#so she never bothered trying to teach her to be better than him

[gh0st-city]

Thinking about Azula again...

[itsharleystuff]

↳ 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄

Gif not mine!

— 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Joel Miller x afab!fem reader

— 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 7k

— 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Ellie finds an old chessboard somewhere in Jackson and asks you to teach her how to play. Joel joins and isn’t too happy about losing three times against you.

— 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 18+ content (minors dni!), age gap (reader is in her mid twenties, Joel is early fifties), sex, p in v, unprotected sex, vaginal fingering, dirty talk, use of whore (like once), pet names (darling, sweetheart, angel), multiple orgasms, they do it on the table, cum eating, bit of angst, insecure Joel, canon divergency, probably ooc Joel and Ellie, mentions of death and loss, alcohol consumption, confessing feelings. Let me know if I missed something!

a/n: this one’s a bit rushed but I wanted to post it before my birthday so I apologize if it isn’t great. Anyways, I’m writing a second Javi fic, so if you liked 𝐌Í𝐀 I’m certain you’re going to love the next one:)

no use of y/n

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

"You're cheating." Ellie rambles, standing up to get a better view of the board and analyze it from different angles. You can't help but giggle at her childish attitude, cause it truly brought a certain joy to the dynamic. "Hey! It's not funny."

"How could I cheat? You were watching my game the whole time." You defend you case, raising your hands in a sign of peace but gaining a glare from the girl.

"I don't know, you're the one who's teaching me." In that moment, you hear the crack of the front door opening, but none of you bother to stand and greet the main resident of the house, too busy in your own matters.

"Look, I'm playing fair. I am simply older and more experienced than you." Ellie grimaces and sits back on the chair, both arms crossed over her chest. "But try not to feel too bad. I've always been really good at chess."

Joel enters the dining room and walks right past you, going straight to the kitchen. You guess he's either going for a beer or to pour some whiskey into his favorite glass. Always the same routine every weekend: he would come home late with absolutely no explanations as to where he was, drink something strong and spend some time with both of you before heading to bed.

"You must be a really good strategist, then." She replies, amused. "I’ve heard this game is all about that. Strategies."

When you're about to respond, the man's heavy footsteps get closer as he comes to the room once again and leans back on the wall opposite to you, a glass of whiskey on his hand. His grayish hair is messy and his eyes seem to shine brighter under the warm light hanging over your heads when he looks at you intently. Often, he would appear exhausted after being off all day, but tonight it was different. Something about him was, but you couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

Ellie must've sensed a shift in the air, since she changed her approach in a second. "Joel, you're pretty ancient. I bet you know how to play."

You hold back your laughter at her mocking comment, reaching the board to rearrange the pieces. He cocked an eyebrow in her direction, straightening his posture nonchalantly.

"I'm more of a poker man," he retorts with a distant air, diverting his gaze to Ellie.

"Poker?" You frown as he comes your way, but doesn't take a sit just yet. "I didn't take you for a gambler, Miller."

He sets the glass down on the table, leaning over the chair next to you with a smirk. "M'not. There’s many ways of playing other than betting your money, f’you know what I mean.”

Your eyes widen at his response, taken aback. So he meant like… The one were you end up naked. “Now, I would’ve expected that from Tommy, but you? That’s a surprise.”

He shrugs, faded smile still on his lips.

You remembered what Ellie once told you, ‘he does that whenever you’re around,’ she had said in a meditative tone, ‘smile, I mean. It’s kind of creepy cause… y’know, he never does.’ Perhaps that’s why she acted differently every time you three were together.

“Yeah, whatever.” The girl grumbles. “Can you play chess or not? I need someone to take revenge for me.”

Joel takes a seat beside you, slowly, glancing over the board before sipping from his drink again. He looks back at Ellie, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement. The man sighs in defeat, well aware that he just couldn’t say no to her. A dad reflex, maybe, but it worked out in her favor and she’d take advantage of it as much as she could.

“Fine. I call black.” You nod in agreement and the younger one leans on her elbows for a better view. “Either way, I know you like making the first moves. Ain’t that right, darlin’?”

Your first reaction was almost choking on your own saliva. Honestly, how dare he say something like that in front of Ellie? Did he suddenly forget that she was fourteen and terribly clever? Had he lost his mind? Also, he never called you by anything other than your name whenever she was around, so this whole situation felt like a personal attack.

“You okay over there?” Ellie asked, slightly concerned at your incessant coughing.

“Yeah…” you give him a dirty look and press a hand to your chest, making the first move with a white pawn. “Could you bring me some water? I think my soul might’ve left my body.”

“Sure.” She quickly answers, standing up. Joel doesn’t say anything else, his mind focused only on the game now.

It had all happened last weekend.

Thinking in retrospective, your relationship with him had always been ambiguous. You couldn’t quite recall when he actually started talking to you and not just ‘bear with your presence’, nor when his invitations to come over to his place started coming from him and not Ellie.

At first, it was simply you and her. Bonding was easy, despite her sharp character. She looked up to you, for whatever reason that might be, and that smoothed things. Joel was a completely different story. He acted like you didn’t exist, as if you were merely another bug roaming his house. Though when he saw how good your friendship with Ellie was, his brusque behavior started to fade, or at least settle down somehow.

Sooner than later you started coming over to make dinner, or teach the teenager how to bake some of the recipes your grandmother had thought you -more like you’d do everything while she chatted to keep you entertained-. But truth be told, it became more of an excuse to see him.

Honestly, you were doomed since the very beginning. There was undeniably no way you would’ve been able to escape Joel Miller’s silent charm. His presence became a constant need to you, and you’d often find yourself relating certain things to him. Smoke, denim, pills, booze, watches and boots, to mention a few. To you, he was all gray and blue, merging in the best way possible.

You didn’t expect him to thank you for taking care of them. Them. Not just Ellie, him too. Or that he’d suddenly show up to places you would frequent, which made you wonder, could he possibly feel the same way? Sure, it could’ve been a simple coincidence… If it weren’t for the stolen looks you’d often share. Though his face rarely reflected any interest in you, his piercing gaze would frequently burn your skin every time you were hanging out with other men.

Two weeks ago, Maria had been held back from patrol due to her pregnancy, and you were called to fill up her place. The thing is, you were supposed to leave with Tommy, but somehow ended up with his older brother, riding at dawn in utter silence and searching for a prey to hunt. It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, yet it allowed you to watch him more attentively: his broad shoulders and sturdy back, the dark graying hair that, in some way, made him more attractive. And then your mind, went to some… Darker places.

How would his big, manly hands feel cupping your breasts? Flashy images of his rough, calloused fingers pinching your nipples meandered your mind. His face buried between your legs, his mustache tickling your…

“You ‘kay there, sweetheart?” He had asked, abruptly taking you out of your freakish daydreaming. “You seem distracted.”

Well, that was a way of putting it. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…” you babbled, “I hate the rifle.” Joel glanced back at you with a stiff, confused expression. “If I shoot this thing, I’ll feel the kickback on my shoulders and back for at least two weeks from now.”

The horses were stagnant, waiting by the trees while you took a stroll nearby, keeping an eye for any sort of animal that would serve for dinner.

“Show me.” He said, internally amused by your inquiring expression. “Show me how you hold it.”

“Oh…” You compeled, in spite of the anxiety his stern eyes brought upon you.

“You’re doin’ it wrong.” He grunted, coming to approach you, still holding the position.

You scowled, raising a brow to him but not daring to move a muscle. “Maybe you’re just making me nervous, did you think about that?”

Joel plants himself behind you, staying so close that you could feel the warmth of his body through the many layers of clothing. Your heartbeat races when his hand rearranges the rifle on your elbow, unintentionally wrapping his arms around you.

“You need to hold it like this.” His tone was low but still firm. “Keep it up.” You feel his chest pressed to your back and his face near yours, making it hard to breathe.

You can’t bring yourself to look at him, cause if your head turns even a little, you fear the distance between you might as well disappear. His hand holds your wrist steady, the other one going from your elbow to your waist in a tight grip that makes you gasp.

“Do I make you nervous?” He questioned, without letting you go. Paying no mind to the way your nerves buzzed and ears rang at the proximity, you slowly nodded. “Are you afraid of me?”

His doubt made your heart jump and knit your brows together. “No. I trust you.” Joel’s breath hit your temple and it took all the self control in your body not to get rid of the distance.

“You shouldn’t.” Both his hands are on your waist in a firm grasp. He definitely noticed your flushed cheeks, the ragged breathing and constant desire to look at him. Like a damn teenager in love. You gulp, trying to regain composure.

“And why is that?” He didn’t answer, and every second that passed and his hands were still on you only made it worse. You needed to get closer or your lungs would crush under the weight of expectation. “Joel?”

You finally gave in, raising your head to face him. He was already looking down at you, eyes smitten and lost. A reflection of him you’d never seen before. Your gaze goes to his lips and inevitably lick your own before going up to his deep, brown eyes again.

Fucking hell, the man was mesmerizing.

Before you even knew what you were doing, you’re leaning forward, completely forgetting about the rifle and the whole world around you. Your noses touch and your lips merely brush against each other’s. Instinctively, you close your eyes in hopes that he’d go for it.

But he didn’t.

Instead, his hand comes to arrange your posture again, murmuring a lazy ‘easy’ in your ear, that shared moment vanishing in thin air.

“When shooting a weapon this big, you gotta bring your strength from your torso and legs.” And then he acted like nothing happened; nevertheless, he was perfectly aware of the effect he had on you. “That way it won’t hurt after.”

Well shit. Now you had screwed up.

This man was like a father to Ellie and you were not only infatuated with him, but also add to the list that you had purposely tried to kiss him. You were embarrassed, to say the least. Specially since it appeared that whatever feelings you had were one-sided.

Or so you thought, up until last Saturday.

You hadn’t talked with him about it. In fact, you hadn’t even been alone with him ever since. It was probably for the best, though, that way you wouldn’t have to humiliate yourself in front of him any further. Every time you happened to cross paths, he seemed aloof, more indifferent than usual.

It was pretty late, probably past midnight and Joel hadn’t yet arrived. You had spent all day with Ellie and now you were just waiting for his return, but she was growing tired and you didn’t think it was fair for her to stay up for too long.

“Go to bed, okay? I’ll wait for him.” You told her with a smile.

“Nah, don’t worry. I’m not even…” whatever she was going to say got cut off by her yawn.

“Right. You were saying?” She rolled her eyes and snorted at your victorious air.

“Fine. But promise you won’t stay for too long. I’d hate to know you didn’t get any sleep because of me.” You agreed and said everything would be fine, that she had nothing to worry about.

So you waited there on his living room, reading old crappy magazines about celebrity gossip while facing the crackling fire that kept the house warm. It was easy to lose track of time this way, therefore, when the door opened at last, you had no idea how long you had been waiting around. You rushed to his encounter, but you were totally unprepared for what happened next.

“Jesus Christ, Joel. Are you- shit…” the man standing ahead was someone you knew, but could barely recognize. The side of his face was bleeding, a cut going from his temple to the cheekbone and there were bruises scattered around it. He was sweating and you could swear he was about to faint.

You closed the door behind him, tugging his shoulder to drag him inside, all the way to the kitchen. Despite his rumbles of protest, Joel allowed you to do it, putting up no resistance. His mind was screaming at him to tell you that you should leave and that he didn’t need any help. But he was too fucking exhausted and you were being so kind and warm… He just couldn’t bring himself to do it, ignoring the part of his brain that kept telling him ‘you’ll regret this later’. For once in a very long time, he was being irrational, letting another part of him take control; or rather lose it completely.

You sat him down on a chair and took a clean towel, wetting it with cold water to treat the wound. In addition, you also took the bottle of whiskey that he kept locked away where Ellie wouldn’t find it, pouring him a glass. He gulps it down straight away.

Joel observes your every move closely. Your steady hands going to his chin and raising his face to the light, the way your features drown in concern and your dazzling eyes examine the injury. His skin burnt there where you touched him and it was becoming hard for him to keep his mind focused, growing dizzier with pain and intoxicated by your perfume. He really shouldn’t be feeling this way, and it burdens him to know it. Your lovely, young self shouldn’t be an object of his desire; and the fact that you were what he wanted the most was killing him achingly slow.

Because, even if you did want him back, what good could it possibly come from the whole thing? He’d just hold you back. There were plenty of other men in Jackson that could offer you things he certainly couldn’t. Yeah, that was it. He was way too corrupted to be deserving of someone like you.

“Does it hurt too much?” You muttered while getting rid of the blood, careful not to be too harsh.

“S’okay, angel.” The name-calling wasn’t something you usually liked. It sounded condescending coming from other men, but when he did it, your stomach fluttered. “Were you waiting for me?”

You nod vaguely, “I was worried.” His eyes bore into yours and your heart skips a beat. “I mean we. We were worried.”

“Right…” He noticed how your fingers brushed the hair out of his face tenderly, his self-control threatening to crumble under your touch with every second that went by. His hand takes your wrist, preventing you from keeping up your work. For a moment, he says nothing, simply staring at you fixedly. “I think you should leave.” He blurts out, letting go of you.

Oh, there they were. Those mixed signs that you always seemed to misinterpret.

You groan in exasperation, leaving the bloody towel beside the bottle of alcohol. “I’m just trying to help.”

“I don’t need your pity.” Joel was being petty and his deliver managed to hurt a little. But you would not give him that much power, at least not without putting up a fight.

“It’s not about that and you know it.” You cross both arms over your chest and sit on the edge of the table, determined to get out of that agog that wouldn’t let you sleep. “Why are you pushing me away?”

He rubs a hand over his face, taking his time to retort and avoiding your eyes. “I can’t give you what you want.”

You laugh sardonically, challenging him. “And what is that?” His gaze is disdainful and rude, but you don’t let him intimidate you. “Are you afraid?”

If you were anyone else, you’d be shaking with fear. Joel was tough, to the point where some might call him cynical. But you knew he wouldn’t hurt you. His goal was to scare you off.

“Go. I don’t need you here.” You don’t move an inch, resolved to bring an end to whatever this was and ignoring his vicious glare.

“No,” you huffed.

“I told you to leave.” He was getting pissed, his voice trembling with anger and the cold words slicing the tense air.

“And I said no. I don’t take orders from you.” His lips were sealed in a fine line, eyes feisty. “Be honest with me and then I’ll see myself out.”

Silence again. A more prolonged one in which none of you had the bravery to come forward. Every second that went on and nothing happened was a torture you could not endure. That was it then, you’d made a fool of yourself yet again.

“Fine.” Your voice comes out unsteady from choking down the tears as you stand up straight, set on leaving all these feelings behind.

But right when you walk by his side, Joel’s hand grabs your arm softly. His grip wasn’t strong enough to hold you back if you really wanted to go, kind of like he was unsure about his own actions.

“Push me away.” He pleads. And it sounds desperate, as if the whole situation caused him agony. “Please, push me away.”

Your wet your lips, astonished by how guilty he appeared when practically begging you to stay away, “I can’t,” you respond, “I won’t.”

There was no turning back now. He had trapped himself on purpose and jeopardized everything the moment he laid his hand on you. The minute your eyes found each other’s, he realized he’d just lost all willpower that remained.

Joel pulled you closer and the sudden action almost made you trip, forcing you to place both hands on his chest to stay still. Something flicked in his eyes, something you couldn’t quite comprehend. But you took it as a sign to fully give in to your desires, as long as he’d permit it. You sit on his lap, solely enjoying the moment. His face, despite the beating, was ever so beautiful. It wasn’t fair. If he wanted you too, why did he have make it this difficult? Perhaps he was simply… Insecure.

“What have you done to me, sweetheart?” He asked, voice strained as he looks down at your lips. Your fingertips gently trace the edges of his face.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” One of his hands covers your thigh and the other rests on his knee.

“Do you like playin’ around with an old man like me?” You can’t help but laugh a bit, your thumb going across his bottom lip. “Is this what you want? A sweet thing like you can do so much better.”

“I don’t care for boys, or any other men for that matter.” His chest swells at your words. “I like you, Joel. Is that so hard to believe?” The man swears you can feel his heart thumping against his ribs when he whispers a barely audible ‘yes’. His honesty moved you and grew a weird feeling in your chest that impelled you to prove him wrong.

In response, you lastly get rid of that awful distance, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips and feeling the unfamiliar tickle of his mustache. It was stubborn at first, but he caved in eventually, kissing you back slowly. He took his time to relish on your taste before deepening the kiss, manhandling you on top of him. Joel’s hands are on your lower back and the nape of your neck as his tongue explores your mouth in depth, letting go of himself. You moaned in between the kiss, drunken by every light stimulation, which only spurred him on and turned the situation hungrier, more desperate.

“Joel…” you pull back, laying your forehead against his. “I have to go.”

You feel him chuckle at your declaration. “Seriously? Now?” His tone was raspy and faint.

“I don’t want to.” You assure with a pout, “But I fear that if I stay, this won’t end in a simple kiss. And Ellie’s upstairs, remember?” He agreed it was for the best, but still couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself, asking you to stay the night even if he had to sleep on the couch.

That was the night that started everything.

After that weekend, the way he acted changed radically. He remained with that grim, stoic exterior. Yet, he was brighter around you, more beaming. In public, he’d always find a way to touch you, even if it was merely a brief brush of skin. On bolder days, he’d pull you apart from a crown and take you somewhere darker to make out for as long as you could. Which wasn’t much, since everyone always appeared to have some sort of unresolved business with either of you.

Today, however, something was odd. Joel went off, as usual, and you stayed with Ellie, who had found an old, ragged chessboard somewhere in Jackson. A game that, as it turns out, you particularly loved.

That’s how you ended up here.

Three rounds afterwards, you keep winning and increasing his irritation.

“Checkmate.” You say for the fifth time tonight, giving him a triumphant smile, getting up from your seat to pour some whiskey into your glass.

“You’re cheating.” He barks, annoyed.

“See! I told you.” Ellie backed him up and the way they teamed up to bash you almost made you giggle.

“Suck it up, losers!” You shout from the kitchen, entertained by their resentment.

“Spill your secrets then, otherwise I will simply not be convinced.” She replies, glowering.

The drink nearly dissolves on your tongue and you leave the glass on the counter, coming to join them again. You rest both hands on her shoulders in a friendly gesture.

“My grandpa thought me when I was young. Before the outbreak, I mean.” Ellie turns her head to look at you in interest. “He got sick afterwards… Forgetful and amnesiac.” You explain, “Chess stimulated his brain and since I was his only family left, we would spend hours playing.” Joel’s chest feels heavy at the sight of your nostalgic smile. “We had a great time together. He… Passed away a couple years ago.” Ellie takes your hand on her own in a comforting manner, but you don’t feel particularly sad, simply emotional about the past. “Hey, kiddo. Didn’t you have a movie night with Dina today?”

“Shit!” Her eyes widen. “Thanks for the reminder, I totally lost track of time,” she gets up with an apologetic smile, “I’m gonna head out now.” She quickly takes a jacket and ties her hair up. “You guys can keep playing or… I don’t know, just don’t wait around for me.”

And just like that, you’re left alone.

After an entire week of sneaking around and behind everyone’s back, you’re finally alone.

