#me two hours later with a 4k word mess: :D?

[chocoenvy]

ok but like

imagine a sagau au where the reader isn't recognized by the acolytes

but they aren't being hunted down by them either

and in this au looking like the creator isn't a sin it just warrants a "damn must be truly blessed by the creator to be blessed with their face"

and the reader just kinda wants to see how long it takes for everyone to realize

also venti is the first to know and the reader literally begs him not to tell anyone

and they both just kinda

vibe as gods in disguise

Say My Name

In where you begin your journey in a fairly dull way, but that doesn't make it any less exciting.

Part two

Characters: Barbara, Noelle, Venti

Notes: Once again, I have made Venti a prominent character in a fic. I have grown far too attatched to him :( AND I WANTED TO MAKE THIS MORE ABOUT NOELLE BUT I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM BECAUSE VENTI'S FAT ASS TOOK UP ALL OF IT. And I didn't want to shove something in at the end, I thought it was a good stopping point so I didn't stretch the fic on longer than it needed to go. Anyways this was fun to write either way :)

warnings: fluff, cult behaviors, comical

Considering how extravagant and lively Teyvat is, your arrival was fairly dull.

You were freaking out of course, your heart beating out of your chest and breathing erratic. What were you supposed to do when you wake up in your favorite game? What was the right course of action?

Frankly, you thought you were dead or about to die. Teyvat is crawling with high level monsters. Maybe this was all a big fever dream?

You sighed, clutching your head, so many thoughts whirling around and yet none of them stayed long enough for you to get a good grasp of the situation or the best course of action.

But one thought remained consistent as your eyes drifted over to the path laid out before you. Mondstadt.

The moment you lay your eyes on the bridge leading to the Mondstadt gates you can't help yourself, running past Timmie's birds, shouting out a quick sorry to him, and sprinting as fast as you could to the gates. You slowed as you neared them and Lawrence - the gate guard - stopped you in your tracks.

"Greetings strange but respectable traveler!" He saluted, his eyes wide staring at you and you assumed it's because of the odd way you dressed, "May I ask what business you have in Mondstadt?"

"Oh! Just visiting." You grinned, feeling a tad bit dizzy at hearing his voice right in front of you and not just through your headphones. Not to mention the fact that his hair looked so real and nice.

He hummed and nodded, "Alright then, just don't cause any trouble." He waved you off.

That was easy... you mused. Though you didn't dwell on it and marveled at the wonderous city adorned with the high-noon sun and pretty flowers.

You could hear the humming of bards and birds, the sound of Flora selling her flowers, and of course Donna simping over Diluc.

It was all so familiar, from the people to the music and the tiles on the floor, it all felt like the beginning of your journey. Almost like home, you couldn't help but hum along to the merry music.

You passed by Katheryne and she waved at you knowingly but didn't say anything. You decided not to question her about it - Katheryne knew a lot of things anyways so you decided this was pretty in-character for her - and you waved back with a grin.

You wandered meaninglessly through the calming streets, still humming the tune. You came upon the fountain in the plaza and paused. Usually, you'd climb up the wall to get past but now you had to actually walk.

You chuckled, you weren't sure why but this was such a nice feeling and you sprinted to the left until you came upon a set of stairs. You climbed up them and made your way to Venti's large statue.

When you made it, you craned your neck up to take it all in, an awed smile on your face.

"Ah, are you a newcomer?" A nearby nun asked you, snapping you out of your dazed state.

"Oh! Uh- yeah I am!" You grinned sheepishly.

The nun hummed, smiling warmly, "You must be truly blessed to look so similar to our creator. You can go into the cathedral if you want to see our offerings to them." She nodded towards said building, "Hope you enjoy your stay in Mondstadt!" She waved, now even allowing you to get a word out before moving along.

You stared after her for a minute before whispering to yourself, "What the fuck-"

You turned back around and stared cautiously at the cathedral. What did she mean by creator? Stuff like this has never been mentioned in the lore before...

You'd been in the cathedral maybe a hundred times and had never seen anything that could be attributed to some... creator or whatever she meant by that.

So, naturally, you had to go and investigate.

The moment you entered those cathedral doors (with no loading screen separating the two anymore), your eyes immediately caught onto the shrine built on top of the rotating door. Two pairs of stairs leading up to it.

You gaped at the shrine, grand and well-kept, but what caught even more of your attention was the sheer amount of offerings left out at the base below the shrine. There was so much food and random shiny objects, some of which looked more than what you were worth.

Your jaw hang open at the sight, and you noticed you started to get some odd stares. You fixed your face and donned a more neutral expression, looking on at the shrine curiously.

"Ah, first time in Mondstadt's cathedral?" said a soft and familiar voice.

You whipped your head around to face Barbara, her sparkling eyes fixed onto you.

You composed yourself - both at the scene in front of you and the fact you just met Barbara face-to-face - "Yeah, it is."

"You look so much like our beloved creator!" She exclaimed, "It must be such an honor to be blessed with their lovely face!"

"U-uhm..." You stuttered, sending her an awkward smile, "I suppose so."

Her eyes shifted and you felt a jolt of unease in your chest, sinking into your heart, "Sorry, I'm just not used to Mondstadt's customs. We practice things quite differently where I'm from."

"Oh! Sorry then," Barbara frowned, "I didn't mean any disrespect, I just wanted to make sure you weren't disrespecting our creator in any ways. I suppose in the end it didn't do any good."

You hummed non-committedly and gazed back upon the shrine. There was a statue of the supposed creator upon there and unconsciously you took steps towards it. As you gazed up at it, it was as though you were looking into a mirror.

The statue was an exact replica of you, in every way shape and form it was you.

"It truly is remarkable how alike you two are," Barbara smiled up at the statue, pure devotion in her eyes, "It was an honor to look upon you and see an image that so wonderously reflects our creator's." She smiled at you.

You nodded and she left with a wave. A few moments later you left the church.

*~

The problems in this perfect world arose when your stomach started to growl and you realized...

You had no mora.

"Goddamnit I'm having a Zhongli moment," You cursed the gods (specifically Venti and Zhongli) for not giving you mora when you arrived to Teyvat.

Although you didn't have to worry about that for long, oddly enough. When you were eyeing Good Hunters, a kind little lady approached you.

"E-excuse me," Her cute voice cracked and your eyes met with Noelle's, "Are you hungry? I could um-" Her eyes diverted away from yours but always seemed to come back to stare into your eyes, "I could make you something if you so wish."

You gasped, your face lighting up in a smile that reddened Noelle's cheeks, "Really? Oh! I'd love to try some of your Tea Break Pancakes- oh! Ah, nevermind. You don't have to." You waved her offer off, "I don't even have any mora on me."

"That's fine." She grinned, "Consider it... a gift to our creator. A celebration of how much you look like them."

"Ah," You couldn't help the surprised smile that tugged up at the corners of your lips, "That's- I mean I appreciate it but I'm sure there's much better uses you could use with your time-"

"Nonsense! I insist," Her resolve was as sturdy as the sword you'd given her, "A little treat of mine."

"I-" Your stomach interrupted any argument you were going to make, "Fine..." You sighed, "But I owe you okay? If you ever need anything just ask me."

She agreed and made you the meal, which you excitedly watched her make. It was so surreal watching Noelle make the pancakes instead of just pressing a couple buttons.

Even still she made those pancakes in record time, you were impressed.

"Thank you so much Noelle! Really, you're carrying Mondstadt on your shoulders." You giggled.

Her face flushed a bright red and she waved her hands dismissively, "Oh no no no, I don't do that much. I'm... not even a knight yet." She frowned.

"Well," You said in-between bites, "You do as much if not more than the knights do. Don't put yourself down just 'cause you're not official yet."

Your smile, a replica of the ones on the statue but brighter and more personal caused Noelle to feel nearly dizzy.

"You're far too kind... Oh! Dear, where are my manners?" She huffed, "What's your name?"

"Oh! It's (Name)." You held out your hand but she didn't take it immediately.

She tilted her head, her eyes narrowed in confusion, "Isn't that... the creator's name? Did your parents name you that?"

Your mind blanked. Why the hell does this creator person have my face and my name?

You chuckled, "They did."

Noelle hummed and nodded along, "It's a bit unusual but not like it's against the law or anything," She shrugged and took your hand, "It's nice to meet you (name). I'm Noelle, though it seems you already knew that..?"

You nodded, "Yeah, I've heard of you. You're the best maid in Mondstadt. Who knows, maybe the best maid in all of Teyvat." You chuckled as her face bloomed into color once more.

"Truly, you flatter me too much," She fanned her face in an attempt to get rid of the heat, "...have you really heard of me outside of Mondstadt."

Without hesitation, you nodded while biting into the pancake, "Of course!" You technically weren't lying. You'd heard of her outside of Mondstadt... and outside of Teyvat... in your world. So it was technically true.

She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes lit up in wonder, and a soft giggle escaped her throat, "Aha, I'm so happy..."

Without thinking, you reached over and patted her head. She had stars in her eyes. "I'm glad," You said, "You deserve it."

*~

You and Noelle had talked throughout the entire day. She had often went to go and help people and you tried your best to help her as well. Finding stray cats, helping children find lost items or getting them down from high places, collecting and delivering items for people.

You did your best to nudge Noelle away from accepting every little thing that came her way, but majority of the time she'd end up helping the person. So you settled for helping lessen her load by helping her complete the tasks instead.

When night time finally rolled around Noelle finally bid you good night and you were hesitant to leave her because...

You had nowhere to stay.

The dark Mondstadt streets, only lit up by the few streetlights still lit by candles and night owls still awake inside their houses creeped you out.

Where would you stay? You couldn't stay outside for too long, it was freezing and you only had the clothes on your back.

Maybe you could sneak into Angel's Share and sleep in the rafters? That way you'd stay warm and they were open 24/7 you believed.

Maybe you should just tell someone you got transported here from another world. That's what the Traveler did and now they're a renowned hero with a teapot to live in...

Teapot... Teapot! If you could find the Teapot...

"Shit! Where did I last set it down..." You scrounged through your memory, praying it wasn't in the inventory. You had no clue how to access that or if you even could access it.

You recalled... teleporting to Windrise to grab some crystalflies and heal up... and opening up your teapot. That's where it is then. Or at least you hoped.

Even if it wasn't there, sleeping in the big Windrise tree didn't sound like a bad idea. So long as you didn't freeze to death.

With that in mind you set out to begin your walk to Windrise, sending a wave to Katheryne as you left. She wished you good luck which made your heart swell. Her eyes always seemed to know too much... but in this case it was quite comforting.

You also waved goodbye to the guards outside Mondstadt's gate, and they saluted with kind smiles.

You hummed, tiredly making your way across the bridge once more. What a lovely day in Mondstadt, you mused to yourself, humming the quiet nighttime tune.

*~

Your legs were jelly by the time you made it to Windrise, silently thanking the gods that you weren't attacked on the way there. Tiredly, you looked around the statue and the tree for any sign of your teapot and...

nothing. Absolutely nothing.

With a groan, you sat down at the base of the statue, burying your head in your hands, too tired to hold your head up on your own.

You just needed to shut your eyes for a moment...

*~

You blinked your eyes open as the sun glared at you. Squinting up, you noticed you were now laying at the base of the statue.

You paused as a melody filled your ears, close by and unfamiliar. You turned your head to see a bard - your bard - playing the lyre and humming a tune.

"Ah, you're finally awake." He grinned, "What were you doing sleeping outside by the statue?"

You groggily sat up, "Venti?" You groaned, "I was just... traveling and ended up falling asleep."

