finally reappeared.

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly. “I didn’t mean all that.”

“We know,” Wrecker said, pulling you into a hug.

“Glad you feel better,” Hunter said.

“Been thinking we might all get some shut eye before we leave,” Echo suggested.  Crosshair nodded with a little smile on his face. For the first time all night, he popped a toothpick in his mouth.

You nodded, thanking them for helping you.

“Especially you, Tech.”

He wasn’t sure what to do. Should he hug you? Hold you? Keep his distance?

“Here,” he said. “If you find you need more to counter the drug, I will put this in a safe place.” He showed you a container with the small puddle of gel he had made using the flowers. You smiled at him.

“How did you figure it out?”

He walked you to the cockpit after closing up the ship as the sun rose. He sat you down, noticing how physically weak you looked. Sitting across from you, he told you about his research and how he found a way to mimic the protein structure that seemed to shut down the drug.  You smiled. Of course Tech would figure it out.

“I’m sorry again,” you said.

“Cyar’ika, you have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, reaching for your hand. He gave it a soft squeeze and smiled at you. “None of this was your fault.”

You returned the smile and sat back, looking like you might fall asleep.

“Let me help you to bed,” he offered. You took his arm, needing it to steady yourself. Your legs felt like jelly for a whole different reason this time.

You got into bed. In his bunk. The others were already sleeping. Tech sat on the end of the bed, but looked conflicted. When he originally offered to sleep in the pilot’s seat, he didn’t know all of this would happen.

“Tech? Can you stay? Is that okay?”

He nodded, but suddenly seemed a bit nervous. He had never shared a bed with anyone like this. What he said earlier was true. He had feelings for you and knew you had feelings for him. He wanted you to feel safe, so if you wanted him close, he felt it would be alright now, although he wasn’t sure what he was doing as he laid down.

“How would you like me to, uh…”

“Like this,” you replied, taking his hand and laying it across your middle. Not too close or tight, but just there. “But however feels right. I trust you.”

He softly smiled and relaxed. “Goodnight mesh’la.”

[smokeahontas7]

Botany

pairing: (pre-ellie)!Joel Miller x OFC!Juliette Dacre

summary: Joel meets Juliette and finds small moments of restitution and peace for himself through helping her tend to a secret community garden that helps people from starving in the QZ.

a/n: i'm gonna place this as pre ellie, a few weeks before Tommy leaves the Boston QZ. i don't know much about the video game but i did my research don't come for me. tess is involved but not painted in bad light, mostly added for razzle dazzle. i use ofc because writing 'you' pov is hard for me. juliette in my head is native american/mexican, bc i'm native american/mexican lol but there isn't any super body descriptions of her. this will be a pre/post outbreak short series it's kinda romantic kinda smutty definitely self indulgent

warnings: MINORS DO NOT ENAGE: slow burn, there will be smut i promise, age gap (ofc is in her late 20's), implied mentions of sex work, poisoning, brief details of death/murder/drowning, not quite smut at the end but still a warning for heavy make outs anyway, not like a warning but an fyi for those who don't know, gruñon is spanish for grumpy which is like her nickname for Joel, that is all lol

botany ch. 2 here!

"You gonna keep draggin' ass or can we get home sometime soon ? Gonna get dark."

"Just wait a minute."

Tommy stood at the front of the abandoned hardware store, impatiently awaiting his brother who seemed to be dragging them out of their way lately. Joel disregarded him entirely and continued his search, reaching the back of the dusty store and finally finding a single box of latex gloves. He shoved the crumbled box in his pack and hurriedly joined his brother outside the store where the sun was just about setting, both Tess and Tommy giving him looks of irritation, but he didn't seem to mind as they headed back to the Boston QZ.

"You're kinda' sweet on that girl, don'tcha' think?" Tommy said after a awhile of walking, loving to twist the knife when it came to teasing his brother.

"Shut up." Joel insisted through his teeth, delivering a swift punch to his arm.

"You do go out of your way for that princess a lot." Tess added, he silently cursed Tommy with his eyes.

"I don't go out of my way... She keeps that secret garden. She feeds people,"

"She makes medicine, she helps the community," Tess mockingly completed a sentence he had used in his defense before, catching eyes with him before his darted down to his boots.

"But you are sweet on her. That's why you go out of your way." Tommy teased again.

"I told Ben I'd look out for her.. and you guys did too. That's what I'm doin'."

The mention of their former friend Ben seemed to quiet everyone up, not much said afterwards as they sat with the truth. Ben Dacre and his daughter Juliette helped sustain hundreds of people in the QZ with their homemade fish traps in the river just outside the walls, and their secret garden that grew all different varieties of natural herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Ben had started trading with the group, food and natural medicine in exchange for their protection. If it was ever to be tipped off to FEDRA about what they were doing, Ben requested they get Juliette somewhere safe and let him take the hanging, for his daughter would have all the means and intelligence to start a new garden over again on her own if she continued to have a trading connection in them. The man passed away just as he predicted, and it was Joel who got Juliette to a small apartment with access to a wooded area nearby. Over time he had helped her restore and tend to over half the garden to its originally glory, it was something they had grown close over, as Tommy and Tess were more about finding seeds and seeking gardening supplies for them.

Juliette was fairly good at sustaining herself and mostly stayed out of trouble. She was as charismatic as she was lovely, easily 20 years younger than him, and often catching the eye of young FEDRA agents and other men who lingered too long, came on too strong, in Joel's opinion. She was helpful to him in ways too, checking his traps for him and habitually delivering the catches perfectly cleaned, cut, and gutted. She gave him all the clothes and boots and other manly essentials her father didn't need after he passed. Sometimes she'd invite the brothers over and make them dinner. Everyone knew her as a very sweet girl who kept to herself, it wasn't hard for him to develop a small crush.

"You guys go. I'm gonna drop these seeds off and grab some food, I'll be back in an hour." He caught an awkward glance from Tess but nothing more, it made him inwardly frustrated that she just didn't understand. They all would sometimes see Juliette in town being friendly with a guard, or being escorted somewhere with a smile. Joel especially took notice. He knew his crush would never be anything more. Maybe she was flirty with him at times, but maybe she was that way with everyone. Joel knocked on the door with special code, so she'd know it was safe for her to answer. He listened to the many locks being undone, counting them in his head to make sure she wasn't half assing it and only doing 1 or 2 when there were 6 for a reason.

"You did all the locks this time, good girl." He praised when she opened the door, catching a blush on her cheeks and a sincerely happy to see him grin.

"You spent half an hour pulling weeds with me AND lecturing me on lock safety. I learned my lesson." She said in joking defeat, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tight as he stood still, as usual. He tried his best to be appropriate with his affections, reserved where she was free, but she didn't mind. She knew that was just Joel.

"Speakin' of weeds," Joel sat on the couch and dug into his pack, fishing out the box of latex gloves. "These aren't gonna save your hands, they'll shred." He handed them to her and found blissful disbelief on her face. She didn't say anything for a moment, looking between him and the box. He could tell she had something on her mind, the way her brow creased in thought and she seemed to go somewhere else.

"Hey, everything ok ?" He asked, she hesitated.

"... I need to ask you something serious." Brown meet brown when they catch each other's eye, Juliette trying her best to read him, but he remains in his stone demeanor.

"Joel, I need a really big favor... but I need to ask first, can I trust you ?" It's subtle, but something in his gaze changes then, a dilating of his pupils just a bit when he nods.

"With your life." Juliette takes a long pause, pacing the small studio apartment with nervous steps. She knows he means it.

"There's a plant that grows along the abandoned highways near where you do your trade runs. I need you to take these jars, and collect any berries, blooms, and leaves you can find from this plant." Juliette takes a book from off her table and sits beside him, laying it in his lap and pointing at a diagram of a green plant with purple flowers and deep blue berries.

atropa belladonna: deadly nightshade - WARNING! HIGHLY TOXIC

"The entire belladonna plant from roots to leaves is poisonous, and you'd need to wear the gloves to protect your skin." She bends over to briefly dig under the couch, finding a shoe box and removing the lid to reveal it to be filled to the brim with ration cards, and an almost full bottle of real pre-outbreak whiskey.

"I know it'll be dangerous, I've been doing some saving and trading.. I would go myself, but my dad never let me go past the river, I don't know the area... and you won't take me yourself."

"No, I wont. Something happens to you out there, who's gonna help the people in here ?" She remained quiet, he made a fair point. She hadn't yet picked someone to pass her knowledge down to, and Joel was the only other person who knew some, but not all, that it took into raising a healthy garden. Joel took the bottle of whiskey from the shoe box and pushed the ration cards back to her.

"Joel, no-- you,"

"No, you, listen up. I'll do this for you on one condition. You gotta tell me what need you have for poison plants.. and you gotta promise to put those cards towards yourself. Gonna start gettin' cold again, get some winter clothes... can't romp around in sun dresses all seasons." His dry humor was poking fun at her, but he noticed a swift change in her mood, leg beginning to bounce in a nervous shake right beside his. Joel gently placed his hand over her knee, trying to read her face and finding a mix of sadness, and possibly shame.

"I'm just jokin' with you, honey, I didn't mean anything by it,"

"No-- it's not that... I just.. don't think I can tell you. I don't want you to think different of me.." Juliette said softly, different than her usually confident and chipper way of being.

"You're actin' like you're planning on poisoning someone, what's goin' on with you ?" The silence that fell over the room was heavy, all she could do was stare.

"Shit, Jules.. are you poisoning people??" He asks a little louder than intended, she shushes him, placing her hands over his mouth and climbing in his lap a bit with pleading eyes.

"Shut the hell up!! These walls are stupid thin, you know that. You need to let me explain.. will you let me explain?" Joel nods his head, unbothered by the unsolicited contact from her. She smells fragrantly sweet up close, and her knee digging into his thigh felt painfully good. She climbs off of him and takes a deep breath, fidgeting with her hands on the couch in silence for a moment. He's never seen her so wound up before, he can tell she's scared.

"Whatever it is-- and I mean whatever-- We'll deal with it together. Ok?" She meets his eyes one more time, and she knows he is a man of his word. Joel Miller is not one to just say things.

"Have you ever heard of Jane Doe's ?" Her question catches him off guard, it takes him a moment to process what it means. She can see it in his eyes when it clicks.

"Heard its a myth.. FEDRA wouldn't run shit like that. They'd abolish it." Joel seemed confident in his words, but the sad looking smile on her face at his naivety made something in his stomach drop.

"When girls are of age to get assignments, some of us get the choice to be Jane Doe's... FEDRA officers request us, we go to their homes, draw them bathes, make them tea... We wait til they're done. We do whats requested.. They pay us our ration cards, we leave." Clearly distraught, things started connecting in Joel's mind as he ran a hand through his greying hair. The many "boyfriends" he thought she had. Wondering how she always had so many ration cards to offer him. The bruising he'd sometimes see on her arms and legs she'd claim were from gardening.

"A few months ago, I went to jane doe for a guard that was known to be aggressive with the girls.. He kept me for 3 days and did.... the craziest shit, Joel." He noticed how her body trembled, her eyes pleaded with him to see her point of view, to believe her, rather than crying about the abuse she suffered.

"FEDRA doesn't give a fuck what happens to us. jane doe's are disposable, replaceable... It's all underground. So nothing happened to the guard... My dad and I used to harvest the belladonna that grew near the river, and I remembered there was a patch next to where we have the fish traps.. so I got the berries together, and I made a tea. When that guard requested me again, I went to his house and did what I normally do. I might've used more than I needed.. his body responded almost immediately, then it was pretty much easy from there. I waited til I could hear him choking, then I went into the bathroom and held him underwater til he passed.." Joel rarely showed reaction at all, but he could hardly believe that sweet, quiet, Juliette was telling him the story of how she poisoned and drowned a man in his own bath tub. He felt pride in her for having the ability and intelligence to keep herself alive, but mutual rage at the men who've been hurting her, and disappointment in himself for not seeing the situation sooner.

"Fuck, Jules.. I'm sorry, I should've known, I," She cut him off, shaking her head and taking his hands in hers. She recognized the coldness pouring over his eyes as he beat himself up. She wouldn't let him take responsibility for it.

"Hey, I'm fine, right? I'm right here, aren't I ?" She flatted his hands on the hem of her dress, bringing a bit of warmth back to his brown irises as he met her sight.

"You couldn't have known.. I wouldn't let you. This isn't something I'm proud of.. I would've died with this secret if I wasn't in this position." He's reminded of the matter at hand, the collecting of the plant, and her reasoning.

"Tell me who you're going to use the poison on, I'll take care of it right now. Give me a name." She observes how the thought of her being in danger puts fire in his heart, and shares a genuine smile for the first time of the night since she opened the door.

