#such a beautiful slow burn

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[indra-sexygirl]

[mobius-m-mobius]

#just a wizard gentleman and his butler 🪄🎩

[hanafubukki]

Thinking about falling in love with Malleus.

How it’s such a gradual love that you don’t see coming.

You met him one night.

You might have even thought him weird.

Became friends with him.

Got to know him as Tsunotaro first.

Then as Malleus Draconia.

But never the future king.

There’s tears and wounds as there always are in a relationship of any kind.

But as time pass, so do wounds heal.

And as time moves, so do feelings gradually change.

Until one day, you noticed your feelings had seamlessly changed.

It felt normal.

A given.

How could you not have fallen in love with him?

This fae that held your heart.

He can have it.

For you knew no one else would treasure it as much as he did.

I love you, Malleus Draconia.

[anitalenia]

━━━ .°˖✧ romance tropes ⋆˙⊹

𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑠. 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒, 𝑜𝑟 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑐𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒.

╰₊✧ ﾟOTHER LINKS . ྀི ⊹ masterlist | taglist | my library

| prompt help | symbol packs | dividers

˖⁺ ⊹୨ forbidden romance ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character cannot openly be in a relationship with someone for some reason ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ enemies to lovers ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are enemies / in violent opposition to each other in the beginning but gradually end up in love ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ friends to lovers ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are friends first, but end up falling in love with each other ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ dark/taboo tropes ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ romance between two people that is considered inappropriate or wrong/not acceptable in society ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ opposites attract ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are drastically different people/opposite personalities but still somehow love each other ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ unrequited love ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character loves someone who is unattainable for some reason. one sided love. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ fake relationship ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters feel no romantic feelings for one another but are forced to be together. in some cases, they eventually fall in love. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ fish out of water ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character is in an unfamiliar environment and has to adapt. think city girl on a farm. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ soul mates au ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are meant to be together from birth, destiny, or soul ties. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ oblivious to love ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character is clueless about their own romantic feelings towards someone else ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ reverse harem ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ consists of one female protagonist and three or more male love interests. although I have heard varying definitions. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ secret identity ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are in love but one is not being truthful with who they really are/they’re hiding something from their love interest (like spiderman) ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ love triangle ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are in love, but a third party loves one of the characters as well. or, one character is confused between two people who they love (edward x bella x jacob, stefan x elena x damon) ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

━━━ .°˖✧ 𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑵𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝑵𝑶 𝑬𝑿𝑷𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 ⋆˙⊹ 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚. 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑗𝑓 𝑖 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑚 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑠𝑜 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .݁

˖⁺ ⊹୨ marriage ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character is forced to marry another for some reason (arranged marriage) ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ dark past ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character has trauma or pain because of their past, and their love interest helps them heal. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ amnesia / memory loss ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character loses their memory and has to regain their love and memories for another. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ alpha hero ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a male character is overprotective, bossy, jealous, possessive, and have great sexual appeal. think bad boy, biker, ceo fanfics. This can also be military men, superhero’s, men in leadership. a vague category. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ one bed trope ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are forced to share a bed 👅 you should know this one ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ forced proximity ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when two characters are forced into small spaces together or forced to be together in the same room. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ beauty and the beast ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a typically male character is capable of great rage and destructive, sometimes a literal monster, but the fem character loves them beyond their looks and sees the good in them. doesn’t have to be a literal monster. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ in peril tropes ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character is in some sort of crisis and has to be saved by love interest. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ job related tropes ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character is attracted to someone because of their job, or their romance happens at work/ a specific location (corrupt priest, military man, construction worker). can be taboo. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˖⁺ ⊹୨ time travel ୧⊹ ⁺˖ ━━ when a character travels back or forward in time and falls in love with someone from that time period. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

authors note: I am going to be making posts describing each trope individually as well as sub-genres and examples of that trope. I had something similar to this in my notes for my stories and decided to share. there are a lot of tropes out there, so feel free to comment other ones. remember you are loved and important <3