He hummed, "You know my name?"

Goddamnit-

You nodded, "Yes, you're quite the famous bard aren't you?" The excuse flew naturally off your tongue, it wasn't necessarily a lie either.

Venti giggled, his fingers idly plucking a tune, "Quite the charmer aren't you? Though, can't say you're entirely incorrect. I am the best bard in the world! Most famous though? I can't really say." He leaned in, his face nearly touching yours, "So, how do you know me hm? You just arrived to Mondstadt yesterday after all and I don't believe you ever caught my name or even saw me."

"...You were watching me?" You questioned, your eyes narrowed.

Venti faked an offended gasp, "You make me sound like a criminal! I was merely observing my surroundings. I saw you, an odd looking traveler, and had to observe you for a bit of time. Can't blame me for being a little curious." His grin was sly and it made you roll your eyes.

"Still a bit creepy if you ask me, especially for an apparently not-so-famous bard." You challenged him, your eyes sharp as they dug into him.

He shrugged, "I gotta watch over Mondstadt. I love the city with my life, you know. Now answer the question, how do you know me?" His eyes were so playful for such a scathing question.

You hummed, surprisingly calm given how wrong this could go, "How do you think I know you, bard?"

He giggled, "Asking me the questions now are you?" His fingers switched up and started playing a much more familiar tune. One he shouldn't know, "Perhaps you've been watching me for a long time now. And whenever I saw your eyes I just knew they were the same ones that had been watching me for countless months. Hm?"

Your eyes shot open, "How do you know that song?"

"I know every song," His teal eyes sparkled with mischief and glee, "Past present and future."

Your jaw slackened, but you couldn't help the grin that tugged at your lips.

"I suppose I wasn't aware of just how far your knowledge reached, O' Anemo Archon." You snickered, and jokingly bowed.

Venti giggled, his fingers stopping his playing so he could mockingly bow back, "And I suppose I wasn't aware of how stubborn you are, O' Great Creator."

"What?" Your playful nature halted in its tracks as you stared at Venti, dumbfounded.

He blinked, confused, "Huh?"

You shook your disbelief away with a shake of your head and a laugh, "Did you just call me Teyvat's God?" You chuckled, "Then should I call you your friend's name?"

A flash of hurt took over his eyes, he whined, "Huh? What do they have to do with this, your grace?"

"What?" Dread crawled into the back of your throat, "Cut it out Venti, don't joke like that."

"But I'm not joking, your grace. Did you- did you not know?" His eyes were wide and glassy, "I'm sorry..."

You blinked owlishly, "Wha- you're serious? I thought- I thought I just looked like them!"

"I thought that was your intention!" Venti cried, "I thought this was like- a test of loyalty or something!"

"No! What? Am I actually-" You couldn't force the words out as you stared Venti in the eyes, stunned.

"Y-yes!" He shouted, "You're the creator! I can sense it! So can the slimes and animals. Don't you see?" He pointed to the nearby birds, their gaze turned towards you, "They like you! The monsters don't attack you and this statue calls out to you! Don't you feel its warmth? It's probably why you didn't freeze last night."

You were silent as the information processed, "So- so wait!" You turned your body fully facing Venti, "That shrine in the cathedral... was for me?" You asked, bewildered.

He nodded, "Yeah! Did- did you really not know?"

Immediately you were wildly shaking your head, "No! I just- I dunno! I thought I was like the traveler or something that just got dropped off here one day."

"The traveler came here of their own free will, (Name)!" Venti sighed, "I just- You look exactly like them too!"

"Listen! Denial is a powerful think, okay!" You huffed.

"Fine, I get it." He rested his head on his hands, his eyes meeting yours, "So... are you gonna tell the others?"

"... Dunno." You shrugged, "What would happen if I did?"

"Well..." Venti tapped his finger against his face and used his other hand to hold up his pointer finger, "Zhongli would go batshit. He's got a whole log up his ass when it comes to you and how to 'properly worship you' bleh." Venti stuck his tongue out, "Then there's Baal, she'll probably also go insane over you. She's like a lost puppy." He held up a third finger, "Then there's Jean and the knights. I think they'd be... alright. If you told them they'd try and throw huge festivals for you and worship you. Oh, and the church would triple their worshipping for you, obviously."

You roughly sighed, "So... I won't be treated as a human is what you're saying."

"I mean- well- yeah." He frowned, "Don't worry, I get it if you don't wanna do a whole grand reveal. It's stressful. Too much work, y'know?"

You hummed in agreement, "The thing is..." You frowned, "We don't have any mora."

Venti scoffed, straightening his back with a proud grin, "Speak for yourself! I have a mora."

You snorted, "A mora."

"Hey, better than what you're doing," He took off his hat, "It's right in here-"

You both stared at the hat that was almost as empty as your souls.

"Okay well," Venti put his hat back on, "Nothing a little begging can't do. Not like I haven't played music for money before."

You stared at the ground hopelessly, "...so... how do you think Ningguang would react to me telling her I'm the creator?"

Venti snorted, "I like the way you think but... she'd be grand. I think she'd make you live in the Jade Chamber and give you every little thing you could ever want. She can keep a secret though I'll bet."

You hummed and stared at Venti, living a life as free as a bird. Even with the status of the Anemo Archon, he was as free as his people, and just as happy as them as well.

"Not really the life I wanna live... what about Childe?"

Venti shuddered, "I love you (Name), but no. He makes... quite a spectacle of things. And, well," Venti frowned, "He'd probably leave a few corpses at your doorstep."

"Ah," You grimaced, "Okay so... we're fucked."

"Ah ah ah," Venti waggled his finger comically, "Don't you remember what I said? I can sing for money, and I'm sure with you, the creator's look-alike right by my side helping me with my performance, we'd make double the money! I mean," His eyes were alight with mischievous glee, an expression on him you were coming to dread, "That Noelle girl yesterday had no problem giving you a free meal just cause you look like the creator! So I'm sure we'll pull in lots of cash!"

You frowned and then a lightbulb went off in your head, "Wait a minute," Venti raised a brow, intrigued, "If I'm the supposed creator or god of this world... then those offerings at the altars and shrines are meant for me... right?"

Venti nodded with a tilt of his head, "Yes? ...Oh... Oh!" His eyes lit up like Christmas lights, "You mean-?"

You grinned, "So that means that if I were to... let's say... take the items and sell them, it wouldn't be wrong right?"

Venti tilted his head back and laughed, "No, I suppose it wouldn't be, your grace."

Your grin was damn near evil, "Then I suppose we have our plan then."

Venti nodded, "I suppose we do!" He hopped up and grabbed your hand to help you up as well, "Though I think my singing idea was pretty good." He kicked his legs up like a child as you both made your way back to Mondstadt, "Who knows, I might even become the most famous bard in all of Teyvat with you by my side!"

You hummed, smiling fondly at the silly bard at your side, "Perhaps."

[ct-7386]

Lost and Found pt2

[Continuation of Lost and Found pt1 :)

The warnings on this part are a little more intense, so please be careful, and please let me know if I missed a tag or tagged something wrong.

Also, yes, I named Vada Squad after the U.S. state Nevada - because the youngest trooper of the squad is named Reno (the capital city of Nevada). lol.]

Authors: myself and @cc-4477commanderthire Characters: Commander Thire (them); CT-7386, Vada Squad (me) Word Count: 4k Rating: T+ TW: depicted depression and anxiety; referenced isolation (self-imposed and imposed by others); anxiety/panic attacks; mild dissociation; bullying; referenced past deaths (ocs); referenced assisted suicide; implied neglect

Mando'a Guide: Vor entye - thank you

Lost and Found pt1

The alarm of Thire’s comm beeps insistently to wake him up for his next shift.

86 wakes blearily to the familiar crackling of a comm going off - but something is wrong: he’s being held by someone he doesn’t immediately recognize, and he’s in a room that isn’t his.

He tenses and lets out a quiet whimper, afraid for a moment when all he can remember are different memories, different nightmares. Then the events of the last few hours come rushing back, and he finds himself relaxing back into Thire’s arms. 86 is safe here.

Thire groans and raises a hand to rub over his eyes. He looks down at his vod‘ika, grateful that the other didn‘t bolt in the middle of the night. “Good morning.”

His voice is still rough from sleep and he clears his throat before continuing, “Slept well?”

He, for one, will definitely have back aches and a stiff neck. Hopefully moving around won‘t hurt too much.

86 tries to nod, but pain shoots from the base of his skull up and around to settle just behind his eyes. He winces and sighs quietly, burrowing down against Thire’s sternum. There just isn’t time for a migraine this morning, and he’d rather not be more of an imposition.

But… he did sleep well. “Best sleep in months,” he admits quietly. “Kinda - Kinda sore now, though.”

Thire chuckles quietly, “I second that. I hope I‘ll be able to move my neck properly today.”

Without thinking he brings his hand up and lightly scratches the back of Wren‘s skull, “When does your next shift start?”

They still have some time until first shift because Thire‘s alarm goes off early to afford him some interrupted time to get work done.

86 goes boneless at the light touch, and he lets out a quiet sigh as the pressure in his head melts away. “That - That feels good, vor entye,” he mumbles.

He thinks a moment. “My shift is always -” He yawns, “always from 0800 to 2200 - later if there’s a gala or other event.” 86 frowns slightly. “What - What time is it?”

Thire moves his hand up 86‘s skull to reach different points and replies, “0600, no need to rush.”

He has ordered 86‘ squad to his office in an hour and decides to make himself a little more comfortable until then. So, Thire shifts until his back his straight on the floor and 86 is star-fished above him, “Ah, much better.”

It is a much comfier position than before, 86 realizes, and he gratefully arches his back like a tooka to stretch out the kinks before settling back down. He’s perfectly happy to doze here a little longer, basking in the warmth and comfort of a vod - a friend.

Thire reaches over and sets his comm to beep again in half an hour. He hugs his vod‘ika close once more and closes his eyes.

When it beeps again, he gently cards his fingers through 86‘ hair. “Let’s get some breakfast, okay?”

86 sighs and reluctantly wakes up. All he wants to do is snuggle back into that warmth, but Thire is right: it’s time to get up. He drags himself into a sitting position and rubs the sleep-dirt from his eyes.

“Are we going to the mess?” he asks, voice a little rough with sleep.

“Yeah, I ordered your squad here for 0700. But we should still have enough time.” 86 definitely deserves a warning ahead of time. Though it‘s arguable if half an hour early is really ahead of time.

“You can use the fresher first, I need to check if the Senate‘s still standing,” Thire gestures and walks over to his desk to check his comm on an actual chair.

86 freezes in place, eyes and face suddenly blank. Inside, though, he’s panicking. He even feels slightly betrayed. “You - You ordered m-my squad here?”

It hasn’t been long at all - a few days - since his fight with Cory, since he confessed his original sin to Fox. He doesn’t know if he can face the rest of Vada Squad so soon, doesn’t know what Thire’s intentions are.

“Well, I understand why you acted out the way you did in the Senate. But the fall-out wasn’t fun to deal with, and I need all of you to be civil with each other, even if you dislike each other. That is necessary for the safety of all my men.” Thire understands that this is incredibly uncomfortable for 86 but Vada Squad needs to properly function together, reliably.

But first, “We’ll get some breakfast and then we’ll talk to them. This won’t take long, I promise.”

He gently places his hand on 86’ shoulder and squeezes reassuringly.

86 looks away guiltily. He hadn’t meant to cause more problems for his commander, and he wasn’t even the one who technically started it - but he hadn’t ended it, either, or even brought it to Thire’s attention sooner. This conversation with his squad is, as much as he might hate to admit it, necessary.