There’s a shift in the air of the room and you narrow your eyes when you gape at him. “You think she knows something?”

He tilts his head to the side and finishes his whiskey. “Probably. Can’t know for sure.” The vague answer made you shrug, deciding to put a pin to it for later.

Now that no one was around, you were determined to have some fun, coming up with a plan that could escalate things between you. And he surely thought so too. It wouldn’t be difficult to get his attention, since he was constantly monitoring your every move. Being that way, you intentionally stand beside him when leaning to reorder the pieces, giving him a very good view of your ass.

“Another round?” You ask tauntingly, “Or are you already tired of getting defeated?”

He grunts, upset by the previous resolutions. “I’d like to play another game.” You turn around with a cheeky smile. “One that I won’t lose.”

“And what would that be?” He gives you a darkened, intense glance, his lips pursed in a smirk.

Joel Miller was a man of few words and he totally lived up to it. Instead of responding, he grabbed your hips and dragged your body to the side, so that you were now standing between his legs, lingering against the edge of the table. You swallow hard, meeting his heavy gaze from above him. It made your pulse raise and blood rush, igniting something that you haven’t quite felt with anyone else yet. He presses a kiss to your clothed abdomen, eyes never wandering from yours as he lowers his lips to your pelvis, lifting your shirt leisurely.

“Look at you, darlin’. All flustered and I’ve barely done anything.” Your chest rises and falls methodically, the atmosphere feeling dense despite the chilly air. Your tongue darts out to lick your lips when he starts laying open-mouthed kisses along your exposed belly, sending shivers through your whole body, “Off,” he motions at your clothes.

You do as told, getting rid of the shirt and tossing it to the floor. His big, warm hands strain your movements as he explores your skin, kissing all the way up to the valley of your breasts.

“Joel…” you take a fistful of his hair and pull at it mildly, just enough to yank his head backwards and bring your lips together, swallowing a whimper from him.

The kiss is ambitious, all teeth and tongue, as if you had been craving each other for long and had just barely given in. He swiftly stands up and sits you at the end of the table, spreading your knees to settle in between your thighs. He parts from your mouth and traces your jawline, neck and collarbones, nibbling and sucking the sensitive skin, lightly scraping it with his facial hair. You were a mess at this point, panting and tugging at him as if you were about to collapse. But then he stops, breathing heavily against your chest and looking up to you with dark, lustful eyes.

“What- Did I do something wrong?” You stutter with uncertainty.

“Ain’t nothing wrong, angel.” His hand rests heavy on your thigh, a mischievous grin painted on his face. “But I told you we’d play a different game, didn’t I?”

This new side of him was exciting in many ways possible and whatever it was he wanted to do, you were certain it was going to be fun. And, possibly, a bit tortuous. You peer at him in expectation.

“Make your move.” He commanded, pointing the board with a succinct head movement. You obligue, choosing a random pawn and moving it with shaky hands while struggling to think straight. The man hums and decides to mirror your tactic. “Keep goin’.”

Next thing you know his fingers unhook your bra and you have to make a quick choice in spite of all the distractions. At the end, you go for a horse, barely capable of register anything other than his hands taking off the piece of clothing. After contemplating your scheme, he moves another pawn in return.

“Shit.” He hissed at the sight of your exposed tits, nipples hard from the cold air and arousal. “Focus.”

You weren’t sure if that last order was for him or for you, but either way the game kept going. He had enough attention span to grope your breasts and tweak your nipples between the pads of his calloused fingers, while also moving the chess pieces around. You couldn’t say the same for yourself; a louder moan escaping your lips when he replaced his fingers with his mouth.

The more ministrations he provided, the harder it became to make strategic moves. But you were determined not to let him win, regardless of the ache between your legs and the growing wetness in your panties that he refused to attend.

“Joel, I…” He takes away one of your rooks, his lips attached to your neck and hands caressing your inner thighs. “I need more.”

He huffs a laugh that vibrates through your lower body. “That right, angel? Tell me what you want.”

You take away his only bishop left and hear him growl at his approaching defeat. “Touch me, please.”

“Where?” His scent fogs your senses, so manly and distinctive of him, growing the need to feel him in any way possible. “Words, sweetheart.”

“I need your fingers in my cunt, Joel.” You spit out, watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down his throat and increasing his arousal with your lack of coyness. “Please.”

“Anything for my pretty girl.” He unbuttons your pants and slides one hand inside, palming your pussy over the underwear, altering your breathing pattern and moving the queen with his free hand. “Fuck, you’re drippin’.” You grind against his hand and his grip on your waist tightens to keep you still as he kneads circles on your clit over the thin fabric. “Your turn, darlin’.”

The game carries on at the same time as he moves your panties aside and slides two thick fingers inside your entrance, his thumb still fondling your nub slowly. You can’t keep your moans at low and the stimulation picks up when he curls his digits to hit your right spots. All that can be heard in the room is the cracking wood of the fireplace and the squelching sounds of your pussy.

“Jesus Christ, Joel…” you cry out his name, burying your face on the crook of his neck, grabbing the soft flannel in your fists and spilling all your whimpers into his ear, delighting yourself with the way he smelt. He groans at the feeling of your bare chest pressed to him, his cock throbbing painfully at every sound you’d make.

“You like that, darlin’? You like to fuck my fingers on top of this table like a needy little whore?” You clench around him and throw your head back, a new wave of slick coating all the way to his knuckles. “Ah, so you do like it.”

“Yes, Joel. I-” he speeds up his pace, greedily circling your clit in a way that makes your back arch, giving him a glorious view from his position.

“Fuck, you’re so hot. Been wanting to do this for so fuckin’ long…” He admits, peppering kisses all over your breasts.

“Me too. Thought about you when I-” your voice gets lost at the sudden feeling of heat settling on your lower stomach, building up your crescendo. “When I was alone.” Your confession only manages to prompt him further and make his movements more effective. You squirm under his touch, a hand messing his hair while the other holds his belt to keep him close.

He groans a deep ‘fuck’ at the pathetic sound you made. All because of him. No; all of them for him.

“Joel, I’m- shit, I’m close,” there’s a hotness on the pit of your stomach that extends to your legs.

“I know, angel.” He coos, his free hand brushing the hair out of your face. “Go ahead, do it.” His words are all it takes for your orgasm to hit, shocking every nerve on your body. He helps you come down from it, tracing soothing patterns on your bare skin as your body quivers from elation.

“Joel…” you whisper, both your hands on his belt and going to unbuckle it, watching as he takes both fingers to his lips and licks them clean.

“Sweet” he kisses you again, deeply. You happily return it with the same energy, nibbling at his bottom lip while your palm slides inside his jeans to feel up his bulge over the underwear. He muffles a moan in your mouth, his hot, hard cock twitching under your grip.

Your hand drifts inside his boxers to feel him directly, your thumb rubbing over the tip to spread the surprising amount of precum that oozed there. Joel gasped into your mouth, the sound prompting you further.

“Checkmate.” You tell him, pulling back only when you needed to breathe, guiding your finger to your tongue in order to taste him. “I won.”

His eyes divert to the board in awe, and you admire his mesmerized expression when he confirms that you had, in fact, won again. Joel comes back to dote on your devilish grin, fueled up by a new thrill of excitement.

“Fuck this…” he mutters through gritted teeth, mindlessly tossing the board to the side and letting it fall off the table along with all the pieces, making an absolute mess. It appears like he doesn’t even register any of it, going straight back to kissing you, his hands sliding your pants down your legs.

“Shit, Joel…” You can’t help but laugh at his reaction, encouraged by his sudden passion.

As your lips collide once again, you start to unbutton his shirt and he helps you out of your jeans, along with your very wet panties. He pushes your back against the wooden surface, holding you down with a hand around your neck.

“Winners that boast in their victory are only brats.” He snarls, taking his dick out for you to see. Your mouth waters at the sight of it: thick, bigger than you could’ve expected, the head swollen and glistening. “Brats need to be tamed.”

You whine when he parts your thighs even wider, teasing your slit with his tip, covering it in your slick and intentionally grazing your aching clit, urging you to grab his bicep for support.

“Can’t you just fuck me already?” You blurt out, the sensation only edging you more. “I might just cum again from all the teasing.”

His fingertip sweeps across your bottom lip, an eyebrow raised. “You really that sensitive, angel?” He questions, “Or is it just because of me?”

The inquiry nearly makes you crack up. Damn, the man was totally clueless. “Are you really that unaware of the effect you have on me?”

His stare reflects how pleased he is to hear that. “How many times did you beat me tonight, sweetheart?”

It takes an actual effort for you to recall and muster up an answer when he keeps toying with you so mercilessly. “Three, I presume.”

Joel’s hand slithers to your lower back, keeping you angled for him. “Then I’ll get you off three times.” Your heart jumps at the sentence and you look at him in disbelief. “Can you do that, angel?”

Three fucking times?

When your whole life men had only ever given you… None, practically. One at most, if you were lucky enough. And Joel mother-fucking Miller had the nerve to ask if you could handle three.

“Bet.” The answer is music to his ears, giving in once and for all as he enters you unhurriedly.

He’s so big and you feel him splitting you open exquisitely, the sensation fading any thoughts, beliefs or identities from your mind. Right now, all you know is him. It stings a little and it forces you to screw your eyes shut, letting out a small whine as he bottoms out, your nails digging on his arm.

“You’re doing s’good, baby.” He continues to say in midst of it, talking your way through it, “Taking me so well…” You think it’s somewhat unfair that he’s still fully clothed and you’re naked as the day you came; yet, at the moment your mind can’t even think of anything but his cock, buried deep inside you. “If something feels off or it becomes to much… Let me know and I’ll stop.” You nod, eagerness starting to scratch your insides.

“Yes. Now can you please, please start moving.” He holds back a chuckle, gazing at you from above, barely lifting your hips to feel more of him.

“Atta girl,” he obeys, thrusting his hips sharply and deep. “Look so pretty beggin’ to be fucked.” His big arm travels to the arch in your back, withdrawing and pushing in again, slowly losing his consciousness to pleasure.

“Fucking hell, you fill me up so good…” he moans gruffly at your comment, pulling you down on his cock as he picks up an unrelenting pace, hitting every right spot as if he knew them all by memory.

“Shit, you’re so tight,” Joel drags in an out, rejoicing himself in every high pitched moan you’d spill. Your legs wrap around his waist in an effort to keep him as close as you could.

The angle is very intimate, his whole body flushed against yours, warm and firm, while your hand snakes under his flannel to dig your nails on his bare shoulders, the other scratching his scalp delicately and Joel’s hot, erratic breaths hitting your face as you gape at him. It’s like everything else disappeared and it was all about the two of you and this moment of pure rapture. Unable to contain your urge, you search for his lips, kissing him one more time, the mixture of mint and alcohol in his mouth fogging your senses in the best way possible.

His tip nudges your g-spot relentlessly, the stretch his girth provided so satisfying that you clench around him as your second orgasm approaches, causing him to pull apart from the kiss and let out a sinful groan, deep from his throat, that sends a shudder up your spine. It all becomes too much; the friction of your delicate nipples with his shirt, his thick cock dragging against your walls and lastly, Joel’s teeth biting down the soft skin under your ear, his facial hair scraping deliciously. That is your cum button.

“That’s my girl, making a mess on my dick,” he fucks you through it, slowing down his pace and only pulling out when your legs tremble. “Say it darlin’, tell me who you belong to.”

“You, Joel…” he basks in the view of your fucked out self, looking up at him in a delirious state, eyes low, heat soared across your cheeks and lips plumped. “Shit, Miller,” you sit up, arm still hanging around his broad shoulders while his hard, throbbing cock rested against your thigh. “You’re so fucking hot, did you know that? It drives me insane.”

He laughs huskily, his big hand caressing the side of your face in a caring manner. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he speaks softly, “I think I might’ve fucked you so hard I scrambled your brain.”

You actually crack up this time, pressing a kiss to his forehead and muttering an: “Idiot.” He grabs your thighs and methodically swirls your body, flushing your back against his chest. Without warning, he slams into you again, making you yelp at the sudden action.

“You’ve got a dirty mouth,” he pokes fun at you, “next time we’ll put it to use.” And the promise raises goosebumps on your skin.

This new position gave you the opportunity to feel him deeper, if that was even possible. His thighs and hips firm against yours, every single snap making you feel that delicious stretch he provided as your cunt envelopes him tightly. But you were already far too sensitive and every light touch added to his thrusts made your body feel weaker.

“Joel, I-” he holds you with an arm covering your waist, his fingers pinching your nipples. “Fuck, I won’t last…”

He becomes more vocal, his disjointed moans drifting from his lips right into your ear while the hand on your hip makes its way to rub your clit gloriously, in a way that makes you wonder just how the fuck does he know exactly what your body likes.

“Is my sweet girl gonna cum for me?” you nod, unable to form any words, only capable of reveling on the way his cock throbs inside you. “Speak, remember?”

But you can’t. Nothing comes out of your mouth besides his name, like a constant plea. When the third one finally came, it was simply euphoric; your whole body shudders and your vision goes white, tears spilling from the corners of your eyes as you start to feel lightheaded. Joel draws out with a grunt, a string of curses leaving his lips as you spin around to see him. Your hand wraps around his own when he fucks his fist and you take in the sight of him cumming all over your fingers, his forehead laying on your shoulder as you milk him. Inevitably, you lick your fingers to taste his salty load. A sight that would be engraved in his brain for the rest of his days and that could possibly haunt him in his time apart from you.

“Checkmate my ass,” he grits between shaky breaths, your hand stroking his hair as he comes down from his high.

“What a sore loser…” you joke. In fact, you plan to say something more, but you feel too tired for anything.

It didn’t really matter, though. Joel took good care of you. He bathed with you, cleaned up the whole mess and gave you one of his shirts for you to sleep with, eventually going to bed with your very passed out self.

Well, if Ellie didn’t know anything before, she surely will now.

[bigfatbimbo]

I am haunted by visions of Vox with a capable assistant who doms him after hours. The role reversal of guy thinking he can fuck his secretary but she turns the tables and fucks him has me sweating

I got inspired by a turn of phrase that would might have been popular a little bit before Vox’s time “his girl, Friday”

Basically a “girl Friday” was a term used for a woman in the office who acted as a jack of all trades and was good at doing a bunch of different jobs. This person was usually very capable and the office’s go-to-girl for anything and everything

So I keep imagining Vox with this hyper-competent assistant. He hires her and after becoming familiar with the company, she manages to handle things before he even asks her to do them. He decides to try and rattle her a bit with impossible tasks to knock her down a peg, but she takes that as a challenge and somehow completes them with a smarmy “will that be all,sir”

Game on. He keeps challenging her and asking for crazier shit just to prove that she can be shaken. She doesn’t even flinch, it’s a little intimidating and bruises his ego

Eventually he’s working late (which means she’s working late because somehow their work ethics are equally insane) and he starts being all snide and pissy and she just puts him in his place, insulting his behavior and his temper and physically backs him into his desk before telling him that he needs to be taught proper manners

And from then on, by day she’s Vox’s right hand who never leaves his side. But by night she bends her boss over his desk or presses him into his office chair, making him whimper and moan as she teaches him a lesson and berates him

So yeah, boss tries to dominate assistant but she effortlessly reverses their roles and makes him cry “Yes, ma’am!”

People think he’s tapping his assistant but whenever comments are made they share a look and Vox just thinks “they can’t ever know that I call you Mommy”

So the other day, I posted about wanting to do a human Vox au but lacking ideas, and one of the comments was involving an assistant x boss type deal. I don’t know if this ask is unrelated or directly caused by that post, but it gives me lots of ideas for a more specific au involving human Vox.

Anyways, since it wasn’t specified, i’ll keep the alive or dead details pretty vague. When I tell you this idea has been rotting in my brain all day, I fucking mean it.

Like this is genuinely about to get me out of writers block oh my fucking god. “His girl, friday” is a term i’ve never heard before but it’s so fitting with this. I love the go-getter incredibly efficient reader so much.

And god, it would bother Vox to an ungodly point. Because being in close quarters a lot, you being his assistant, of course he picks up on your efficiency. It makes him a little insecure because you honestly get things done quicker than he could.

So after throwing everything he can at you to knock you overboard your parade of orderliness, and you doing it all absolutely flawlessly, he can’t help but throw one of his tantrums.

Coming to him at the the end of the day, explaining you did everything he’d asked, and went beyond, closed multiple business deals for him, and got the inside information on upcoming possible marketing events. He should be happy, this objectively helps his business. But instead, he sits at his desk, watching you from across the room, before absolutely exploding.

I mean, you do his jobs better than he does. And he goes on a huge rant about how he doesn’t believe this, and how you must have absolutely no life, and basically degrading and insulting you for doing your job correctly.

And then yes, you yell at him, practically daring him to fire you. He won’t, you’re too much of an asset. You’re basically untouchable. So with that, you yell back, but unlike Vox who erupted with rage, you keep yourself as level headed as possible while talking sternly. Make even talking to him condescending as of talking to a child, explaining how it’s absolutely unbelievable he’s throwing a fit over good work ethic, and how he’d have to be out of his mind to pout about something so beneficial for Voxtech.

Going on and on about how his competitive, aggressive, targeting work behavior is unacceptable and pathetic… and now you have him back up against his desk, his sneer turning into a look of astonishment.

And then his eyes dart down, heat rising to his cheeks, and you notice the bulge in his pants. At first, you go silent, but then tease him with “You want me to take care of that too? Or will you yell at me for being too good at my job.”

Well, then he’s mad again. Probably definitely a struggle for power the first time you fuck. Yes, he tries to dom you, and fails because jesus, he really was pathetic. But you have him lied back in his chair, pinning his wrists down to either side of him, while you ride his dick into overstimulation. But he’s trying to keep quiet so no one else is the office hears his whimpers and whines.

But when he gets too loud, simply remind him that you’ll have to stop and he responds with a watery, whimper of “Y-yes ma’am.”

Now, fridays are dedicated to his girl, friday. Coincidentally, you’re both working late on those days, and even more coincidentally, you have business in his office.

That business being bending Vox over his desk until he has to cover his pathetic sobs with his hand so a janitor doesn’t hear him crying for his mommy.

Anyways, I’m almost done. I think this specifically appeals to me in a human Vox au sense because i’m hell, a work place of hell wouldn’t be particularly normalized, but it’s hell so it’s absolutely not frowned upon. He’d probably get teased about it at best, and literally a high five for tapping that. But in a human au, the stakes are much higher because there’s an actual sense of ethics and morals in business.

Also in the fifties, do you even know how taboo it would be for a boss to not only be sleeping with his assistant, but getting dominated by her every night???? I dunno.

Oh and the toxic masculinity of it all because it’s the 1950s and without being exposed to the normalization of kinks in hell, it would be so hard to break this brat down. Obviously not impossible, it’s Vox. But so much more irritating.

However, i’m hesitant to actually do a human au literally because of the silly picture I always put at the beginning. Because like I have such a specific image of what he looks like in my head (the @//notherpuppet human design) but… I don’t want to have to DM an artist and be like “Hey! love the art, can I use it for my dom reader power dynamic assistant x boss Vox x reader human au fic 😁😁😁🙏🙏” LIKE GANG I CANNOT.