[jomiddlemarch]

they two play out the game 

“Be honest—”

“What do you want me to say, Hermione? That I fell in love with you at school, when you loathed me, when you loathed me because I made you feel that way because I couldn’t bear your pity or worse, being beneath your notice, a shrug of your shoulders, an eyeroll? That the Amortentia I brewed in Potions smelled like ink and rose geranium soap and the bloody catnip you must have grown for your Kneazle in the greenhouses because you never would have nicked it from Sprout? That I envied Weasley for his family loving him and welcoming you, when my father wanted you dead and my mother refused to remember your name?”

Draco paused, lifted a hand from where he’d been gripping the railing and loosened his tie. It was dark blue, because they were no longer children, defined by Houses. He wore his robes open, like an Oxford don, and she could see the suit he wore was Savile Row, not Wizard-tailored. His brogues were polished to a shine short of a House-elf’s efforts.

“Should I tell you I’ve dreamt of you for years, in that periwinkle petal dress and on my ballroom floor, screaming for mercy, and in bookshops, in teashops, in the pub, laughing, smiling at Potter and Longbottom, making a face when you take a sip of your bitter? In the Wizengamot, at my trial, like a Fury. At all the other trials, demolishing their smug assurance, making them cower, making them see? Do you want me to explain how I told Astoria we would marry but I’d never be able to love her and she told me she already knew it, that she understood everything and that if I didn’t mind too much, she supposed we’d do well enough together? You want to hear how when my son was born, I wanted to Owl you, before anyone else, even though you’d have been baffled to receive any message from me, would have probably thought it was a prank from George Weasley, an overture to return to the Weasley bosom after you and Ron ended it ostensibly amicably, except that you’d left England and hadn’t been back in six years for more than a fortnight?”

He took a step nearer and Hermione resisted the urge to fold her arms across her chest or draw her robes closer in some nonverbal attempt at protection. He’d grown taller after the War ended and she hadn’t, not a whit, probably stunted by the stress and starvation of the Horcrux hunt, but he was still a few steps below her on the stairs, so he continued to look up at her, a supplicant. He was still giving her that power, that dominance over him which she hadn’t believed when he’d offered it earlier in words alone.

“Shall I tell you how I followed your career, the papers you wrote, the conferences you attended, collecting clippings like a lovesick groupie with his favorite Quidditch team? How I heard your voice when I taught Scorpius his first spells? How I told him the brightest witch I’d ever known was Sorted into Gryffindor and he was confused because his mother had been a Ravenclaw? How my wife fell in love with my best friend and I didn’t care, or rather, I was happy for her because Theo loved her back and it was nothing for me to look away and let them have the time they could? How I thought if you knew, you’d perhaps admire me for once, for not being selfish, for making some sacrifice, except that you’d be wrong, it wasn’t a sacrifice at all, not when I cared about them both in one way and not at all in another? You want to hear how I thought I’d seen you—at the train station and in the City, in the Prophet, your hair braided, that streak of white like a halo, like a queen’s ivory filet, your eyes, sweet Nimue, your eyes, Hermione—”

“I’m not a saint,” she put in.

He climbed another stair and now he looked directly at her. She could rest her hands on his shoulders if she wanted. She could raise a hand and stroke his cheek, graze the steel temple of his spectacles, the silver hair at above his ears. 

“I know. And I know why you don’t wear a glamour or charm your hair the color it was when we were young. You want me to tell you how my wife died and I wanted you to comfort me? To come to her funeral and hold my hand, to wear the veil for her and to let me fold it back over your head to face the truth? How I wanted you in my bed, fresh from your bath, in a nightdress you’d let me ruck up to your waist, naked beneath me, your skin like silk, arching up into my hands, gasping, laughing when I accidentally tickled your waist. Crying out when you felt my mouth on your breasts, suckling, when you felt my cock hard between your thighs, when I begged you? When I told you to spread your legs, love, when I praised you for being so good, my beautiful, darling, delicious witch I wanted to fuck all night, that there was no one else, there never had been, there never would be, only you, my darling with your dark eyes and your brilliant mind and your magic, your heart, your cunt—You want me to say that I love you, that I’ve loved you to the best of my ability for the best part of my life and that I don’t want you to go, not now, not ever, but I know that’s not up to me?”