(He told Thire he trusts him; now he has to show it.)

He nods and leans briefly into the hand on his shoulder before stepping away to use the ‘fresher. When 86 is finished, he waits awkwardly by the door for Thire.

Thire closes his pad with a sigh; today is going to be a long day. He stands up and stretches until his shoulders pop back into place and smiles at 86, “Let‘s go and get some caff, shall we?”

He leads the way to the cafeteria which is still mostly empty because it‘s almost one and a half hours until the start of first shift. There isn‘t a cue and they can get their breakfast right away. Thire leads them to a table at the back of the room where the Commanders usually sit (when they actually come and eat something other than ration bars).

86 follows quietly. With how early it is, no one even gives them a second glance as they get their food and take their seats. He sits with his back to the wall so that he can see as much of the room as possible - a habit born from before he had his implants and needed to see to ‘hear’ people; now it offers a sense of safety in an environment he’s not entirely familiar with.

Still not feeling terribly hungry, 86 chooses instead to sip at his caf. For once, it’s the perfect temperature right away: just hot enough to sting the tip of his tongue. That doesn’t keep it from tasting awful, though.

“I should - I should try to get the kitchens stocked with proper caf,” he comments idly. “I get better stuff in the - the lower levels all the time.” He takes another sip and grimaces. “Not that - that I really like caf.” Is he rambling a little to fill the silence? Yes. Will he stop? No. He needs something to distract him from the upcoming meeting with his squad.

Thire listens and prepares his food. “I usually steal my caff from Fox‘s secret stash. But don‘t tell him that. Besides, if you don‘t like caf, have you ever tried tea? My Captain once acquired some and it was quite nice.”

He checks his chrono to see if they still have time. 86 probably isn‘t eating out of nervousness so Thire decides to sneak him out some food, for afterwards.

86 nods. “I’ve had tea a few times. Plenty of - of senators prefer it, and many of them like to offer me some while - while I’m translating to help keep me from losing my voice. I have a couple blends that I prefer, but other - other than those, I don’t much like tea.”

His smile is small and a little strained, but it’s honest. “If I were to choose my - my favorite drink, though, it would be Correlian whiskey - and not the cheap stuff. The good stuff, all - all butter-smooth and burn. Alderaani wine isn’t bad either, and Pantoran mulled cider? Perfect. It has - has just a hint of spice to kick your palette, and it’s a little tart to go with the sweet. And - And if you warm it up on a - a cold day, it’s even better.”

He watches Thire check his chrono and resists the urge to ask for the time or check his own; if he doesn’t look, he can pretend the squad meeting is further off than it is.

“You have a fine taste. Personally, I‘m used to rotgut of any kind and enjoy a beer every once in a while,” Thire replies with a smile. He‘s glad that 86 feels comfortable enough to ramble to him.

Thire finishes up his food, “Are you sure you don‘t want any? There is still plenty of time.”

And he knows from experience that it is better not to enter these sorts of conversations on an empty stomach.

86 shrugs. “I’m a - a little spoiled spending all day in the Senate Building -” And the lower levels when he can get down there, but Thire doesn’t know that, “especially around the senators who don’t hate clones. Certain - Certain favors can result in good benefits, too.” He eyes Thire thoughtfully for a moment; he’ll have to get something special for him after all this trouble.

He grimaces down at his tray at the question, stomach clenching. At this point he’d almost rather just be sick to get it out of his system. “I think…” 86 sighs and chokes down a couple more bites of food before pushing the tray a little. He admits softly, “I d-don’t think I can - can eat anymore.”

“That‘s okay, you don‘t have to.”, Thire gets up and cleans their tablets away but bags two bread rolls. He‘ll force feed them to 86 before sending his vod‘ika on a senate shift without having eaten something.

He comes back to the table and together they walk to Thire‘s office. It‘s a couple minutes before 0700 when they reach it.

The knots in 86' stomach tighten as they near the room, and the insides of his gloves are clammy with sweat. 86 sucks in a sharp breath that does nothing to loosen the tight band around his lungs or the tight stretch of his skin over his bones or the anxious stutter of his heart. Standing in the middle of the room, he flexes his fingers; his hands are shaking.

At 0700 sharp, there is a series of precise, even raps on the door. Instantly 86 changes, posture straightening, shoulders relaxing, face adopting an expressionless mask. He looks calm and composed - exactly like the perfect soldier he is expected to be in the Senate Building.

And he hates that this is how he instinctively presents himself to his squad.

“Come in”, Thire calls out. He leans against his desk in a relaxed posture and takes in each of the incoming troopers, “Do you know why I called you here?”

Streak, the sergeant of the squad, waits for the nine other troopers following him to enter and remove their buckets before answering. All 10 pairs of eyes flick to 86, each expression varying. Streak's expression is blank while at least two others look irritated, and the youngest trooper looks carefully bored.

86 pretends not to notice any of it.

"I'm going to assume," Streak replies neutrally, "judging by his presence, that this has something to do with the altercation between Corporals Cory and 86."

One of the troopers who had glared at 86 hisses snitch under his breath, and 86 only barely controls the flinch that runs through him.

“This isn‘t about Corporal Cory or the altercation at the senate a couple days ago.”, Thire replies. His voice is cold as ice and his face is a careful, well-practised mask, “This is about the behaviour I just witnessed. None of you are shinies. Yet, you still act as such.

“You deliberately, without being prompted, discussed a private, internal squad matter in front of a superior officer. And you have shown that you also will do that in front of Natborns. Do you know what that means? It means that you‘ll be decommissioned sooner rather than later."

Thire fixes his eyes on every single one of them. “I had a private conversation with Corporal 86, and I‘ll also have one with Corporal Cory. But the rest of you are apparently no better.” He lets his disappointment be heard audibly.

Streak stiffens and slowly turns to glare heatedly at the trooper who had hissed before. "In front of natborns? Cory, you utreekov! What were you thinking?!"

Cory bristles. "What was I thinking? How is this my fault? 86 is the one who's got a problem!"

86' head ducks just a little, eyes now trained low on the opposite wall.

Thire watches them calmly argue with each other before his eyes. “So, you not only argue in front of superiors, but you also specifically use names so that I couldn‘t possibly save any of you by fixing the roll call afterwards? Congratulations, you‘re all dead men walking.”

Cory snorts and mutters, “Then we’ll be just like the bastard’s first two squads and his batch.”

One of the other troopers, one who hadn’t spoken yet, rounds on him in shock. “Cory!”

86 hears it as if from far away, head ringing, ears staticky. His hands are trembling - all of him is - and nothing but the painful tripping of his heart and constriction of his lungs is real to him anymore.

Vada Squad is not his first, or even his second. On Geonosis, the three survivors of his squad, including himself, had been reassigned to different posts. His first squad in the Guard was killed on patrol - while he was on duty in a different part of the Senate Building. All of that is information available to his sergeant who, with his permission, had shared it with the others. 86 thinks that might have been a mistake.

Words filter back in through the jumbled mess in his brain.

“- heard what he said in Lock Up!” Ah. That would be Ember, a sister and twin to Flare, the vod currently holding her back from punching Cory. “You can’t just - How can you still think that?! It wasn’t his fault!”

“He still killed them!” Cory is being held back by Streak and Waffle, the squad’s other sister. “How can we trust anyone who would kill vode at all? And he’s never here! How can we trust that aruetti to have our backs if he just ignores us all the time?!”

86 stands frozen, drifting numb and apart from the scene in front of him. A low throb is building behind his eyes, and he realizes distantly that tears are slipping down his cheeks, silent and unnoticed. This is why he never came forward, never said anything. He just wanted to keep this from happening… He didn’t want them to fall apart.

“Enough!” Thire‘s voice booms through the room. “Every single one of you is a disgrace to the Guard. I expect you to be better. You will be punished accordingly. Dismissed.

“Corporal Cory, report to my office after shift ends. And I want a serious explanation for your behaviour. 86‘ past won‘t convince me.”

Once the others have filtered out he turns back to 86 and places his hands on the shoulders of the vod. Slowly he guides 86 to sit on the floor and pushes his head between his legs. Softly he begins talking to him, “There you go, you‘re alright. It‘s going to be alright.”

86 focuses on the buzz of Thire’s voice and his own breathing, which is deceptively calm. It takes a few minutes before the numbness begins to fade, melting back from the tips of his fingers and toes back up his limbs until he thinks he might be able to move again.

The moment the numbness fades completely, it releases the steel band around his chest, and he folds in on himself with an actual sob; he’s still shaking, and he can feel his tears soaking the collar of his blacks where they’ve rolled down his neck. He’s a mess.

“I’m sorry,” he gasps. He doesn’t know what he’s apologizing for - his squad, his part in this disaster, his reaction to it - he doesn’t know.

Thire simply pulls him close and puts 86‘ head in the crook of his neck, “Nothing to be sorry for, vod‘ika. You did good.”

He gently rubs 86‘ back and continues to talk to him quietly. The position isn‘t exactly comfortable, given that they're both in full kit, but he keeps a tight grip on his brother nevertheless.

Just like the night before, it takes some time before 86 has calmed down some. Despite the uncomfortable position, he leans heavily on his commander, not quite able to hold himself up.

“W-What - What happens - happens now?” he hiccups. The hard plastic of Thire’s kit digs into him, but the discomfort helps ground him in the present moment, and he never wants to leave. More quietly he admits, forehead pressed against the unarmored stretch of Thire’s neck, “I don’t know what to do.”

“You‘re not alone, 86. Corporal Cory might be angry and hateful, but some of your squadmates defended you. And that means there is hope.” Thire pauses and lightly scratches 86‘ head.

“Part of the problem is that you‘ve never found each other as a squad. And, I know that that‘s a lot to ask, but maybe try and seek them out a little. For example, that sister of yours who defended you against Cory, I‘m sure she would like to spend some time with you, hmm?”

Thire’s going to seek her out and ask her to include 86 occasionally, he thinks. His vod‘ika isn‘t exactly socially confident, and there is a lot of baggage in his squad relationships.

86 laughs a little wetly, a little more of the tension melting as Thire scratches at his head. “Ember. I - m-maybe. She’s - She’s good. She’s n-never been - never been cruel like C-Cory or cold like Waffle and Tax. Ember and her twin, Flare, they both - they both have s-stopped Cory from being too h-hurtful before, though they l-let the antagonism and - and passive aggressiveness slide.”

He exhales shakily and presses closer. “S-Streak… He’s just bitter. He tried to - to get Cory and I to stop, at first, but when n-nothing changed, he became irritated. The longer he spent with Cory, the m-more he - he subconsciously began to believe what was being said, and he started blaming m-me for how Cory an-and I could never get along.”

“Reno, our youngest, he’s - he’s good though,” 86 admits softly. “Poor - Poor kid just got thrust into the m-middle of this shit. He doesn’t talk to me because he doesn’t want C-Cory and the others to - to be mad at him, too.”

Thire slowly rubs up and down 86‘ back, and hums along soothingly. He‘s glad that 86 is talking to him and listens attentively.

“I‘m sure they don‘t always hang around as a big group, so you can talk a little to the twins, hmm?”

He doesn‘t want to jostle them too much but needs to shift slightly to prevent his leg from falling asleep before he hugs 86 close once more, “Do you have anything you‘re interested in? Something you could enjoy spending your time doing?”

86 makes quiet, thoughtful noise. “May-Maybe. I can - I can try? Talking to them, I mean. It can’t be that hard, r-right?”