Anyways, this wasn’t proofread, rant over, bimbo out.

[fatuismooches]

Hello! I’d like to make another request if possible. I really loved how you did the Harbingers taking care of their sick s/o headcanons. Can I have headcanons with all the Harbingers comforting their s/o when they are crying? I know Pulcinella is supposed to be platonic, so maybe he can go into doting grandpa mode.

♡ 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 ♡

synopsis: When you're crying and upset, the first person you go to is none other than the one you love most. And of course, they never fail to deliver their love for you.

includes: all harbingers (platonic pulcinella) w/ gn! reader

notes: Ah yes, hurt and comfort, my favorite trope. I hope this makes everyone feel slightly better, whether you're having a good or bad day, you got this! <3

Disclaimer: Just so I don’t get repetitive, I just want to say that if another person made you cry, all of the Harbingers would have no problems doing some really… bad things to them. Since that’s out of the way, let’s continue.

Pierro:

Pierro would spend a normal day with you. You may ask why this is so special, but being the lover of the First Harbinger, who carries heavy burdens from Khaenri’ah, means you often don’t have “normal” days together. But when you’re this sad and crying, he has to make an exception. He would let himself sleep in with you, hold you close to him as you tell him everything and anything that’s been bothering you. (Despite his responsibilities, he still yearns to be updated on your life.) Pierro carries you to the bath and the two of you spend some time enjoying each other’s presence. He helps to dress you, and he cooks breakfast himself, which is eaten in peaceful silence. A long walk is taken through Snezhnaya and he lets you cling to his arm, despite the occasional looks of the other Fatui grunts. The two of you would walk through the forests and snow, and the town and markets of the frozen country. This kind of stuff might seem so bare and boring to outsiders, but you know that his time is the most precious gift you can receive from him, and you would want nothing else for comfort.

Capitano:

The one who is sincerely trying his best out of everyone and trying every method possible to cheer you up. Drops anything that he’s doing and while Capitano isn’t sure what to do, he knows his chest hurts more terribly than any battle wound when you’re sad. He is very protective of you, and wants nothing more than to destroy anything that’s causing you pain. And so, he thinks about what you do whenever you think he’s sad, and decides to spread his arms out to the side like you do when you want a hug. And of course you take the bait and practically launch yourself at him, but he catches you with ease. (When you teach this man how to hug and hold you properly, it is HEAVENLY. No better feeling than Capitano holding you snug on his lap with one arm while the other does whatever else he needs to do. Him one handedly holding you to his chest while the other is swinging a greatsword battling people. Yup.)

Tries every domestic thing in the book you gave him a while ago but kind of fails. When he cooks he chops up the ingredients disproportionately. When he picks flowers himself for you, the stems are half broken because he squeezed them too hard. When he reads stories to you and tries to give the characters different voices for you, you start laughing so hard your head hurts again. Capitano starts to feel bad, that your lover is someone whose only great strength is battle and leading others into war. But when all you do is smile at him and thank him, tugging on his arm to lay down with you, he can’t help but feel like he’s becoming more worthy of you.

Columbina:

The first thing is does is pull you into her lap and strokes your gently, humming a soft lullaby over your sniffles, in an effort to help you take a nap. Columbina knows you must be exhausted from so many tears, so she wants you to rest and just take a break from everything. She’ll be by your side the entire time. Also, any song requests are available for her during this time. She would sing for you however long you want even if her voice goes hoarse.

I don’t know why but I feel like she likes fluffy/soft and silky things. So the two of you would definitely be wrapped up in the softest blankets and pillows, even some plushies here and there. Columbina tends to place her head on the crook of your neck and just kiss the tears away (lots of back hugs.) Her words are quiet and soft-spoken but you can clearly hear them when she’s so close to your ear. Also, lots of looking up new hair styles so you can do whatever you want with her hair.

Dottore:

That ever-present smirk of his fades a bit when he sees you cry. Out of everyone, he is the most dumb-founded, because the emotion is not very familiar to him, and since he’s never seen you like this before, he has no data or experiences to help him know what to do. Yes, he had seen people cry before… cry in fear when they saw him. So he just stands there and lets you cry into his chest, a vial of unknown liquid in one hand while the other one is placed very hesitantly and awkwardly on the top of your head. 

If this was anyone else, he would laugh in their face about their problems, but when it comes to you? You got his utmost attention. When Dottore comforts you, he first follows the very basics of comforting - just listening to what you have to say. He had grown accustomed to your physical touch, and in fact, secretly welcomed it since it made you feel better. Dottore is more of a logical person rather than an emotional one, so he won’t baby you or use too many honeyed words. Instead, he’d use more facts, solutions, and things you haven’t thought of before. The most verbal affection you’ll get is something along the lines of not letting fools rile you up, that you’re his partner for a reason (but that’s a lot coming from Dottore.) Makes it a mental note to make a clone follow you around from now on so your day would go more smoothly. Also the kind of guy to make his clones play card/board games with you and let you win on purpose. Would make you a hot cup of tea, his coat draped over you, while you watch him go about his experiments and such. Also the guy who would simultaneously be down to help you get revenge on anyone if you wished.

Pulcinella:

The grandpa who takes one look at you and beckons you to follow him for some tea and sweets. Makes you sit down next to him and lets you cry to your heart’s content. Depending on your personality, he already has a hundred ways to make you feel better. (After all, I headcanon that the Harbingers tend to rant to him about anything and he gives them advice/consolation. Papanella’s hugs are really nice, to be honest, it feels like you’re really hugging someone who cares about you.) This might be random - but you know those memes where grandparents always make you lots of food when you go over to their house? Well… that’s Pulcinella since I think that it would be cute.

He would distract you from whatever’s bothering you with a new story of course. Somehow, no matter how many times he tells you stories, he always has a new one. He’s also the one who would also gently urge you to confront your problems. Nonetheless, he’s very comforting and if you asked him he’d help you with whatever you’re dealing with. Pulcinella also forces the other Harbingers to cheer you up too.

Scaramouche:

Who does he have to kill? Pretty much the first thing that goes through Scaramouche’s mind when he sees tears roll down your face. If you reassure that this is not the case, he is not sure what to do afterwards. Whenever Kunikuzushi showed emotions, he was seen as week, vulnerable and received no comfort, so he kept it inside him. So now when he sees you crying so freely in front of him, he doesn’t know what to do. At first he is gruff in his words, telling you simply not to cry, that you don’t need to worry over dumb things when you have him, but of course this does not do much to relieve you of your sadness. So he sighs and places his hat on you since Scaramouche knows how much you like it.

A habit I think he picked up from when he was Kunikuzushi, is that he went to different scenic places to just pass the time and escape from sheer loneliness. He would tentatively hold your hand and lead you to one of these places nearby, and just sit with you. He wouldn’t say anything much because he didn’t want to say anything he didn’t mean to. And the two of you would just watch the sun turn into the moon. The golden sky transform into a starry night. Scaramouche would wordlessly keep an arm around you. Your life was too short to be sad, anyway.

Arlecchino:

Yet another Harbinger who has no experience comforting someone who they actually care about. But that cold mask of her breaks for a split second when she sees you cry.  Every time one of the orphans cried, she kind of just looked at them and ordered another Fatui agent to take care of them. Physical nor verbal affection are her forte, so Arlecchino would rather show you how much she cares. She’d carry you to her shared room with you, lay you down and pull up the blankets. She’d move her office temporarily into the room so she could still work but in actuality she’s sitting on the edge of the bed, holding your hand while you tell her what happened. Arlecchino spoon feeds you, wipes any crumbs away with a tissue. When you fall asleep, she very carefully holds you to her chest and whispers words of love you’ll be hard-pressed to hear while you’re conscious.

La Signora:

It is a bit melancholic for La Signora - she never had the chance to wipe away her past lover’s tears, but now that she has the ability to finally do so for you, she feels a sense of bittersweetness. But she is very confident in herself, and she would like you to feel the same, so she would not hesitant with her honeyed verbal affirmation. She traces over every inch of your body, pointing out all the perfections and beauty she sees within you. She tells you how lucky she is to have someone like you in her life, after everything she’s been through. Rosalyne hums an old Mondstadt song and asks you mundane questions (Do these shoes match this hairpiece? Does this color go with that one?) Has her moths perch on your shoulder and smother you with warmth.

Pantalone:

Oh boy, he is just so sweet <3. Pantalone’s hugs are definitely the warmest; you feel bundled up not only in his fluffy coat but also in his genuine comfort and care for you, black locks tickling your cheek. He’s another one who's keen on pampering you, only that he can do it more easily. He has access to all the funding and bank reserves. Nothing is unattainable. And his workload is different from the other Harbingers - he can sit you on his lap, listening to your woes and worries while repeatedly signing his signature on documents for the whole day. When it comes to you, Pantalone has a great amount of patience. He has all the tissues ready for you and will hold onto every word you utter, so he can refute it later.

I think that he is big on self-care, especially for you, so when you’re upset he just wants to help you look and feel amazing again while murmuring words of consolation and love. This means that he will adoringly wash and comb your hair while carefully listening to anything you have to say, whether it’s a loud rant or hushed words of sadness. Helps you slip into the comfiest night clothes. Reads you any story you desire in that velvety voice of his. Is very fond of calling you a variety of pet names, like “my love” or “darling”, anything romantic really. Pantalone really hates seeing you cry. It’s one of the only times you would see him without a smile and a creased forehead.

Sandrone:

When Sandrone sees you crying, a burst of… unfamiliar emotion she rarely feels erupts in her chest, completely contrary to what she usually feels after working with puppets all day. Why? She was worried. How? She was upset. Who? She was angry that she couldn’t protect you. Her Automation quickly scoops you up and places you on her lap, letting you curl into your lover’s chest. Swiftly moves you to her private room and lets you cry into her shoulder for as long as you want, silently rubbing your back. (Many wonder if Sandrone’s feet ever touch the floor, always perched atop her robot’s hand. If only they could see how tender she was with you.)

She is intelligent in the most complex engineering, but when it comes to properly comforting you, she is at a loss. But she really does try her best. I feel as though she would implement nondeadly and rather cute features in her robots just to make you smile. (Pull the robot’s finger and a bouquet of flowers comes out! It tips its hat at you and some confetti comes out!) Sandrone would take you out for some fresh air to clear your head. Also provides quality entertainment. What is it, you ask? If you find watching her prototype model Automatons fight to the death, then you’ll surely have a joyous time. (You can’t help but laugh regardless. I’m now thinking about you placing bets on which robot wins with the other Fatui, but you always win because your lover tells you who's going to win before…)

Childe:

Childe would immediately pull you into his tight embrace, with no hesitation. He’s used to the sniveling and tears of his younger siblings, so as soon as he sees your crumpled face he knows exactly what to do. No matter how much you wet his clothes, Childe won’t let you go until you ask him to. He amps the pampering up to the maximum. Blanket cocoons/burritos are an absolute must. He cooks food himself so you could have the warm feeling of home cooking surrounding you. He would literally do all of the household tasks, not allowing you to lift a finger. He’d want to help bathe you, wash your hair, scrape away the grime from the day, gently worship your body by pressing affirmative kisses, and tell you how amazing you are, and how much you mean to him.

Childe is a really good listener and takes what you say very seriously if you’re willing to tell him. If it is a problem he can fix, you can bet he’s going to have some agents solve it, and even take care of it himself if anything. If you want to stay silent, he won’t pressure you, but his touch lets you know that he’s always here for you. Honestly, he probably spoils you more intensely for a few days because he knows that when you cry, you don’t magically wake up the next day fine again. Without fail, Childe would ask you how you’re feeling, monitoring your emotions and feelings. When you’re sad, he is too. How can he ever focus when his love is hurting? Also takes advantage of all possible cuddling positions.

[antianakin]

No Order 66 AU where Anakin leaves the Order after the war ends and he and Padme end up retiring to Naboo to try to raise the twins together, but neither of them ends up feeling particularly satisfied with life on Naboo (for Anakin it just doesn't give him any purpose the way he desperately needs and for Padme it's always been this perfect rosy dream and reality doesn't measure up), so they end up leaving the twins behind a lot so they can pursue other things and are pretty absentee parents in general. They mostly end up getting raised by Padme's parents instead, and while they're perfectly good guardians for the twins and raise them kindly and love them a lot, there's always an obvious elephant in the room regarding who ISN'T there.

This causes a bit of a rift between Luke and Leia because while Luke is trying to keep the peace and give their parents the benefit of the doubt as he moves on and figures out his own life with what he DOES have, Leia is less willing to just forgive and forget.

Luke ends up becoming a pilot working for the royal palace for a while, but Leia goes into politics (something she'd entered while younger because it's what her mother did and she'd been hoping it would get Padme's attention and bring the two of them closer; it didn't work out that way at all and now Leia's sticking with it at least partly to spite Padme) as an aide for her cousin Pooja who is now Senator of Naboo.

And it's here, once she finally makes it to Coruscant and starts working in the Senate, that Leia meets Bail Organa, still working as Senator of Alderaan. The two of them click IMMEDIATELY and Bail ends up becoming Leia's mentor in politics, as well as the person who actually introduces her to the Jedi themselves. Anakin and Padme had never really bothered to do so, both because they were so rarely around, but also because they had chosen not to give Luke and Leia to the Temple and decided at that point that it would be easier to keep the twins and the Jedi separate. Bail of course has no such compunctions and even if he knew about Anakin and Padme's feelings on the matter, I imagine he'd find ways to allow Leia to accidentally bump into some of the Jedi while she was on Coruscant. If he just so happens to double book himself for lunch with both Leia and Obi-Wan, it's hardly anything malicious and they may as well all eat together!

Leia finally feels like she has a parent who gives a damn about her, someone who acts like a parent to her, the parent she's always wanted. Her grandparents had always been incredibly kind and they obviously had to do a lot of parenting, but they'd always been very strict about making sure the twins saw them as GRANDPARENTS and not their actual parents, which just make the absence of their parents that much more obvious and painful. But with Bail, she's finally got someone who doesn't care that Anakin and Padme aren't there and doesn't feel the need to create a wall between them for Anakin and Padme's sake. Bail takes her under his wing, teaches her everything she knows, allows her to explore things she'd never been allowed to explore before, connects her to even more people who can help her understand herself better than she's ever been able to before. THIS is what a parent was supposed to do for her and she knows it, THIS is what selfless love looks like from a parent and she THRIVES under it for the first time in her life.

She eventually decides not to stay on as Pooja's aide because she has no real desire to become a senator for Naboo at any point, but she IS good at politics and desperately does want to help people any way she can, so she starts up some sort of organization of her own to help people around the galaxy (and connects it to the Jedi because deep down she KNOWS she was supposed to be one of them even though that path is now closed to her). But she doesn't go back to Naboo, she doesn't make her home on her mother's home planet.

She goes to Alderaan instead. And this time, she gets to stay there for the rest of her life.

[eywaite]

Tìsom

Romancing Pandora Day: #6 ~ Rut Cycle

Pairing: So'lek x human fem reader

Words: 4.3K

Summary: Your persistence pays off better than you ever thought it would.

Warnings: NSFW, So'lek in rut, mean So'lek, oral sex (male receiving), throat bulge, choking, breath play, biting, small mentions of blood, P in V, belly bulge, rough sex, size difference, human x Na'vi.

Notes: I know there's probably a lot that's out of canon in this fic, but I don't have a PS5 so I can't play the game. And I wrote this on vacation, so I didn't have much time to watch gameplays. I've based the personalities of the characters on other's writing, so I'm sorry ☹️

Credits: Credit to the incredible @pandoraslxna for the So'lek gif. Credit to @cafekitsune for the MDNI and Support banners.

Na'vi Translation:

Tìsom: Heat

Tsìltsan kaym: Good evening

Ma: Vocative marker used to indicate whom the speaker is addressing. Can be used with a name.

Ngaru lu fpom srak: Are you well; do you have peace/well-being

Tawtute: Spy People/Person

Mawey: Be calm

Hì'i tawtute: Little human

You embarrass yourself most days from how badly you're trying to get his attention.

You don't know what draws you to So'lek, what makes him so fascinating to you, or why his rough exterior calls to you.

Maybe it's the damage you see in his eyes that makes you believe you could help him, teach him to build trust for humans; possibly grow a deeper friendship or relationship with them.

He does have tentative friendships with some human Resistance members; Priya being the only person allowed to annoy him as much as she does. But that lenience has never been given to you. Most days, So'lek doesn't even act like you exist.

It's not like you haven't tried to get to know him, crack open that tough outer shell he's made around his heart and mind, using kind gestures and sweet words to help him realize you mean no harm. But everytime you're met with a neutral expression and a small grunt of acknowledgment.

He's gruff and dismissive of most people, especially humans. When you first met, he didn't even bother to look down and actually look at you, only talking to Alma about how much he didn't want another unknown person roaming the halls. You about kicked him in the shin that day, Alma's grip on your shoulder keeping you calm.

You quickly made friends with everyone else, you couldn't get Teylan to leave you alone for weeks after your arrival, constantly answering every question he had. Spending the day listening to Priya rant about whatever flies through her mind.

So'lek will never trust you or any other human, no matter the circumstances, no matter what you do, you will forever be nothing more than a inconvenience to him. So you give up, excepting that what you want is something you can't have.

But God, do you want him badly.

The cold metal of the table you're sitting at feels like it's burning against your the skin of your forehead, Priya's voice droning on in the background as you shield your eyes from the bright light hanging overhead, nursing a stress headache building in the back of your head, hours of working on your xenobotony research straining your eyes and frying your brain.

Heavy footsteps vibrate the table, catching your attention for a moment before you hear Teylan greet you, "Tsìltsan kaym, ma Y/N!" his cheery voice booms through the small living space, happy to be practicing his Na'vi on anyone that'll listen to him.

"Hey, 'Tey." you mumble into the table, not needing to look up to know the nickname has made him blush a light shade of lavender like always.

Priya chuckles, plopping down onto a worn pillow acting like a cushion on the floor, "She's feeling moody today." she teases, chucking a jerky stick at your shoulder.

You raise your middle finger at her, fumbling to find the jerky stick she threw at you so you can nibble on it.

"Why are you angry? Has something happened?" Teylan asks, laying his big, warm palm on your shoulder blades. You can hear Priya cackling in the background, probably amused at Teylan's concern over your mood swing.

You suppress a growl, turning your head to look up at the gentle giant above you. "I'm not angry–"

BANG!

The sound of a door slamming makes all three of you jump, the familiar jingle of dogtags sending a shiver down your spine as you turn around toward the sound to see a very pissed off So'lek stomp into the living area, a deep scowl etched into his face, marring his pretty features.

So'lek looks sick, his skin darker than normal from the heat flush covering his face and chest, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead, his hair messy like he's been constantly running his hand through it. His piercing golden eyes land on you, eyes narrowing on Teylan's hand on your shoulder causing him to withdraw it instantly.

You avoid his hard stare, looking down at the ground as he passes by. "Are you sick?" you ask, pulling at a string that's dangling from the hem of your shirt.