"I'm not in any danger, Gruñon, calm down.. Seriously, I promise." Juliette extends her pinky and offers it in promise, he begrudgingly links his with hers and interlocks it tight, but takes it as trust she is telling the truth.

"I make the tea for other jane doe's.. We take turns taking out guards. When one jane has a body, we all go to where she's at and help wrap the guy up like the infected, and toss them in the burn piles at night.. I've used all the nightshade within my reach, but I know more grows along where you do your trade runs." She allows him a moment to process and sit with everything she's said, fearing in the back of her mind that he thinks she's barbaric, inhumane. She has no idea of the things he's done to survive as well, he could never judge her. He maybe even admires her more.

"I'll get what you need, I understand it's important. Don't worry about it." Joel assures her, telling her he'll be going back on another run in a few days. She thanks him endlessly, throwing her arms around him again, but this time, he opens his for her and wraps her in a tight hug. He cannot imagine the horrors she's witnessed and suffered from being a jane to abusers, it's important to him that she know he's safe, he's here for her. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath of her scent in the lingering hug they both needed, comforted by hints of jasmine flowers in her hair and coconut oil on her skin. She holds his neck a little tighter and he does the same with his arm around her waist, playing a game of follow the leader her body finds its way on top of his lap and he leans back on the couch to give her more room, now closer than they've ever been. She gently kissed him, her lips soft and moisturized with some sort of homemade balm that tasted like honey where his were chapped and hardly used to the affections of kissing. His body reacted before the thread of his moral compass could, chasing the sweetness of her lips and slowly initiating the next steps of tasting her mouth with his tongue. She ran her fingers through his untamed mess of greying waves, nails gently raking across the back of his neck and making his heart pound in his chest.

"Jules.." He sighed when she started to grind on his lap, moving his kisses roughly under her chin and down her throat, facial hair scratching against the delicate skin of her chest as she began pulling her dress down for him.

"Please, Joel ? Please, please, please," She begs, snaking her hand between them to begin pulling at his belt. Joel groans, pulling her hand away and holding it at her side, both panting for air as the heated make out abruptly stops.

"I.. I can't tonight.." Something in his gut drops again as he internally kicks himself. He wants this just as badly as she does, but he has to go.

"I told Tommy I'd be an hour.. I won't have enough time. Any longer, he'll come lookin' for me." Juliette nods. She's understanding, but he can tell she seems discouraged.

"Hey," Joel holds her chin in his hand gently. "I'll be back in a few days... Just.. be good for me. Stay out of trouble." He doesn't know what else to say, but it's better than pulling her hair back and going for her mouth again. He kisses her a final time before he goes, savoring the taste of sugar and honey.

"Come back to me safely."

Like a spell spoken over a willing fool, Joel found himself wanting to do exactly that from the moment he left her apartment.

[dorianwritesthings]

The Bad Batch x Reader: You Make Them Flower Crowns

A/N: Hey guess who wants to write fanfiction to put before the public again and also is in the middle of a Bad Batch fixation? It’s meeeee.

So anyway! Here is a little story for each member where you make and give them a flower crown.

Hunter:

You walked along the perimeter of your landing zone, careful to keep the Marauder in sight at all times. The planet you were on was mostly jungle, making a suspected separatist military base difficult for republic forces to find, let alone infiltrate. But for you, it meant the possibility of getting lost if you strayed too far.

One of the plants Tech described to you was growing in some abundance just behind the ship. It had edible leaves and pretty blue flowers of various sizes. You grabbed quite a few and put them into your bag before moving on to find some of those fruits you were so interested in.

By the time you were finished you’d actually managed to gather enough plants to feed the Batch, which was quite the accomplishment. Tech inspected it, approving your haul before going back to work on the ship with Echo.

You’d managed to find a few plants that had fruit, though Tech corrected that a few of these plants were technically vegetables. Regardless you tried each one, deciding that you could probably make some sort of salad with the leaves of that one plant you’d found and just put the sweet Jogan fruit type thing on the side.

You began to strip the flowers of their leaves, and suddenly an idea came to mind. You could make use of these flowers, too, if you had time.

Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair returned about an hour later. You’d had time to prepare some food, which Wrecker seemed pretty enthusiastic about. Echo and Tech were already eating.

“What’s all this?” Hunter asked as they drew closer. You smiled, hands clasped behind your back.

“Tech mentioned that this planet had edible wild plants.” You said. Crosshair continued on, but you reached out a hand to stop Hunter.

“What? No food for me?”

“Not yet. I made you something else, too.”

“Something else?”

You pulled the flower crown from behind your back and held it out to him, suddenly very nervous.

“You made this…for me?” he asked. You saw his eyes flicker to his brothers.

“I, uh, Yeah. I mean if you don’t want it, that’s fine.”

“No…” he said, taking it from you and gently placing it on top of his head. It fell almost perfectly over his bandana, “I like it.”

You smiled, blushing at the compliment and finally let him walk over to enjoy the food with everyone else.

“Nice crown, Hunter.” Crosshair teased. He had picked up one of the purple fruit pieces with a toothpick.

“Better than yours.” Hunter grabbed a plate and sat down next to Wrecker, leaving some room for you beside him.

Echo:

Your recent injury left you with quite a bit of time the past few days. Tech had said you’d be clear for duty in a few days, but in the mean time wanted you to rest as much as possible. Normally you didn’t like being left out, but you’d managed to take advantage of the time today.

The others had gone to get supplies while Tech and Echo worked on the ship. You watched them for a while, bored but grateful for the nice weather on this planet. This particular outpost was a small one, and your ship was surrounded by wildflowers.

They drew your attention and you remembered that you did know how to make flower crowns…maybe you could make one as a present to Echo. He’d been the one looking after you most while you recovered and you may have also…really…really liked him.

Quickly you set to work. You couldn’t really walk too far, but there were plenty of flowers nearby to choose from. You chained together some larger ones in a few different colors and then threaded in some of the small white ones all the way through, filling in the gaps. It was honestly pretty sturdy and you were happy with it.

“Echo?” You called. He immediately looked up at you, mentioned something to Tech, and jogged over.

“Yeah?” he asked, “You alright? Need anything?”

“Oh no.” you said, “I mean…I made this for you.”

You held up the crown in your hands, hoping he didn’t notice your nervousness.

“For me?”

“Yeah.” you said, “You’ve been so nice and I wanted to say thank you.”

“You…you don’t have to thank me.” he said, “Maybe you should wear it instead.”

“But, you’d look so cute!” The words of protest came out of your mouth quickly and you immediately felt heat flush over your cheeks.

Echo’s blush was adorable. He knelt down.

“Well, if you say so I guess.”

A bit hesitantly, but without objection from Echo, you set the flower crown on his head, glad to see that you’d judged the size correctly. He looked up and you smiled.

“Well? How do I look?” He said it hesitantly, a small smile on his lips. 

“You look great,” you said, “Do you…like it?”

He adjusted it a bit. “Well I’m certainly not taking it off.”

Wrecker:

“Woah.”

The field of flowers before you was honestly impressive. You’d never seen anything like it in your travels throughout the galaxy.

“That’s a lot of flowers.” Wrecker agreed, standing next to you. You’d both just gotten off the Marauder and were standing next to the boarding ramp to let the others get off.

“Actually they’re a non-native species.” Tech said, “But they grow so well in this region due to the temperate climate and little shade.”

“C’mon, Tech! Don’t ruin it!”

“I’m simply providing more information.”

You chuckled a bit, reaching down to touch one of the flowers’ soft petals.

“We could be here for a while.” Hunter said, “So make yourselves comfortable.”

You were waiting to meet with a contact, but you’d arrived early.

“Hey, Wrecker,” You said, “Can you bring me some flowers? Keep the stems as long as you can. Whatever colors you want.”

“Hm? Okay sure!” he smiled at you and began hunting for some. The field had a decent variety, though most of the flowers were blues, purples, and reds. 

“That’ll keep him occupied.” Crosshair said, passing by you to do some of his own exploring. You chose to ignore him.

Wrecker quickly returned with two handfuls of flowers, which was more like an armful when you held them.

“How’s that?” His smile hadn’t faded a bit.

“Perfect!” You beamed, beginning to weave them together.

“What are you doing?” He took a seat beside you and looked on curiously as you overlapped the stems.

“It’s a surprise.” 

He chuckled, “You like your surprises, don’t ya?”

You grinned at that, continuing to work on a matching set of flower crowns. Wrecker started to poke at the ground, pulling apart a few of the flowers around you.

“Aaaaand done.” You smiled, holding up both crowns. Wrecker looked at them.

“Awesome!…What is it?”

You chuckled, placing one of the crowns on his head.

“They’re flower crowns..” You put the other one on your own head, “Now we match, see?”

He picked you up into a hug and you let out a surprised squeak that quickly turned into laughter as he spun you around.

“I like it.” he said into your ear, finally releasing you. He kept it on throughout the day, showing off how the two of you matched during dinner.

Tech:

“What about this one?” you ask, holding up a light purple flower in his line of sight.

“Ah, that would be a Vervain Hipna. They’ve been used in some cultures as a sleep aid, though the property is only brought out when boiled.” He took the flower from your fingers, looking at it closely and inspecting it’s petals, “Touching them is fine.”

“Interesting.” You smiled, working one of them into your current lattice of stems. The crown was almost done with Tech none the wiser.

“Many of the plants grown here have some sort of medicinal use.” Tech continued, scanning another of the plants.

“Oh yeah? And what’s your favorite?”

He considered your question for a moment.

“I suppose the multiple uses of the Mehere Lillium is quite interesting. It’s roots produce a mild disinfectant, reduce fevers, and the flower petals produce an orange dye.”

“Orange dye, huh? What do they look like?”

He looked around for a moment.

“Ah, here.” he reached down and picked up an especially large orange-red flower, “This one is a pretty good specimen.”

You took the flower from him and Tech looked away quickly, blushing a bit at the quick contact of your hands. You took the opportunity to examine the flower. It was large with 6 pointed petals that stretched from red to a deep orange.

“They’re actually grown in controlled gardens on other planets,” he continued, “Since the dye they produce is so sought after. The largest off-planet grower is actually the same one who produces the Malreaux household plants.”

“Ah, well they also make a good crowning jewel.” you said, looking over you’re completed crown. You’d connected the two ends, using the large orange flower as the centerpiece.

“A what?” he asked, turning back to you. His eyes settled immediately on the creation in your hands. 

“You like it?”

“It’s quite impressive.” He looked it over, “How long did it take?”

“Not long.” You sat the crown on his head, enjoying his puzzled expression. “I’m glad it fits.”

He reached a gentle hand up to feel the crown on his head, a small smile forming on his lips.

“A lovely gift, my dear. Thank you,” he said, “Now, may I craft one for you?”

Crosshair:

If you were completely honest with yourself, you were enjoying this mission quite a bit. Time alone with Crosshair was a rarity, even if it could be quiet.

He’d been settled in his vantage point for quite some time, time enough for you to become a little bored. You were with him as a lookout. This particular target had rather irregular patrols. Hunter wanted you to keep lookout while Crosshair focused in case they sent someone your way. 

Unfortunately, no one had come up the path since the two of you trudged up there that morning. Distracting yourself with the manipulation of the clearing’s many flowers felt like a good use of time.

You spared a glance over at Crosshair. He was laying on the ground, carefully waiting for the target to appear. You were sat facing the opposite direction, able to see both the path you’d come from in the distance and an adjacent one on the mountainside next to you.

The field you two were in had quite a few flowers to choose from, but you decided to go with a red theme. It matched his armor.

Finally finished, you placed the crown gently on his head. Crosshair tensed and breathed your name in annoyance.

“What is on my head?” 

“I made a flower crown. Fits you perfectly.”

He spared a glance at you for just a moment, but you didn’t miss the small smirk on his face. You also didn’t miss how genuinely cute he looked with your flower crown on.

“Doesn’t sound like you’re doing much of your job then, lookout.”

“Come on.” You rolled your eyes, “I get bored and needed something to do with my hands. And now you’re head is sufficiently camouflaged.”

“Somehow, I doubt this makes a difference.”

“You know, Crosshair, when someone makes something for you, you’re usually supposed to say thank you.” You leaned back on your hands and looked again at the empty trail.

“I thought you said you made it because you were bored. Not for me.” 

You froze for a second and he chuckled a bit.

“How adorable.”

[visceravalentines]

Sinclair Household HCs

My brain...it’s rotting....  