He uses Thire’s shifting to remove at least the chest and back pieces of his armor; the edges were starting to dig into him uncomfortably with the way he was pressing close to the commander. 86 relaxes into the hug, and when Thire asks his next question, he flushes and tucks his face against Thire’s neck. It’s so easy to talk to Thire - though that might have something to do with the way 86 feels sort of drunk on the closeness and the friendship and the caring.

“I - I like flowers,” he mumbles, a little embarrassed, “growing them. Other plants too, but flowers mostly. The science is fascinating, the process cathartic, and - and plants make sense. People d-don’t, even though I work with them all day. With plants, I just - I just know when somethin’ will work or not, if it needs more water or light, and they - they don’t want anything from me. Just…” 86’ sigh shudders slightly, and his voice becomes smaller. “I can - I can say no, and they can’t be mad at me. They’re simple.”

86 knows he sounds a little crazy, talking about the plants as if they’re something close to sentient, but to him they are. He wouldn’t know how to explain how he really does just have a knack for the plants he grows - an instinct, even. It’s just how it’s always been.

Thire smiles, “Plants are a good interest to have. Do you have someplace where you grow them yourself?”

Belatedly he realizes that that is probably a threatening question coming from a superior and adds, “You don‘t have to tell me where, and I won‘t go looking for them.”

He reaches up and softly ruffles 86 hair and tucks his vod‘ika even closer. If he could he would hold him close and just never let go again. Hide him from the world and protect him from its cruelty. It pains him physically that he can‘t.

The question makes that familiar anxiety build in his chest again - but Thire’s next words soothe it away. Still, he hesitates before answering.

“I - I do. I found a place out of the way where no one would - would stumble across it, and I found ways to get w-water there without using the Guard’s rations. I… I know some people who were able to - to supply me with various things I might need. And now…” 86 hums, eyes slipping closed again. “It’s safe for me there. I like to - to take my food down there at night after shift, and I - I like sleeping there, too,” he admits softly. “No one who hates me, and I have less nightmares.”

“I am glad you have found something worthwhile to spend your time with. I‘m sure you‘ll also find people in time to share your hobby with you, vod‘ika.” Even though Thire doesn‘t want to, he lets go of 86 and helps him to stand up. “Sadly, shift starts in 5 minutes and we both have meetings to attend to. So I‘m afraid we have to go now.”

As they leave the office Thire stops and knocks their heads together in a keldabe, “I‘ll always be there if you need me or just want to talk with someone. Don‘t you dare forget that.”

86 gratefully accepts the help up even though he finds he doesn’t want to go. For once, he doesn’t want to leave the presence of a vod - the very thought makes him want to curl into himself all over. But he stands up and puts his front and back plates back on, tugging his armor into something straight and presentable for the day.

The unexpected keldabe has emotion swelling up from the bottom of his stomach until it presses against the inside of his chest, throat, eyes until he wants to cry all over again. This is what it’s like to be wanted. He’d very nearly forgotten.

He leans hard into the keldabe, eyes scrunched shut and breath stuttering harshly as he tries to control his tears. “Vor entye,” he breathes. 86 blinks rapidly as he draws back and musters a smile. “I - I’ll try not to forget. And i-if I do, I’ll…” He squares his shoulders, helmet tucked under his arm, eyes glinting determinedly, “I’ll f-find you, sir. Promise.”

86 relaxes, smile coming back a little stronger and brighter - truer - than before. Then he turns and begins making his way to the Rotunda. They really will be late if they don’t hurry.

Thire smiles after him before turning around and walking to his own first meeting of the day.

[nymphl]

Lie to Me - Hux x Reader x Ch. 12: Heaven & Hell

A/N: Hello there xD As promised, here I am to update Lie to Me and I promise to be back by Wednesday with chapter 13. This chapter specifically has a bit of lemony goodness (4k of it). I hope you like it. Thank you for every like and reblog, they mean a lot. And I’m working on chapter 24 - Love & Hate already, let’s see when I can post it. 

Story Summary: Falling for the enemy… That’s probably the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Letting him live… for he should be dead. And you should’ve been the one to kill him. You had him, right there… and you let it escape through yours fingers. He lived. And now only the time could tell if you made the right decision — more likely wrong — by saving the amnesiac General of the First Order and telling him he was your husband. [Hux x Reader - Hux x You]

Warnings for the entire story: Will contain at times; graphic violence, sex, drugs and manipulation, coarse language and OOCness.

AO3 Tags: from enemies to lovers; eventual romance; memory loss; fake marriage; fake marriage becomes real marriage; rebellion; married couple; canon divergence; slow burn romance; politics; rebel alliance; resistance; first order; OOCness; eventual smut; eventual sex; power play; power dynamics; syndicate; lies; you lie; Hux lies; Hux backstory; manipulation; political alliances; political betrayals; secret organizations; tros fix it; anti tros; nobody likes general pryde.

Wordcount: 5701

PREVIOUS CHAPTER *** NEXT CHAPTER

YOUR EYES SNAPPED OPEN IN THE DARKENED ROOM.

With a yawn, you sat on the mattress and looked at your side. The General was sleeping soundly; one of his hands over his scarred chest.

You took a deep intake of breath and climbed out of the bed carefully. Silently. He barely got any sleep; you did not want to wake him just because you were thirsty.

Covering his nude form with the blanket, you grabbed his discarded black shirt — the first clothing item you saw the darkened bedroom —, grimacing as a bit of muscular pain shot through your body. It was not that unbearable, but it made you wonder if you should take any painkiller before he noticed your legs ached. Surely a few — just a few, if he believed you were at it regularly before the attempt on his life, it is… — months without sex would not leave you all sore.

For the maker!

If he had not caught you on your lies before, he surely would catch you now.

Better not to remember how you touched him, all unsure. Testy. Anyone who knew their lover well — and you assured him you knew him — would have behaved more assuredly than you did.

Well, maybe you were overthinking it. He did seem to enjoy your touches and the act to its fullest. And judging by how soundly he slept in your small bed, you could say you were not the only one to abstain from the whole thing.

A sigh left you as you headed towards the kitchen.

After drinking your water, you set on making some vincha tea for you — and he better not dream you used to drink it after your training sessions with him, otherwise you did not think you would be able to stand on your wobbling legs next time. Three hundred push-ups felt like child’s games now. You were so concentrated on your task, when you saw the otherwise motionless form of D-Five moving his head towards you, you almost spilled hot tea in your hand, but he placed his own mechanic arm in front of your skin, taking the hot liquid in his circuits.

“For the maker, D-Five!”

“Oh my!” he exclaimed at the mess the two of you left on the floor, the sink and his own arm. “I apologize for startling you, Mrs. Hux.”

You scared me! You could have said. Instead, you took a sharp intake of breath to calm your racing heart and shook your head. A small smile tilted the corner of your mouth, “it’s nothing, D-Five.”

But I almost spilled hot tea in your skin, Mrs. Hux! How can you simply forgive me?

I apologize for almost ruining your skin.

I apologize for being such a useless droid.

I apologize…

I am so useless!

I apologize…

I am doomed in my uselessness!

I apologize…

 “Silence, D-Five!” you managed to cut him off. You would have rolled your eyes if it would not make the droid feel worse. “The General is sleeping.”

“Ah! Oh! I understand Mrs. Hux. I am—”

You raised your hand, silencing him for good. You were not sure you could take him saying how useless he was any longer. Bringing the tea to your lips, you savored the quietude in the kitchen. It is, till the buzz of your comm-relay made you freeze in place.

He looked at you, head tilted to the side slightly, as if questioning whether you would answer it or not.

You swallowed.

It was now or never.

General Organa had… aged.

It was the first thing you noticed as soon your hands, along with your comm-relay, stopped trembling and her hologram fixed in front of your very eyes.

Yet, she had the same proud posture of before. The same surety in her voice as she spoke. At first apologizing for the late hour — your yawn or your clothing denounced you; you were not sure — and then saying it had been a while since you last spoke.

“It has…” you replied silently.

You were uncomfortable talking to her, but what seemed to bother you the most was the fact she did not seem to regret her past actions — or lack thereof. You knew the General to be a straight-to-the-point and logical woman — what difference would it make to apologize for something she could not change? Different from you, she hardly had any time to lose with emotions — past or present. Life made sure to harden her to its fullest. Still, you felt slightly upset that she did not seem regretful for ruining your life.

You shook your head.

There was no time for it.

You decided to move on.

And the reason why was sleeping in the next room.

“I received your message just a few minutes ago,” she started. “The Resistanc—

Right.

“I’m sending you the Coordinates,” you said, snapping out of your haze and cutting her in the middle of her words. “My contact says the shipment will arrive in two days in Rioza.”

“Rioza…” she trailed off. “Of course, it makes sense.” Then her brownish eyes set on you, as if accessing you to consider your words and the truth in them. “And how do you trust this contact of yours?”

You took a moment to consider what she just said. At first, you felt highly offended she did not trust you — it was you after all and as much as you detested her past actions you would never put the life of so many in danger. Jeopardizing a whole operation based on hurt feelings? It was beneath you and you expected Senator Organa knew that as well. And honestly, you would never have contacted them if you believed — truly believed — the General would.

His reasons were not clear as of yet, but he you were sure he did not mean to exterminate the Resistance with such information.

You bit your bottom lip…

…and thought a bit more of the situation. In the end she was right not to believe you. In her place you would not trust her that easily. She probably thought you would seek revenge on her for not doing anything before.

“With my life,” you replied, for the first time actually believing it. You wetted your lips and took a seat at the table. D-Five filled your mug with more vincha tea and took his seat in front of you when you gestured towards the empty chair. “He said you would not believe him, so he said to show you this…” You lifted a small necklace. Or what seemed to be a small necklace. It was in fact a small recorder device. “It contains a camera directly linked to the private chambers of Ben Solo.”

General Organa’s form seemed to still a bit, but with the wavering holo you could not say for sure. Perhaps it was just the bad connection and you were seeing things.

“Kylo Ren,” she spoke. It sounded like she was correcting you, but you did not know for sure. The General told you right before you fell asleep in his arms that Kylo Ren was General Organa’s son, in the past called Ben Solo. It seemed to have an impact on her. And you wondered if Armitage had not gone too far provoking a mother like that. In her place, you would be furious to be played in such way. “It must be old footage.”

There was silence for a moment.

Her wavering form in the holo did not make you feel confident about this strategy of the General, so you wetted your lips and cleared your throat.

“I am sorry, Senator Organa…” you started, addressing her by her old title. “I know you must not want any old image. If you… If you want to talk to Ben—” you stopped yourself before you could finish your sentence. “Kylo Ren, I can give you the coordinates to his rooms.”

She arched her brows. And probably narrowed her eyes as well. Honestly, you could not know for sure.

“He must be someone from high up in the First Order.”

You felt your spine freezing…

…and recalled what the General said how to address the matter, should it ever raise. 

“He was a lowly officer in training.” You brought your tea to your lips to calm yourself. You could only hope Senator Organa did not notice how nervous you were. “Not even fit to be a regular stormtrooper.”

There was moment of silence.

“I will give you his name when the time is due.”

She nodded.

“Perhaps he is an old acquaintance of Finn.”

It was your time to nod, even if you had no idea who that Finn was. The General never spoke of him. Perhaps you should ask? There was another moment of silence in which you busied yourself with your tea. It tasted so good you did not want it to end.

“Send me the Coordinates to Rioza.”

A sigh of relief left you.

It meant that she decided to trust you. And even though it should not mean that much, it did.

“We’ll talk later.”