There was a slight flush in his cheeks, a gleam in his grey eyes that might be tears, but his voice was steady, restrained, and there was space between them yet that she knew he would not breach. She used the effort required to cast tandem wandless in a duel to the death, more than she’d used when she was eighteen and expected to save the world.

“If it’s the truth—” she said.

“It’s the truth,” he answered. “There’s more, I suppose, but it’s much the same.”

“Then it’s what I asked for,” she said. She closed her eyes for a moment, part of her sure he would not be there when she looked again, a dream, a vision she’d conjured, Nimue and Merlin both, trapped within her desires while the world lived and grew around her. She opened her eyes and there he was, waiting. There was a shadow in his gaze, the expectation of rejection, abandonment. He was not a man accustomed to hope. She’d asked, though, and he’d answered.

“I’ve learned, as I’ve grown older, that I can’t hope for the best. Settle for what I’m given. I must take what I want, with both hands,” she said and reached over, up a little, to cup his face with her palms, her fingers touching the ends of his hair at the nape of his neck. He was very still, almost rigid, and she felt a frisson of fear, of being deceived, denied. 

“With both hands,” she repeated a little hesitantly. “Unless, you don’t, after all—Scorpius will not, and you have to put him first, of course—”

“I do,” Draco, beginning to smile. “And I was told not to come home without you, though Scorpius is willing to take my word for your arrival. He’s not waiting there for us.”

“No?” Hermione said, feeling terribly warm, terribly, wonderfully desired. Needed. Accepted.

“No, I shall have you all to myself,” he said. He finally put his arms around her, very carefully as they were still on a staircase and perhaps he was a little unsteady now. “D’you suppose, before we go, I might kiss you?”

“Here? Where anyone might see?” Hermione asked, though the hallway had been deserted for the past hour and the charm on the wall sconces needed to be recast. Though she had let herself look at his mouth, the curve of his lips. Let herself admit her own appetite had gone beyond any curious hunger, to craving, the sweet she had been forbidden for so long.

“Yes. Be honest, would that bother you?” he said.

“Do you think I will say it would? Do you expect me to tell you no when I’ve just said you’re what I want? All that I want?” she said, echoing him. Making him grin, a hint of the smirk she first remembered seeing on his face as a young boy, now subsumed into such tenderness she felt nearly overwhelmed.

“Is it the truth?” he said.

“Yes,” she said and then she didn’t say anything else because they were beyond needing any other word than “Home—” the Side-along as easy as a breath, as waking from a dream into the day.

They named their first daughter Verity, explaining it was a family name.

[nano30cm]

ain't they cute?

[crazy-ache]

Divine Punishments (Elucien)

Title: Divine Punishments (Chapter 1, WIP)

Pairing: Elain Archeron/Lucien Vanserra

Rating: E for eventual smut (~3600k words)

Summary:

Elain foresees a curse in the form of terrible visions. An unexplained plague was coming and the immortal fae were going to suffer and die by the rotten sickness.

She needs to meet her fate—with her powers and her mating bond—if she hopes to save Spring.

READ ON AO3

[unladyboss]

EIGHT TIMES SYDNEY ATE THE CAMERA UP WITH BEAUTIFUL

I did a Carmy looks good post but I want to balance with a Sydney is beautiful post

So here are eight times Sydney totally blew the camera and probably Carmy, away

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

[st3rilight]

Just finished The bear and…

Haters, in my opinion, don't appreciate Sydney being shipped with Carmy because they don't find Sydney to be conventionally attractive enough to warrant more than just buddies. Whether it's the eye contact, the fragility between them, or simply that one special moment when Syd helped Carm with the table, it's clear that their relationship is anything but platonic. You could say, for example, that it's just mutual admiration between coworkers or a mentor-mentee situation, but if she was megan fox or zendaya no one would bat an eye at a potential romance.