COOKING

Vincent cannot cook for shit.  Not only that, but he puts milk in his bowl before he pours in the cereal.  Unforgivable.  Vinny does like to bake, but his success rate is wildly variable.  Sometimes his cookies are weapons.  

Vinny gets so wrapped up in his work he forgets to eat for hours.  Bo will sometimes call him from the station to tell him to go upstairs and eat something. He genuinely likes fruits and vegetables, but he’s not picky and will munch just about anything.  

Bo is a survivalist cook. He spent some time parenting his brothers, particularly Lester, and Trudy liked to withhold food as punishment, so he became adept at throwing together something quick.  

Processed food is this man’s fuel.  Boxed mac & cheese, canned soup, frozen dinners.  Can toast a waffle.  Can grill a cheese.  Can make a pretty damn good sandwich.  Has been known to eat the pieces of a thing rather than assembling the thing.  

Lester is the chef! You can hand this man a dead skunk, like really dead, and he will present you with the most decadent burgoo you’ve ever had.  Also quite the connoisseur of wine.  He makes his own and it’s damn good.  

Lester has a garbage disposal stomach and appetite.  He’s never heard of food poisoning.  He’s never met a food he doesn’t like.  He’s a particular fan of gas station fare though, stopping on his route for chips, beef jerky, pork rinds, you name it.  

Spice tolerance?  Vin is the master.  Lester is Cajun through-and-through.  Bo will insist he is fine even though his face is red and he is pouring sweat.  To be fair, he’s got a tolerance above average, but he’s nothing compared to his little brothers.  

CLEANING

Lester, it’s Lester.  

The man doesn’t mind a little grime.  We’ve all seen his truck and his self.  But that’s work.  He’s got too much to do to worry about a little blood, especially when it spills as fast as he can clean it.  When it comes to his living space, having things neat and orderly is like a mental separation for him between work and home.  

Makes his bed every goddamn day (when he sleeps in a bed, that is).

Lester takes showers until the hot water runs out and revels in that squeaky clean, guts-less feeling. If you catch him outside the workweek, mans smells delicious, kind of tobacco-y and leathery and woodsy.  He does love him some chew, but he’s not gross about it.  

Unfortunately for him, his brothers are disasters.  

Vinny is the most single-minded person in the state of Louisiana.  The project in front of him is all he can see or think about.  He leaves tools everywhere.  He sets candles down, forgets about them, leaves them burning until someone blows them out before they light something on fire.  He genuinely does not see the mess (same tbh).  

His workshop looks like a bomb went off, but it all makes perfect sense to him.  He can find you anything in two seconds.  If you put it “where it goes,” he will never find it again.  

Vincent has wax lodged permanently beneath his fingernails and there’s always a microscopic film of it on his skin.  His hands are very soft from it though.  Sometimes he goes for a while without showering because art.  He also has a solid skincare routine pressed upon him by Mother Trudy.  Wax does not breathe, so he has to keep his face clean and moisturized.

The other thing he is meticulous about is his hair.  We never see it in the movie, but I like to think he keeps it pulled back a lot of the time while working.  He doesn’t mind it in his face, but getting wax out of it is a nightmare.  Lester isn’t often around to help him, and Bo told him if he ever made him do it again he’d shave his head.  Vinny smells generally like art supplies, kind of sweet and woody, but his hair smells like nice shampoo.  

Bo is the opposite of Lester.  He is neat at work and a slob at home.  His garage is always swept, every little screw and gear organized and accounted for, his truck washed once a week like clockwork.  At the house though, man’s leaving dishes in the same place for weeks, crumbs galore, dirty and clean laundry all over the floor.  

Every so often, the mess gets to him and he goes on a cleaning tirade.  It gets the work done, but he’s a nightmare to deal with if you get in his way.

Bo himself is pretty well-kept.  He wears clean underwear every day goddammit.  Despite being a mechanic, he hates having dirty nails, so he will give himself a manicure on Sundays.  Don’t you fucking dare look at him like that.  Smells like motor oil, leather, cigarettes, and that good sweat.  Only wears cologne on special occasions, like funerals.

 HOME LIFE, ESP. WEEKENDS

Bo is the one who makes runs into town for supplies.  Vincent would rather die than leave Ambrose, and Lester attracts too much attention between the smell, the slight lack of social skills, and his tendency to describe the innards of animals at the slightest provocation.  Bo attracts his own kind of attention, but he’s adept at deflecting it.  

Lester doesn’t often sleep at the house.  He has a bedroom, but he also has a neat little shack in the woods, and that’s where he spends most of the week.  It’s not that he doesn’t love his brothers; it’s that he likes his space, his freedom.

He comes home on the weekends, sometimes early on Fridays.  This is when most of the housekeeping gets done, but he doesn’t mind a bit.  

Friday night is boys’ night. Isn’t every night boys’ night? Yes.  Does this matter?  No.  

All three of them are wicked good at pool.  Like, stupid good.  Games between the brothers are either over fast, or last an hour.  There’s also a fair bit of poker.  The currency at stake takes the form of small bones (animal, human, whatever), nuts from the garage, matches, or loser shots.

Speaking of which, the Sinclairs can hold their booze.  In addition to his wine endeavors, Lester makes some facefucking moonshine and rotgut whisky.  The night usually starts with cheap beer and ends with Bo talking REALLY LOUD, LIKE SO LOUD. HE’S NOT YELLING, HE’S JUST LIKE THIS.

Vincent gets everyone water and stops drinking hours before the other two because he’s smart, although he can absolutely drink you under the table if given the chance.  Lester gets loopy and ends up falling asleep in uncomfortable positions.  

Bo doesn’t typically get belligerent, but it is a possibility.  He usually gets uncharacteristically sentimental.  He smiles a lot more.  Sometimes he gets real quiet.  When this happens, his brothers put on music or start telling stories about happy memories to keep him out of the dark places in his head.  

Saturday mornings are often bleak and silent affairs.  

In a longtime tradition, Saturdays are spent on yardwork.  There are a lot of yards in Ambrose, lots of planter boxes, and they all need to be kept presentable.  Picture all three Sinclairs mowing lawns with or without white t-shirts.  Yeah.  

Sunday is for putting the house back into a reasonable state of affairs.  The amount of laundry these men generate is abominable.  No one likes dusting, hence all the cobwebs.  

Attendance at Sunday dinners is non-negotiable.  Shirts tucked in, all three of them.  Bo and Vincent will often help Lester cook.  This is not, in fact, helpful.  None of the brothers are particularly religious anymore, but they alternate saying grace before they eat.  

When Monday morning comes, Bo always has coffee made before Lester leaves at the ass crack of dawn. It happens to be decent.  Lester takes a thermos for the road, Bo has a cup before he leaves the house, and he brings Vinny an insulated cup in his workshop, so that even when he forgets it’s there, it’s warm for him when he remembers.

[bepisbee]

More vidow fluff :3

Happy Birthday!

Read on ao3

When the resident arsonist was told his boyfriend would be supplying him with bath bombs, he did not think he meant a bath. In all fairness, they have blown shit up together before. In a controlled environment. Usually.

Today was Shadow’s 20th birthday! He even got to sleep over at Vio’s house. Despite his brother’s protests, they had a great night. The two had ended up trying to Netflix and chill. They both fell asleep watching shameless sometime around three or four in the morning, without the cliche “chill” part. It was honestly okay with both of them.

Shadow was just excited to have a few days off from work and school. He was lucky it landed on a holiday weekend, no classes because teachers got paid time off and he scheduled paid vacation for himself from the cafe. He didn't necessarily need to work having a scholarship but he liked buying things. Shadow shook himself out of his thoughts. Vio had left him a note to find his present in here while he cooked. Shadow wondered if he should make sure Vio didn’t light the kitchen on fire without him, but the bath smelled really good.

There was clearly already scented oil or salts in the steaming water. A small brown paper bag with a note on it screamed open me! So he did. Inside was a chalky ball that smelled like citrus.

He rolled it into the hot water and watched it fizz out and break apart. Coloring the water a shimmering orange with gold flecks. Alright, maybe this was a little better than early morning explosives. He wouldn’t admit that out loud though. Shadow derobed and stepped into the over warm water. A bit too hot to be comfortable for a Hylian was perfect for him.

Vio always thought it had to do with spending so much time in the hot arid regions of their world. Swirling the water with a finger and watching the glimmer, he let himself drift in thoughts. He even slid under for a short period, letting the water soak into his face and hair. He wondered if the glitter would stick to it. An involuntary smile lifted his lips upwards as it reminded him of a rant Vio went on once about non degrading glitter.

“-adow?” Oh that was actual Vio! He opened his eyes to his favorite sight. Vio. And hot chocolate.

“Good morning,” he purred.

“Good morning.” Vio was still in pajamas. Excellent. That meant his plans for today involved staying in. With the scented heat melting away his knots and aches, that was sounding better and better. “Happy birthday,” Vio leaned over the porcelain edge to give him a proper greeting. “I see you got your first present.”

“First?” Shadow quirked a brow. “There’s moooooore?~” he sat upright, taking the hot mug carefully with both hands.

“The whole day.”

“You got out of your shift??” Shadow’s ears twitched up. Getting out of a nurse shift was very difficult.

“I owe someone one, but yes. Nothing to worry about though.” Vio gave another kiss, this one to his water coated forehead. “Enjoy your bath, I’ll be reading so don’t worry about taking too long. The water’s enchanted to keep warm so,”

“Thank you darlin’” Shadow sipped the drink, relaxing back against the tub.

“I promise not to tell anyone you’re a giant softie!” He called back over his shoulder before shutting the door.

“Hey!” Shadow laughed. “Better not. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Vio pulled the tarts out of the oven. He had no idea if this would turn out okay or not, but he trusted Zelda. Thankfully she knew him well, and wrote the directions very specifically. From how to layer the buttery crusts to the filling. He hoped using the dark world fruit equivalent wouldn’t screw up any dry to wet ratios. Apparently that was very important. It was a richer flavor than their world’s peaches. Some type of purple peach plum mix that dripped with juice. It was his favorite, and it was pretty rare to get the heathen to eat any kind of fruit or vegetable.

Vio quickly covered the treats as he heard Shadow closing their bedroom door. No need to ruin the surprise. He came out stretching his arms long above his head with a groan. It didn’t take long to hear and little pops of his spine.

“Mmmm ahh there it goes.”

“You know I could do that for you,” he has offered it before. He studied for chiropractic care before he settled on being a head registered nurse. “Even that twisty one that pops your lower back.” Vio offered as he joined his boyfriend. Shadow claimed one of their wood stools by the overhang that made the bar.

“Maybe later.”

“You always say that,” he teased.

“I always mean it.” Shadow took a piece of toast from the plate.

“Haha don’t talk with your mouth full, rude ass.” Vio playfully swatted his arm for the crumbs falling out.

“Oh no.” He over exaggerated it now just to annoy him. “Whatever shall become of the floor I think it might be destroyed forever.”

“Gross!” Vio pushed his face away with a hand. “C’mon.” they laughed, Shadow coughing a little as he inhaled crumbs. “Dumbass.”

“Your dumbass~”

“Yeah, yeah.”

After breakfast they spent the day watching drama shows and eating take out. Vio did in fact convince Shadow to let him realign his spine. Vio had always worked with his hands. Just enough strong pressure on the right spots did absolute wonders. Years of archery and competing with Blue did wonders for his upper body strength. You couldn’t tell just by looking, though.

“Alright, you’re all rice Krispied. “ Vio smirked. Shadow lay face down into a soft pillow, shaped and colored like a loaf of bread.

“Snap crackle pop. Heheh.” he was about to get up, when Vio placed two hands on his shoulders, bringing him back down. “Hmm?”

He traced skilled thumbs in circles across his shoulder pads and downwards. Now he got it. “Ahh. I see, carry on. No funny business~”

He carried on. Despite Shadows tease did not do any funny business. Aside from spending maybe a little too much time on his thighs and rear end. “A nerve that runs down there to his leg” Vio claimed.

“Suuuure.” Not that Shadow was complaining.

Maybe holiday birthdays weren’t so bad after all. He could get used to this.

Shadow didn't bother putting his shirt back on. He was too comfortable now. While Vio was out of the room he snuck over to the foil covered pan in the kitchen. The second he lifted up the top he could feel the stare boring into his back.

“I didn't see anything!” He dropped it and jumped back.

“Spoiler.” Vio scolded. Arms folded. “Well you might as well, I know how hard it was for you to hold back until now, you sweet tooth demon.”

Shadow beamed and gleefully tore the foil off the top. They were still warm..lining the tray were several puffed up and browned pastries. They look almost like croissants, in rectangles with slits in the middle of them. Dark purple chunks of fruit and filling poked out enticingly.