You nodded, about to end the transmission when her voice sounded loud and clear in your ears.

“About Aquilla…”

You froze.

“I’ve moved on,” you said. Your voice firmer and surer than you had expected at first. In the past, any mention to his name would have you trembling and sweating.  

She seemed surprised at your words, but did not comment on that. The sound of footsteps made the two of you to stop talking. You cast a glance upwards and saw the General leaning against the threshold. He only wore light trousers; his arms were folded at his nude chest. The air seemed to leave your lungs as his intense eyes set on you, watching you closely.  

“Well, if you ever want to know…”

Before you ended the transmission, you looked at the General’s bluish eyes as you spoke, “I won’t.”

Your legs felt like jelly as you approached him. Your heart was hammering in your chest. He even moved from his leaning position, but he did not let his arms fall to his side as you invaded his personal space. It only made him stand taller than before.

You swallowed.

Not sure of what to say or how to start a conversation, you lifted your finger to trace the scar in his chest. His shiver was not missed by neither of you. Perhaps you should start by wishing him good morning? His furrowed eyebrows seemed to mock you for your word choice, but he did not say anything else. When you were about to bite your bottom lip, he brushed his thumb over it.

“Shut down for the night, D-Five.”

You almost choked. You had completely forgotten about the protocol droid. It was a blessing that the General always seemed to have everything under strict control.

“Of course, General Hux and Mrs. Hux. I apologize for any inconveniences.”

His voice was distant as his footsteps carried him to the balcony outside. Part of you worried about leaving him in the elements, but any thought was cut short when the General closed his hand around your throat, caressing your windpipe slowly. Your lids fell closed on their own accord, as you savored his innocent touch. He let go of that instance of his; his free hand finding its way to your waist and pulling you closer. Before you could even register what happened, he had you against the wall; his body pressing into yours.

It took him less than a second to place a strand of your hair behind your ear and lift your chin. His lips fell over yours shortly after in a brief, sweet and oh-so-heavenly kiss. He did not let you deepen it, forcing your tongue into submission, keeping it inside your mouth.

His hands left your waist and moved to the hem of his shirt, lifting it slightly and brushing his fingertips over your thighs. You pressed your lids forcefully and bit your bottom lip. His were now against your clavicle, lavishing it with kisses and small bites.

Subconsciously, you arched your back, offering yourself to him. He seemed to enjoy it, for a low sound formed in the back of his throat and his hands moved to the buttons of your — his — black shirt. You even tried to bite back a moan when he grazed his fingers slowly — one would say even purposelessly — against your breasts, to no avail.

“You look ravishing in my clothes, Mrs. Hux,” he whispered against your ear, before trapping your earlobe between his teeth. His thigh eased between your legs, moving it slowly against your core.

Overstimulated — and he had barely begun —, you gasped when he ran his hand over your left breast, still covered — even if barely — by the fabric of his black shirt and scratched your nipple. Entwining your fingers between his ginger tresses, you directed his head from your neck to your neglected breast.

Not a man who needed to be told twice, the General’s breath teased your nipple. It was utter heaven when his tongue stroked it a few times. You did not know which article of clothing was wetter now, if his shirt or his trousers. Your hips jerked against his thigh when he pulled his shirt a little aside to grant his mouth full access to your skin. And just as he did to your clavicle, he lavished it with kisses and small bites that had you sighing and moaning and writhing against both his body and the wall.

With both his mouth and his fingers, he worshipped your pearls slowly, lightly, waking up your body to the pleasures to come — and you could only imagine what they would be this time.

An unscrupulous, wicked man, the General removed his black shirt completely — and very, very unhurriedly, as if he had all the time in the world —, leaving you bare to his appreciation. He did not seem to have noticed before you were not wearing any underwear, but he seemed very pleased. It is if the way his bluish eyes darkened a bit and he wetted his lips were of any indication... His fingers ghosted over your skin, going southwards and causing a shiver to run down your spine. He lowered his head back to your left nipple, blowing warm air on it, before enclosing his mouth deliberately… and taking a tentative lick…

…at the same time his fingers reached your clit and…

…you could almost feel it reaching you, gripping you and shaking you to the next century. You were so oversensitive, you knew it would only take a few of his magical — and oh-so-glorious — touches for him to have you climaxing again.  

“What did General Organa say?”

Your eyes snapped open at his question. Your vision was a bit blurry, and your mind was hazy.

What?

You could barely believe that out of all times, he had chosen that to start a conversation. The last in your mind now were words and any civil discussion.  

“What did the General say?”

He pressed a small kiss over your heart, close but quite not touching you the way you were hungry for. The same could be said about his fingers; they were now creeping over your thighs. So very… so kriffing close. His own thigh was still between yours and as you tried to bounce against it, creating some friction, he grabbed your ass, keeping you in place.

“You’re not serious, are you?” You wanted to look angry, but all you managed was to sound desperate.

You almost expected him to flash a victorious smirk at you — the very same one he did use to have plastered upon his lips whenever you trained, and you begged for his mercy —, but this time he merely flicked your nipple… and then switched to the other, paying the same attention equally. You threw your head back and mewled.

“What did General Organa say, (Y/N)?”

Your eyes snapped open and you shifted your attention to him. You could almost see the smirk there, outlining his full lips. You entwined your fingers in his locks and tried to get him closer to your breasts once again, but it only made him break apart from you.

That was it.

He would not give you what you craved — and he knew how much you wanted it and how you wanted it — unless you talked.

Begrudgingly — you could barely believe he would rather talk about General Organa than having you cumming around his fingers, in his mouth, for the maker! You would die to have his mouth on you —, you started, your voice hiding nothing of your thirst, “I thought you heard it. I was sure you were there for long than I—

Your head fell backwards and your mouth opened in the perfect shape of an O. Instead of brushing his thumb against your clit as you so expected, he entered you smoothly with his fingers.    

Two of them at once.

He gave you no time to adjust to the abrupt invasion and started scissoring you. He licked your breasts one more time and moved his mouth back to yours. The General kissed you in the same manner in which his fingers took you. At first slowly, drawing the pleasure out of you, but as you managed to get a hold of him — there was no saying who moaned louder — and started working his cock through his trousers, he moved faster and faster and faster…

…till he stopped completely.

“Is she going to Rioza?”

Kriffs!

You could not believe he stopped for that!

Before you could come up with a reply, he was back to scissoring you. His thumb was over your clit, applying such a sweet pressure over it you could not help but sigh. His mouth was now trailing down your neck, your breasts — and this time he did not stop to worship them as you wished he would —, your belly and then your navel.

You blinked twice and looked at his bluish eyes as he placed a small kiss to your hip. And then your thigh… You shuddered. You definitely liked where he was headed to. The sight of the General kneeling in front of you, for you, would be forever carved in your mind. He was about to kiss the inner part of it when he suddenly stopped — the movement of his fingers coming to a halt inside of you as well…  

“Answer me.”

You knew he would stop — for good this time — if you did not, so you wetted your lips and breathed out, “Yes.”

It was all it took for him to enclose his lips against your swollen clit and for his fingers to go back to that maddening pace of them. You threw your head back and closed your eyes as he lifted your leg and placed it over his shoulder.

“Heavens, yes!”

Your hands fell to his head — in order to direct him, or to stop him or to keep yourself straight; at this point you had no idea — your nails finding their way to his ginger locks.

Hmmmmmmm

The General coordinated your pleasure, drawing out of you sounds, mewls you barely recognized as being yours. Your face was hot — if from desire or shame you did not know — and your breath came out in short gasps.

You looked at him — at his impossibly blue eyes — as your orgasm drew nearer. The sight of him eating you out while staring at you made you even slicker for him. You bit your bottom lip, trying to contain your moans as his free hand caressed your thigh slowly, running back and forth over your overstimulated skin before gripping your ass forcefully and moving your hips against his face slowly at first and then, after the strokes of his skilled tongue grew slower, he moved you faster, to the point you were fucking his face shamelessly.

To complete the feast to eyes, all you needed was to watch him touching himself, bringing him to an earthshattering orgasm at the same time he brought you.

The image in the back of your eyes were enough to make your mouth open and a silent scream leave you. You were so lost in the pleasure of his tongue and his fingers curling inside of you, you sobbed.

It was… blissful.

He lapped at you, his tongue never coming to a stop — thankfully, you were not sure you could forgive ever him if he stopped right now —, as you rode your orgasm fully. You were so hypersensitive, it took him just a few more strokes and the right movement of his skilled fingers — inside your pussy and teasing your nipples — for you to cum again.

This time, it was very brief and your legs gave in shortly after. A small gasp — of discomfort or satisfaction, you were not sure anymore — left you. He was quick to catch you, placing one arm behind your knees and the other around your back as he lifted you, bridal style. You leaned your head against his shoulders; your eyes closing out of their own volition.

The General carried you to your bedroom, placing you over the bed and covering you with the blankets. He climbed right after you, bringing you to his arms as he bestowed your temples the sweetest of the kisses.   

“Sleep tight, my Empress.”

It was already morning when you woke up this time. The sunlight lit the bedroom and the birds sang outside. It was a very lovely morning, actually. However, the General was nowhere to be seen.

You even thought about going after him — he was either in the kitchen or outside —, but gave up as soon as you placed your feet on the floor and your legs almost gave up. You were too weak — and mothers of moons, he knew how to leave you thoroughly spent — to walk right now. Perhaps, if you took a few deep breaths and tried again…

It was not needed, however, for he entered the room shortly after, carrying a tray with breakfast. From your spot on the bed, you could see that he was back to his impeccable self: clothes flawlessly aligned, ginger hair slicked back to perfection; he even had shaved. You arched your brows at him, pulling the blankets to cover your modesty.

“You showered.”

As usual, he did not give you an answer — part of you even thought about doing what he did to you later. Teasing him in exchange for his answers. You wondered if he would be able to keep a straight face while you wrapped your lips around his shaft or if he would lose his composure.

Your face warmed at the — indecorous — idea. You cleared your throat and brought the vincha tea to your lips. You could have asked what was that for, but you knew it was useless denying you were sore when he knew it firsthand.

“I assume I am dismissed of our training today?” you tried, a contented sigh left you as you drank a bit more of the tea. Apart from the fact you loved vincha tea, you hoped you could hide your smile.

It was indeed a great morning!

His eyes seemed to spark at your attempt. The corner of his lips lifted slightly in the briefest of smirks, “Not a chance, Mrs. Hux.”

Kriffs!

You even thought about saying you were sore, but that was exactly the point of the vincha tea and besides you did not want to give him any more reasons to get suspicious. So you tried instead, “But you already showered.”

He arched his brow.

That was surely a stupid statement.

“Who is Finn?” you asked instead. All you wanted was to buy yourself a few more minutes, so the time would run out and you would have to go to the Hospital without training with him. 

Sounded like a plan.

His eyes darkened at your question. His instance became a bit rigid. He did not take that long to give you an answer, however. He watched as you brought tiny bits of garfish to your mouth and then drank the sphere-fruit juice. He placed both hands on his back, assuming that General posture of his.

For the maker! That was definitely not ending up like earlier.

“FN-2187 was a promising stormtrooper in the First Order.”

You bit your bottom lip.

“He deserted…” you completed for him. “General Organa said my contact was just like this Finn.”

He narrowed his eyes at you.

“We are nothing alike.” You swallowed at the coldness in his tone. “FN-2187 and I are from completely different breeds.” His lips lifted in a snarl as he approached the bed. “He betrayed the First Order and everything it stood for.”

Okay.

That was definitely not the same mood of before.