[bishonenspit]

shoujo manga just don't put bishounen thru hell like they used to

[killerfrostisme]

Lockwood and Lucy have the best slowburn romance I've ever read. They're the reason I exist. The ending of The Empty Grave shattered my very soul. It kills me every day that we'll never see this beautiful story on the screen, especially a conclusion that goes beyond the implied but open ending of the last book. But I'm forever grateful to the books. I would still rather have that then some of the other love stories I read which deal with undeveloped characters who rush into the romance aspect of it and are in bed by page 5. I'm sorry, I don't know what this turned into but I've been thinking about them today and thought I'd share.

[confetti-cakemix]

Tale as Old as Time (pt. 1)

Authors Note: This story is gonna be a slow burn of sorts, just like Beauty and the Beast is. It also take place after the events of Black Panther, but in a kind of AU universe at the same time, hope you like it!

Synopsis: When reader's father is taken by one of Namor's warriors, Reader offers herself in her father's place. Destined for servitude miles beneath the surface in exchange for her father's life, she doesn't exactly know what to expect from her new...imprisoners? Owners? Will they be cruel? Punish her for what they see as her father's wrong doings? She can't quite blame them, she too has been a victim of those on the surface, they treated even their own kind with cruelty, so she certainly understand where these people where coming from. But what she doesn't expect, is to meet the leader of this under water world. And even more so, to find a...friend in him.

The beach was your only place of privacy, and you visited as often as possible. As a child you had loved having such an expansive backyard. It was a place of exploration and fascination. And with all the tales your father had told you, of underwater cities and unimaginable creatures, it had captured your heart as well.

But now, it was a hideaway from just about everyone and everything. Here, the ocean lapped lazily at the shore, approaching your position on the sand but never reaching it. The warmth of the sun lingered in the soft grains of sand and you relished in the feeling. You were alone but never lonely, the sun, breeze and the crystal waters were your friends in these quiet moments.

You always stayed here in the sand until you could see the soft glow of the moon glitter on the dark ripples of the water. You stayed as long as you could, until you could hear your father calling for you from the crooked window of your small, two bedroom home. A home your father had built from the ground up when you and him, still a babe barely able to walk, had stumbled to this town in Mexico all those years ago.

It was a faint memory framed in grief. You mother had passed just months prior from cancer, and your father, wrecked from grief and the responsibility of caring not only for himself, but for a bouncing baby girl, had moved to Mexico, running from his home in hopes of outrunning his own grief.

But fortunately, with the aid of time and the brightness that radiated from his beautiful little girl, his grief lessened and his heart was once again blooming with love, and his world, with color.

"Y/N!". Your father's faint voice interrupts the memory and you amble up from your sitting position.

"Coming Papa!" you shouted back, sighing slightly, starting the short trek back to your home, and leaving behind your quiet little haven.

[theeflowerofcarnage]

I loved their love....

[simptasia]

if i look at john locke's psyche for longer than 45 seconds i'll have a hyperempathy overload and have a demonic fit on my floor

[draculasfavoritewife]

Din Djarin x Reader Headcanons Pt. 2

Summary: You and the Mandalorian become something more than merely hunting partners.

Pairing: Din Djarin x fem!Reader

Warnings: Me waxing ridiculously poetic about him. Implied smut towards the end.

Here it is! Part 2 of my Mando headcanons! Hope everyone enjoys the payoff! So sorry it's so long -- I sure had fun writing these :) Din Djarin is pretty much perfect, and anyone who thinks otherwise just hasn't seen enough of him.