“No fucking way.” His grin turned large and toothy. “Are those what I think they are??”

“Try one and find out,” Vio hopped himself up to sit on the counter top. He had a great poker face. He honestly had no idea if they were any good.

Shadow grabbed one carefully, the pastry was flakey and still warm. He inspected it just to make the other nervous. He took a huge bite. Vio laughed at the way his eyes literally lit up. Shadow just nodded and ate the other half in full.

“What- you're gonna choke.” Vio sighed and wiped the crumbs off his lip with his thumb. Shadow spitefully licked it. “Ewugh!” He pulled his hand back.

“How did that gross you out?? I've licked way worse than your thumb darlin’.”

“Shut up. Fuck.” Vio rubbed his face, which turned red immediately. “That's so gross why would you say that.”

Shadow snorted. “You don’t think it's gross when it's happening. Weirdo.” He flicked his forehead and grabbed another treat. “These are amazing.” Even though the bottoms were a smidge burnt. Oops. Vio huffed and crossed his arms in embarrassed indignation. Shadow’s face melted into soft affection. “Thank you.” He kissed Vio softly.

“Yeah, yeah whatever birthday boy.”

[dweepgwooves]

Survival Instincts and Other Ways to Love Yourself

So I wrote this fic, inspired by the amazing @leventart-den go check it out on AO3.

Here's the first chapter!!

The old geezer hadn’t changed, still sending Sanji on a supply run, like everytime they docked on an island. It was almost familiar, to lose himself on the market, flirt with the ladies and to buy more than necessary, haggling with the women and men that sold their stuff. 

Sanji couldn’t help but think of all the times he has done this run, struggling to get the stuff into the Baratie in one go. But now he was a grown man, not like he used to be, when Zeff and him would go down into the island, Sanji holding the crap geezer’s apron, as he cowered from behind. 

Sanji would never understand how or why Zeff took him in. Maybe he saw something in him, but that would be ridiculous, because as Sanji saw it, there was nothing in him noteworthy, less of all as a child. 

The only thing that there had been in him as a child, was survival. That flickering, untouchable and stupid thing that back then lived and still, till this day, when there is no danger beyond the kitchen fights, lives inside him.

Sanji turns left on to the next street, he hears the market sounds, the yells of the sellers, trying to get you to buy, the conversations from the mothers that came with their children. 

He feels warm, he thinks, because this is life, the nature of people mingling together, living life solitarily but also with so much company. 

It’s the same warmth, he thinks, as the one he feels inside the kitchen, from chopping onions that make him tear up, to the carrots for the soup. That increasing weight on his heart that pulls him down to earth, that keeps him from floating down in the air, from all those invisible thoughts. 

I was distracted, he would soon say to himself. I was stupid and foolish and this happens because I can’t do anything right. 

He stumbles upon someone, their shoulders crashing and sending the other person down while Sanji’s food and spices get thrown to the ground. For a second, Sanji feels the fear that came from seeing his father in front of his cell, down by the dungeons. But it’s stupid he feels, because it’s not his father, it’s just a random man. 

Sanji crouches down for the supplies, gathering the packets of spices that littered the street with so much color, to the fruit and vegetables that seem almost tarnished with how much force they dropped. 

The man beside him, stands up and helps him gather his stuff, the fear remaining on the bottom of his stomach, which Sanji crushes with unbearable weight, something he hasn’t done since he was a child, scared of life. 

When Sanji looks up, things in his arms, like he is holding life itself inside his elbows, he realizes how stupid he has been. To think that someone like him could ever live this life completely unharmed, at least since getting to Zeff. 

In front of him, a smirk on his face, his eyebrows curled and raised, like he’s expecting Sanji to break the silence. It’s like looking in a mirror, except it’s not. A distorted mirror, a fucked up one. 

“Brother” Sanji says, because the silence is killing him, because to stand to look at that face any longer would have actually killed him. 

“Sanji!” says Ichiji, a loud voice that makes some people stop and look at them. “Luck is really on our side today” he said, like those words could ever mean anything. 

Sanji did not believe in things like luck. Life had treated him and the people he loved cruelly, there had been no such thing as luck. Some people had it all, some people got nothing. And somehow Sanji had felt like he had gotten into the middle part, where things were not handed to him, but won, and still he had felt like that was more than enough. Like he could live like this the rest of his life. How naive of him. 

He remained silent, looking away from his so-called brother. He had not seen him in years, still it had been good, no matter how much family was supposed to mean, getting away had been good, the best choice he had ever made. 

“So good seeing you Sanji” Ichiji said, “Want something to drink, or eat? I want to catch up”  

“I’m good,” Sanji said, slowly. His legs were shaking, his whole body felt as brittle as a dried leaf on an autumn evening. He wanted to get away as soon and as far away as humanly possible. Because that was what he was, a human, normal, unlike his brothers. 

“Come on, don’t you want to know what we’re doing here?” asked Ichiji again, like there was a hint in between those words. But Sanji, air head Sanji, as Carne used to call him, could not catch up. The world, despite him being very present, felt as if it were in slow motion. 

“Not really,” he answered. He didn’t need to know, he didn’t want to know. He wanted to leave. Sanji turned, ruined vegetables in his arms and all, and started walking. 

“Good seeing you brother!” Ichiji yelled, as Sanji walked away. His feet felt wrong as he walked through the dirt, and then he felt it. A slight prickle on the back of his neck. He hurried, dropped the ingredients on the floor, in the middle of the street, and touched his nape. There, there was a syringe, when Sanji pulled it out, it was already too late. 

His knees which had been wobbly before, now felt different, a bad kind of different, like they didn’t belong to him. He tried to walk, but there was no use. His body was not his anymore, his thoughts were the only thing left, as he saw his brothers standing over him. 

I must have fallen, he realized, I was distracted, he thought. I was stupid and foolish and this happens because I can’t do anything right. 

Air head Sanji, he heard inside his head in Carne’s voice, Always up in his head. 

—

When he wakes up he’s far away, he can tell, because years in the sea make you very aware of the tides and waves, and these were not the waves he had been in. 

When he wakes up he’s in a cell, tied by his feet to a nearby stump, drilled to the ground. When he wakes up he feels fear clawing his way from his stomach to his heart. 

His heart, which had felt heavy and full just moments, hours, maybe days ago, now felt empty, replaced by that fear, the fear of a child against the monsters. He tried thinking back to the moments before sleep and unconsciousness took over, but there’s almost nothing. 

Just picture like memories clouding his mind. Ichiji, then nothing. His red hair, like a flame between the waves of his mind. And fear, that black dot that consumed everything in its wake, he could feel it, like a sixth sense, on the back of his mind.

He had lived with fear for so many years of his life, cowering behind Zeff, then backwards, scared to look his father in the eye, no matter how much he demanded he did so, backwards, his brother’s beating him.

Sanji used to be in that cell, now again. And for a moment, it felt as if he had never left. The walls and the darkness felt familiar, too familiar. In a second he realized but couldn’t fully comprehend what was happening. For a second he was still, captive not only by his family but by his thoughts.

He couldn’t move, not an inch. He couldn’t breath even when his lungs needed the air. And he couldn’t think, because if he did it would all be over. 

Reality was far more cruel than imagination. For years he had been in his bed, in the Baratie, daydreaming of seeing his family and getting revenge. Of looking his father in the eye and telling him everything that he had wanted to say. 

But those were dreams of freedom, now captive, the reality dawned on him like a bucket of cold water over his head.  He was not free, and probably, he thought, would never be again. 

He was in Germa, his father here, inside these very walls. His brothers and sister, his mother dead. It was like living the nightmare he had had for years, except this time there was no Zeff to calm him down, to bring him to reality, because now this was reality. 

Hours or maybe minutes go by, he couldn’t tell, time was a thing dictated by the sun, and down here there was nothing close to the brightness of that star. Time passes and suddenly a door opens to his left. 

The light is as captivating as it is blinding. Sanji, despite wanting to feel any resemblance of freedom, looks away, because it’s too painful. 

“You’re so stupid, Sanji,” said Reiju, shaking her head. “Why didn’t you run?” She looked defeated, like this was hurting her more than him. And maybe it was, freeing an animal into the wild is exhilarating, seeing it back again trapped, must be agonizing. 

He had no words. Why didn’t he run? Maybe life had become too easy, maybe free he could not fathom being caged again. When Sanji was ready to speak, the door slammed against the wall behind it. And under the threshold was his father. Vinsmoke Judge. 

Sanji shook, and unconsciously backed himself into the wall, in the corner, like a child. His brothers entered through the same door, his father saying no words to him, only looking as angry and disappointed as ever. 

Judge raised his hand in Sanji’s direction and rapidly the jail cell was being opened, his feet lighter without the shackles and his body dragged from his safe place, the corner, into the hallway. 

He tries to look up into his brother’s eyes as they hold his arms, but it's a futile attempt. He looks forward, as forward as he can, with his back hitting every rock and pebble in the ground, his arms hurting. 

He’s paralyzed he realizes, he could kick them all but his body is not as willing as his mind is. He could free himself and run, but his legs just don’t work. If Zeff were here he would beat his ass and push him into the fight. If Zeff were here he would fight his father himself. 

As he looks one more time, he sees Reiju, biting her lip, fear in her eyes. That’s why she was the one that he loved most. 

He is dragged towards the lab, and it dawns on him faster than he wants to the reality of his father’s wishes. He is here, not because he is wanted, not even as a prisoner, but as a lab rat. They will experiment on him. 

Tears form on his eyes but he refuses to let them spill. He’s weak, he notices, he’s weak and all the training with Zeff, all the nights with the geezer telling him how he’s a good fighter. The mornings doing some meal prep and Zeff telling him how good he was at chopping. All the affirmations, all the care, fly out the window. 

He’s weak, and falters with his own thoughts. Was he ever even good? 

They put him in the chair, strap him by the arms, though he knows he won’t fight. This is the end, he thinks, this is the end of me, no more cooking, no more dreams, never going to the All Blue. Never seeing Zeff again. 

The last thought breaks him, a part of him lived in the baratie, a part of his heart was in the crevice of Zeff’s, where the aorta meets the artery, like he was part of Zeff’s heart and Zeff his. Now, with his father over him, looming like he always has on the back of his mind, there is no more life. 

And it’s sort of suicide, sort of not. What’s the difference between being killed and letting yourself be killed? Two words, allowing it.  

His last thought before meeting the black space in his mind, the one reserved for sleep, is that there is no longer survival in him. It has all run out. 

[odetoavillan]

BOOP

     Savage was reporting to the human female what supplies they had left, taking it all very seriously when the tiny human poked his nose with a loud 'boop" sound. The yellow Zabraks lite gray green eyes widened as she covered her mouth and stifled a small giggle.

          "I'm so sorry." She continued to giggle gently patting his shoulders.

         "I don't understand..." Savage stated looking to his brothers.

     Mauls arms were crossed as he rolled his eyes observing the scene with a hard scowl line creasing his face.

          "She's... odd..." Maul stated to his older brother. "Darling mine... do control your impulsiveness." Maul raised a tattooed brow at her. She laughed heartily and wrapped her arms around his waist. 

           "I thought you liked my impulsiveness." She cooed kissing his chin. Maul snorted.

          "You are insufferable." He droned rolling his eyes. "We must go get our supplies now... you'll need your cloak." Maul told her.

          "Right!" She whirled and took off to her room. Maul looked to his two brothers.

          "Make sure she doesn't... do something impulsive." Maul ordered his two brothers.

          "Like what?" Ferral questioned.

          "Just keep her from harm." Maul eyed him sternly before turning to where she wad practically skipping past them.

          "Waiting on you now." She teased. Maul caught up to her quickly, gripping her swinging hand and held it still at thier side.

          "I've ordered my brothers to keep you safe... so keep them busy would you." Maul whispered to her, kissing her temple. She smirked broadly up at him.

          "I know... I'll look after them." She hummed, kissing his jaw. "Misbehave yourself." She called after him as he left her side.

         "Always." Maul smirked pulling his cowl up as she winked.

          "Let's go shopping!" She grinned at Ferral and Savage. She linked her arms around thiers and walked on rambling about the culture and animal life of the planet they were currently on.

     The trio collected the supplies they needed then sat down at a Cafe to eat. The brothers scowled at her plate.

          "It's a salad, you blithering womp rats, not nuclear waste." She chortled waving a fork full of food in thier faces.

          "Does it even taste good?" Savage asked curiously.

          "To me it tastes pretty good... there are some veggies I don't like cause they only taste like dirt... this salad is actually the best I've had in a while." She smiled at them.

          "Id like to try it." Ferral stated. She smirked at him and picked out a bite for him, and put it next to his plate of meat.