You bit your bottom lip. It was time to some hard questions — you could only hope he would answer them truthfully.

Part of you started regretting your words to General Organa.

I trust him with my life.

Did you?

Could you?

Another part knew you could trust him. You had to. Otherwise, what was the point of all this? The point of moving on! How could you move on if not with a person you could entrust your very life to?

“Are you still loyal to them?” You took a sharp intake of breath. “To the First Order?”

He took a few seconds to reply — which set your heart into a frenzy beat. It was almost smashing against your ribcages. Your mouth grew dry — even if you had just sipped your juice. You held your breath, waiting for his answer — it had the power to either raise you to the skies or take you to the darkest depths of the underworld.

“I am loyal only to myself…”

He had not only approached the bed, but he had sat on it. He grabbed your chin firmly — but not unkindly — and forced you to stare at him as he replied, “And you.”

What?

Before this word could come to life in your mouth, he took your lips into an overpowering kiss, silencing you for good.  

You had no idea how it all began, but in one moment you were questioning him — your heart on the verge of escaping you — and the next he was sitting behind you, running his fingers over your nude arms.

He started feeding you with berries and grapes between slow and passionate kisses. At first, you thought he was distracting you, preventing you from questioning him further. Then you were sure of it as he started kissing your shoulders and neck in a tantalizing fashion.

Nevertheless, you did not have it in you to stop him now when he was so good at provoking you and readying your body to him. You tilted your head aside, giving him more room to lavish your skin however he saw fit. Your fingers intertwined with his as you brought his right hand to your core. You held yourself open for him to slide his fingers inside of you and caress you just the way you longed for.  

Hmmmmm

He bit your ear, breathing hard against it. He moved his lips against your jaw and then skimmed them over yours. He did not kiss you, though. You opened your eyes as he stopped scissoring you.   

“Amirtage!” you breathed out, looking at him. As if begging, as if admonishing him for stopping, as if… Your thoughts were cut short when he kissed you fervently. His mouth thoroughly dominating yours.

You held him by his hair — and now their pristine condition was no longer a rule — and deepened the kiss for just a moment. In the next, he broke apart, turning you to face him. He gave you no time to say anything before his lips surrounded your nipple.

“Touch yourself,” he whispered against your skin, nuzzling the valley between your breasts. Your hold tightened around his hair. He gasped in pain, but his eyes darkened at the action. “I want to watch you pleasuring yourself.”

His husky voice — his commanding tone — was sufficient to leave you drenched for him. You bit your bottom lip ready to ask him to do the same to himself, only to find his right hand already around his shaft as he pumped himself slowly. Lazily.

You moaned.

“Kriffs!”

Instead of doing what he said — what he wanted — you lost yourself watching him pleasuring himself. His strokes were brief, almost too calculated as he showered your breasts with his enticing little kisses.

You placed your hand over his, working his cock firmly and quicker, building up the tension. He threw his head back against the headboard as you took control of him — of his body, of his pleasure. Your lips fell over his in a slow kiss. Unlike him, you kissed him differently than how you masturbated him.

Then, you pecked his throat, biting into his Adam’s apple carefully, yanking a gasp from him. Your lips descended upon his pale skin, your tongue slithering over his erected nipples. A sucker for control, he grabbed your hips, trying to shift your positions, so you would be under him. At his mercy. But you used your right hand to stop him, placing your fingers over his scar and pressing it resolutely. Your fingers tightened their hold around his cock.

He gasped in pain.

If he tried to move again, gasping would be the last of his reactions.

The hard line of his lips indicated he was not even close to be pleased with you trying to dominate him. You merely shrugged. If you had your way with him, he would not leave that bed anytime soon… not until he was thoroughly satisfied. After all, if he were used to dominate in bed, so were you.

You took his lips again and this time he seemed far more compliant. His hips started moving against your hand as he sought his sweet release. In an action that had you moaning, he held you by your ass and brought you against him, rubbing your swollen clit against his aching shaft.

“Make love to me,” you whispered against his lips, your arms now around his neck. “Make me yours.”

He did not nod, he did not give you an answer. Not the one you were expecting at least. He merely lowered you onto him.

You both gasped at the sensation. He stretched you deliciously — gloriously — and there was nothing else in this world that you wanted — hungered, craved — more now.

He twitched inside you.

You wanted to go faster, even tried to, but he would not allow you. With his hand enclosed around your throat, cutting your breath short, he forced you into submission. His left hand moved to your hips, showing the rhythm he wanted you to follow. The pace was slow, very thought-out, just like a timed dance. As if he wanted to delay your pleasure — his too.

His bluish eyes were thoroughly focused on yours. A gasp left you at their intensity. You caressed his face, your thumb easing his bottom lip. He moved your hand away and kissed you briefly and then he was back to worshipping your breasts, but that too was brief.

He stroked your face, your lips… Your throat… as if you were to become dust in his fingers. As if you were the most precious thing in the galaxy. His most prized gem.  

If you had any doubt concerning his loyalty before, it was all gone now.

The General was not a man of many words, but his intense, impossibly blue eyes could convey the depths of his soul. And to many of his enemies — but not to you —, it would be a surprise to find out he indeed had one.

You brushed your nose against his and leaned your forehead was over his.

It did not matter he was once loyal to the First Order. It did not matter he had deep feelings concerning them; he was not a shallow man. And you were sure whatever he felt for you was, too, deep. The General was definitely not a man who did anything in half. 

I think I love you…

You moved over him, a bit slower than before. You found his hand and enlaced your fingers together. He brought your it to his mouth, bestowing upon your palm and your wrist the sweetest of kisses.

“I-I…”

He took your lips gently.

“I know.”

As you closed your eyes in utter relief, he used the opportunity to shift your positions, with him atop of you now. Both of his hands pressed yours to the mattress, keeping you at his mercy as he slipped inside of you once more. One of your legs moved to his waist, allowing him to go deeper inside of you, hitting a spot that had you arching your back… for him.

You broke free from his grasp, your hands moved to his back, holding him close.

It would be total hell if it was any different. If he did not feel anything for you. If he was merely using you for whatever foul means of his… What you felt for this man… It was just so intense, the thought of…

…His movements grew deeper, even if slower. He removed your hand from his back and trapped it over your head, your fingers sliding together as you met him in every thrust, in every…     

He did not take long in that position either. He kneeled on the bed, his cock standing proud, shiny with your juices mixed together. Precum oozed of his glorious, beautiful shaft; it commanded your every attention.

You licked your lips.

His eyes darkened. It was obvious he enjoyed where your thoughts guided you.

“On fours, (Y/N).”

You shuddered. His voice was husky and authoritative. It left no room for disobedience. You even thought how he would like if instead of doing as he said, you took him inside your mouth.    

“I want you on all fours now.”

A/N - Well, that’ll be all for today. I hope you liked it xD See you on Wednesday.  And in case you’re a new reader, this story is available on AO3 as well.

[kz-i-co]

Babysitter: Part VI

» Summary: You have to go back to school soon so you try to spend as much time with Tae as possible

» Pairing: Kim Taehyung (V)/ Reader

» Genre: Smut/ Fluff

» Words: 4k

» COMPLETED SERIES: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 ╫ Part 7 | Part 8

» m.list ╫ bts masterlist

-

You were looking up, staring at your ceiling. You knew you should be doing something more productive but you couldn’t get out of bed. You had a week left of your summer break. Not even a week, 4 days to be exact.

Where has the time gone?

You were on 100% denial mode. You didn’t want to go back. You didn’t want to be so far from Taehyung. You even had thoughts of transferring to a closer school.

“Hun….can you get the door….I’m on a business call.” Your father said as he passed your room.

You got up and headed downstairs. You opened the door and grew blank.

“Tae…what are you doing here?” You blushed.

He had to work this morning but he promised to take you out later.

“I wanted to spend time with you.” He leaned on your door frame.

“What about work?”

“My parents told me I could have off.” You blushed. He must of told them that you were leaving soon.

You grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs. He went straight to your room as you stopped in front of your dad’s office. His door was still opened.

“Who was at the d- yes sir.” He was still on the phone.

“It was just-” He just nodded not paying attention.

“I love you dear.” He shut the door.

You went back to your room seeing Taehyung sprawled out on top of your bed. “Where is everybody?”

“My dad is working from home right now and my mom took the kids to my aunt’s.”

You got into bed laying right next to him. “And I’m suppose to be here packing.”

Taehyung could hear the sadness in your voice.

“I don’t want to go.” Your voice was barely audible.

“I thought you liked school?” He laughed.

“I do, but I don’t want to leave you.”

“I’m not going anywhere….so stop worrying.”

“But Tae, I’ll be 3-”

You pulled out your phone calculating on your Google maps.

“I’ll be 2 hours and 45 minutes away from you.” He laughed at you response.

You sat up and bringing your leg around his other side to straddle his waist.

“You think your parents would hire me? Or maybe I can find somewhere else to work.” You spoke quickly.

“You’re not dropping out of school for me….we can do this.”

You played with the hem of his shirt. “But-”

“No buts….we both have free weekends….or we can video chat.”

“Unless my parents steel you first.” You pouted.

“It won’t be like that every week….plus I’ll come and get you on some weekends.” You finally smiled.

“Okay.” You leaned down bringing him into a kiss. You felt the butterflies go off that second you felt his warm embrace.

The kiss started getting deeper by the second that you were caught up in the moment and started rocking against him. You heard him moan against your lips by each motion. You slid one hand up his shirt as the other held you up. Your fingers tingled as you felt up his chest.

You pulled away so you could catch a break but not to long, you started kissing down his jaw to behind his ear. You smirked from feeling his excitement starting underneath you.

You sat back up and looked down at him then at the door biting your lip.

“I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no.” He looked more serious then he has before.

“He won’t hear.” You slowly started rocking against his bulge.

He groaned. “Your father will kill me….he just accepted the fact we’re together.”

“That’s not true….when he found out at the mall last mouth he said he was okay with it.” You stated.

“To you he did, not to me.”

“My dad is on a business call….those last hours.” You persuaded.

He just raised his eyebrows. “I don’t want to risk it.”

“I guess we’ll have to think of something else to do.” You smirked once again.

You scooted back slightly so you had better access. “What?” He mumbled.

“First we need to take care of this.” You brought your hand up towards his bulge and started to palm over his jeans.

“My mind is telling me no, but my body, my body is telling me yes.” You started singing.

He laugh.

You continued palming him quicker. You could feel him getting harder through each stroke.

“Okay fine…….but hurry.” He gave in feeling weak under your touch.

You reached up and unbuckled his jeans, along with his zipper. You pulled his harden length out from under his boxers and started stroking immediately.

You couldn’t believe how red you made him already. You leaned down kissing the tip watching his pained expression. He let out soft moans as you carried on bringing your head down further. He laid down finally looking away from you. You smiled from how weak he looked and you just started.

You picked the pace bobbing your head up and down and used your hand for what you couldn’t put in your mouth.

You reached down into your shorts with your free hand. You felt up yourself and was surprised how wet you were. You started circling figure eights through your folds as you continued sucking Tae’s harden length. You felt pleasure build up within yourself. You pulled off Tae for a sec but used your hand to stroke every inch.

He was leaning up once again as he watched you pleasure him and pleasure yourself. It turned him on even more that you felt him twitch and next thing you knew he reached his climax. You quickly leaned your head down to shallow his juices and particularly to not get all over your bed. He collapsed again against your mattress to work through his orgasm.