So'lek doesn't answer you, rounding the corner to the armory, you can hear him racking back his rifle and inserting a clip in, smacking it into place.

Teylan slowly walks towards the armory, peeking around the corner inside. "Ma So'lek, ngaru lu fpom srak?" he asks, reaching out to touch So'lek's shoulder.

So'lek pulls away from Teylan's touch, scowling deepening. "I'm fine, leave me be!" he growls, turning his hard gaze to Teylan.

Teylan recoils at So'lek's harsh words and appearance, stepping back with his head bowed. So'lek softens at Teylan's cowarding stance, taking a cautious step towards him, laying his much larger hand on Teylan's shoulder, squeezing to get his attention. "I'm sorry, Teylan, I'm just not feeling well."

So'lek pats his cheek, "And your pronunciations are getting better. Good job." Teylan's tail curls up, swaying happily behind as he looks up at So'lek, giving him a shy smile.

You get off your chair, peeking out behind Teylan's thigh, looking up at So'lek. Your movements catch So'lek's attention, his eyes snapping to yours, nostrils flaring at your approach. "If you're not feeling well, you should stay i–"

He immediately cuts you off, "I'm going on patrol." he grits, clenching his jaw so hard you're afraid he'll snap his teeth as he enters the pressurization chamber, impatiently waiting for the beep before wretching open the pressured door.

"But Nor and Sarentu are already–" Priya is cut off by the door slamming closed, a blast of air from the force of the door closing ruffling everything around you, throwing your paperwork to the floor.

"And you guys call me moody." you snort, climbing back into your seat and resting your head back down onto the table, blindly catching your pen before it falls to the floor.

"I've never seen him this... untamed before." Priya says, frowning as she stares down at the floor. "He must be really sick."

Teylan shakes his head, mumbling to himself, "His scent was different. Like he..." he trails off, a deep purple dusting over his ears and cheeks.

You look up at him, poking the space between his vest and belt as you stand, "Like what? You know what's up with him?" you ask, lazily picking up your paperwork.

"N-Nothing, nothing." Teylan avoids looking at you, tipping the bill of his hat down to cover his growing blush.

Before you can coax an answer out of him, Teylan's ear twitches, reaching up to push at the ear piece in his ear deeper to listen. Touching the button on his throat comm, he answers, "Okay, I will tell them."

Priya bites off a piece of jerky, "What's up?"

"Alma wants to examine the Sarentu again and can't get a hold of them on the comms. She wants So'lek to find them, but can't reach him..." Teylan's ears lay flat as he glances at the door, looking back at you and Priya.

You straighten your paperwork, using the clip on your pen to hold everything together. Your stomach twists, a stupid idea bouncing around in your brain as you sit in silence, blanking staring at the door. You never go outside of HQ alone. Hell, you haven't gone outside in weeks. Yet the idea of getting So'lek alone for the very first time since you've met, hopefully coaxing him back to HQ with the Sarentu to rest from whatever strange illness he's going through appeals to you, tugging on your heart, causing the pressure in the back of your skull tighten.

Sighing, you walk past Teylan, grabbing your breathing mask from it's hook, wiping away the light coating of dust on the glass before securing it on your face, grabbing a flashlight and clipping it to your belt.

Priya ungracefully fumbles off her cushion, stumbling as she stands, "Where are you going?"

"Getting So'lek."

Teylan stiffens at that, grabbing your hands in his bigger ones, "No, no! It's too dangerous, I will go." he reasons, attempting to pull your mask off. Your irritation melt at how concerned Teylan is about you.

"'Tey," you take ahold of his trembling hands. "I'll be fine. He can't have gone far, I'll go in the direction of where Nor had last updated their location and if I see So'lek, I'll tell him what's up." you reassure him, squeezing his hands as best you can before letting him go, entering the pressurization chamber and sealing it behind you.

Teylan taps on the glass, "Please be careful, So'lek is... not himself now."

His vague explanation confuses you, but before you can have him clarify, the bright red light overhead turns green, followed by a loud beep signaling the chamber has pressurized. You open the door, allowing the light from inside to illuminate a small amount of the dark forest surrounding you. The door seals shut behind you, leaving you standing in complete darkness for a moment before you grab your flashlight, clicking it on and scanning the terrain.

"I'm an idiot." you think just as an unknown creature shriek echoes in the distance. The urge to turn around and go back inside is overwhelming, but Alma's nonstop complaining about not getting her way is too compelling to not go forward.

You're crouched low, keeping your hand over the light to not make your presence known but still give you some kind of light, staying close to the trees and walking in the underbrush under the tall plants hanging above you, acting like a shield as you slowly trek through Pandora's lethal jungle.

The ground goes from rocky to muddy quickly, your shoes getting stuck in the sludge, causing each step to make a squelching sound, your feet stick to the ground slowing you down.

"Fan-fucking-tastic." you grumble to yourself, clinging to the tree next to you, using the leverage to pull your mud soaked sneakers out of the muck. You take careful steps around the mud holes, little rocks clinging to the mud on your shoes making crunching sound at every step.

You're standing on a small hill overlooking the valley below, a small pond at the bottom. Resting against a large bush, you snap off leaves to wipe off your shoes. Glancing to the water again, a quick movement makes you freeze, your heart skipping a beat at the possibility of some creature spotting your location.

The tall, dark figure glides through the water, it's facing away from you, making it hard to make out it's features as it leans into a large boulder jutting out of the water. The night seems to go silent as a deep groan filters up to your ears, curiosity gets the best of you as you lean forward, squinting against the dark to see better.

You should be running, making a quiet escape away from whatever is in the waters below. But it's deep groans and grunts sound... familiar. The lithe form almost recognizable the longer you stare at it, it's dark blue skin more enticing than you'd care to admit.

"Ma Eywa– fuck!"

The human word bounces off the valley walls below, slapping you across the face so hard you stop breathing. Your eyes go impossibly wide as the figure leans back, exposing the two beautiful marks running down his forehead. His muzzle is crunched up in a snarl, eyes closed as his hand restlessly tugs against his cock, a long and deep groan filling the night as a thick spurt of his cum paints the side of the boulder over and over again.

"So'lek?" The word leaves your mouth before you could stop it, pure horror burrowing into your soul when So'lek whips around, sharp yellow eyes glaring up at the treeline.

You quickly turn, pushing off the tree next to you as leverage to get out of the mud. The mud sticks to your shoe, your foot sinking into the ground so deep that when you turn to run your ankle twists painfully, your knees buckling and the force launching you down the hill.

You tumble down head over heels, your legs thrown in the air over your head as your body flips and bends at every unnatural angle you fall into, continuing to roll feet first down this steep incline. Branches slap you, rocks dig into your body like knives that never penetrate your skin, leaves and twigs stick to your body as you're drenched from head to toe in dirt and mud.

You plop onto the rocky, wet ground below, your loud groans of complaint growing into a high pitched yelp when you move your ankle, the sharp, throbbing pain in your foot drowning out the spreading soreness in the rest of your body. Your head landed on something soft – well softer than the ground – cushioning your fall a little.

Blindly reaching up, your hand grazes a slightly hard, rough material, a soft click of metal sounding through the dead silence the more you feel the fabric. You touch the metal again, trying to decipher what the foreign object is. Your eyes immediately fly open when you feel the engraving etched into the nameplates, the familiar sound of the dogtags clanking together sending a panicked shiver down your spine.

Two piercing, yellow eyes stare down at you, So'lek's face set in a deep scowl as he glares down at you. "Tawtute," his deep voice gravel above you, water droplets falling down his face, accentuating the brightly glowing freckles decorating his skin.

Your voice is foggy as you whimper, "I can explain."

So'lek reaches down, massive hands wrapping around your waist, hoisting your limp, sore body out of the mud, holding you at eye level with him. So'lek's scowl deepens at your dirty, slightly bloody state, "Can I ever get rid of you pests?" he questions before throwing you into the water, submerging your whole body under the water, the sticky mud and blood rinsing off.

You frantically push against So'lek's grip to resurface, momentarily forgetting that you can't drown because of your mask. "Fucking asshole! Why the hell did you throw me?!" you yell at him, smacking the water's surface to splash him, your efforts looking like a small pebble was throw into the water compared to his size.

A low grumble rumbles through So'lek's chest, his eyes darkening as his pupils widen, nostrils flare for just a second as he scent the air. Stepping forward, So'lek peers down at you, your eyes level with his belly button, "Do not push me, Tawtute, or I will do something that I won't regret."

You coward under his dark gaze, looking at anything but at his death stare, your eyes landing on his pronounced V line, just barely being able to make out the beginning swell of his cock if you looked close enough. "Look, I'm sorry. Alma wants to see Sarentu again–"

"Has something happened?" So'lek cuts you off, ears perking up as he quickly scans the terrain, examining to see if any danger is near.

You hesitate, "Well no, it's just an additional exam–"

"Them go back." So'lek turns from you, wading back into the water, the muscles in his back tightening when he hears you slowly start to limp through the water after him.

"My ankle is killing me, can I pl–"

"No." his deep growl shaking you to your bones as his voices booms across the valley.

You stop walking, fighting the trembling beginning in your hands. "Teylan said you're not yourself right now, that you're sick. Come back to HQ and we c–"

So'lek whips around so quickly he's almost a blur, long fingers wrapping around your throat, drawing you closer by your neck, your eyes bulging as he restricts your airway. "Listen to me well Tawtute, I have no patience for your stupidly insistent ways and I will not hesitate to fuck you until you're lifeless, leaving your body to rot on shore. Go back."

Releasing your throat, So'lek retreats back to his corner, tail lashing erratically behind him, his ears set back as you cough and sputter, catching your breath. Your hand cups the sides your side neck, rubbing the raw skin as you watch him walk away, his crude – and somewhat promising – words ringing in your ears. You've heard of something called a rut, a spike in hormones in Na'vi males driving them to mate, hoping to impregnate their mate. You always assumed it was a rumor, a vulgar joke or insult to show that the Na'vi were nothing but savages, driven by animal instincts.

But Teylan's blush and comment about the change in So'lek's scent, plus his aggressive ways and threat to fuck you within an inch of your life seem to be proving the theory of the Na'vi going through heat cycles. He's showing a surprising amount of control and patience if so, you'd probably pity him if you knew it wouldn't tick him off.

A dumb idea bounces around your head the longer you stand there, admiring every flexing muscle as So'lek settles against the boulder again, his back facing you as he braces himself on his arm, barely audible groans of complaint leaving him the longer he ignores his rather large problem throbbing between his legs.

"What if– what if I helped you?" you ask, cringing at your blatant desperation, preparing to be harshly rejected.

So'lek huffs, his head shaking in disbelief. "You are one stupid tawtute," he tells you, looking over his shoulder at you. "I would break your small body, tear you in half." his voice is strained, eyes raking down your soaked, shivering body. Your white top has gone almost see through, clinging to your every curve, leaving very little to the imagination, his gaze zeroing in on how stiff your nipples have become from the cold.

You preen under his hungry gaze, a wave of confidence washing over you as you stare up at him. "What if I want that?"

So'lek's head drops down to his chest, you can hear his self control crumble as he growls through clenched teeth, trying to get ahold of his resolve. You're caught off guard when So'lek turns and stalks towards you, grabbing you from your underarms and hauling you out of the water, burying his nose into your chest as he walks as quickly as possible out of the water, his nails digging into your skin as he holds your shivering body against his chest, his skin scolding hot from whatever fever like state his body has gone into, warming your numb limbs almost immediately.

His warmth is taken away as he drops you on shore, your back meeting the freezing cold stone of a large, flat rock where So'lek left his clothes and weapon. Drawing out his knife from the clothes pile, So'lek cuts down your shirt and pants, leaving your clothes in shredded pieces on the ground. His warm hand makes contact with your freezing cold skin, cupping your breasts as he squeezes and kneads at the tender flesh, ears perking up in interest when you let out a shaking moan as his thumbs tease your nipples.

Cupping your head with one hand, using his other hand So'lek strokes his cock, sharp canines digging into his plump bottom lip. "Open."

Your eyes are glued to his cock, counting the little glowing freckles and deep indigo stripes decorating every impressive inch of him, awestruck at the bioluminescent precum leaking from the deep purple tip. You swallow the saliva pooling in your mouth, "But my mask–"

So'lek tsks, grabbing the end of your mask and pulling it up just enough time for you to hold your breath. Squeezing your cheeks together, So'lek pries your mouth, ignoring your noises of complaints as he steadily pushes his cock down your throat, groaning when you choke around him. He keeps going until a bulge developes in your throat, restricting your airway completely, panicking as you frantically hit his thigh as black dots cover your vision, getting dizzy as your head spins.

Growling, So'lek pulls out of your throat, roughly pulling your mask down as you gasp for breath. His long fingers tangle in your hair, forcing you to look up at him, "Hold your breath." he warns you before pulling your mask back up again, pushing his leaking tip past your lips, sinking back down your throat a little gentlier than before.

Tears clump your lashes as your nose brushes against his pelvis again and again, the wet noises of his precum and your saliva mixes with your gags and his moans until his warm cum flows down your throat. So'lek repeatingly uses your throat, shoving down your mask long enough for you to stay conscious before he's pulling it back up, forcing his massive length down your throat.

Your bottom teeth graze the underside of his cock as your jaw goes slack, aching and tired from being stretched for so long. So'lek grunts at the sharp prick of your teeth against his overly sensitive shaft, pushing your head down as he cums down your throat for the umpteenth time tonight.

Your cheeks burn from embarrassment at the whine you let out when So'lek finally releases your head, sealing your mask back down and allowing you to breathe properly again. Before you can collect yourself, So'lek grabs the back of your thighs, dragging you up until your bottom rests on his thighs, folding you in half until your knees almost touch your ears. You wince from the stretch, digging your nails into So'lek's forearms.

"Mawey, hì'i tawtute." So'lek's deep voice travels above you, slotting his hips against yours, grinding his cock against your soaked folds. You're shocked to hear a slightly desperate edge to his voice as he latches around your nipple, allowing you to rake your fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.

His cockhead catches on your throbbing clit, rubbing deliciously at every harsh press against your pelvis, his teeth scrapping your neck to hide his uncontrollable moaning, his every movement becoming rougher with every passing second, chasing another high just from grinding against your slick folds, shivering at the feel of how wet you've gotten just from sucking him off.

"You like this," he teases, notching his tip on your entrance, pressing down enough to pop past the tight resistance of your tight hole. So'lek tenses at how tightly your body is squeezing his tip, groaning into your skin, "You like me using you."

You can only swallow, throat raw from how long So'lek had used it, reduced down to soft sobs as he stretches you out further than you thought possible, bullying his girthy cock into you with barely any control, desperate to feel the relief of your wet, warm walls hugging his aching cock.

You cry out when So'lek cockhead knocks against your cervix, resting on your pleasure spot, your body tensing as he drags his cock out until just the tip rests in your warmth, slamming back in hard enough to push your body up the rock you're laying on, clinging to So'lek as he starts a brutal pace.

Every harsh thrusts forces out a little, "ah! ah! ah!" from between your swollen lips, biting your lips so hard you taste blood. So'lek is feral, loud, deep growls and grunts echoing around you as he cages you in, grinding his hips down with every deep, quick thrusts he delivers, drowning in the primal drive to breed you as impossible as he knows it is. It still feels so fucking good to try.

Your stomach is tightening quickly, his pelvic bone brushing against your neglected clit as his cockhead rams into your cervix, massaging your pleasure spot like he purposely trying to overwhelm you with mind numbing pleasure.

You squeeze tight around him, gummy walls pulsing with the need for release. "S-So'lek-k!" you barely whine out, trying to warn him of your impending release.

He ignores you, nipping at every inch of exposed skin he can find, hiding his own pleasure filled noises. So'lek's sharp teeth suddenly bury themselves into your shoulder, latching on to you as you clench down on him, trembling as you come undone under him, cumming so hard your vision goes black for a moment.

So'lek groans at the sudden tightness your orgasm had caused, back bowing as thick, hot ropes of his seed paint your walls white, the taste of your blood on his tongue prolonging his pleasure, licking his claim on you clean. His full weight collapses ontop of you, his death grip on your legs finally going lax long enough for you to rest your sore legs.

You shift under his heavy body, tapping his shoulder, "You're heavier than you look, get off."

So'lek grunts, rolling over and taking you with him, switching your position so you're laying across his chest. You freeze, goosebumps erupting on your skin from how cold it is, your body growing more sore the longer you lay there, the dull ache in your core not going away as So'lek still has you plugged with his cock.

"Feel any better?" you ask, keeping yourself tucked under his chin, not wanting to move and poke the resting giant.

His large palm pets your thigh, almost like he's trying to soothe you. "For now."

Your brows furrow at that, sitting in awkward, confused silence for a minute before you risk looking up, watching So'lek watch the stars above. "For now? You'll get... sick again?"

So'lek's chest rumbles under you, his lightly pink stained teeth from your blood come into view as he chuckles, petting your hair once like he was amused at a child. He looks down, dark, golden eyes meeting yours. "My rut lasts for days, I'm not done with you yet, hì'i tawtute."

©️Eywaite2024 | All rights reserved. Do not republish, steal, repost, modify, translate or claim any of my work as your own.

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[pinkthrone445]

-Let it burn to the ground- Part 6

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 part 5

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender:love, hurt, confort, funny

Warnings:Mention about past trauma, fires and dead

Summary:Melissa lets the fire of love consume her when she meets the new chief of the fire station.

After the fight, you have to think if everything is worth saving.

You were driving automatically, from the beginning of the day you felt horrible because it had already been 3 years since your husband's death, but now a new weight of pain had been added now that the redhead had treated you like this. You weren't so angry about what she said because you knew she might have a point, you were mad because she choose to say it in the worst day possible in the worst way possible. Instead of choosing a time when the two of you were alone and could talk calmly, she told you at a party full of people, to get your attention she decided to take one of her slobbering exes and on top of it all she wanted to throw the blame for everything on you. If she had said it in a good way at a good time, you would have listened to her, taken into account what she said and tried to change it as soon as possible, and the two of you probably would have gone home together.

Instead, you yelled at her, broke up with her leaving her in the arms of other men and came home as a single woman again.

Your son, smart as he was, didn't say a single word the entire trip, it wasn't until you were curling him up in his bed that he decided to speak

-"Mama... Are you okay?" - Your little one whispered seeing your eyes and you sighed

-"Today is not my best day..."-You answered honestly, you had always tried to instill in him that he did not scrutinize his emotions and that what he felt was valid and nothing better than the example to teach

-"I can see your sad eyes" - He whispered resting his little hand on your cheek, you leaned over him smiling softly-"Why Mel didn't came with us? She always makes you smile" - The little boy spoke and you sighed again

-"She... We... She said something hurtful to me and I needed some time alone, so she went home by herself" - You answered and he pouted a little

-"Can I sleep with you mama? When I'm sad sleeping with you helps" - Your child was trying to help you in the way that worked for him when he was sad

-"Okey my beautiful boy, let's go sleep together" - You whispered lifting him out of bed and carrying him in your arms to your room to sleep together and snuggle like when he was a new born. Even though he was very small compared to you, you felt like his love was protecting you from the sadness.