*Translations of words/phrases in Mando'a at the end

A couple of weeks go by after the shower, and you avoid each other except when necessary, as if by an unspoken agreement

Din just needs the time to sort all his thoughts and feelings out, as he's suddenly questioning everything

So he comes off as more brusque and distant than usual, which is really saying something

You can see the turmoil seething underneath though, so you give him space and just hope his final conclusion isn't that he needs to be alone again

It ends up being the opposite

After a particularly deadly hunt in which you were both confronted with the very real possibility of the other one dying, you retreat to your makeshift quarters in the hope of sleeping off some of the distress that's still eating at you from the inside out

You don't hear his approach, since he's stripped off most of his beskar besides the helmet

But when you look up, he's looming sullenly over your bunk

You stubbornly stay silent, waiting for him to make the first move

"I can't...lose you"

He can't believe he's said those words so plainly, but there they are, hanging in the cold air between you

You find you can't speak or the tears might finally fall, so instead you cling to him, shoving your head into his shoulder and letting your fingers dig through his dark undershirt into his back

His answering embrace is crushing, and you remember just how deeply attached this man can become to another being

"Don't leave me, Din Djarin," you whisper "I love you"

He's quiet for a long moment, but this time you don't doubt him, you know he has a much more difficult time with intimacy than you do

"Cyar'ika" is what he finally chooses to hum, and that single word means more than any poetic verse or lengthy admission

"Stay with me tonight," you request softly as you finally pull back from his strong arms "rest with me in the darkness, let me hold you"

And he actually does

You can't really see him in the blackness, but your light mattress dips dramatically to his weight as he joins you, and you eagerly pull him to you as you both settle

Dank farrik, he's so warm as he lets you curl into his now bare torso -- you may never let this man sleep without you again

Perhaps it's because you both could've been killed today, but he exhibits none of his usual hesitancy as you burrow closer to him, his arms folding around you and skin meeting skin

This may just be the most relaxed you've ever experienced him

He's surprised you remember a few of his scars from that time you two showered together, and if they're ones he recalls, he tells you a few stories of how they came to decorate his body

You can't get enough of the way his voice growls deep in his chest against you, without all that armor in between

Although you know that it will be a long time before you ever get to truly see his face, you learn a few things about him, there in the dark, and it helps you imagine him a little better

You like the way his scruffy stubble scrapes against your cheek when he leans over to murmur in your ear; you hadn't expected him to be unshaven but you find the idea suits him

His hair is glorious, thick and slightly curling where it's longer, a tantalizing blend of silky soft and coarser strands, and after the way he stiffened the first time your hands strayed into it, he actually seems to enjoy the sensation of your fingers brushing through it

He talks to you more on this sightless, bare night than he has in probably your entire partnership so far

He lapses into his native tongue as sleep starts to overtake both of you, and even though you're rusty and don't understand all of the phrases, you're completely his as soon as you first feel the sensation of his full lips forming words against your shoulder and the back of your neck

The two of you rapidly become much closer after that night

It's not unusual for your hands to linger on each other when you're repairing the ship or during other quiet activities while you're alone

Though when on the hunt, you two maintain a very professional civility and not much else

He's become much more fiercely protective of you, though he'd deny it, but you see and it makes you smile

Shared showers become more commonplace, and he shares your bed on the nights you ask him to

But he's always long gone by the time you wake up

Mando'a is coming back to you the longer you stay with him, and sometimes the two of you converse entirely in that tongue for days

Your first kiss takes you by complete surprise, and he hadn't planned on it either

It was after a successful hunt in which you'd pulled an admittedly stupid stunt to come out on top, and no matter the fact that you were relatively unscathed, this man is angrier than a rancor that you would put yourself at risk like that for a few extra credits

You are his now, after all, and he's nothing if not ridiculously protective of what's his

"I never want to see you do something like that again" he seethes, and though he doesn't raise his voice you can hear the fury roiling underneath

"Stop fretting over it, Din, I'm here, aren't I? Nothing happened"