You licked up his side’s clean helping him relax. You leaned back but didn’t stop your hand that was pushed inside your underwear. He looked up as you started breathing heavier. He quickly pulled himself back into his pants and flipped you over. He nudged down your shorts pulling them off and grabbed your hand. He kissed your fingers before leaning down kissing your inner thigh all the way to your soaking area.

You felt his tongue swirl through your folds. You were extra sensitive from starting yourself. You felt mesmerized by what he was doing with his tongue you didn’t even feel two fingers push inside you. You had to quickly cover your mouth as you barely screamed from the surprised.

“Tae…go faster.” You whined.

He granted your wish pushing his fingers quickly in and out of you. You were tempted to moan but had to bite your lip from stopping you. You didn’t have as much control as he did. He had an advantage with that tongue. You started feeling your pleasure rise through when you heard a sudden closing of a door.

You froze in your track and so did Tae.

“(Y/N)?” You heard your dad call.

“Y-yeah dad.” Your voice was weak as you felt Tae starting back up with his tongue to your folds.

“I’ll be in the shower if you need me and don’t worry about answering the phone….okay?”

“Okay.” You tried to steady your voice.

“Please hurry…my dad takes quick showers.”

He turned his licking into sucking and you swear you started seeing white vision behind your eyelids. He brought your orgasm through quicker then you thought. You felt weak as he started slowing down his movements. You felt chills.

He grabbed your shorts and sweetly tugged them back up and laid next to you. You still felt in the mood and wanted to continue but he was right. It wouldn’t be the brightest idea.

“Now what?” He rubbed his face against you like he was a cat trying to get your attention. You blushed from the action. He was too cute.

“We could go downstairs and cuddle.”

Before he could speak you continued. “My dad won’t like it if he sees us in here with the door closed.”

He nodded and you both got up and headed towards the living room.

…

For the past hour you both watched a movie cuddled under the covers. You were quite bummed when your father didn’t even acknowledge you.

You looked out the window to see your mother pull up.

Your horny self from earlier was quite bummed. “We could of totally have had sex.” Taehyung chocked on the water he was currently drinking.

You were unaware as you spoke those words. “Sorry.” You giggled.

“You’re still thinking about that?” He was still trying to clear his throat. “Don’t worry, I have something planned.”

You looked over at him and blushed. You quickly leaned in with a passionate kiss, just as your family entered.

“Ew.” You heard Dara. She jumped up onto Taehyung’s lap.

He groaned in pain. “Dara….I told you that you can’t do that to people especially Tae.”

“Sorry.”

“That’s where the babies come from.” Your brother passed you to get to the kitchen.

“You’re not suppose to know about that yet.” Your mother yelled following behind.

“Did you try to make babies yet?” Dara asked as the clueless kid expected to be.

“They better not.” You saw your dad coming down the stairs. “Not until you’re 40.”

“That’s too old dad.” You shouted as your dad made his way towards the kitchen.

“Are you 40 yet?” Dara asked.

“No.” You laughed.

“Why is our daughter trying to encourage them to have sex?” You heard your dad ask.

You and Tae just blushed from this whole awkward mess.

“Wendy’s friend was over and she has a 4 month year old….Dara was pretty fascinated.” Your mother laughed.

“How do make babies?” Dara asked Tae.

“You’re a little too young to know that.” You said.

Dara looked down with a pout. “Once you’re older we will tell you…okay?” Tae tilted her chin up.

“Okay.” She leaned on Tae hugging him.

“I can’t wait till I have my own babies.” Dara said.

“And they will be the best babies.” Tae told Dara.

“Why’s that?” She asked.

“Because they will have the best Mommy.” He returned.

You loved that Taehyung was such a kid person because honestly you weren’t. It’s not that you didn’t like them you just were clueless with the whole thing.

-

It was the night before you had to leave and you were waiting for Taehyung. He said he had a special date set up for you both. You always told him to not go fancy since it was not your style. But you still dressed pretty neat.

You watched as his car pulled up lighting up the darkness. You didn’t bother waiting for him to come meet you at the door because you were too quick by his side.

“Wow you look-”

“I don’t look any different then before.” You honestly were but you didn’t want to draw attention. You were a dress for once but it was causal.

He opened the door for you and quickly made it to his side.

You had no idea where you were going and if you asked he would ignore you with a grin.

You didn’t know what to expect because every date felt like a first date. So romantic and beautiful. You kept going over in your head from how lucky you were. It was your parents you really should thank.

“Please tell me.” You were in the car already for a half hour.

“We are almost there…chill.” He laughed as he slowed down the car and pulled into a parallel parking spot.

He turned off the engine and got out making it towards your door to let you out. You just stared out your surrounds. You’ve never seen this side of Geochang.

It was beautiful.

He watched before crossing the street while tugging you alone. Then you reached a small little cafe or bakery. The smell was better then you could ever imagine.

“Tae.” An elderly women came around the counter to embrace him into a hug. “Is this her?” She asked.

“Yes…grandma this is (Y/N) my girlfriend.” She walked up closer to you and brought you into a warm gentle hug as well.

“It’s so nice to meet you….Tae talks so much about you.” She smiled.

“Hi.” You smiled. You haven’t met Taehyung’s parents yet but you could tell the whole family was sweet and genuine people.

Taehyung brought you over to a table. The place was pretty empty besides a few older people enjoying the comfortable environment.

“My cousins own this cafe.” Tae said.

You nodded. “Your grandma is very sweet.”

“Thank you…..she means alot to me.”

You reached across the table and grabbed his hand.

“She practically raised me.” He sweetly smiled.

“What do ya kiddos want to eat.” An older women came over.

You let Tae order for you since you trust him with your likes and dislikes. Tae introduced you to the nice lady who happened to be his cousin in law.

“Thank you for letting me meet your family.” You blushed.

“Of course, you’re important to me so I wanted you to meet my favorite people.” You blushed once again.

He brought your hand towards his mouth kissing the back of your hand.

…

After you ate, Tae’s grandmother wanted to get to know you.

“What are you going to school for?”

“I’m an astrology major.”

“Wow….thats pretty neat.” She smiled.

“Do you like school dear?”

“Yeah….I do.” You had to think about it.

“I wanted Taehyung to go to Seoul for Performing arts.”

“Really?”

“Yes….he’s a born actor.” Taehyung hid his face cutely. “Or a singer.” His grandma continued.

You grew quite confused. You actually didn’t know that about him and you were a little disappointed you didn’t.

“You sing?” You nudged him.

“Yes….most beautiful voice I ever heard….he sings here sometimes.” His grandma interrupted.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was….eventually.” He hesitated.

“Probably your parents…..I kept trying to tell them you have more potential then working on that farm.”

“I know.” He nodded. “I’m not sure what to do yet.”

You were learning things about Taehyung you never knew. You figured working with his parents was his choice. Maybe he didn’t want to work for them.

He had other dreams and he wasn’t even going to try and pursue them.

“Hun the piano is over there.” His grandma made her way behind the counter once again.

“Thanks grandma.” He laughed embarrassed.

“I’m sorry….it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you….it just doesn’t come to mind.” He spoke.

“I wanted to go to Seoul but my parents needed the help and I kind of just got used to working there so I decided to stay.”

“If you want to go you should.” You said. “Or at least try.”

He nodded. “I’ll think about it.” He smiled.

“Can you sing for me?” You said with a soft voice.

“I’m not sure….you make me nervous.” He bit his lip.

“Pretty please.”

He pursed his lips. “Okay.” He got up and made his way towards the piano. You sat down at the nearest table.

“I can’t really play the piano so it’s not going to be good.”

“Sweetie can you play ‘hug me’ that’s my favorite.” His cousin spoke up across the room.

“But my friends not here.” Tae slouched.

“We still enjoy your part sweetie.” His grandma pitched in.

(If you didn’t get the hint: the song is Hug Me by V and Jhope)

You glanced back at Taehyung as he pressed the keys starting the song. The instrumental was beautiful but you didn’t know the definition until he started singing. You couldn’t describe how you felt. You felt goosebumps tingle throughout your body. His voice was beautiful. His voice was deep but it was soft.

He was singing with so much emotion that you didn’t realize your eyes were watering. You glanced back and saw everyone else in the room sway to the beautiful music that Tae was making.

You felt mesmerized.

You could tell that Taehyung was nervous because of you. He couldn’t look at you during the whole performance thinking he would mess up.

As he finished his last note he finally got the courage to look at you and was quite surprised seeing your face all blotchy.

He blushed and couldn’t help but slightly smile. “Are you crying?”

“Shut up.” You wiped your face. He stood up and pulled you into his arms. You could feel him giggle as your head was leaning into his chest.

“Stop laughing at me.” You whined.

“Did you like it?” He softly asked serious this time.

“It was beautiful.” You smiled. “All this time you sing like that and you didn’t bother telling me.” You playfully slapped his chest.

“I was nervous.” He pouted. He was being so cute that you wanted to grab him right then and there but his family probably be concerned.

“Your grandma’s right, you need to go to school.” You said excited.

He raised his eyebrows. “I’m serious.” You continued.

“Okay.” He said just to get you to calm down. “I’ll think about it.”

“Tae before you leave.” His grandma went to the back. After she returned she was caring some chocolate bunt cake.

“Here you go.”

He pursed his lips and a slight smile. “Thanks grandma.”

You spent a little more time with Tae’s family, especially his grandma. She was clearly the sweetest person you have ever met. Taehyung held your hand towards the car and opened the door for you. You weren’t sure if he was taking you home right away or if there was another stop.

“What’s with the cake?” You laughed.

“My grandma said she likes my chubby cheeks.” You aw’d at his response. You could tell that she babies him and it was adorable.

…

When he pulled up towards the next stop, you recognize the familiar apartment that he called home.

You blushed as he picked you up bridal style. “Tae we’re not married.”

“I’m practicing for the future.”

He put you down once he reached the door to unlock it. As soon as you opened the door you saw the lights dim with a few candles light, plus the place was the neatest you have ever seen.

“What is all this?”

“You leave tomorrow so I wanted this night to be special.”

“But what about your roommate?”

“He’s staying at Jimin and Jungkook’s place.” He grabbed both your hand’s into his. “I got you all to myself.” He bit his lip.

He slowly pulled you towards his bedroom. The anticipation was killing you and you couldn’t figure out why.

Before you could even process anything he pulled you into a deep passionate kiss. He tilted you back enough that you were laying on his bed. He made his way on top to continue on with sweet passionate kisses along your jawline.

“I want you to take control.” He got up siting back on his heels.

You sat up staring at your sexy boyfriend as he licked his lips, which you picked up as his habit. You reached your hand out touching up his abs.

“Take this off.” You tugged on his  shirt.

He followed through unbuttoning a few to where he could pull it off. You then reached for his buckle, undoing his jeans. You immediately pulled his length out and started pumping his member. It didn’t take him long to be affected by your touch. You kissed his top before pushing him down on the bed so he was laying on his back.

You shimmied out of your dress so you only had your underwear showing. You slipped your panties down and got on top of him. You started rocking against his hard member causing friction.

You liked teasing him and he clearly didn’t. “Are you trying to torture me.” You giggled from his response.

“Maybe.” You finally grabbed his member and lead him towards your center. The sting was a surprise as it was the first time all over again. You picked up the pace as you finally adjusted to his size. You reached around your back to unhook your bra as you continued to rock against him.

You didn’t hold back your moans this time. Most of the precious times you spent together you had to be quiet so you didn’t bother holding back. Taehyung sat up in place so he could kiss up your chest. He took one of your breast into his mouth, circling around your nipple. You leaned your head back as you felt the pleasure stirring up through you.