          "Only just a bite... Maul ate some vegetables once, cause it was all we had, and he shat himself silly. Zabrack being carnivores and all... that one bite won't hurt you. " She assured. Ferral took the bite and shuddered, wanting to spit the food out immediately. She held a napkin out to him. "Spit it out in here."

          "That was terrible." Ferral gagged. The human and Savage chuckled at the young zabraks antics.

          "Just stick to the food you know brother." Savage stated, shaking his head.

          "There are some fruits, grains, and veg you guys can have in moderation... but we'll cross that bridge when we get there... we gotta get back, Maul is on his way back to the ship." She explained finishing her meal.

          "How long have you known our brother." Savage asked as they started pushing thier crates of supplies back to the ship.

          "Little over ten years now I think... long story for a different day... hey, Ferral?" She replied, grabbing the light orange zabraks arm.

          "Yes?" He answered looking at her

          "BOOP!" She grinned poking his nose. Savages rumbling laugh echoed at Ferrals displeased scowl.

          "You're trouble..." He grumbled after her as she giggled maniacally.

[brianedner]

Luz’s Crimes: 3, Drug Cultivation and Manufacturing

I am not endorsing committing felonies.

 Willow was in the back yard of Luz’s house working in the little garden she had made. The best way she could think of to help with the rising costs was to use her talents to grow vegetables and fruits to eat instead of buying them at the store. Thanks to her exceptional skill, she was able to grow multiple types in a small area without having to wait that long for the actual edible parts of the plants to mature.

 The only down side was that even a plant track witch as strong as her could only do so much in a small yard while keeping it small enough that no one noticed that plants were growing much faster than they should. She estimated that at most she could provide only half the produce they needed, they would have to take care of themselves.

 As she worked, Hunter came out of the house and towards her looking nervous and holding a backpack. “Hi Willow, I might have either solved a few of our problems or increased them drastically.”

 Willow just smiled at him. “Congratulation, you are now officially Luz’s brother.”

 He just smiled a little at that before shaking his head repeatedly. “No, I mean it. I found a job for you that would make a lot of money for you growing things.”

 Willow stood up at that and looked at him wide eyed. “Really? What do they want me to grow?”

 He then started looking a little nervous and mumbled “illegal drugs.”

 Willow had to strain to hear him. “I’m sorry, could you say that again? I could barley hear you.”

 He then closed his eyes and just blerted out “Illegal drugs, OK?”

 Willow just stood there while just staring at him in shock. “What?”

 “Look, I was tailing Jacob and trying to find out where he lives so we could deal with him before he threatens any of us again. While I was hiding behind a dumpster, I overheard two people complaining about the local supplier being arrested and his plants seized. The other said they would be hard to find anyone willing to grow the plants under the radar and sell to them before the supplies they already had ran out. After they mentioned the prices, they would be willing to pay for it, I came out and mentioned that I knew a gardener that could get them some fast.”

 Willow then narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you just sign me up to join a drug ring without asking me first?”

 He then buried his head in his hands. “Yes, and you are fully in the right to kill me if you want to. But before you do, could you at least look at the prices they are willing to pay?”

 Hunter then handed over a small piece of paper with a few figures on it. Willow then started to read it as her eyes slowly widened.

 “This much? I could completely pay off the food bills for all of us, and have enough left over to make a bigger garden!”

 She then sighed and lowered the paper. “One problem though, I can only effect plants so much. I can’t just make my garden produce what they are asking for, I need either a living plant or one of its seeds before I can even think about production.”

 Hunter blushed a little at that. “I, may have already solved that problem.”

 She just gave him a look. “What did you do.”

 He then slightly opened the backpack and showed the insides to her.

 “I found a van holding some of the plants and caused it to crash into a storm drain, spilling the contents into it before grabbing one. Even if they manage to recover all the others, they will just assume that this one was just swept away in the current.”

 Willow then looked at him and smiled. “Thank you. Now we just need to figure out where we can grow them without anyone else finding them. I’m thinking behind the shack.”

 “Actualy, the people I got the prices from said that the last guy using special lights to simulate sunlight so he could grow them in the basement.”

 Willow frowned. “Even if we had those lights, which we don’t, I don’t feel comfortable cutting them off from the real sun and just feeding them a fake substate. We can just have Gus make an illusion around them to disguise them as a flower bed if need be.”

 2 days later with the new plants

 A old frog with orange skin was busy watering his avocado tree saplings and inspecting them for signs of disease or pests. So far they had taken well to Amphibia’s climate but he was still worried about something coming along and destroying the newest editions to the farm.

 Not those plants

 The small garden behind the shack had flourished under Willow’s green thumb. She estimated that she would be able of giving some samples for Hunter to pass along in about two more days.

 Luz was helping her take care of the plants right now, putting the skills from the plant track classes to good use.

 “You should talk to those kids to see if there are other markets you could grow into.”

 “Really Luz?”

 “What, there are plenty of other plants you can sell to rake in the green. You should defiantly try branching out from just making one.”

 Willow raised her right hand and extended her finger. “If you make one more plant pun, you will be wearing a leaf gag for the rest of the day. I don’t care if it exposes us, it will be worth it.”

 Luz just smiled innocently. “What, can’t a gal help her friend blossom into her full potential?”

 Willow then twirled her finger and a vine quickly wrapped itself around Luz’s mouth and gaged her. Luz responded by trying to tear it off and glaring at Willow while mumbling.

 “I warned you Luz. But you are onto something. I will have to talk with the kids Hunter met about that. And we have to figure out a way to give these to them without anyone tying it back to us. The last thing we need is the police taking an interest in us.”

 Dinner the next evening

 Camilla had just sat down to eat with her much larger family when she noticed something about Willow. She was smiling a lot more then she had been a few days ago.

 “Well don’t you look like a sunflower today. What happened?”

 Willow shot her a look, but the effectiveness was hampered by the smile on her face. “You are defiantly the women that raised Luz. But you are right, I am happy. I was able of getting a part time job as a gardening assistant at the local collage. I can start this Saturday and work on weekends. Between the job and the small gardens, I have here and at the shack, I should be able of taking care of all the food bills.”

 Camilla was surprised to say the least. “Willow, you don’t need to worry about the money. I’m the grown-up, that’s my job.”

 “But we are worrying. I can help by growing the produce and I love doing it. If I find a way to do what I love and help the people I care about, I will do it. You and Luz have done so much for us, I just want to help you back. Is that so wrong?”

 The debate continued on for a while before Camilla conceded, not wanting to get everyone worked up during what should be a relaxing dinner. The debate also had the side effect of making her forget to ask about how Willow was planning to deal with not having any documentation to allow her to work.

 I didn’t say what kind of plant-based drug she was growing so you could fill in the blanks yourself. I think that a plant witch of her caliber can ignore things like climate and soil composition to be able of growing any that your mind can imagine.

 Suprisingly, this is far from the only plant-based crime she can get involved in.

 I am also doing “Fanfic info dumps” on multiple series to help other fanfic writers with their works. They are on DevientArt here (https://www.deviantart.com/1228248) because Fanfiction and AO3 both said I couldn’t post them there.

 Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5646512/

Tumbler: https://at.tumblr.com/brianedner/luzs-crime-list-masterpost/dia848df51z4

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrianEdner1/works

[linkedkeysau-official]

Whumptober 2022- Linked Keys edition

Day 22- pick your poison

The market in Crossroads Village filled the streets with the smell of various foods as the boys wandered around. Making another trip to the Big Island to stock up on supplies, the boys had decided to see what the locals had out today. Mouths were watering as they walked past stands with fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade snacks, and baked goods.

"Excuse me, young man!" A lady called from one of the booths as Hyrule walked past, "Aren't you one of those otherworldly heroes who they say have the power to finally defeat the evil Nihrie and save our world?"

"Ah, I…" Hyrule blushed as he approached the stand, "Y-Yeah, I'm… I'm with them. I don't know if I'm really that strong myself, but—"

"Oh don't be so modest! We all heard the news about how you freed those trapped in the cave with that horrible dragon. You all are so brave and strong… Please, you must try some of my cookies! Actually, wait a moment, I just finished baking a new batch. Only the best for one of you brave heroes." The lady pulled a tray of cookies from behind her and pushed it on the table closer to Hyrule with a beaming smile. They really did look tasty. Each one a thick biscuit of buttery, sugary crumbs, coated in some kind of syrup. The fairy in him found so much sugar almost irresistible.

There was something off about the baker, though he couldn't put his finger on it. His gaze drifted to the shining blue… pearl? on a string around her neck. Something about that made him feel uneasy. But she seemed so nice… She couldn't possibly be anyone bad. Could she?

"Well… they do look pretty tasty…" Hyrule admitted, "But to be honest, I don't have any money." He said nervously.

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about it! You can have this one for free. Your quest must be so difficult, you boys could use a break." The lady held out the cookie. Hyrule stared at it for a moment, in all its warm, sugary glory. He never could resist food when it was offered to him like this…

"Thank you so much, miss." He smiled as he took it.

"Of course, hero. Good luck on your quest!" She waved to him cheerfully as he walked away. The moment he was out of earshot, she lifted the jewel on her necklace to her lips.

"The fairy boy has taken the bait. With their healer gone, the boys' abilities will be greatly dampened, especially against any of your monsters, my lord."

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

The cookie was amazing. Even better than Hyrule expected. So sweet and soft, yet crumbly and buttery at the same time. Even having spent several weeks now eating Wild's cooking, Hyrule wasn't sure he'd eaten anything so good in his life. He still had a gut feeling that something was off, but he tried to ignore it. He was probably just being paranoid. Interactions with strangers always set him on edge no matter how friendly they were.

He quickly stopped by one of the shops to stock up on potions and other supplies before heading back to the inn to reconvene with his brothers. It was late afternoon by this point, and Hyrule was tired. He was beyond tired, he felt exhausted. Fatigued, even. He didn't think he did anything too strenuous today. He hadn't even used any magic. So why did he feel like he'd run a marathon after drastically overusing his magic? Come to think of it… He felt sick.

"Hey, there you are, Rulie. Been wondering where you've been all day." Paint greeted him as he finally returned to the inn.

"Are you feeling okay, little one?" Time asked, noticing Hyrule's current condition.

"M'not sure. Think I might be getting sick…" Hyrule muttered. He swayed slightly, nearly falling over before Twilight jumped up, grabbing him and holding him steady.

"Time. He's got a fever." Twilight turned to his mentor with a look of intense concern. Time started to approach the healer to check on him when Hyrule suddenly lurched forward, slapped a hand to his mouth, and stumbled away from Twilight's grasp. The moment he was out the doors, he let loose a stream of vomit onto the ground in front of him. He had barely even drawn in another breath before more bile came up and spilled out of his mouth. His stomach, his throat, his mouth… they burned so much!

Even when he had nothing left in his stomach, he continued to heave, until suddenly his vision began to swirl. His legs gave up on keeping him upright, knees buckling as he crumpled to the ground, just barely missing the puddle he'd just created. His body hurt so much. He felt so cold… So cold, and alone, and dying.

"Hyrule!" Twilight cried, running out after him. He turned the younger hero onto his back. He looked so pale… He'd been perfectly fine this morning. How could he have gotten sick so suddenly?! Unless… had he somehow been poisoned?

"It's okay… you're gonna be okay, Rule. We're gonna take care of you." Twilight muttered softly as he scooped up the healer in his arms, carrying him back inside. He carried the smaller hero upstairs to one of the rooms the Chain had booked, laying him down on the bed gently and pulling the blankets up to his chest. He ran downstairs briefly, coming back with a wet cloth, which he laid over Hyrule's forehead.

"Doll…" Hyrule muttered, only half conscious.

"What?" Twilight asked.

"In… In my bag. Want… my doll." Hyrule continued. Twilight was confused, but didn't question it, remembering that, to some extent, Hyrule was still kind of like a kid. And he was probably scared. Even if Twilight had no idea what to do for him right now, the least he could do was get him what he assumed must be Hyrule's comfort item. Digging through Hyrule's bag, he eventually found a little doll bearing a strong resemblance to Hyrule himself. Or at least one of the heroes. It was cute, honestly, and fairly soft too. Twilight could kind of see why Hyrule liked it so much.

"Here you go." Twilight brought it up and handed it to Hyrule, who reached out to grab it weakly, pulling it close as a small smile lit up his tired face.

"Try to get some sleep. We're going to find out what did this to you. I promise." Twilight ruffled his curly hair lovingly. Hyrule nodded, eyes already drooping. Sleep… sounded so good. He was… so… tired…

"Hey, wake up, Rulie. It's morning."