You hear the grating exhale beneath his helmet, too many emotions he's not familiar with surging to the surface from where he's bottled them up, but all he knows is that if you won't let his words pierce your thick skull, he'll have to show you what you mean to him

You can't keep back a yelp of shock as the lights go out

There's a click and a clang as he rips his helmet off, probably the most carelessly he's ever done it

And before you can process a thing he's nearly on top of you, and his lips are devouring yours, and kriff you never thought kissing him would taste so good

When he finally releases you so you can breathe again, his forehead is resting against yours, the Keldabe gesture you only faintly remember receiving from your buir, and it makes your heart ache to feel it from him

"Now" he huffs "I won't be seeing another stunt that foolhardy from you again, do I make myself clear?"

"Understood, Cyare"

He doesn't let you out of his grasp throughout the night

It takes a long time to eventually achieve further intimacy beyond a kiss, though you know he's thought about it, and you definitely do

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he's the one dragging his feet -- you've wanted this for a long time now -- but you didn't expect his reasoning for being reluctant

"How can you want us to share something so personal, when THIS is such a problem?"

You are completely lost when he vaguely gestures at his head, it takes a minute to process he means the fact that you haven't seen his face

"Din," you start, reaching up to trail a caress down the side of his visor to his breastplate "What if I were blind? Would you think my love for you less if I couldn't see you at all?"

That makes him think

"I know you, I've seen you at your best and your worst; I've slept beside you and learned all your scars with my fingers; but more than that, I see you here"

You place your hand over his heart, which you know from experience has most likely quickened at your gentle touch

"I love you, and if ever I am privileged to see your face I will only love you more, but I will not know you more, for I know you already"

"You are mine, Din Djarin, and you are mesh'la"

He can say nothing for a moment, too overwhelmed by your words and the fact that you respect him and his creed so deeply

It takes another few days of him turning it all over in his head -- though he's very good at making snap decisions, this is one that requires more consideration

He's quiet, and more efficient than ever during your next hunt, if that's even possible, and you can tell by his sharp movements that he's on edge

When you return to the ship, he gently but purposefully guides you to his quarters, a place you've hardly stepped foot inside for the entire time you've been here, and your heart starts beating erratically with anticipation

"Do you still want this?" he asks

"More than anything"

The darkness swallows you both in its welcoming embrace

Your Mandalorian is the lover you've always dreamed of; he can be gentle -- so soft with you it's maddening -- or rough enough to make you plead for more

He tells you in undertones just how highly he thinks of you, all the things he's always too stoic to say out loud, but your love seems to have finally loosened that stubborn tongue of his and you bask in it

You sleep that night in his bed, for the first time of many

And he's still there when you wake, as warm and solid as ever, one arm thrown around your body and his other hand twined in your hair, your foreheads pressed together, and dank farrik you love this man so fiercely you know you would kill or die for him

"Welcome back," he teases as he feels you shift against his body "You were out cold"

"And whose fault is that, Djarin?" you kiss him softly "I didn't think you'd still be here"

"I wanted to watch you wake up for once"

You smile and sink back into his hold, since he seems for once in no hurry to move his day forward

"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Din"

He brings your hands up to play with his hair, and makes a pleased sound deep in his throat when you pull a little -- who would have thought he would like that?

"Let's do this again sometime?" you hum

His chuckle, barely audible, thrums into your ribcage where his chest presses against yours

And his kiss, coupled with the reverent fingertips drawing heated trails up your spine, gives his reply more eloquently than words ever could

Eventually, life does remind you both that it stops for no one, and you rise to return to the more familiar routine of a pair of bounty hunters on the run

But, as it turns out, your Mandalorian makes an excellent NON-platonic shower partner as well -- the poor 'fresher wasn't ready for that much steam ;)

Cyar'ika = Sweetheart

Cyare = Beloved

Mesh'la = Beautiful

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum = I love you; I will know you forever