The next morning you were still hurting just as much, but you had a child and a job and you couldn't stay in bed and cry, so you drew strength from where you didn't have and went to make breakfast. After you ate and everything was ready, you went to take your child to school. At the entrance you managed to spot the redhead receiving the children, so you got out of the car and said goodbye to your son but you didn't approach the entrance, or even look at her. When you made sure your child got in, you got in your car, and drove off, the only time you decided to look at her was in your rearview mirror as you drove away.

The days started to go by, Mel tried to talk to you but you had blocked her, she came to see you at home but you were never there and at work they wouldn't let her go to the office because you had asked that no one bother you.

For your part, every day that passed hurt less and you missed her more, but that didn't take away the damage she had done to you with what she said and how she said it.

A week later, Mother's Day came and you were invited to the school to see the gifts and things the kids had prepared. Before leaving the house you looked at the photos on the wall, especially the ones with your husband and you sighed, sad and at the same time a little relieved to feel how his absence hurt less, it still hurts and forever will, but it was less... Now, though for different reasons, the redhead's absence hurt a little more than his.

When you got home, you entered the school with the visitor's pass you had been given and went to your son's classroom, greeting his teacher Barbara

-"Mama! Look at my drawing!" - Your son took your hand and led you into the hallway to show you the tender drawing he had made of you and him.

-"Thats gorgeous baby! You even draw me with my uniform" - You laughed and he nodded, you knew how much he liked that you were a firefighter

-"And I got you this!" - The little one took out a gift package and gave it to you, you pretended to be surprised to see a decorated mug inside, although a few days ago in the list of supplies you had been asked for a mug and things to decorate it...

-"I love it baby! The heart and the fire you made is perfect! I'll use it for work every morning"-You answered and he hugged you tigly while you pick him up. After thanking Barbara for her efforts and giving her some chocolates for Mother's Day, you headed to the gym to enjoy the food they had ordered for the mothers. While the children were eating and playing, the redhead approached you with a small bouquet of flowers and stood by your side

-"Happy mother's day..."-she whispered, handing you the small bouquet, but you didn't take it

-"Thank you" - was all you answered without taking your eyes from your son

-"Look... I'm so sorry for all I said and how I behaved... I let my insecurities get the worst of me..." - She started talking and you sighed

-"I don't want to talk about that here or now Melissa, I just want to enjoy my mother's day with Chris, that's the only reason I'm here" - You answered seriously and it was her turn to sigh

-"Okey...I really wish you a happy day..."-Mel offered you the flowers once more and finally, for the first time in the night, you decided to look at her. Dark circles under her eyes were marked as if she was not sleeping well and her eyes did not have their characteristic brightness, they were dull and hid a lot of sadness. Carefully you took the flowers and she smiled just sideways looking at you, wishing to tell you a million things now that you were finally close, but choosing to stay quiet because you asked. -"I will go back with Barb..." - She whispered before leaving and you smelled the flowers, not only did they have their normal scent, but her perfume had also stuck to the paper that wrapped them, which made you smile softly without you noticing.

At the end of the little party they had organized, you drove home with your little one and the bouquet of flowers.

While your child was bathing, you opened the paper covering the flowers to place them in water, a small envelope with a letter fell to the floor. Curious and confused, you picked it up and opened it to find the unmistakable handwriting of the redhead

"Hello... I didn't know if you would accept the flowers, but if you're reading this it means that you did and they didn't end up in the dumpster like I thought... I'm so sorry for everything I said and what happened. From the moment I met you I fell in love with you, but the more I knew about your husband and how perfect you were, the more I doubted if I was worthy of having you by my side. He was an excellent dad, a very brave man, an amazing husband and a very good person in general, perfect for you... And I'm nothing like that and, besides, I'm old... I was jealous of him and what an amazing couple you made and I felt stupid for being jealous of someone who had passed away, so I didn't told you anything. Every day that passed, I felt less deserving of you and because I did not to mention my doubts with you, my insecurities came to the surface in the worst way at the worst time.

You don't have an idea of how sorry I am for what I said and for hurting you and for doing so many stupid things. I miss you and Chris so much.

I understand now that I lost you, how much it hurts to lose the love of your live. I'm sorry for invalidate your pain.

I hope you can forgive me one day.

With love M"

You stared at the letter for a few minutes, the truth is that Mel's anger wasn't unjustified, maybe it wasn't well expressed but she was right. You carefully grabbed your phone and unlocked the redhead's number, admiring her profile picture for a few seconds. After a little more consideration, you decided to send her a message

-You: "Thank you for the gorgeous flowers Mel... Do you think we can talk someday about what happened... About us?..."-Once you sent the message, you were left nervously waiting for a response that came almost immediately

-Melissa: "Yes please... Tomorrow after school?"-The redhead replied

-You: "I'll be working... Is there any chance that you can come to the office?" - You answered a little nervous

-Melissa: "I will be there after school"-She replied and you smiled softly

-"You:thank you... I will see you tomorrow, have a good night Mel"-It was the last thing you sent before you went check on your child in the bathroom.

The next day Mel was very exited about seeing you again, even though she might have to face the hurt that she did to you and hear you scream to her, she really missed you and needed to see you again.

For your part, you also wanted to see her to clarify some things, even though you were hurt, you really wanted to try to fix everything. You were aware that there were times when we all say things that hurt and that no relationship is perfect and everything takes work.

Although you and Mel had a desire to talk, fate didn't care. Even if it seemed like it would be a quiet day at your job, a call to the fire station changed everything. Gas pipes in a large building had exploded, not only causing the building to catch fire but also cause it to collapse. Immediately your station had to go to the call for help. While they were riding in the truck, you sent a message to the redhead, because you couldn't call her since she wouldn't be able to hear you for the sirens

-You:"Hi Mel, I know we had plans to talk today, but a complicated call just came in and I don't know at what time we will finish, I'm so sorry. Maybe we can talk tomorrow... Also, can you tell Miss Howard that maybe I will be a little late to pick Chris up, please. Thank you and I'm sorry"-You sent the message a little nervous about the situation

-Mel:"Hi honey, yes, no worries, I'll tell her and we can talk tomorrow. Please be safe" - Mel's answer was short but calmed you down a bit.

By the time you got to the building, everything was more complicated than you expected, so they immediately got to work saving as many people as possible.

Meanwhile at school, Melissa was teaching her classes but she felt watched, and it wasn't because of her students as they were all busy doing their homework. She carefully scanned the entire room, looking for the reason why she felt that way. When her eyes fell on the door, she found the source. Your little boy was watching her hidden behind the frame, and although the redhead could see almost half of the little boy's body, Chris thought it was very well hidden.

-"Chris... Are you okay?" - The redhead asked and got up from the desk and walked over to your son and knelt in front of him

-"No... My head hurts and I wanna go home" - Your son made his best sad little eyes looking at the redhead

-"Did you tell Barbara? Why are you alone in the hallway?" - Mel asked worriedly, frowning

-"I told her I was going to the bathroom... I miss my mom, can you call her please?" - Chris pleaded and Mel picked him up in her arms

-"Your mommy is working saving people... But if you want you can stay with me until your mommy arrives, would you like that?" - She asked and the little one nodded hiding in her neck.

Melissa knew that when Chris missed you or had a rough day he would say he had a headache so they call you to pick him up, but since you were busy, she would take care of him until you arrived. Mel alerted Barbara of the situation and stayed with your little one in her classroom while she teached.

When the fire stopped and people were safe, everyone went back to the station. You immediately tasked one of your lieutenants with reporting the mission, took off your protective clothes, and ran to the car to pick up your son. The mission had gone on much longer than planned and the kids had already left school and you hadn't gone to pick up your little one. While you were driving, you called Barbara and she told you that Mel had stayed at school with him waiting for you.

The school was empty when you arrived, but as you entered the redhead's classroom you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw the two of them there. Mel was sitting at her desk and your son was asleep curled up in her arms, with his head on her chest and her coat on his back protecting him from the cold. The woman's desk was filled with toys, books, and an empty food Tupperware, showing you how well the redhead had taken care of him.

-"Hi Mel..."-You whispered without really knowing how to greet her, a hug might be too much for how delicate the situation still was, let alone a kiss, and if you make to much fuss, your son might wake up. So you just got closer to them without touching anything-"Thank you for taking care of him, the call was a mess and was longer than expected, I'm sorry that you had to stay" - You whispered a little embarrassed

-"Hi (Y/N)... Are you kidding? I'm happy that I had to stay with him, we had an amazing time and I missed him so much... And he missed my food too"-She joked and you laughed softly. The redhead carefully got up from her chair to hand Chris over to you softly, not taking off her jacket so that his body wouldn't get cold. Your son frowned when Mel pulled him away from her body, but smiled when he felt you and continued sleeping.

Mel frowned, looking at your face more carefully

-"Yeah, I got a little hurt and I didn't stopped to wash my face, but I'm okay..."-You whispered trying to calm her worry-"Thank you for taking care of him..."-You thanked again as she took her purse and the two of you walked down the hallway-"Did you come in your car?" - You asked as she opened the school door letting you out first

-"It's a pleasure, I love being with him... No, I came with Barbara and she's already gone, I'll ask for a uber to go home" - She responded by taking her cell phone out of her purse

-"I'll drive you home, it's the least I can do..."-You replied and she smiled nodding in gratitude. Once your son was secured in his chair, the two of you climbed up and drove home quietly, it wasn't awkward but there was a bit of tension in the silence. The trip went by too quickly for your liking, and even though you hadn't talked about anything, you realized how much you had missed having her by your side, it hurt you what she said, but it hurt you more no having her close. Mel was about to open the car door to get out but your voice stopped her

-"The new season of Bridgeton is out... Do you want to come home to watch it?" - You asked nervously and she looked at you in surprise

-"I would love to... But are you sure you want this? Having me in your home?" - She replied in a trembling voice

-"I'm sure" - You answered confidently and she took her hand out of the door and put her seat belt back on.

Once you got to your house and put your son to bed, you turned on the TV opening Netflix but Mel called your name from the bathroom, confused you followed her and saw her with a wet towel in her hands and the emergency kit

-"Come... Let me clean your face first, we don't want it to be infected" - The redhead spoke and you sat on the small bench that your son climbed on to brush his teeth, Mel sat on the toilet with the lid closed and began to wipe your face with the damp towel. Her hands were soft and delicate, carefully running the towel over your features, wiping a small cut on your forehead with special care, even though you had your eyes closed, you could feel her watchful gaze on you

-"I'm sorry" - You whispered with your eyes closed, and the redhead's actions stopped

-"For your cuts? I don't like that you are hurt, but I'm glad it was something small and not something more dangerous" - Mel resumed her actions and you took her wrist gently making her stop her movements, slowly you opened your eyes and raised your gaze to look into her eyes

-"I'm sorry for not loving you the way you deserve it... I'm not saying that what you did was okay, but I know that somehow I pushed you to said what you said and in part you were right... I couldn't let him go because he literally saved my life and I felt like I owned something to him, loyalty even if he wasn't here, I was scared of forgetting him or that Chris forget him... I know I will never completely forget him because I see him in the face of my son every day and I know that Chris won't forget him because he loves him and knows the kind of person his father was, but I also know that holding into him won't bring him back and will only take you away from us. You are part of our family now, you are everything that I need, you are here now, you love us, you protect us and you are everything that we were missing... I get now that you are not here to replace him, but you are here to complete us... And I'm sorry for pushing you away"-You whispered, still holding her hand, and Mel smiled, resting her forehead on yours

-"I'm sorry for being an asshole and for being mean, you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry for letting my insecurities get the worst of me... I don't want to lose you both and I don't want you to forget your husband or that Chris forget his father, I just want to have a place here" - Mel pointed to your heart and you barely smiled-"Because you and Chris occupied my whole heart..."-Mel kissed your forehead gently and you hugged her waist resting your head on her chest-"I also love the pictures that you put on the wall where we are all together... We look like a cute family" - Mel whisper against your hair

-"We are a family, you are our family... I really missed you Mel... I love you" - You murmured against her chest

-"I love you honey" - Mel gave you a little kiss and kept holding you tight

[comradekatara]

Can you share any thoughts/headcannons about Ty Lee's sisters?

i’ve talked before about how i think that aang would date one of ty lee’s sisters and it would really freak katara out because she’s terrified of ty lee and she thinks that nothing good can come from involving himself in that family. but aang is actually like best friends with her whole family because of their air nomad ancestry and he’s trying to get them all into embracing their culture more and teaching them about their heritage. and maybe even one of her sisters does have latent airbending powers (ty lee has like, very minimal airbending ability, but her sister can actually move the air and all that) so he’s just overjoyed to help her hone that skill.

also this isn’t really about her sisters but i think that the chi-blocking girl from the legacy of yangchen who gets relocated to yangchen’s air temple for her own safety is a distant ancestor of ty lee’s. not because ty lee like epigenetically discovered the ability to chi-block (if anything i think ty lee discovered it on her own) but because i just think that’s a fun intersection and i do feel like fc yee incorporated it deliberately. anyway back to her sisters.

one of them dates aang, one of them is an airbender (possibly the same one?), at least one of them is also gay (just, statistically speaking), and unlike what the stupid comics will tell you, just because they all look identical does not mean that they wear matching hairstyles and outfits. they definitely each have their own sense of style and a complex about being unique and distinguished in their individual field. if anything i think ty lee incorporates their insecurities into her persona during her confession on the beach because she knows firsthand that the desire to distinguish oneself runs rampant in their family. like she’s clearly exaggerating as a deliberate performance of vulnerability, but it does come from a real place, if only through borrowing the anxieties of her sisters.

one is an accomplished musician, one is an accomplished mathematician, one is an accomplished engineer, one in an accomplished artist, one is an accomplished poet, one is an accomplished architect, and ty lee is the accomplished performer(/acrobat/fighter/liar). she could also probably be good at all those things too if she put her mind to it, but they all tacitly respect one another’s boundaries.

they come from a family that cares about nothing more than entrenching themselves within the fire nation aristocracy, and so their parents never really cared about their wellbeing as long as they were excelling. and ty lee was particularly favored because she’s excessively charming and knows how to get her way in any situation, and also, of course, because she’s the chosen playmate of the princess.

the pressure to always be perfect and provide an “in” for her family gets to be too much for her so she runs away to the join the circus, and she kind of assumes that they won’t even notice because she left behind six identical copies, but they get really worried because what will happen to their family now that they no longer have a direct link to the palace? so they’re really relieved to hear that ty lee is once again working with azula after news of the coup on ba sing se reaches the fire nation. and then they hear that she betrayed azula and got herself imprisoned and they’re furious. they actively consider disowning her, but then they figure if she’s already in prison for life, why bother. but then a few months later, they learn that now she’s friends with the avatar and the new firelord, which is even better than being friends with the princess, so they accept her back.

not that she wants to go home, but aang has suspicions about her ancestry that he wants to confirm so he makes her take him to her house and introduces him to all her sisters and her parents. they all show off their various talents to aang because they’re so nervous to be meeting the avatar, but he’s literally impressed by every single one of them. any time any of them do anything he’s just like “wow that’s awesome!!!” completely sincerely. he thinks ty lee’s family is so cool and has dinner with them whenever he can.

after the war aang gets really intent on finding all the remnants of the air nomad legacy through tracking down the air nomad refugees whose families assimilated into other nations over the past century. and he and ty lee (and her sisters) embark on this really in-depth archival project to collect all the traces of her family and families like hers as a way to honor and commemorate their cultural heritage. ty lee learns a lot about her family and what they had to do to survive (and how that mirrors her own life). and even though it’s nothing like it was before, aang finds a community of people who want to reconnect with their heritage and piece by piece, he slowly rebuilds what was lost.

[perfluorononanoic-acid]

Oooh I have a request! The youngest Itoshi f!sibling neglected over many years after both brothers prioritse football. Has a moment of realisation and decides to put herself first and move on. Stops messaging in family chats, calling, birthday wishes, festive greetings etc. Moving on and finding better for oneself ~~!

Synopsis: Itoshi Y/N was never the first priority when it came to her parents and her two older brothers that were pursuing football. She has a moment of realization that no matter what she does she will never be any of their top priorities, and so she decides to cut off contact with her family and pursue her own passion of sport.

Content Warnings: angst, u realize ur self-worth, neglect, platonic!Rin Itoshi x reader, platonic!Sae Itoshi x reader, good ending

Word Count: 788

Author’s Note: I tried to fill in the blanks for some of this, I hope it’s to your liking, dearest!Tysm for the request! Requests are still open!

_______________________________

There was another family-friend reunion of sorts happening and Y/N had to sit at the far side of the table as she constantly heard her parents boast of her brothers’ accomplishments. She sighed and just stared at her plate aimlessly toying with her food as nobody spared a single glance her way, until one random adult spoke up,

“And what does your nice daughter over here do?”

She quickly perked her head up with slight excitement from the attention and said,

“Oh well I do [insert sport]!”

The adult politely smiled at her comment and was about to respond until her brother, Sae, finally walked into the room and everyone directed their attention towards him leaving Y/N forgotten once more. With some disappointment in her eyes she just turned back to her plate and continued to silently stare while listening to everything around her. Everyone was congratulating Sae on his triumphs and his becoming of an international star, he simply nodded not really showing much care as he was only visiting Japan for a few days before leaving again. Rin was brought up into the conversation too, being praised for becoming another upcoming star, Rin followed his brother’s actions in nodding and mainly staying silent. Hunched over in her chair, Y/N slowly turned her head to her brothers’ direction, watching as they were showered in compliments and praise while she was just the only person sitting at the table now. Rin looked in her direction and saw her staring, but acted as if it was nothing and directed his attention to the adults praising him as if he were a god of sorts. She decided to stop her staring and focused on her plate once more while thinking,

I’m tired.

I want to go to my room and sleep.

I wonder how [friend’s name] is doing at [insert sport].

I want to go to the [insert sport] meeting.

Nobody would notice if I leave anyways, I’m kind of worthless staying here.

Why do I even bother trying to be part of this family?

As her mind continued to wander, she quietly got up and walked out. Nobody even noticed she left. Her mother didn’t notice, her father didn’t notice, Rin didn’t notice, and Sae most certainly did not notice nor cared to. Y/N called her friend to ask if the [insert sport] meeting was still going on, and thankfully it was as she rushed to the train station to get there. Once she had arrived she swore she would no longer affiliate herself with her family due to the countless years of neglect and missed opportunities her family caused for her. She also swore she would practice [insert sport] extremely hard and become even more known than her brothers.

As time passed she kept to her oath and did not communicate with her family at all, not even sending any holiday messages and such. She still missed her brothers very much as she remembered them trying to teach her how to kick a ball into a goal when she was very little. She grew sad at the thought, but remembered she was no longer going to try and be the initiator to try and get their attention. If her brothers wished to speak to her, then they must do so themselves. She slowly but surely made her way to the top of [insert sport] and became internationally known just like her brothers. As she was about to get up from her seat, she heard her phone buzz and saw it was from an old group-chat that consisted of her, Sae, and Rin. There was 5 minutes until she had to go out, but she opened the message which read from Rin,

“Good luck we’re out here if you need anything”

She took a slight peek and scanned the crowds until she spotted Sae and Rin sitting amongst the crowd with both their arms crossed. She smiled to herself; she finally was able to be seen by her brothers once more.