………

"Hyrule? Wake up!"

"Hyrule?! HYRULE!!!"

[thedaughtersofaewora]

“I've got sunshine on a cloudy day with my girl.” (My Girl - The Temptations)

Just like our mother having a close relationship with her own mother, Heaven was just as close with our mother throughout her life. Heaven had been tutored at the mansion like our brothers had. When all the children’s tutoring ended, they attended Gwasong. 

Heaven was, undeniably, a splitting image of our mother. She looked like momma more than the rest of us did. However, she had our father’s dimple and laugh. Our grandmother swore they could hear my father in her laugh. Heaven was momma’s “mini-me”. That probably was another reason why she was momma’s favourite child until I was born. I never looked like momma, I look more like my father. And I was the favourite child for other reasons. 

Our mother was also a fan of Victorian and Edwardian fashion — if you haven’t caught on already. She owned a book of photographs of fashion from those eras. Heaven and our mother would spend hours admiring the fashion page to page. Our mother went as far as dressing herself and Heaven in those types of clothes, keeping the “mini-me” image alive between mother and daughter. Her influence didn’t stop there. She put little Heaven through gymnastics for a possible future career in cheerleading. Our father didn’t agree with this. “That’s dangerous!” I imagined him saying. And our mother responding with a “You made her go through that cruel drowning prevention process!” (When Heaven was a toddler, our father placed Heaven in a program where they teach toddlers to swim to prevent accidental drowning. The ones where they purposely drop the little ones into the pool.)

No one in our royal family could help loving that golden girl and the sunbeam she brought upon us. She was also popular with her peers at Gwasong. Sometimes our mother would pack too much food in her lunch box and Heaven would always share them with her classmates. Like the times when she was a baby, Heaven was always smiling and laughing even at the littlest things. Hardly bored growing up, and she also loved to dance. When Heaven was a powwow “tiny tot” in Canada, she was a jingle dancer. Our parents helped creating with her colourful regalia. Our mother did the beadwork for it and our father added the metal, jingling cones to her regalia. She was active, energetic, and flexible but she had excellent manners and knew when to settle down, at least when not in the privacy of her mansion. Heaven was also a smart, polite, and charismatic child with the heartiest of kisses. Our father taught her how to talk like an adult like he had been taught by his mother, the former queen. Our commoner grandfather Yuta was proud to have a granddaughter like Heaven–noble and brilliant. When visiting the Hayashi home in Ontario, he’d pick little Heaven up and swing her around as he and our mother sang “My Girl” by Temptations. She’d giggle as her red hair flew and bounced behind her. 

Heaven loved the times when she, our mother, and our commoner grandfather drove down to his fruit and vegetable farm to grab some grown goods. Sometimes Heaven would get distracted outside the farm and attempted to chase the butterflies in her large ribboned straw hat and elegant white lace dress. Our mother thought Heaven looked like an Edwardian fairy.  

Our older brothers dotted on her, too. They would never tease her in a mean way like they had always done to each other. The boys were overprotective over their younger sister.

Each child had their own bedrooms and playrooms in the Silla Mansion. They’ve had mountains of toys and art supplies in their playrooms. When they outgrew their toys, our parents donated them to sick children in hospitals, not wanting the toys to be in the memorabilia of “strange Royal enthusiasts”.

“Heaven! I finished it.” Our mother called out to Heaven one day and there she was–dressed in her favourite yellow fluffy dress as she ran into the room what they called the “beading room” in our mansion. Beadwork was our mother’s talent and hobby. Everyone knew that and couldn’t forget her work. There in that room she had so much beading supplies. The room had a gold wallpaper, emerald velvet curtains, and a white chair. Mother’s favourite colours. We were more fascinated by the aesthetic of the colourful beads in their bottles. Our mother constantly stressed, “do not touch anything in there!” When she accidentally dropped a needle somewhere on the carpet, she would stop me from stepping into the room. 

”Oh my, you have!” Heaven squealed. 

”Yes my girl, come here.”

My mother gently combed Heaven’s red hair and then clipped on the yellow beaded bow on her head. “You’re a stunner, my sweet baby.” 

Heaven looked at herself in the mirror in the room. “It matches my dress! Oh, miigwetch! Gamsahamnida!” She twirled and twirled around. “I’m going to play outside now, mommy!”

[open--till--midnight]

Daydreamer

eskel x fem!feader (no physical descriptors)

warnings | slight gore (canon level)

wc | 2.1k

part of the Love Letters series

----------------------------------------------------

Domestic life isn’t something that witchers get to do. Their jobs consume them, prejudices alienate them, and their long lives narrow their already slim chances of finding a life-long lover. Eskel knew this, but it didn’t stop his daydreams. Nothing could.

He could picture it perfectly. A tiny cottage tucked away in the woods. It would be at least a day's ride away from any village, he wants quiet. A garden, in the back, with delicious fruits and vegetables, and one in the front with vibrant flowers whose scents would fill the air. Oh, and of course, there would be a barn where they could keep a private menagerie of farm animals. 

But his wife, oh he could picture her perfectly. Not so much her shape or features, not even her colors, but her beautiful spirit. It didn’t matter what she looked like, she would be perfect and for every inch of her she gave, he would take them with unmatched enthusiasm. What he could picture was her very essence. He would be able to call her home.

Every time he got lost in this beautiful world of his own creation he would inevitably be ripped from it. Witchers never got a second of rest, even while wintering at Kaer Morhen his brothers would disrupt his dreamy meditation which they unwittingly called brooding. 

Eskel was far too familiar with the witcher lifestyle, but still, he wanted more. It was a quiet pain, one that went unnoticed by his brothers. He knew he couldn’t tell them, the tormenting would be unimaginable. Even so much as a giggle from one of them would hurt, they could never take matters of the heart seriously. 

So he continued on The Path, doing his best not to die. And if he was being honest with himself, the only things keeping him sane were the thoughts of the woman he had not yet met.

—----------------------------------------------------

This was until he met his mage. 

Mage. You rejected the term. Much preferring to be called a healer. While you were born with magical abilities you had been forced to keep them secret. The term had been hurled at you as an insult your entire life. Your hometown treated mages worse than they treated witchers, so you were left to teach yourself. Reading any book you could get your hands on. You realized early on that you had an aptitude for healing magic, so you took that and ran.

You had told him your magic was purely a gift you toyed with in secret. He responded by telling you he understood, but to him, you’d be his mage. Your protests were feeble, most definitely on purpose. You both knew that if you really wanted him to stop, he would have been shut up by now. You were never one to let things slide.

No matter how many times you told him your magic abilities were rudimentary at best, he always ignored it. He would never stop singing your praises. After all, he most likely would be dead if it weren’t for you. He couldn’t count the number of times he would wake from unconsciousness to hear your muttering on about ‘stupid witchers’ or ‘fucking men…. LoOk aT Me I’m bIG anD TouGh, nOthiNg cAn hUrt mE”. He would always laugh, even harder when you stared him down, your sweet eyes trying their hardest to intimidate.

—----------------------------------------------------

Eskel was quite nearly bleeding out the first time you met him. Gods only know what he was fighting, you hadn’t the guts to ask. But by the looks of his wounds, it was something with large talons. Long and deep claw marks covered his back, the blood soaking his shirt had already gone brown. You sprang into action, pulling all the necessary supplies from your sack. 

He remained unconscious throughout your work, much to your dismay. This man was clearly dangerous, and whatever had inflicted these wounds was obviously very big and very dangerous too, yet, only the man remained. You couldn’t in good conscious leave him, but if you stayed, if he got mad…. You pushed these thoughts out of your mind and sat against a tree, putting as much space between you and him. 

His eyes were barely open and his voice was barely intelligible when he woke, but you managed to get him to understand your directions. You knew full well you wouldn’t be able to carry a dead weight witcher so you helped him up and slung his arm across your shoulders as you slowly guided him back to your cottage.

You silently thanked the gods for the secluded location of your cottage. The sight would cause so much gossip that you were sure you would never truly recover your barely-there reputation. It rested in a small clearing at the edge of the woods in which you found the witcher. The town wasn’t too far off but enough to give you the now much appreciated privacy.

By the time you reached the door, your brow was beading with sweat, and your shirt was thoroughly soaked with liquids of which you really didn’t want to know. You managed to get him to lean against the wall while you set up a cot. He was completely unconscious the second he laid down. You didn’t want him to be, worried about his safety you tried to wake him up but the large man didn’t move a muscle.

Oh right. Those muscles. When you realized he had no belongings on him, or in the woods, you decided you could pass the time by mending his now ripped shirt. You hadn’t fully taken it off to stitch him up, but now you wished you had.  After you peeled the shirt off the witcher, which was by no means an easy task, it took all your might not to stare. It amazed you how one person could withstand so much pain. 

You admired them, which confused you. Maybe it was because of your own mistreatment or possibly your tendency to defy all norms. You couldn’t decide. All you knew is that you were incredibly attracted to the man in front of you.

It felt wrong to stare at the unconscious man, so almost as quickly as you looked, you turned away. Gathering your materials, you found a seat at your dining table and got to work. 

There were only two rooms in your tiny cottage. This normally didn’t bother you, but the large man made the already small room seem even smaller.

You wondered what his reaction would be when he woke up. You were almost worried enough to wait in your room. But whether he got angry or not, you decided it was best if he was greeted with a kind smile instead of an empty and unfamiliar room.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Eskel woke up silently, despite the immense pain he was in. His eyes fluttered open and after assessing the room, they landed on you. 

He really couldn’t tell if his inability to think coherently was caused by the blood loss or you. His reality now felt like his dreams. Or at least he hoped it was reality. Your beauty crushed him. 

It was a simple and humble kind of beauty that sat across the room from him. Your brows and eyes were screwed in concentration and your lips were a little too parted. Shoulders slumped over fully enveloping you in your work.  A fresh sheen lay on your skin, causing you to shine in the fire’s light.  Nimble fingers worked effortlessly at his shirt, which he only then realized was not on his back. He couldn’t find it in him to worry about that now. 

Just as you had felt before, he became uncomfortable with his staring and tried to figure out how to make his consciousness known. This proved harder than he anticipated. What would he say? He had no idea who you were, where he was, or even how he got there. It also didn’t help that his mind really was fuzzy from blood loss.

His time for thinking was apparently up when a cough broke its way out of him. Your eyes widened as the shot to the witcher, now propping himself up with his elbow. Obviously, he was wincing.

“No no no. Lay back down. You’ll pop your stitches.” Your hands found his shoulders and you tried pushing him back down gently.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Now he was really done for. His eyes blurred and his body shook slightly. The herbs you gave him for pain had now worn off and goddamit you smelled of lavender.

“Shhh. I’ll answer all your questions but first, you need to lay down.” He obliged, not of his own choice but his body’s.

“Excuse me a moment.” You rushed over to your cabinets and reached for the right herbs and a mortar and pestle.

When you were done grinding up the leaves, you now led him to sit straight up. 

Your hands and the leaf paste felt cool on his heated wounds, and though it did sting, he didn’t dare move.

“Let me just get some more bandages and you can lay down again.”

He only grunted in response, his eyes were too busy following your every move. Once you were done, you put some pillows behind him so he could lay as upright as possible.

“You’re healing fast. How are you feeling?”

Your question surprised him. It wasn’t just the concern in your voice but also your face. You looked at him like a mother, looking after her sick child. A kind of unconditional love that only you were capable of giving to a stranger.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ve had worse.”

“I don’t care if you’ve had it worse. If you’re in pain, tell me. I can help.” Your words cut a bit deeper this time. You were all too familiar with men thinking they can handle pain when there are perfectly good solutions right in front of them.

“Fine. Yeah, it hurts a bit.”

“See? Was it that hard?” You dropped the concerned harshness of your tone and replaced it with a lighthearted teasing one.

“Pff”

He was delighted when his response earned a giggle out of you. The sound made his heart skip a beat. 

Once you were done with his wounds, you sat on a chair a couple of feet away from the cot and your fireplace.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Eskel. Yours?” He wanted to say more but his words were still failing him.

“y/n,” you stated with a smile, “Now. You had some questions? Ask away.”

He felt suddenly very shy. He didn’t care for this feeling much.

“The basics? Who am I? Where are you? How did you get here? Et cetera?” You decided to answer that for him, figuring he was still extremely out of it due to the injury and not a man flustered.

“Well, yeah. All that.”

You explained the situation as best you could, never missing a beat. You loved stories so you had no problem telling them and he could tell. Your theatrical nature still shone through despite your attempts to stay professional. When you finished with the events that led to this moment you continued.