You felt the tiredness take control. “Taehyung I want you to make love to me.” You stopped moving against him.

He flipped you both over and watched you as he reconnected you. He interlocked your hand with his above your head as he thrusted into you at a steady pace. It was different. You felt like he was trying to make the pleasure last longer, he didn’t want to rush.

He leaned down and kissed your nose cutely. You couldn’t help but smile. He kept kissing every part of your face until he reached your lips. The kiss was beautiful and slow. You felt butterflies making you dizzy.

“I love you.” You whispered against his lips.

He pulled away further and said it back. He was sitting up straighter and pulled you closer. He grabbed your hips as he picked up his pace thrusting into you at a new angle. You felt your pleasure coming back that you didn’t know how long you were going to last. You felt your stomach turn as you caught the sexy smirk he had on his face.

He was trying to kill you.

Not to long you felt your orgasm hit you making you go limb underneath him. You let out a loud moan as you tried to steady through you high. It was that long after that Taehyung followed right behind filling you up with his warm juices. As soon as he pulled out he collapsed next to you trying to catch his breath.

You laid there for, felt like hours just enjoying each others company. You decided to just spend the night from it being so late. You text your mom and she was completely understanding.

-

That morning Taehyung drove you to your house and helped you load up your car. He pouted that he wanted to drive you but you needed your car.

You grabbed your keys and watched as Taehyung was leaning against your car. He was waiting as you said your goodbyes to your family first.

“Bye (Y/N).” Dara pouted. You brought her into a bone crushing hug. Then you had to force Sungmin to hug you back. Finally your parents, your mother almost wouldn’t let go of you until your dad whined. It was funny watching him fight over you. You were your daddy’s little girl and he missed you more then you could ever imagine.

“Take care of yourself.” He said pulling away from hug.

“Make sure you visit some weekends….we’ll make Tae come get you.” Your father said.

He deep down loved the idea of you both together, he just couldn’t accept it to himself. He knew Tae was a perfect choice for you and that he had a good heart on his shoulders.

You finally turned around and you felt your face sting as your eyes got watery. You knew it was dumb to cry but you couldn’t help it.

You saw Tae’s face drop as he saw tears falling from your eyes. When you got closer to him he wrapped you into a warm hug.

“Please don’t cry over me.” He whispered.

“I’m not.”

He pulled away and grabbed your face. “It won’t be long.”

You nodded. “When ever you need me, I’m only a phone call away.”

He brought your lips to his in a passionate kiss making Dara cover her face.

“I love you.” He said as he pulled away.

“I love you more.” He wiped your cheeks.

“No more crying.” He took your hand kissing the back romantically.

It felt like slow motion as he pulled away dropping your hand. He made it to where your parents were lifting up Dara as they all waved goodbye.

You waved as you started your car and finally took off towards the school you now dreaded going. You couldn’t help as more tears fell on the way there.

This was going to be a long semester.

[karingottschalk]

Given the trials and tribulations of living in lockdown for the past few months I have not been as following the release of Canon’s EOS R5 and EOS R6 mirrorless hybrid cameras as closely as I should have. Apologies, so here is a catch-up.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless hybrid stills and video digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens. Image courtesy of Canon via B&H.

That suddenly changed when I came across a rather shocking Instagram post by camera accessories company Tilta featuring its Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5, featuring its Canon EOS R5 Cooling Kit, a fan-driven and heavily-finned device designed, apparently, to rapidly reduce the camera’s temperature to one that makes it a little more usable.

Camera accessories maker SmallRig also appears to be working on a solution for the Canon EOS R5 and R6 cameras’ overheating problems, a Cool Cage for R5, and the company may take a different approach to that of Tilta.

Time will tell just as it will as to the actual usability of the R5 and R6 for their designed purposes.

Canon EOS R5

Images courtesy of Canon via B&H.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera.

Canon WFT-R10A Wireless File Transmitter for Canon EOS R5 mirrorless hybrid camera.

Canon BG-R10 Battery Grip for Canon EOS R5 and R6 mirrorless hybrid cameras.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, full kit.

Canon describes the R6 as having “… four times the detail of 4K” making it “the world’s first interchangeable lens digital camera with 8K movies” and the specs for the R5 and R6 certainly look impressive.

But, given the comments I have been reading from credible, professional reviewers like Philip Bloom, Gerald Undone, Andrew Reid and Matthew Allard, the R5 and possibly the R6 appear to be failures that may lead to class actions lawsuits against Canon given the R5 at least does not live up to its marketing claims.

Canon EOS R6

Images courtesy of Canon via B&H.

Canon EOS R6 mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

Canon EOS R6 mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, full kit.

Might Canon fanboys be better off with the R6 just as a stills photography camera given it is slightly cheaper than the R5?

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Kit for Canon EOS R5

Images courtesy of Tilta.

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5 mirrorless hybrid digital camera.

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5 mirrorless hybrid digital camera.

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5 mirrorless hybrid digital camera, cooling module details.

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You know what the most annoying thing about the Canon R5 is? It’s that if it didn’t have these ridiculous issues it would be such an amazing camera. This is the first camera I have used in memory that punishes you for using it. Shoot stills then down goes your ability to shoot video in all but the basic line skipped normal speed mode. It is capable of utterly stunning images but there is absolutely no way this could ever be used as a hybrid camera, which it is marketed as, unless you are willing to live with the basic video mode. After shooting about 15 minutes of 8k (just basic IPB mode not raw) today spread out over an hour and then leaving camera off for 90 minutes I was never able to get the 8K option back, nor the 4K 120p, not the 4K HQ and not even line skipped 4K 50p! Basically if you want to use the good video modes use them first, don’t think shooting line skipped means you can use them later. Everything you do reduces the amount of time you can use those modes I mentioned above. The only time you can get the max amount is when you first turn on the camera. Please don’t tell me to use an external recorder. They should be used to bring new features to your camera not because your camera won’t let you record internally anymore as you’ve “shot too much”! I love the form factor of the small body especially for handheld. An external recorder would kill this. I love the stills, I love the video quality in the 8K and HQ mode. I love the animal video autofocus BUT I loathe being unable to use my camera as I want to most of the time. Please don’t accuse me of bias. I have none. I love Canon and have a lot of history with them. I spent £4200 on a camera I cannot use most of the time and that’s ludicrous! I truly hope they find a way to fix this debacle.

A post shared by Philip Bloom (@philipbloom) on Aug 9, 2020 at 1:53pm PDT

In his Facebook post on the EOS R5, Philip Bloom adds:

Please don’t accuse me of bias. I have none. I love Canon and have a lot of history with them. I spent £4200 on a camera I cannot use most of the time and that’s ludicrous! I truly hope they find a way to fix this debacle.

You either love it or hate it. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, prone to the all-too-common aperture control ribbon cable failure.

Unlike Mr Bloom, I do not love Canon and nor do I have a lot of history with the brand’s products.

My first Canon camera was the once revolutionary but crippled EOS 5D Mark II which was only available when I bought it in a kit with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

From the start there was problem with the 5D Mark II, its erase button remaining pushed in after first attempt at using the camera so it went straight back to Canon Australia and eventually returned with the button repaired under warranty.

Then, just after the warranty for camera and lens expired, the 24-105mm kit zoom lens failed spectacularly and I have not been able to have it restored to working order.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM kit zoom lens.

Despite urgings by my BFF to get rid of my 5D Mark II, I have kept it despite not having a working Canon EF lens for it, instead occasionally using it with a couple of adapted M42 manual focus lenses via a Gobe M42 to EF adapter.

My beloved late uncle Brian Bell aka Sir Brian Ernest Bell CSM, KBE, CStJ, of the Sir Brian Bell Foundation and the Brian Bell Group of Companies, paid for my Canon EOS 5D Mark II and its Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, and I simply cannot let them go given I barely knew him and yet he proved to be so kind to me and understanding of my situation in his final years alive.

Uncle Brian gave me the 5D Mark II and lens as a gift in order to help me start a new life in photography and video after too many years away from them due to often insurmountable health issues.

At the time I knew nothing about the mirrorless hybrid revolution that was going on at Panasonic and to a lesser degree at Olympus so did not, to my regret, immediately buy into those two company’s Micro Four Thirds system that offered so much more than Canon in terms of affordability and video production capabilities.

Despite my misgivings about Canon’s clear lack of adequate quality control, thus quickly coming to rely instead on Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic cameras and lenses, I continued to hope that Canon might eventually see the light and provide the necessary alternative to the smaller sensor-based systems.

So, what a disappointment Canon’s attempt at matching if not surpassing Panasonic’s S-Series cameras has turned out to be but I should not be surprised given what my BFF has told me about Canon’s research and development efforts before and during the time she worked there in an engineering role.

For fifteen years, apparently, Canon’s Australian R&D division was at the cutting edge of global camera, lens, printing and other technologies and creativity and innovation were anything but dirty words.

Canon had bought an independent Sydney-based R&D company then turned it into the major part of its worldwide product and technology development effort, replete with top engineers, mathematicians, physicists and other scientists and technologists.

Then the suits and the marketing types began taking it all for granted, replacing all this talent with the cult of process engineering, resulting in employees voluntarily departing or being fired en masse to the point where Canon’s R&D division no longer existed.

The scientists and technologists with the genius to solve problems like those apparent in the Canon EOS R5 and R6 were no longer there and, with the company now in the hands of marketing men, this mess is the result.

The chickens that became so apparent in the long years my BFF worked there have finally come to roost, with a vengeance.

The “cripple hammer” described so often by my BFF and increasing numbers of professional customers has found its mark on the cameras that were supposed to establish Canon in the mirrorless era.

Finally, in his latest article at time of writing on the R5, Andrew Reid of EOSHD states that:

If it is proven that Canon purposefully hobbled the camera, or artificially restricted recording times in firmware, with heat as an excuse, in all the highest quality video modes on the EOS R5 they advertised as key headline grabbing features, I will never buy another Canon camera again for as long as I live and I think the full force of consumer law should be brought to bear.

Links

Canon Australia – EOS R5, Game On – I would normally default to the Canon USA product pages but have been getting “THE SITE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE.” messages on that website.

Canon Australia – EOS R6

Canon Global – EOS 5D Mark II

DPReview – Canon issues ‘media alert’ clarifying overheating concerns of its EOS R5, R6 cameras

DPReview – Canon R5 / R6 overheat claims tested: Stills shooting, setup quickly cut into promised capture times [UPDATED]

DPReview – Cinema5D’s real-world experience raises concerns about EOS R6 overheating

EOSHD – Andrew Reid has written several articles about aspects of the overheating problem with the Canon EOS R5.

Facebook – Philip Bloom – “This is the first camera I have used in memory that punishes you for using it. Shoot stills then down goes your ability to shoot video in all but the basic line skipped normal speed 4K mode.”

Facebook – Sir Brian Bell Foundation – They called him Mr. B

Gerald Undone – Canon R5 & R6 Review: GOOD Cameras. TERRIBLE Marketing. – video

News Shooter – Canon EOS R5 & R6 Recall Rumors are not true

News Shooter – Canon EOS R5- Things you need to know if you are recording video

News Shooter – Canon issues statement regarding EOS R5 & R6 Overheating During Video Recording

SmallRig – Cool Cage for R5

Tilta – Tiltaing Camera Cage for Canon R5

Canon’s Chickens Come Home To Roost With Crippled Canon EOS R5 Flagship 8K 35mm Sensor-Equipped Mirrorless Stills & Video Hybrid Camera Given the trials and tribulations of living in lockdown for the past few months I have not been as following the