________________________________

[milotraflgkl]

reader who likes to cook

STRAW-HATS X GN!READER

note: THIS IS A REUPLOAD!!! content: reader can cook, fluff, can be platonic or romantic, fluff. WC: 1050

Luffy

he loves to eat, so when he finds out that you can cook? you are the first person he goes to for every meal

he doesn’t care what you cook him, as long as he gets a bunch of it and fast. he’s starving!! (he ate like two minutes ago)

if you want to try something knew he’s willing to eat it, he’ll even tell you how good it is but you have to take it with a grain of salt cause he finds practically everything you make him delicious

he also likes to make ideas for things he wants, if he wants something exotic he’ll definitely bring it up in a random conversation to you

he likes both you and sanjis cooking, but he definitely likes your more. maybe it’s the fact that your cooking isn’t restaurant taught and feels more, home like

if you are out shopping on an island, to his dismay yet his obvious interest he’ll grab random fruit and ask what kind of meals you can make out of it

Zoro

he doesn’t really care, he’s never cared for anything except good combat and shit like that but that doesn’t mean he won’t find it impressive

and when i say he doesn’t care i mean, he just doesn’t bother to ask. you’ll tell him or cook him something and he’ll say thanks or cool then move on

but secretly after you tell him you cooked him something he tries to enjoy it a little more than he does Sanjis, i mean you cooked it for HIM he feels pretty flattered

he’ll also sometimes come into the kitchen to watch you, mostly to see how you use a knife and if you are good with it. like i said, he’s mostly interested in combat.

he’ll start to buy you knives, he hopes you’ll use them for defense but most the time he finds them hidden somewhere safely or he’ll see you using them to cut up the onions that will be on tonight’s plate

Nami

she thinks it’s cute, especially when you make her something specifically for her. she’ll eat it slowly and make sure to enjoy every little detail that you put into the dish

if you make her anything orange related you’ll hear constant praises and she’ll tell you how good the dish was then ask for more

she definitely enjoys sitting in the kitchen while you cook, doodling in her pages of maps but also making sure to keep a look out for good islands that have ingredients you might like

she doesn’t mind Sanji’s cooking but whenever dinner is served she always asks, when she hears it’s from you she takes her time more than she does with Sanjis.

when she’s out shopping for herself and she sees something like a little utensil set she’ll snag it then buy it for you, as a random gift because she thought you’d like it

she definitely comes to you when she’s craving things on her period, if she wants a specific snack she’ll go to you and she’ll watch you intently as you prepare it for her

Usopp

he finds it cool! he’ll tell you stories about himself cooking and how amazing of a cook he is but when you offer to cook with him he panics

he will sit and watch you cook, he will ask random question but most the time he’ll bite his nails to hold back from asking to many. he doesn’t wanna bother you while you cook

he won’t say it to either you or sanjis face but he definitely likes your cooking more, he’ll tell anybody he meets about sanjis cooking but then immediately bring up how yours is just 10x better

he’ll ask you about different meals you can make, if you offer to make one he’ll say yes but then immediately feel bad for being a bother to you and distracting you from cooking for the rest of the crew

but when you do cook for him? it’s like he’s on heaven. like nami and zoro, he takes his time enjoying what you’ve made for him. he doesn’t really look at the details like nami does cause it’s food, he’s hungry but he’ll take his time to enjoy it longer than he normally does

if you offer to teach him how to cook he’ll say yes, but will apologize every 30 seconds if he messes up or doesn’t follow the correct instructions. he’s not bad at it either… well making toast at least.

Sanji

at first he’s intimidated over the fact that someone else on the ship can cook and from what he’s heard, it’s better than his. he’s very cold to you at the beginning before he realizes how much this is just like the baratie

one day he comes to you and you two talk it out, eventually opting to work together in the kitchen to make meals that make the whole crew happy and sleep well at the end of the night

sanji won’t admit it but he enjoys having someone in the kitchen, even after preaching that it was his sacred space and no one was allowed there he didn’t mind having you back there

and when you weren’t there, it was mildly hectic. you always knew how to make the meals feel more special, give it that family and homey feel but he’s stuck in the old restaurant ways

he’ll cook you something and even when he does he tries to push his limits to make something similar to you, even though he messes up you still enjoy the thought

when you cook for him it shocks him, he’s not used to being cooked for but when he tries to the food he understands why the rest of the crew says yours simply just… tastes better. he’ll definitely ask you for your secrets, if you have any

[naavispider]

Spider + recom squad headcanons because @hyperfixatedfandomer got me inspired ✨

(pic source)

Spider constantly cussing out Quaritch and the other recoms and nobody batting an eyelid

Quaritch secretly loving it because even though those are some spicy insults, Spider is obviously comfortable enough in his presence to say them

(Quaritch doesn’t know this is why he enjoys it, to him he’s just confused when a warm glow starts to spread from his chest)

Spider having the time of his imprisonment life because nobody seems to care that he hates them, he can just freely live his truth without being punished

He used to feel like he was walking on eggshells around the Omatikaya (esp Neytiri) because everything he said he could be judged for, but here no one gives a shit, it seems

Weirdly, he also knows that he’s probably a great deal safer with the recom squad than with any old Omatikaya, because these guys will actually try to protect him if any of the wildlife turns foul

Z-dog praising Spider for his creative insults, stating that they’re some of the most inventive ones she’s heard in her two lifetimes. Spider glowing warm because it’s the only praise he’s received from an adult in years

Quaritch watching the other recoms take the piss out of spider for his foul attitude towards them, but his juxtapositional softness and gentleness when it comes to the animals they encounter

Quaritch not joining in because he’s just watching Spider react, always trying to gauge his response

“What the hell is a Tarzan and why do you keep calling me tiger?!”

Quaritch has enough and gets a picture of a tiger up to show him. Spider is unimpressed at first until he realises that tigers look pretty ferocious, and he likes their stripes. From then on, the nickname doesn’t bother him.

The recoms all promise to never enlighten Spider about Tarzan, making him believe it’s a kind of species of Earth animal that died out thousands of years ago. Quaritch doesn’t join in but has to hide his smirk whenever Spider starts frustratedly asking how big tarzans were and if they had stripes or sharp teeth or were predators

Spider being woken up early in the mornings for trekking through the jungle with a furious, albeit sleepy, “fuck off.”

The recoms joking about spider being a baby, or weak, or fragile, but they recognise deep down that the kid is built. Quaritch knows this too and knows they’re only doing it to wind spider up, so he doesn’t stop them

When spider is especially annoyed/homesick/sick of being a prisoner, the recoms are better at noticing it than Quaritch, who at the beginning of their relationship was abrasive and unable to empathise with him

A hand on Quaritch’s shoulder from Wainfleet or Ja or Lopez is all it takes for the recoms to stop Quaritch from going off at the boy after he ransacked the supplies

Spider trying out the recom food from the suction packets and their faces bursting into laughter when spider pulls a disgusted face and starts gagging (a la trying alcohol for the first time)

Spider teaching Quaritch Na’vi at Quaritch’s request, but exchanging phrases like ‘good morning’ to ‘I am a worm’s anus’

Mansk has been checking the translation on his tablet software, and starting grinning when he catches on to what Spider is doing. He gets Z-dog and the others round and they watch with barely concealed laughter as Spider tricks the Colonel (Quaritch never finds out)

[cyn-write]

Prompt: The Heartsyble Boys walking in on yuu’s baking catastroph-Education!

Pairings: GN!Yuu (reader) x Riddle, Trey, Carter, Ace, and Deuce (Separately)

Warnings: None other than tooth-rotting fluff!!

Notes: This is a request! I have a few in my log that I’m working through as I get them! Thank you anonymous for the request and I hope you enjoy it! If you would like to read more, check out my Masterlist!

Sweetheart’s Sweet Tooth

Riddle was on his was at Ramshackle's gate when he heard the explosion. He saw smoke come out of the open windows, and the worst ran through his head. Riddle ran into Ramshackle with little concern for proper house rules or his life as the most horrible situations ran through his head.

He ran into the kitchen, smoke fading out, post-its and notebooks spewed across the counter, flour all over the floor, chocolate dripped across the counter, and Yuu covered in batter and looking sadly at a pan of... something?

"YUU! WHAT IN THE SEVENS' SAKE HAPPENED?" Riddle's face was growing red with a mix of anger and worry, "I CAME IN AND-AND SMOKE AND BOOM AND-AND ITS A MESS AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING??"

Yuu looked up at Riddle with puppy dog eyes and sad face, "my cake blew up..."

"Y-your what?" Riddle asked calming down.

"I wanted to make you a cake... for winning your club tournament..." Yuu looked at the bowl on the counter, "I finally got the frosting right but the cake blew up in the oven..."

Riddle was embarrassed and touched at the same time. He kneeled next to Yuu, took out his handkerchief, and started to wipe off their face. "Well... at least you're alright," Riddle said, "and the frosting is okay... how about this? We clean up the kitchen, make some tea, and try again... together?"

Yuu smiled and nodded, "We can be baking study buddies!"

Riddle chuckled at the suggestion, "I am lacking in home ec, let's do it."

Later that evening, Trey got a call from a distressed Yuu... they needed his assistance on the third try.

Trey left the Heartsyble kitchen for an hour to attend to the Flamingo's and returned to a mess. Brownie batter was everywhere, papers all over the ground, the oven beeping, and Yuu battling the hand blender.

Trey ran over, turned off the oven, and unplugged the blender. Yuu was covered in white frosting, and so was the counter.

Yuu looked at him in relief, "Thanks, I couldn't stop it."

"Yuu, what happened?" Trey asked, voice filled with concern.

Yuu put the bowl of frosting down and wiped off her notebook, "I wanted to suprise you," they said, blush rising to their cheeks, "I've been trying to learn how to bake so I could make you something instead of the other way around... I had it, but the stupid blender overpowered me and the Oven was yelling at me and- THE BROWNIES!"

Yuu ran over to the oven and frowned, "No... they burnt." She was about to grab the pan bare handed but Trey stopped her.

"If you wanted to learn, why didn't you ask me? I'd love to teach you," He said as he grabbed an oven mitt and took out the burnt brownies.

"I didn't want to bother you," they said, defeated. "You're so busy already, and I wanted to do something nice for you..."

Trey smiled and shook his head, "You could never bother me. Especially when it comes to this" He picked up the recipe and smiled, "I can teach you a better recipie, one i know by heart," he swipped some frosting off of Yuu's cheek and tasted it, "The frosting is good, a little over-whipped but good, so we have a bit of a base to work with. Put it in the fridge while we clean and make some coffee. You have most of the ingredients out already, we just need-"

"Wait," Yuu said and held up their hands, "You mean it? You'll teach me?"

Trey kissed the Yuu's forhead and said, "My mother always said, food tastes better when you make it with someone you love~"

Cater has been seeing a lot of baking hacks on his magicam feed and decided to try one, except Yuu got to it first. He walked to the kitchen with his equipment in hand, ready to film, but when he got there, Yuu was putting the finishing touches on their donuts.

"Cater!" Yuu was very excited as they picked up their plate of freshly made donuts, "I saw this donut recipe on Magicam and thought you would like it!"

Cater smiled at his S/o and ruffled their hair with his free hand, "You read my mind! I was on my way to make them!"

He looked down at the slightly mishappend donuts and picked on up, "You know what? We can do a live reaction vid on my magicam! This is perfect!!" Cater started to set up his phone stand when he saw Yuu's notes and mess on the table, as well as a pile of burnt and underdone donuts. There were piles of flour and powdered sugar all over the notes.

Yuu's smile had fallen, and they looked nervous, "c-could we not? I-i'm still learning a-and am not sure about the flavor or the texture s-so can we not film this live?"

Cater could see how nervous their partner was and nodded, "I bet they taste amazing, but we don't have to film if you don't want to." He reached out and picked up one of the donuts on top. He tried it, and it was a little overcooked, but overall, it tasted pretty good! It wasn't too sweet, had a cakey flavor, and wasn't too dense. Cater smiled and popped the rest in his mouth. "This is really good!" He said, licking the powdered sugar off his fingers, "How long did it take you to make them?"

Yuu couldn't hold back their smile, "Really!? You like them?!" They put the plate down and dusted off their hands, "5th time is the charm!"

"5 times?" Cater was shocked, he didn't think the hack was that difficult.

"Well, yeah," Yuu rubbed the back of their neck and looked down at the donuts, "I wanted them to be perfect for you, so I found a recipe that wasn't too sweet. But because of that, the baking time was different, so I had to experiment to get the right recipe."

Cater felt his heart warm. "You did this all for me?"

"Of course," Yuu said and grabbed their notebook, wiping off some powdered sugar from the page, "I know you're not a fan of sweets, so I have been trying to learn some more... Cater-friendly treats that you could substitute at unbirthday parties and events." They flipped through the notebook and scanned the recipies, "I have successfully made 5 so far counting the donuts, but I didn't want to show you till they were perfect."

"You did this all... for me?" Cater looked at the notebook, and his expression changed from his usual "happy" face to a genuine smile. He leaned down and kissed Yuu's forehead before turning to a pudding recipe that caught his eye, "Ya know what... can you teach me to make this? Not for magicam, just for us?"

Yuu smiled and nodded, "I-I would love to!"

Deuce just wanted a glass of water, but he was face with a batter filled kitchen and a trey full of cookies. Yuu was grinning from ear to ear as they held out the trey. They had been working on them while Deuce finished his homework. They wanted to reward him for getting an "A-" on his recent Professor Trien assignment with a sleepover and some cookies.

"Suprise!" Yuu said as they held out the try, "I've been working on them all day! They finally didn't burn!"

Deuce smiled at his partner and ruffed their hair, “They smell delicious, Yuu.”

He picked up one of the cookies and it started to go limp in his hand. It felt weird in his hands, but Yuu worked really hard on these so he forced a smile and took a bite of the cookie. To say it was underdone was an understatement. The cookie turned to mush in his mouth and tasted more like sugar than anything else. The overwhelming taste of sugar made him want to gag, but he held it back to the best of his ability for the sake of Yuu. They watched him with anticipation as they held out the cookies.

Deuce forced a smile through the taste and gave them a thumbs up, “Delicious… mmmm.”

Yuu’s expression fell, they saw past it, “Don’t lie… what’s wrong? Are they undercooked? did I manage to overcook them again?” They were listing off reason after reason and Deuce felt awful.

“Nonono! I love them! They taste amazing! See!” Deuce shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth and proceeded to shove the rest of the sugar-rotten, mushy cookies into his mouth. His stomach was revolting, and his tastebuds were throwing a hissy fit, but he wasn’t going to let any of Yuu's hard work go to waste.

"Deuce!! What are you doing!?" Yuu exclaimed and pulled the trey away from him. "You're going to make yourself sick!!"

Deuce shoved the last of the cookies into his mouth, and he felt like he was going to puke. But he smiled through the pain. "See... told you.. they were... good..."

He swallowed down the nausea and held onto the counter. He saw their notes on the counter and felt worse. They have been working so hard to do this for him.

"Deuce..." Yuu rubbed his back and said, "You idiot, sit down. I'll get some water and meds."

They turned to grab the stuff, but before they did, Yuu kissed Deuce's cheek and said, "Thank you, Deuce."

Deuce smiled for real now and turned to his partner, "You worked so hard on them, it's the least I can do," then a rare stroke of brilliance hit Duece like a freight train, "I-If you want to learn to bake, wanna call my Mom and Grams? They make really good cookies and would be happy to help, plus we can do it together!!"

A bright smile graced Yuu's face, and they nodded vigorously, "I would love to! We can learn together!"

The next weekend, Duece and Yuu made cookies with the help of his family on call. Ms. Sade and Nana Spade also made some remarks that left the couple red and speechless!

Ace smelled something off-putting when he entered Ramshackle. At first, he thought it was him that smelled seeing as he just got out of basketball, but he showered and stole some of Jamil's deodorant, so he actually smelled decent. He walked further into the dilapidated dorm and realized it was coming from the kitchen.

He entered and saw chaos. It gave Ace flashbacks to when Trey went on strike and didn't bake for an unbirthday party. There were ingredients everywhere, notes everywhere, and in the center of the chaos was Yuu, pulling a cake out of the oven.

“Ace! You’re just in time!” Yuu exclaimed when they spotted him.

“Just in time for what exactly?” Ace asked as scents assaulted his nose and his stomach churned at the sight.

“To taste test!” Yuu placed the cake on the one clean spot on the counter. Next to them was a bowl of frosting and a bowl of strawberries. They pulled out two plates, a knife, a spoon, and two forks. “Trey gave me this lemon cake recipe to start with, and a simple strawberry-compote and frosting recipes to go with it. He said once I mastered this he would give me something more complicated-“

“Woah, woah, woah, hold up for a sec. Trey gave you a recipe?” Ace asked, “For what?”

“Just to learn,” Yuu said cutting the cake, “I’ve always wanted to learn how to bake and Trey said that if I helped out with unbirthday parties, he would be happy to tutor.” They placed a piece of cake in front of Ace with a smile, they then grabbed their notebook and a pen “So, taste test 01, Lemon Cake with whipped frosting and strawberry compote. Taste testers Ace and Yuu.”

Yuu put the pen down, used the spoon to scoop frosting and compote on to each plate then handed Ace a fork. Ace smiled and took the fork, “Best kind of test I’ve had in weeks!” He took a big bite of the cake, frosting, and compote. It tasted good at first, the smooth frosting and strawberries went well with the lemony cake. Then he tasted something salty, really salty. Like… soy sauce?

Yuu must’ve also tasted the soy sauce as their face also skewed. “Is it suppose to be salty?”

Yuu shook their head and looked at the recipe. “I-I did everything to a T! What hap…. They soy sauce was the dud.”

Ace looked at them confused, “the what?”

“The dud! Remember! Trey always puts a dud ingredient in so no one can steal his recipes.” Yuu put their hands on their heads in anguish. They were really upset, “I’m such an idiot! Why would soy sauce be in a LEMON cake, Ugggh its ruined!”

Ace put the fork down and awkwardly placed his hand on their back in comfort, “Hey, it doesn’t taste that bad. If ya lather on the strawberries and the frosting, you can hardly taste it.”

Yuu looked up at Ace with an exasperated look, “hardly taste it. Really. No snarky comments on how it taste more like take out than desserts?”

Ace winced. His reputation proceeded him. But he wanted to be better for his partner, “Look Yuu, the cake doesn’t taste great, but it ain’t awful. And the strawberries and frosting are good. So we grab some gram crackers. Eat them with strawberries and frosting. Save the cake for Deuce, Jack, Epel, Trey, and the others. Then this weekend, we send Grim out with Deucy so you and I can try making this again? Sound Good?”

Yuu looked at Ace with the hint of a smile, then hugged him, “You’re the best Ace.”

“I know, I’m a genius,” Ace said, “If only you listened to me more often~”

“Don’t push it Ace,” Yuu said and was about to put the cake in the oven when Deuce, Jack, Epel, Sebek, and Grim entered Ramshackle.