“I want you to stay here for at least the night. I can look at your wounds in the morning to see if you can go then but I won’t let you leave tonight. You can’t risk it. I’ll get you some blankets for tonight. I really hope you don’t mind but I can’t in good conscience let you leave. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going to bed then.

He figured you knew he was a witcher but he wanted to make sure you knew before you let him stay in your home for the night. So once you were done he spoke his thanks and hesitantly started his confession.

“y/n, I thank you greatly for your help and hospitality but there is something you should know before you go. I mean you probably already know but I’m a witcher.”

“Oh, that I knew. Well, I figured. Then I guessed right! You’re lucky I am exhausted because I have so many questions. You better stay put, I’ll just ask them tomorrow.” Your smile transcended all beauty as you laughed.

You got him blankets and left for your bedroom, leaving Eskel alone and in shock. Not from his wounds, no, but because the witcher had finally found her. His dream was one step closer to its completion, only if you were willing. He wasn’t a religious man but he prayed to all the gods that night that you would be. It would be safe to say the dumbstruck witcher did not get a wink of sleep that night.

—----------------------------------------------------

[deniigi]

Lando The Nosy Neighbor AU

Title: good fences make good neighbors

Summary: Modern AU based off the premise presented to me as ‘Han and Leia move into the same neighborhood and start a feud, only to eventually overthrow the local Homeowner’s Association.’

Relationships: Pot-farmer!Han/Lawyer!Leia; Farmboy!Luke/Survivalist!Din; Lando & Breha Organa & Chewbacca

This is based off a rural community in Washington which has local cults.

Lando POV

---------------

A hippy has moved in next to the Organas.

It’s a good one, too. This one hasn’t even rented a moving truck, they’ve just come on over with all their furniture tetris-ed in on top of itself and wrapped tight with rope, blankets, and prayer.

Lando’s petunias screech for watering as the hippy throws open the truck’s door and comes staggering out, cracking his lanky back. Out of the other side comes an even hairier, even lankier person. He closes the truck door and looks right at Lando.

He stares.

It is a challenge. But of course, not one that Lando is not prepared to handle.

He points at his watering can.

Hippy Two seems to scoff.

Lando waits until he’s distracted by the first hippie struggling with the blue house’s doorknob to dump the remaining water into the pebbles under his ornamental bridge.

He returns inside and goes about his busy business, tying back the curtains.

It is always good to have someone new in the neighborhood.

--

 It takes the hippy couple a few weeks to get settled into their new home, and in that time neither has ingratiated themselves to Lando.

The stupid one with the floppy hair caught onto Lando’s tricks at the weekly poker match held in the local bar. Lando may have lost his irrigation system, but he has not lost his dignity. It was old anyways. He’s been planning to replace it for nearly a year now. There is never a better time than the present to start making your dreams into reality.

And anyways, the floppy haired out-of-towner will get what is coming to him. Lando has already sown the seed of his demise.

Leia Organa returned home to look after her poor, sick, stubborn mother just two months ago. Breha is fine, of course, not even cancer could snuff out her fires, although she is bored of her husband and daughter trying to trap her indoors. Her immunocompromised escapades have been delightful to watch.

The Organas are always a lively group. There is never a dull moment or lack of machinations among them—especially the lady of the household. She, like Lando, appreciates a good tussle. Which is why he has pointed out to Leia that her new neighbors’ greenhouse is mighty interesting, is it not?

Lawyer Leia’s ears pricked up like a horse’s, and Breha’s sharp eyes took on new sheen.  

Lando watches Leia in the mornings now, struggling to find upper-body strength and purchase on the wood of her backyard fence, among the roses and bougainvillea. She’s so tiny, Leia. Breha is not an overly large person either, and thus is no help in this endeavor to collect data on the greenhouse of questionable origins and purposes on the other side of the fence. Leia doesn’t need her, though. She needs no one. She’s seen what she needs to.

Lando pours tea from a glass pot given to him by someone in his company who wishes for their secrets to remain so and beautiful, clear amber liquid fills his cup.

He looks up to see Leia holding her phone out as far as she can without relinquishing her grip on the fence. She fumbles, trying one-handedly to document the crime before her, but alas. Even the mighty sometimes trip on the red carpet.

The phone slips. She grabs after it in slow-motion, horror filling every pore of her face.

It is gone now, that phone.

The Public Nuisances will know what she has been up to.

Lando sighs and leans back in his seat.

--

 It is no time at all before the dropped phone is returned graciously over the white, waist-height fence that separates the Public Nuisance’s yard from the Organas’. Leia snatches her phone back and wipes it off with her hand and sleeve. The shorter public enemy, Han, he calls himself, smiles at her cheekily. He retracts his hand and gestures to the taller fence, barely visible for the fruit trees and vines, between their backyards and says something that makes Leia go very, very still.

It is, undoubtedly, a challenge. Not unlike the one that that the more polite public nuisance, Chewie, opened his and Lando’s relationship with.

Chewie has explained without mincing his words, that he and Han have come here because their last venture was lost in a snowstorm. Chewie will be damned if his precious seedlings are so callously frosted over again. The Pacific Northwest has no chance of freezing over, he says. It provides a better setting to grow stock.

Weed, he means. Marijuana. Chewie is again, not shy. He and Han make good money supplying dispensaries with their organic, hand dried leaves. It is apparently ‘artisan’ like in quality.

Lando isn’t sure he’d go that far, but yes, it is nice stuff. And yes, Leia, bastion of justice, does need to see the men’s permits.

Lando opens the window for a breeze and catches Han telling Leia that he’ll produce them if she arm wrestles him for the right to witness their authenticity. Leia agrees. Han fetches a small worktable from the house’s garage and sets it between them.

The match is over within seconds. Leia has never been so insulted in her life. She demands a rematch and, out of sheer indulgence, Han gives it to her.

He is nearly a foot taller than her. He could lift her up and over her own fence with ease if he so desired. He wins the next round. And the next one. He loses the last one by reason of having his leg deadened under the table but stands abruptly to renegade on his earlier promise.

“You watch yourself, princess,” he calls over his shoulder with his hand on his front door’s knob.

“Oh, I’ll be watching,” Leia snarls back.

Han slams the door. Chewie looks from him to Leia standing fuming in the shade of her family’s pine trees.

“Unbelievable,” she snaps at him before stomping off herself. “UNBELIEVABLE.”

Lando flicks his eyes up to see Breha’s dining room window wide open. She too, has a cup of tea. She lifts it his way and he lifts his back.

Finally, some quality entertainment once more.

--

 Han and Leia’s hatred has become neighborhood gossip. They have begun going to extraordinary lengths to gain the others’ attention. For example, Han, in weeding his sparce flowerbeds, was careful to shove the fruits of his labor between the fence slats into Bail’s well-tended herb garden. Bail, ever the gentleman, does not mind, but of course Leia feels that her family honor has been spat upon. She collects the weeds and returns them to her owner, via mailbox. It is kind of her to put the flag down, so Han knows that he’s received a message.

The retaliation is a mural in rainbow colors commissioned by Han and painted by one of the budding young teenagers from a school about a thirty minute drive downtown. It is...psychedelic. And facing Leia’s bedroom window.

Han asked the youth who painted it to add in a figure in the center of the composition; it is a brown-haired woman dressed all in white, surrounded by thorny vines, and attempting to climb a fence. The young artist must have felt like Michelangelo in the application of those delicate strokes of artistry. They knew they were creating something holy.

Han helps that along by bracketing the figure with solar lanterns that light up at night and keep the image fully illuminated.

When Lando arrives to Breha’s side to go on a walk, arm in arm, with her and her beast of a terrier, she giggles like a schoolgirl behind her hand.

“Han is very handsome,” she tells Lando.

“He’s alright,” Lando says.

“I think he and Leia are a perfect match. Will for will. No one’s ever dared to cross her like this.”

Now that is a fact.

“I wonder if this is the start of something more,” Breha says.

“What does your husband think?” Lando asks.

Breha waves him off dismissively.

“Oh, you know. He’s convinced that Leia will kill Han in his sleep, and we will be forced to post bail, but I told him—as I’ve told you, Lando—Leia’s too smart to get caught committing axe murder. Now poisoning, that’s a different story.”

--

 Lando wakes up and makes coffee. He turns on his computer and opens his curtains to let the light pour in and warm his hardwood floors. He stands at the window, hiding a smirk behind his mug.

Leia has had enough. She has called the Home Owner’s Association and they are standing at Han’s front doorstep.

--

 It is about three weeks before Han and Leia have overthrown the Home Owner’s Association for interfering in their escalating romance—ahem—bloodfeud. By then, Lando’s work-from-home situation is suffering. It is impossible to focus with those two cluttering up his view with distractions left and right. He determines that, for the sake of his finances, he must direct his attention to something a little further afield.

The Lars’s vegetable stand is becoming something of an institution.

It’s about a mile or so out of Lando’s way, tucked smack in the middle of the battlefield that is the stretch of land between the survivalist cult that lives in the forest and the pseudo-Buddhists that live in their compound. The farm itself is a few acres and the Lars’s son can be seen walking around, herding livestock out of the road and into pastures.

Lando has heard whispers that this son is none other than Leia’s twin brother, but no one has the nerve to directly ask the Organas about the truth of such a scandalous idea. The most that can be said about Luke Lars-Skywalker is that he is a master of social media.

He has created a Youtube channel and an Instagram to document the practices of his family’s farm and the products they produce. He is in a twitter-war with many communities online for his videos on small-scale bee-keeping, and his family’s stand is proudly boycotted by the vegan association in the city on farmer’s market days.

It has become well-known among the farm-to-table restaurants in the city, though, and that is why Luke keeps on keeping on with his cows and his fowls and his silly camera holder.

But all that means little because Luke Lars-Skywalker is in love.

Anyone with eyes can see it.

He is in love with an ancestral enemy.

See, in this area there are not one, but two cults and naturally, they abhor and reject the others’ teachings. To the south are the pseudo-buddhist, clairvoyants who have fashioned themselves more or less as monks preoccupied with meditation, self-development, and a few fairly mystical beliefs among the rather terrifying devotion to martial arts. To the north are the survivalist whack-jobs who don’t believe in electricity or running water, but who are also, somehow, preoccupied with self development and a terrifying devotion to martial arts.

Both groups have publicly denounced the other as misguided extremists.

The rumors say that Luke and Leia’s biological father is one of the clairvoyants, and this is where the heart of the current delightful irony lays.

Luke Lars-Skywalker is in love with one of those survivalists.

Lando knows this because he has seen it with his very own eyes.

He took a trip a while back to purchase some greens from the vegetable stand and he was there for a little while, picking through the selection, when he looked up and saw Luke’s posture explode out of its lax boredom. Lando looked over his shoulder to see what Luke’s tan, freckled attention had latched onto and lo and behold.

It was a man. And not only a man, a man with a baby.

Luke stuffed knuckles into his mouth to keep from cooing as the father of the child nodded at him and meandered over to have a poke through the produce piled up on the stand. The baby, dressed carefully in layers of warm, water-resistant clothing, watched Luke right back. He smiled and grunted, waving his dark, stubby arms and Luke melted—literally collapsed into a fraction of his size behind the paystation.

The father, a white rugged guy with dark curly hair and a great deal of stubble, shifted the baby to his other arm. His worn, heavy clothing and the military-style canvas sack on his back marked him as one of the Cabin-In-the-Woods people.

Lando felt like he was watching a country romance flick in real life.

Luke gathered his courage and approached the dad and baby to ask if they were looking for anything in particular. The baby immediately held hands out to him. Luke asked the father if he could hold the little one. The father said ‘no.’

Lando nearly choked on his own spit.

“Oh, sorry buddy,” Luke said to the baby. “Daddy thinks I’m gonna eat you up.”

“He just got a bath.”

Luke gooey expression hardened in an instant.

“Excuse you. You sayin’ I’m dirty?” he asked. “You sayin’ I smell like horseshit?”

The father stared at Luke wordlessly.

“Pigshit,” he corrected.

“WHAT.”

Lando no longer needed only greens. He had to pick a cheese from this bountiful pile. Oh dear, so many to choose from.

“I said, you smell like pigshit. And he just got a bath,” the survivalist father said. “How much for the tomatoes?”

“Twenty a pound,” Luke said viciously.

“That’s steep.”

“There’s a discount for people who smell like pigshit.”

“You get a lot of those?”

“No, but I know how to wallow in the time between buyers.”

“Are you angry or something?”

“Take your damn tomatoes.”

“I didn’t pay yet—”

“Just take ‘em. Go. Go.”

“Twenty—?”

“Hey, Mr. Calrissian, that’ll be ten-fifty,” Luke said over the protests.

That was then. This is now. And Luke Lars-Skywalker has not let up on his tirade against this survivalist. Nor, it is important to note however, has the survivalist stopped coming to the vegetable stand when Luke is working it.

What is even more is that Lando can see with his own two eyes that the survivalist is not holding his baby at the vegetable stand now, as Lando closes his car door a little ways from the stand. Luke smiles at Lando as he draws near; he is bouncing at the knees. He waves the baby’s hand in greeting and the child gurgles and twists back to grab at his face.

Lando smiles and does not say anything.

He finds Chewie inspecting a sprinkler at the edge of his and Han’s yard on the way back and crosses the street to inspect it with him. It sputters. Chewie suspects outloud that their squirrels are getting stronger and more destructive by the day.

Lando asks him if he’s been the Lars’s vegetable stand since moving into town.

He has.

Lando asks if he’s ever seen Luke there, holding a baby.

He has.

Lando is smug.

“Mr. Rugged Mountain Man is falling for the farm boy,” he tells Chewie.

Chewie lifts a thick eyebrow.

“One day soon, that baby is going to go from living off the grid to living in a barn,” Lando tells him. “Mark my words.”

Chewie tells him that that is impossible without a kidnapping charge because the Rugged Mountain Man is the straightest man that he’s ever seen. Lando tells him not to judge a book by its cover.

Weirder things have happened. Han and Leia, for example.

Chewie tells him that he knows that Lando is somehow responsible for those two’s newly inescapable sexual tension and he will never forgive him for it.

Lando cannot believe his ears. Him? An instigator? Of course not, Chewie. He is but a humble spider, waiting around in his house for a fly to shake things up. He is an observer, nothing more, nothing less.

Chewie just points a finger at him.

Lando points a finger-gun back. He fires it with a click of his tongue.

[sisterofleatherfrog]

Star Wars Kinktober day- 9

Promt: 69

Crosshair x AFAB reader

Is the beginning of this me shading how badly guys communicate in bed? Yes.

Also, ugh. I was busy on the 7th, and yesterday I had absolutely nothing going on in my brain. This one isn’t my best work but at least I’ve got something; I’ll try and put something extra out to make up for it. There’s just a lot more monologue than actual action but I didn’t really know what else to do and I didn’t bother to edit because I just want to be done with this. There’s some more notes at the end.

Tags: Oral sex (m/f receiving), bigger reader, body image issues, albino Crosshair (because the art I’ve seen of that is GORGEOUS), some body worship, 

Words: 2305

💋🍆🍑

At first you were nervous, but now you couldn’t find it in you to care. Your lips were wrapped flush around Crosshair’s cock, bobbing and sucking and generally making a mess of him while he groaned under your ministrations. It wasn’t that you’d never done this before, it was just that you’d never been sure you’d been doing this right. You’d tried to ask previous partners what they liked, tried to gauge their reactions from how they responded to what you did, but never really had all that much luck. You were often told, ‘just do what you want’, usually accompanied by silence and expressions that looked like they were suffering. No praise, no correction, no idea that they even liked what you were doing; just a grimace with eyes shut tight until they eventually came.

To say that all this made a deep cut in your self esteem would be an understatement: the only thing you could interpret their reactions as was disgust. You felt like something to be endured, a pity-fuck only for the fact that you might have been the last available option. It stung something harsh, the fact that you might be just that undesirable, but life goes on. You worked hard and took on the job of admiring yourself because nobody else was apparently gonna do it.That is, until you met Crosshair. 

You were assigned to Clone Force 99 a little ways into the war as a medic in lieu of them returning from missions almost in more than one piece way too often. To avoid the inevitability of them showing up dead one day, you were chosen to make sure they never got that far. Things were a little difficult at first, being the only girl among four, then later five guys; privacy was at a premium and you’d had several awkward moments before you’d figured things out with them. You also worried about your size as, even though you weren’t the most vertically gifted, you’d always carried plenty of extra weight and you were concerned they’d make something of the space you took up when it was also in short supply.

Those thoughts were foundless worries though as the boys never seemed to notice, beyond Wrecker claiming you were “squishy an’ great” to hug. Well, maybe they did, but it didn’t make a difference to them as long as you could stitch up any new, unwanted holes they had gotten and make Tech finally get some sleep after a three-day invention bender. You were always very aware of Crosshair though, his presence so very different to those of his warmer, more open brothers. His eyes were sharp, not just in how well they saw, but how they focused on you with a needle-like precision, often feeling them trailing over you like… something. You weren’t quite sure how to unpack his attention. 

One day while planetside you decided to treat them all to a hearty lunch (that wasn’t rations) at a diner with what you’d saved from your astoundingly meager pay. It wasn’t fancy, but the meat and eggs were fresh, the vegetables and fruit were ripe, and it was legal hours to serve alcohol. As you ate and laughed with the Batch you caught Crosshair’s eyes on you so often you began to feel exposed in a way, nervous for reasons you couldn’t define. Why was he staring at you? You were just trying to eat and have a good time. Later that night on the Marauder though, as you were awakened by Hunter to take the next watch as you streaked through hyperspace (Tech finally trusting you enough to leave you alone to watch out for his ‘baby’, if you could call a ship that), Crosshair was suddenly there with you. You were caught off guard, but determined to ignore him and his weird ways. That is, until while making brief small talk while watching the blue-black streak by, his hand came to rest on the flesh just above your knee and softly kneaded there. 

He didn’t slide it further up or change what he was doing, but the gesture was like a shaft of light beaming from a hole in the ceiling of a cave: a bright, exigent beacon that consumed everything else despite its overall minuteness to the whole of the dark. From then on he continued with other small moves: a hand on your lower back when you passed in close quarters, two fingers tilting your head up to look at your face when he thought you were injured, a strong, elegant hand squeezing your shoulders in quiet comfort and straying just a touch down your arms to linger a little too long to be unintentional. You weren’t opposed to this, welcoming the change of him when he’d never made a move to touch you before. He became a little bolder then, a hand on her thigh under the table, a small massage to her lower back when standing next to him, and finally him resting his white-haired head on her lap one day when his brothers weren’t around. He’d been tired in the main common area, sitting next to you on the bench after he’d cleaned his rifle, suddenly shifting and laying on his back, your thighs providing a cushion. 

He layed like that for a good long while, sleepily gazing up to watch as you did small inventory work for your field pack. Lazily he rolled over then, his face turning into your stomach, nose gently nuzzling it. His arms came to wrap loosely around your hips and he mumbled “Soft.” before settling in for a cat-nap. You’d frozen, not quite knowing what to do. This was a whole new level to Crosshair touching you, and you found yourself unopposed to it. You lived, ate, bled, and shared quarters with the entire batch and you weren’t blind or senile; they all certainly had their unique charms that were individually attractive. Crosshair’s was special though, the icy blue of his eyes and the snowyness of his short-cropped curls were certainly standalones among the millions of clones, but it was more than that. The attitude his tall and lanky figure carried had a magnetism you couldn’t deny. So you accepted these advances, and one day you’d both advanced close enough that in the morning you’d awoken happy and freshly fucked in his bunk.

A part of you had tried to be considerate of his brothers in the other berths for a while, but Crosshair’s fingers soon had you forgetting why you were trying to be quiet in the first place. You’d both taken the teasing in stride and soon formed a relationship of sorts. One thing you’d been hesitant on was going down on him; he wasn’t pushy and was quick to toss away anything you didn't want to do, but you so badly wanted to give that to him. Broaching the subject had taken some courage, but Crosshair was nothing if not direct and soon you had him breathy and vocal beneath you, a hand in your hair directing you as a quietly babbled praise. It was the boost you needed, and soon you were comfortable seeking permission to blow him almost all times and anywhere.

And that’s how you found yourself here tonight, a rare occurrence when the rest of the squad was elsewhere, affording you some much needed alone time. You’d stripped for him, teasing him with your curves before sinking down to your knees and leaving lipstick rings up and down his shaft. His head was thrown back on the cot, grin absolutely feral as he pushed and yanked your head to his desires. “Oh yeah, that’s it sweet thing, keep working me like tha- oh fuck!” You’d found that spot with your tongue he liked, the one just on the underside of the head of his cock, removing your mouth from around him you began kissing and nibbling him there gently with your lips. He groaned, a flush staining his pallid skin and he softly thrusting upward into your mouth, getting lost in the sensation of the soft, inviting warmth of your lips.

A quick hiss escaped his lips and he suddenly yanked you off of him. A string of saliva snapped and dribbled down your chin as you stared up at his eyes, pupils mere pinpricks as he gazed down at you. “You’re getting far too good at that, you need to give me a moment.” 

You grinned, revelling in his words. Crosshair could be cruel with them at times, but he wasn’t anything other than honest. You took a moment for yourself and just breathed, admiring the moment and the connection that bloomed strongly between the both of you. He was beautiful, despite what you’d heard some of the regular clones whisper; his differences that would have otherwise marked him for death by the Kaminoans were an integral part of him, and you wouldn’t have him any other way.

Crosshair blew out a steady breath, “Okay then, I think I’m good to continue.” You grinned and went to crawl up to kiss him but a hand to your chest stopped you and you looked at him in confusion. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in a way that you knew meant he wanted to suggest something. “I’m feeling a little selfish tonight, but I don’t want to just leave you sitting around sweetheart.” You didn’t know what he meant, the confusion must have been obvious on your face because he laughed lightly, a raspy sound that never failed to be attractive, and made a come hither motion with both of his hands beside his face. “Crawl up here and I’ll show you what I want.”

It dawned on you then. “Cross, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

A deep line grew between his eyes as his eyebrows furled. “Why would that be?”

You sighed, “Crosshair… I’ll probably either suffocate you, or crush you. Or both!”

He looked a little surprised at your statement before a rare shit-eating grin bloomed on his face, “Well then, glory, glory, what a hell of a way to die.” You snorted at that but he continued before you could chime in. “You won’t crush me or suffocate me, your legs are strong enough to hold you up, and I don’t know what could be better: your lips wrapped around by cock or my tongue buried in you.” While you’d heard that sentiment from him a lot (him going down on you being a regular occurrence), it never failed to thrill you or make you flush cheek to breast. It was just an angle you’d never thought to attempt before, never having had it suggested to you and you never even really thinking about the possibility. Confronted by it, you were intrigued, but still slightly hesitant. Yes, Crosshair was an elite soldier, but he was also a bean-pole compared to you. What if you accidentally crushed him?!

Crosshair motioned for you to climb up his body one more time, knowing that if you didn’t accept he wouldn’t press the issue. You trusted him, you knew he was competent, he’d proven as well that he trusted you too. There were all the ingredients for this to work. Pushing down on his shoulders to make him lie down fully, you shuffled up his body. When your knees were on the other side of his head Crosshair’s eyes became fixed on your cunt, eyes hungry and greedy for what your body held. Then, trusting him, you turned around and faced his feet before shuffling back the last few inches and breathed deeply to try and dispel your nerves. His fingers grabbed your thighs and tugged downwards toward his eager mouth. “Oh fuck me, just sit yourself down sweet thing and let me fuck you like this.” Well, he asked for it, so you did as instructed and met his waiting tongue. 

At first you tried to sit lightly on him, holding yourself a bit above him so there was room, but Crosshair was insistent and soon you were pulled flush to his lips and you moaned at how he ate at you. He was good at going down, his fingers were long and could reach places in you that you couldn’t, and how he teased you was enough to drive you out of your head. This angle brought out a different edge to it, there was no retreat for him, there was only you and he was taking it all. You shivered and began to lightly bounce and fuck against him, riding him like you otherwise would. Looking down you remembered what he said: he didn’t know what was better, eating you out or you sucking his cock? Well, you thought while gazing down at his member hard and leaking against his stomach, why not see what happens when giving him the best of both worlds.

Leaning forward balanced with one hand on the cot by his hip while the other grabbed him and gave him a few solid strokes. Behind you, you heard him exhale in a hiss after pulling back from you at the sensation of your touch. You took that moment then to slowly take him into your mouth, gently sucking as you slowly slid further and further down his length. He groaned, the raspy tones of his voice tickling your ears while his elegant hands tightened their grip on your thighs and dragged you down to him again. The angle you were working at now put your clit in a perfect alignment with his mouth and he took full advantage of it, sucking and licking sloppily as if you were a ripe fruit. Groaning as well around his cock, you each fed off of the others pleasure.

💋🍆🍑

So Imma just going to call it quits there. I could finish this, but I’m tired, it’s been two days since I’ve posted for Kinktober and I feel bad about that, and I’m upset with how this turned out because I really like Crosshair and this just isn’t it. Sorry dudes :(

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