“Ah! Our first victims!”

The rest of the Week, Ace and Yuu enjoyed pranking their friends with the lemon-soy sauce cake, until the weekend when they had a fun and messy baking-date.

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

Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more characters in this scenario or these characters in different scenarios, please let me know! (Do not Steal)

[aheathen-conceivably]

There came a day when Josephine couldn’t try any longer. She couldn’t bear to smile or socialize while insults were thrown in her face, or try to stay out of the way while she became more and more useless to people who had once relied on her. The idea of trying, only to be defeated or scolded or ignored, became an insurmountable task, one laden with her absolute lack of independence in this place where she relied on everyone else to teach her anything. 

Even her clothes, the apron and her dirt stained hands, obscured who she thought she was. She no longer recognized her own life; her goals and her plans had been subsumed in the dry, desperate air around her until she felt like a husk of who she had once been. The woman in the mirror was someone else entirely, someone with no utility, a bother to those around her, a failure without a future.

So one morning instead of rising and doing it all again, of trying and trying until she was faced with the possibility that she was the failure, Josephine simply stopped trying. Her legs seemed unwilling to move, to hold her weight atop the roughened floorboards, and for the first time in her life she gave into the inertia. Giorgio asked no questions other than if he could do anything for her, so as soon as he left she rolled onto her side to watch the shadows grow longer, forgetting who she was or how she had gotten to this strange and foreign place at all. 

As the hours passed the shadows moved and desert sunbeams shielded her from life outside the windows: from the beggars on the street, from her own fear of giving into her past, from the people she loved most, and even from Violette, who she knew would never forget seeing her in such a broken state. She hid away until weeks became months and the vast majority of her hours were spent sleeping, or flitting between bouts of sleep as she spiraled deeper into a hole that she had never intended on falling into at all.

Josephine woke to the sound of the front door of the cabin; from one glance at the sunbeams she knew it was somewhere near sunset. That sound meant that she needed to open her eyes, that Zelda could soon appear at the door, her voice soft as she offered pleasant platitudes and flitted hands in an attempt to lift her spirits. But the approaching footsteps were too heavy for that, which meant that she would either have to rouse herself to look up at her brother, making some excuse to come to their cabin but clearly just there to check on her, or even worse, Giorgio. 

When she had first taken to bed he had spent nearly every spare second with her. He had even carried the radio into the room, attempting to play it and tell her stories before besieging her to come outside, or bringing an endless bounty of flowers picked from the desert sands. But more and more regularly, his footsteps would go straight to the kitchen to pour a cup of moonshine. That day, she hoped it would be the latter.

Instead the steps grew closer and the door opened, revealing Giorgio’s dirt stained face. Jo stared at him for a moment, wondering if the lines she could see now had always been there, or if they had grown more drawn in the desert air. She did know that the stubble was new, and it made him seem like a different man. It matched the overalls and ripped pants he always wore now, so different from the fedoras and pinstripes she had once associated with him. 

He looked like a stranger, the same way that the room often spun and distorted until she no longer recognized it. Then the sun would sink below the red rocks and the shadows disappeared, suddenly throwing the entire space into darkness and she could truly forget who she was, who this bearded stranger who now slept on the couch and avoided her presence could possibly be.  

Giorgio opened his mouth to speak and a look of guilt stricken agony crossed his face. Josephine met his eyes numbly, bracing herself for what seemed like remorseful admittance. Then he seemingly thought better of it and turned around, closing the door and retreating back down the hallway as he realized that the moonshine was the better option after all.

[justagalwhowrites]

Yearling Ch. 13 - Falling

You try to find a way to repay Joel for all his kindness. A continuation of Yearling ch. 1-12 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

Warnings: No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ Only 

Length: 5.9k 

AO3 | Chapter One | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

For a change, you wished you’d paid more attention to your mother. 

She’d tried to teach you how to sew. She’d tried to teach you plenty of times. She had this antique notion in her head that you should know how to embroider shit, that you should be able to repair your future husband’s shirts and socks and jeans and make your future babies little onesies. She’d tried to teach you to hand stitch and use a sewing machine and every time you counted the seconds until you could go do something - anything - else. Ride horses, play music, read. Hell, math homework sounded better than stabbing yourself in the finger with a needle for no damn reason. 

Besides, with a Wal-Mart in every town, who even needed to sew anymore? 

You regretted that at the end of the world.

You’d had to figure it out when you were living on your own in the wilderness. You’d traded for more clothes and the things to keep them in good working order but that didn’t get you far when you couldn’t actually sew. The first repair you made didn’t hold well and you had to redo it again and again. Eventually, you could at least keep your clothes functional without wasting your precious few materials but you’d never done a particularly nice looking job. The stitches were never the same size or evenly spaced and doing any kind of design was completely out of the question. 

You wished it wasn’t though. 

“Ow,” you muttered to yourself, stabbing your thumb with the needle yet again. You sucked the bead of blood off your fingertip. “Fuckin’…” 

You were going to have to call it good soon otherwise you’d never actually finish this damn thing. You’d already spent far too much time on making something as simple as a guitar strap out of canvas, flannel and denim from the scrap pile and leather from saddle bags damaged in the raider attack. If you’d actually bothered to learn how to properly sew, you were certain that you’d have finished the fucking thing weeks ago. And that it would look much better than it did after all that extra work. 

But at least it was useable. And it looked like something Joel would like. Or you thought it did, anyway. You hoped it did. 

It was, in fact, hard to figure out what to give someone at the end of the world. It’s not like you could go to the mall and browse and, while you were closer to Joel than you were to any other person in town, you didn’t know him intimately enough to know things that he deeply longed for or needed but wouldn’t get for himself. Even though you were starting to think you wanted to know him in that way. A thought that made your heart flutter and head get light. 

But you’d watched him play guitar enough that you thought he wanted a strap for his guitar and you were pretty sure he didn’t have one. So you’d gathered the materials and started piecing it together, just making up everything as you went along. It’s not like you had a pattern or much of a plan to speak of. You just found ways to make even cuts, pinned it all together and did your best to make it look like someone besides a clumsy toddler had sewed the damn thing. 

Overall, you were pretty happy with how it was turning out. Had turned out. It was done now if you could just stop fucking with it. You held it up, looking it over, eyes catching on every flaw in the stitching. 

“Think he’s gonna like it?” You asked no one, an old habit that was hard to break after spending years with almost no interaction with other people. “Fuckin’ hope he likes it.” 

You’d tried to make it something special, something that would speak to Joel somehow. The outer layer of fabric was a subtle plaid flannel, one like he wore so frequently you figured he had to like it. The underside was thick, sturdy denim, the leg of a pair of pants that had one side shredded by barbed wire while the other was left intact. You’d brought the scrap leather around the bottom and even burned Joel’s initials into it using nails that you’d shaped into the letters yourself. 

You’d found Tommy working on building something in town one day and you picked up a few bent nails off the ground. 

“What’re you tryin’ to get away with?” He called after you as you headed back home. “Know you’re itchin’ to cause trouble…” 

“Makin’ a voodoo doll so I can fuck with you when you’re not around,” you replied. “Needed somethin’ sharp.”

“You would,” he laughed. “Gonna get you back one of these days, Bambi!” 

“Lemme know when you got the brain power for it, Miller!” 

It took a surprising amount of force to bend the nails into the right shape but you got them eventually, the M in two parts because doing that many bends in one piece of metal wasn’t going well. Then, you heated them up and burned the letters into the leather, ignoring how your hip itched where you’d been branded years earlier as you worked. You anchored the ends of the fabric into the leather and added loops to hook onto the guitar. 

You still felt strangely nervous as you wrapped the guitar strap in paper and tied string around it even though you knew you’d done everything you could and it wasn’t going to get any better. The strap was holding together well, the stitches were at least in fairly straight lines if not equally spaced and evenly sized - and you doubted Joel would even notice things like that - but it still made your chest tight. It had been a long time since you’d given someone like Joel anything at all. But you wanted to. 

The night he’d returned from hunting Simon, he’d walked you home with his arm around you, holding you to his side. His knuckles were bloody and bruised as he pressed his nose into your hair. When he went to leave you on your porch, you caught his wrist and held him there, feeling his heart beat below your fingertips. 

“Stay,” you said, knowing you were all but begging him not to leave but you didn’t care if it was pathetic. You didn’t want to be far from him. You didn’t want to try to rest without him. “Please.” 

He slept next to you again, his damaged hand gently cradling your face in the dark, the steady rise and fall of his chest so close to yours comforting you enough that you could relax for the first time since you’d watched him ride away. 

You weren’t sure how to repay him for that kindness. 

It didn’t help that you weren’t sure what you were to Joel, what he was to you. It was the end of the world, after all, labels seemed silly at a certain point. Besides, what did you call someone you sometimes shared a bed with but were too afraid to go into their house? Whose touch you longed for but just the thought of him undressing you made you very nearly panic? Who you wanted to be around all the time but couldn’t bring yourself to tell the things that hurt you most? You weren’t sure. You weren’t sure what he’d want to be, either. 

But you wanted to give him something. You had for weeks, wanted to do something after for letting you play his guitar, for helping you through the pain of finding your home burned to the ground, for giving you who knows how many shirts now, for being a good and decent man in a world where it seemed like there weren’t any. 

Then, he’d saved your life. Again. And killed the men who’d tried to hurt you, the man who’d possibly sold you out to the people who had taken everything from you, to keep you safe.

You couldn’t repay all that. You wouldn’t even know where to begin. 

So you finally finished the fucking guitar strap. 

Joel opened his front door before you’d had a chance to knock and smiled. 

“Hey,” his eyes were so soft and the edges of them crinkled when he smiled like that. “Was just about to make some tea, want some?” 

“Sure,” you said, trying to smile back but you weren’t sure you managed it, your heart in your throat. You thrust the small, paper-wrapped package forward and stared at his chest instead of his face. Or you tried to, anyway. You still glanced up at him and caught him frowning, brows scrunched together in question. 

“What’s this?” He asked, taking it from you and turning it over in his hands. 

“Nothin’ crazy, don’t get excited,” you stuck your hands in your back pockets. “Just somethin’ I thought you might need so I made it…” 

“You made this?” He asked, smiling again as he held the package up. You nodded, cheeks getting hot. 

“Like I said, It’s nothing crazy…” you muttered, clenching your jaw as you looked off the porch, anywhere but directly at him. 

He properly stepped outside, going for the stairs and sitting on the top one. You sat next to him, your nerves calming a little bit now that you were in this more familiar setting. You’d still never been inside his house but you were starting to want to. Want to go behind closed doors with him, be truly alone with him in his space, be that close to him, know him that well. 

He unwrapped it slowly, pulling it free of the paper, a confused frown on his face at first before he gently, almost reverently, unfolded it. 

“You made this?” He asked quietly, looking at you with raised brows. 

“Yeah,” you shrugged awkwardly. “Look at it too close and you wouldn’t need to ask that…” 

“This is incredible,” he cut you off, running his fingers over his initials in the leather, a sense of almost awe in his voice. “I love it, this is…” 

He looked up from the guitar strap to look at you for a moment, his eyes ranging over your face. 

“Would… would you let me try somethin’?” He asked. 

You weren’t sure if you could speak, your heart in your throat. Instead you just nodded. 

He reached one large hand forward slowly and gently took your cheek in his hand before pulling you - slowly, gently - toward him, until his face was aligned with yours. You froze, your breath catching as his lips pressed softly into your temple. It took you a moment to remember to actually breathe and you took a shaky inhale as he held you close, his mouth against your skin. 

He pulled back as slowly as he’d touched you, looking over you again like he was waiting for you to bolt. Which, you figured, was a fair thing to worry about, given your track record. But instead of relief at the distance, you resented it. He was only inches away but it was too far now. Your head dropped to his shoulder, the skin he’d just kissed pressed against him as you moved closer until your whole body was against his side. 

That was better. 

“Really love it, Sweetheart,” he said softly, his thumb running over the leather again. “I’ve been wishin’ I had one of these and this is so much better than I could have hoped for. Thank you.” 

“Glad you like it,” you said, staying close to him.

“Not some occasion I don’t know about is it?” He asked, voice light, teasing. 

“You’ve just done a lot for me,” you shrugged. “Wanted to do something for you. And I realized that I’ve known you the better part of a year so there’s a good chance I missed your birthday.” 

He chuckled. 

“Haven’t missed that,” he said. “Don’t really celebrate it but… didn’t miss it.” 

You frowned. 

“You should,” you said. “Celebrate it, I mean. When is it?” 

“September 26th.” 

“Oh shit,” you laughed once, darkly. “Yeah, alright, can see why you might not want to throw a party.” 

He laughed a little. 

“Yeah, hard to want to celebrate the worst day of your life,” he said. He paused for a moment before he pressed a kiss into the crown of your head. “When’s yours?” 

“November 1st,” you said. “It was great when I was a kid, my parents let me stay home from school so I could be out late for Halloween. Always ate too much candy with my friends the night before and then spent the day of with my horses.”

“Little different now,” he said. 

You laughed and pressed closer to him. His arm went around the back of you, his hand going to your hip, holding you to his side. 

“Just a bit.” 

You sat there with him for a moment, just listening to him breathe, the birds chirping in the trees nearby. It was comforting, the sound and feel of his existence. 

“Should go get the guitar,” he said quietly. “Try this out.” 

“In a minute?” You asked, adjusting slightly to see part of his face while still being pressed against him. 

He was quiet for a second before you felt his lips in your hair again, his nose nuzzling against you. 

“Course. In a minute.” 

You stayed like that for what felt like a while, quiet and tucked against him, his thumb slipping below your shirt to brush the skin at your hip. You closed your eyes and breathed deep, focusing on the breeze on your skin, the heat of Joel at your side, the woodsy musk of him, the sound of the wildlife just out of reach. It was like you could feel everything within you, the way your lungs moved, your heart beat, your blood flowed, in tune and safe with Joel beside you. 

Eventually, you sat up slowly and opened your eyes again, the side that had been against his feeling oddly cool with the space between you. 

He turned to face you and leaned into you, his forehead against your temple, his nose brushing your cheek. He took a deep breath against you before sitting up again. 

“Right back,” he said, voice oddly gruff. 

He took a little longer than he usually did to get the guitar but, when he came outside with it, the strap was attached. He went to drape it over you but you leaned into the railing of the stairs, stopping him. 

“It’s for you, you have to be the first one to use it,” you smiled. “That’s the rule.” 

He smiled back, making his cheek dimple. 

“Alright,” he put it on and sat down, admiring the leather and running his thumb over the stitching on the flannel before looking at you. “Any requests? I’ll play if you sing.” 

You thought for a moment. 

“Know Just Like Heaven? The Cure?” 

You hummed a little. He laughed. 

“Yeah, know that one,” he said. “Just gotta swear you won’t show me up with it when I give the guitar over.” 

“Promise,” you smiled. 

He tapped out the time on the body of the guitar and then started to play. You just listened for a moment, all but forcing him to loop back around on the intro before you came in with the lyrics. 

“Show me how you do that trick…” 

Joel handed the guitar over after one song, before you were really ready for him to. You liked making music with him, there was an intimacy to it that you hadn’t found in anything else. You’d never done much of that in the past, never wanted to perform so never taken up with a band in your youth. Your music had always been just for you. Joel was the first person you’d ever known that you wanted to share it with in that way. 

He chuckled when he handed the guitar off to you and you frowned at him. 

“Promised you tea,” he said. “’Sides, rather hear you play for a bit.” 

He joined you on the porch again later, you just playing whatever chords popped into your head, no real melody to it. Joel put the cup of tea beside you and sat on the step below you, stretching his legs out, leaning back against the railing and closing his eyes. It looked comfortable, so you did the same, facing the other way so you could look at him, the shadows and filtered sunlight from the leaves of the nearby tree dappling over his skin. 

You liked to look at Joel. You hadn’t ever really had the excuse to do it for a long period of time before but it was easy to fall into it now that you had the opportunity. Your eyes traced over his face, the creases around his eyes, the arch of his nose, the graying hair and beard, his features soft and relaxed as he sat, arms crossed, listening to you play. 

For a second - a split second, one that you doubt you’d have paid much mind to even just five years ago let alone before the world ended - you wanted to kiss him. Wanted to put the guitar down, find your place on this thick legs, lean your body against his and press your lips against his own. You wanted to feel his mouth on you, feel him breathing, slip your tongue past his teeth and see just how he tasted. You wanted to tangle your fingers in his hair and hold him against you and find out where his hands would find a home on you. 

You froze for a moment, a thrill of fear running up your spine the second you actually processed what that would mean. That you’d be that close to someone, that out of control of your own body. It made your chest get tight. Joel opened one eye, frowning a little. You’d stopped playing without really realizing it. 

“Everything OK?” 

“Fine,” you said, looking down at the guitar. Looking at him was apparently dangerous. “Can I ask a favor?” 

“Course.” 

“If you don’t got other shit to do tomorrow afternoon, I need to take a few of the new horses out and try to open ‘em up in a less controlled environment,” you said, absently plucking quiet notes on the guitar. “Could use another set of hands. If you’re up for it.” 

Joel smiled a little. 

“Make you a deal.” 

“Really gonna try and barter?” You raised your brows. 

“Movie night tonight,” he said. “You go to that, I’ll help tomorrow.” 

“What movie?” You frowned a little. 

“Pretty Woman, I think.” 

“Pretty Woman,” you snickered. 

“What?” 

“You’re gonna go watch Pretty Woman?” You were skeptical. “Just on your own if I don’t go, you’re gonna go watch Pretty Woman.” 

“Maybe I will,” he smirked. “Before you agree, you gotta actually sit down for it. We can sit at the back and I’ll be there but no standin’ back against the wall.” 

You made a face. 

“Bambi.” 

“Fine,” you groaned and kicked his thigh lightly. “Gettin’ to be just as bad as Tommy, making demands and shit.” 

He laughed a little, the arm closer to you going to rest between your calves, his hand finding your knee and he closed his eyes again, a small smile on his face. Your heart beat a little faster.

“You were going to help me even if I didn’t go, weren’t you.” 

He shrugged. 

“Never know now, will ya?” 

You laughed a little and took a sip of tea before going back to playing. 

Joel put his arm around your waist to walk to movie night and it stayed there as people milled around, picking seats. 

“Want to sit away from an aisle or next to one?” He asked, holding you to his side. 

“On an aisle,” you said quickly. That would make it easier to run. If needed. Joel just nodded toward two seats on an end and let you pick first. You took the inside one and Joel took the seat on the aisle, draping his arm over the back of your chair and, as the lights dimmed, you sank against his side, your head going to his chest. For a moment, before the movie started, you could hear his heart beat. You could have sworn it got faster when his nose brushed against your hair. 

***

Seeing you with Ares made Joel nervous. 

Consciously, he knew it shouldn’t. It wasn’t the horse that was the problem before, it was Simon. And Simon was no longer an issue. Joel had made sure of that. Ares was just another animal and you were nothing if not an expert with animals. 

But it was still a thing that had damn near killed you. And watching you saddle him up, pet him, speak in that soothing voice to him made Joel uneasy, his stomach knotting as he clenched his jaw. 

“You’re sure he’s ready for this,” Joel was skeptical. You gave him a look and he ground his teeth a little. “Look, I know he’s had problems…” 

“He was just stubborn,” you reached up and gave the massive horse’s head a scratch. He leaned into your touch, his large head nudging your chest. “He knows we’re on the same side now. Don’t you?” 

The horse dragged a hoof along the stable floor and you smiled. 

“See?” You looked at Joel, your face bright and open, always looking your most relaxed around animals. “We’re good.” 

You had Joel ride a calmer mare, Cassiopeia, while you took Ares. You led a third horse, Hera, behind you and Joel watched as you took a deep breath as the two of you left the town’s walls and headed out into the wilds. 

“Promise not to laugh at me?” You asked, your smile broad under the shadow of your straw cowboy hat now that the two of you were about a mile out of town and truly on your own. You had on one of Joel’s shirts, the sleeves rolled up to your elbows and the bottom of it tied around your waist in the heat. 

“Can’t help it if you say somethin’ funny,” he half smiled at you. You ignored him.

“Any time I work with more than one horse, I always want to do Roman Riding,” you crinkled your nose as you said it and Joel frowned. 

“I don’t know what the fuck that is.” 

You laughed and shook your head a little. 

“Forget that you weren’t a cowboy before,” you said. “Just seem like you would have been. It’s trick riding, where you ride two or more horses at once, side by side, each foot on a different horse.”

“Jesus Christ,” Joel shook his head and smiled. “Was your hobby tryin’ to get yourself killed?” 

“Sometimes,” you smirked. “One trick is called a suicide drag after all…” 

“It’s a miracle you survived to the end of the world,” he said. 

You laughed. 

“And just think, that’s the only riding my mother was OK with me doin’,” you said. “But it worked out. That’s the only reason I was able to get up on Samson the day he threw Ellie and who knows what would’ve happened then. Been a while but I remembered how to get on a runnin’ horse.” 

Joel looked at you for a moment. He’d brought you to Jackson to save your life. He hadn’t expected anything more from you except to survive. But instead you’d become a part of the fabric of life there, your work with the horses essential to the survival of the place he’d come to love. 

You’d become essential to him, too. This core piece, he’d realized, something that couldn’t be pulled away without critical damage. 

It had been so long since Joel had felt anything like this for a woman. Most of his life, really. 

Before the outbreak, his life has revolved around his daughter. He worked more than he wanted to give her a good life and, when he wasn’t busting his ass at a job site, he just wanted to be with her. Friends were already too much of a time commitment let alone a girlfriend. There were occasional lovers, a few casual dates and sex or even just a woman he picked up at a bar on nights Sarah spent at a friend’s, a woman who wasn’t interested in anything more than a night of satisfying sex. He hadn’t been looking for love and it certainly never jumped out and bit him in the ass. 

After the outbreak had been worse. 

He had no desire to want anyone, care for anyone at all let alone love them. He fucked women when they offered - the world was over, why deny yourself what little pleasure there was left in it - but the thought of feeling something for anyone was horrifying. 

Tess changed that. He’d come close to loving her that way, or he thought he had, at least. He’d cared about her more than he had anyone else but he was never able to love her, not in the way he thought he should have been able to. He wasn’t stupid, he saw what she felt. But any time he even considered falling into that with her he’d shock away from it. Falling was the exact word to use, something that he’d have no control over and could kill him when he hit the bottom. He’d stood on the edge of that cliff with Tess, caring enough to want to jump but too afraid to do it. And then she was gone because he’d failed to hold up his end of the bargain. He’d failed to protect her. 

You were different. Maybe it was because you appeared in his world after he’d loved Ellie. Maybe you were so inevitable that he’d have fallen regardless, tripped over that cliff’s edge and plummeted toward the bottom, all but welcoming what he’d find there. He hadn’t intended it, hadn’t wanted it but you were just… you. Beautiful and brave and smart and so damn alive in a world that, for so long, had been so dead. He hadn’t been able to help it and, once he’d started falling, he couldn’t stop it any more than he could stop hurdling toward the ground after tumbling off the cliff. 

And he was in it now. The incident with Simon in the barn had proven that, the fear that gripped him stronger than anything he’d felt in so long. It was worse than when his own life was under threat, far worse, akin only to what he’d felt when he knew Ellie had been hurt. What had been an amorphous thing hanging on the edges of his consciousness was suddenly clear and at the forefront: He loved you. Without meaning to, he loved you. Without wanting that kind of connection with anyone, he loved you. Without thinking that would ever be possible, he loved you. He would do anything and everything for you if it would keep you safe, make you happy because he loved you.

But there was a sense of guilt with it, too. You hadn’t told him what happened to you but he could hazard a guess. You didn’t want to be touched - though you said you liked his touch - but touching you was sometimes all he could think about doing. Ranging his hands to feel every inch of your skin - you would be soft, he knew you would be so soft - and pulling you close to him to kiss you. Really, properly kiss you, taste you, have you tight against his body as he swallowed every delicious moan and whimper you let slip from you. Fuck, he wanted that. He wanted it so much it was almost painful. 

He was starting to think that you wanted it, too. The way you fit yourself into his arms, the way you’d guided his hand to your body, the way you relaxed into his lips when he brushed them against your skin. But Joel couldn’t ask you for more. Not when it could hurt you. Even if he wanted it, even though sometimes that felt like all he wanted, what you wanted was more important. 

“Challenge for you, Miller,” you smiled, almost smirking, watching him as you pulled him out of his own head. 

“Shoot.” 

“Race you,” you said. “Out to the trial head and back to where we tie out the third horse.” 

Joel looked at the distance, probably half a mile round trip. 

“I’ll make it interesting,” your voice had a teasing edge to it. 

“You’ve got my attention,” he smiled a little. 

“If I win, you have to make me more of those chips,” you said. “Say… four times. Whenever I want.” 

“And what do I get if I win?” He asked, brows raised. 

“What do you want?” 

You. 

He didn’t say that. 

“Two movie nights, two bar nights,” he said. “Have to sit down for the movies and dance at the bar.” 

You scrunched you nose for a second. 

“You drive a hard bargain, but done,” you said, slipping off Ares to tie Hera off. Joel smiled a little, watching you. You climbed back on the horse and settled into the saddle, cracking your neck and loosening up your arms. “Ready to lose to a girl?” 

“Don’t think there’s much shame in losin’ to you, all things considered,” Joel laughed a little. “But don’t matter, not going to lose.” 

You patted Ares’ neck and shook your head a little before adjusting your grip on the reins. 

“Ready,” you said, staring straight ahead, eyes narrowed, your horse in alignment with Joel’s. “Set. Go!” 

You shot forward, Joel half a second behind you. He pushed Cassiopeia faster, harder, but it was no use. You were just better. There was a lag between Joel’s action and Cassiopeia’s reaction, time for her to understand what he was asking of her. But that didn’t seem to exist with you and Ares, his movements and yours in perfect sync. 

He caught a glimpse of your face just as you turned to run back the other way, smiling like you were having the time of your damn life, eyes wide open and eager instead of cautious and afraid. 

You, smiling and happy and secure, had quickly become Joel’s favorite sight in the world. He’d seen it the night before at the movie, too. It took some time, your body stiff against his for the first half hour or so. But, after a while, you relaxed into him, smiling and laughing and making snarky little observations in his ear and he’d do anything you asked of him, anything at all, to make you feel that happy and safe all the time. 

You reached Hera a few seconds before Joel, bringing Ares about to watch him close the gap. You just shook your head, pulling your horse alongside his, facing the opposite way. 

“You let me win!” You shoved him playfully. 

“No I did not,” he laughed. “You beat me fair and square I’m afraid.” 

“Damn,” you were still smiling, leaning forward in the saddle to pat Ares’ neck. “And here I wanted an excuse to go with you to the bar.” 

The two of you led the horses down trails at first, their first time going through anything but open land with a person on their backs, and then moved to winding through the woods off trail. You switched out horses regularly, each of them disconcerted by navigating the more crowded, natural environment while taking commands at first. But you got them to be more comfortable with it and, by the end of the day, they were taking your commands just as easily as they did in open country. 

“Trade me,” you said, dismounting from Ares. Joel frowned. 

“Sure it’s a good idea…” he began but you waved him off. 

“He’s fine, Joel,” you laughed a little. “Really. Wouldn’t let you get on ‘em if he wasn’t safe.” 

“I get thrown off this damn horse…” He got off Hera and went to Ares, standing so close to you in front of the horse that he could feel you beside him. 

“Then I’ll watch however many movies you want,” you looked up at him, teasing. 

“Alright,” he sighed, offering the larger horse his palm. He sniffed it, skeptically, paying closer attention to you than to Joel. 

“You know him,” you said, voice soothing and soft, dragging your nails gently over the underside of Ares’ long jaw. “He’s a friend, he’s good, we can trust him…” 

Joel watched you, almost feeling like he shouldn’t, like he was intruding on a private conversation with a dear companion. But even if he were, he wouldn’t have been able to tear himself away. He loved what you were saying too much to turn away from it, his heart swelling with it. You trusted him. Of everyone left in this godforsaken world, you trusted him. 

Ares pressed his velvet muzzle into his hand. 

“Good boy,” you kissed the horse’s massive head and took better hold of the reins, turning your attention to Joel. “See? He’s harmless. Hop up.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Joel smiled - couldn’t help but smile - and climbed onto Ares. 

You were right, Ares was fine. You took over Hera and led Cassiopeia as the two of you worked your way through the forest back to a trail and, eventually, back toward Jackson. Ares responded well to Joel’s commands, calm and trusting, nothing like the horse that you’d cautioned him against touching so recently. You’d done just what you’d said you’d do, made it so he would be a good, reliable mount for patrol, no longer the wild creature he once was.

The two of you were almost back to the trail when your face fell. 

“Joel?” You said, the tension obvious in your voice. He rode alongside you and you nodded toward a tree. There was a clean, clear x cut, about shoulder height, into the trunk. Like someone marking a location. “Look like something anyone from Jackson might do?” 

“No,” Joel shook his head, brows drawn together. “No, it doesn’t.” 

You looked at him, the relaxed joy he’d seen in you all day entirely gone. 

“We’ll report it,” he said, nudging Ares a bit closer to you, as close as the horses could really get. “Get a team out here…” 

“We don’t want to check it out now?” You asked. Your whole body was stiff. Hera stomped her feet below you and she chuffed unhappily. 

You were afraid. 

“No,” Joel said. “We’re not equipped to go huntin’ anyone down. We go back. Nothin’ that says they’re here now, not going to risk you. We go back, tell Tommy, make sure we’re equipped to handle whatever it is.”

Your eyes searched his, wide and vulnerable, and he wanted to pull you into his arms and hold you close. Close enough that he knew you were safe. 

“It’s gonna be alright,” he said, holding your gaze. “I promise. I’ll keep you safe. Promise I will.” 

Next Chapter

A/N: Eeeeeeeeek!

Y'all. They are so close. I promise. Next chapter ramps everything up and I've been looking forward to writing it for a while now. I hope you'll enjoy reading it, too!

Thanks for sticking this story out! I know it's been a hell of a slow burn but I've loved getting to settle Joel and Bambi into this comfortable place and building their trust and relationship before we move on to the next part.

I do have an updates blog. Follow and subscribe for post alerts to get an alert whenever I post a new chapter! I promise I won't spam ya!

I so appreciate you all being here and I love you more than words can express. Thank you thank you thank you!

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[cowboybrunch]

writerblr intro

i've been around for a minute but i never made one of these so

hi! i'm sav (she/her). i'm a twenty-something poet turned fiction writer. i have two WIPs that I post about regularly: a supernatural romance and an urban fantasy drama. i also write poetry (posted under my general writing tag).

i spend most of my free time writing (or thinking about writing), but i also love to crochet, play video games with my love, or hang out with my dog.

i mostly write character-driven stories with unreliable narrators and complex villains. if that sounds like your kind of thing, hop in!

i love tag games (please tag me please please) but it might take me a while to get to them

feel free to say hi! let me know what you're reading! tell me about your WIPs! and my final demand: have a great day!

WIP Intros:

Burden of the Reluctant Death (revising)

I do not want to kill the boy. The blood underneath my fingernails and the wet, labored breaths bother me less than the incessant tug low in my gut, the hunger that calls to the monster that I pretend not to be. I’ve spent the better part of three centuries rejecting Death, as all things do, and she has spent three centuries teaching me the futility of that opposition. “One soul before sunrise,” she commanded, “or I’ll replace you as easily as I created you.” If she’s bluffing, I’m not brave enough to call her on it.

Character Introductions

Tag

Judas Wept (finished)

A prequel to Burden of the Reluctant Death that follows Elias as he tries to balance loyalty, love, and duty.

He does not remember his first thought after he dies, likely something so inane that even white-knuckle sifting through his wretched brain leaves him with nothing but a resounding headache. He does, however, remember his second thought: Christ alive, that sucked, and his third: Why is there a beautiful woman straddling me?

Posted here

Tag

Dust to Dust (first draft in progress)

A murder mystery with necromancy, ghosts, politics, and an absolutely non-sentient skeleton.

The rattling of bones warned her approach. She kept the skeleton with her when she was nervous, and she was nervous more often than not, try as she might to deny it. Nobody else would’ve been able to tell; her anxiety manifested as bursts of irritation, often lashing out at whoever (or whatever) was nearest. Robbie had known her for far too long and was not fooled. Most thought her immature and youthfully rebellious, a phase she’d grow out of— or not. It was of no consequence. She was not the heir, only the younger sister. Her fits did not matter. She also had greater necromantic ability than the crown prince. This did not matter either.

Posted here

Tag

Untitled Vampire Story (first draft in progress)

“You are exactly how he described you.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a neatly folded paper, extending it towards me. “The prodigy. Nicolai’s assassin.” “In the flesh.” I take the paper from her, unfolding it and skimming over the names. Seven, and none that I recognize. I pocket it. “Any special requests? Parting remarks, items you’d like me to leave, messages you’d like me to relay?” She grins, fangs glinting in the dim moonlight. “You’re not one for small talk, are you?” I don’t reply, proving her point. “Start at the top and go down the line. I want them to know you’re coming. I want them afraid.” She laughs suddenly, cruelly. “Your dagger in their heart will be enough of a message, don’t you think?”

Tag

chapter 1 part 1 / part 2

chapter 2 part 1 / part 2

chapter 3 part 1 / part 2

Poems/Journal Dumps

[jessicas-pi]

So the Ahsoka show (and a dream I had last night) gave me an idea. Imagine: AU where in Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan tells Din to go to Ahsoka... but also says that if Ahsoka won't help, then he should try finding her apprentice, Sabine Wren, on Lothal.

So after Ahsoka refuses to train Grogu, Din goes to Lothal before he tries Tython, which is therefore where everything with the Darktroopers goes down, which means that (a) Sabine is able to give Hera a heads up that the Empire is Doing Something, and (b) Sabine ends up inadvertently roped into the events of the rest of Mando S2. The Grogu rescue mission sort of helps her feel better---at least to feel like she's doing something. Din, meanwhile, sees someone just like him, who needs to keep busy to keep her mind off her trauma, so he decides to call her up for a little "help" whenever he feasibly can claim he needs it, or for some Jedi Training™ with Grogu (who didn't go with Luke, due to no trip to Tython and no seeing stone), or whatever excuse he can make up, which ends with Sabine getting pulled into BoBF and Mando S3, too.

Highlights include:

Din & Sabine: *win the fight with Moff Gideon together* Sabine: *takes the Darksaber from him, just to disarm him* Sabine: WAIT ACTUALLY NOPE NEVER MIND *throws the Darksaber as far as she can & refuses to pick it up again*

Sabine: You want ME to teach your kid? Din: Yes. Sabine: You do realize that I can't use the Force? Din: Yes. Sabine: And that my master stopped training me because I wasn't good enough? Din: Yes. Sabine: And that I have absolutely nothing to teach him? Din: Yes. Sabine: ...nothing I say is going to deter you, is it? Din: No.

Sabine: I just... feel... lost. Boba: Well, you could always work for me on Tatooine. Fennec: Have you ever considered an assassin business partnership? Bo-Katan: It's gonna take me a loooooooong time for me to get over you winning the Darksaber again, but you are my best friend's daughter, so if you choose to, you may come with me. Greef Karga: The Nevarro school could use an art teacher, you know. The Armorer: You are always welcome to take the Creed and join our covert. Din: How do you feel about being adopted? [later] Ahsoka, to Hera: Should we be concerned about the number of questionable figures trying to take in Sabine? Hera, having Maul flashbacks: Trust me. It could be a lot worse.

Sabine: You need to go to the Living Waters? Yeah I know where that is, I can take you. Din: That's a relief. Otherwise I was going to go ask Bo-Katan about them. Sabine: Oh? Let's ask her anyway. I'm totally down to bother Bo-Katan. Any time, any day. Kalevala HERE WE COME-

Din: While I appreciate your modifications to IG-12, Sabine, I'm not so sure about the words you've added. Grogu, delightedly smacking his new button: KRIFF. KRIFF. KRIFF. KRIFF. KRIFF.

Din: You had me at 'battle droids.' Sabine, giggling: yOu HaD mE aT 'BaTtLe DrOiDs'

Sabine, watching Din make his 'your song is not yet written' speech: This is sooo much better than the holodramas. Axe Wolves, side-eyeing her: You don't get out much, do you? Sabine: Nope. Want some popcorn?

.....ANYWAY, my point is, Sabine gets dragged into All The Mandoverse Shenanigans. Which is pretty funny on its own, right? But it gets better.

Because it just so happens that Din is on Lothal with Grogu when Ahsoka shows up with the map. and he kinda just....gets pulled along for the ride. So then HE'S in the AHSOKA show, mostly just trying to make sure Sabine doesn't do anything crazy, following her when she does it anyway, and being confused about Everything. Which lends itself to additional hilarity--

Din: Nightsisters? I heard they were witches. Ahsoka: They are. Din, internally: Oh my manda, I finally KNEW something!

Din: The evil Jedi are chasing us! Sabine: They're not Jedi! Din: They're not? But they have laser swords like you! Ahsoka: There's still a difference! Din: What difference? Ahsoka: Jedi use the Light side! These are Dark side users! Din: There are different sides of your sorcery??

[Sabine and Ezra reunite] Din: I'm so glad you finally found your husband, Sabine. Sabine: Ezra: Din: The crabs: *start gossiping* Sabine: He's... he's not my... husband... Din, confused: But you've clearly been living the Mandalorian marriage vows? One when together, one when apart, sharing all... Sabine: Yeah, no, that's- that's just coincidence. Din: Hold on. You live in his house, and you keep all his things, and you refuse to leave Lothal for more than a week or two at a time because it makes you miss him too much- Sabine: *makes stop talking gesture* Din: -and you gaze lovingly at the enormous mural you've painted of him, and you left everything behind the second you knew you had a chance to save him, and as far as I can tell, you've been utterly devoted to him since the moment he disappeared ten years ago- Sabine: *stop talking gestures intensify* Ezra: Wait, Sabine, is this true? Din: -and you're telling me you two aren't married? Sabine: