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lo-55 · 3 years

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Tilt The Hourglass ch. 6

Maul adjusted the small holster against his hip and pulled his cloak tighter around him.

He never would have pegged Fett as being a tailor, but the mando had pulled out a thread and scissors and hemmed the cloak to fit Maul. It fell until halfway down his thighs, where he had pants and boots now. They hadn’t had the time to get Maul a full flight suit or any armor, but he was clothed at last and his long sleeves even connected to finger-less gloves.

The dark cloak was pulled tight over his head. On his right hip was a small blaster, and in his new boot was a vibro-knife each. They weren’t lightsabers, but they would do.

He felt wrong to not have his ‘saber against his hip, especially when they boarded the ship. He could sense them as soon as he stepped on board. The bright light’s of two Jedi, two lights he knew well. Kenobi and Jinn.

He’d recognized Kenobi as soon as he’d seen him, hovering near the ship and looking like a convict about to be executed.

As soon as he saw him he knew he had to get on board that ship, with or without Jango.

This was Kenobi. Tiny, although a head taller than Maul himself, he was barely old enough to be out of their silly little temple. Maul needed to see him again.

Maul didn’t know what he was going to do when he saw him. He didn’t know if he was going to stab him or demand answers that Kenobi certainly wouldn’t have.

Like what had happened. Two years ago, a bit more now, Maul had died and woken again. Decades in the future Kenobi had cut him down and ended a rivalry that spanned a lifetime. Why? Maul hadn’t been able to find information on it. Not that he could risk looking very hard without tipping off his master, mind.

Still.

He still had a scar on his hand, one triangle and one square pointed into his palm. One sith holocron and one jedi. Their voices still echoed faintly in his memory.

Soon, he needed to take another trip to Malachor. Perhaps this time he could take Young Kenobi with him. The boy wasn't a sith. He didn’t have even the sliver of possibility for it that Ezra had possessed.

Maul had done his best to make Kenobi Fall, and each time he had failed. Even in the end, Kenobi hadn’t hated him. He’d offered him only kindness.

There was a reason that Maul had tried to get him to help him stop the rise of the Empire. The two of them were equally the best and worst examples of their respective orders. Between the both of them they could have kept Sidious from becoming emperor. True, Skywalker would have had to die, but Kenobi had lost his master, his lover, and Maul didn’t even know how many others. He would have survived losing his Padawan, if it was for the ‘greater good’ or whatever jedi preached.

He was a good person. Disgustingly so.

Malachor was a graveyard for Jedi as much as Sith. Maul could use that to convince him if he really had to.

Jango gestured to him to follow along.

Maul didn’t like deferring to anyone, but he would play along for now. It was better than Sidious.

If Maul had ever met someone worse than him he could not recall.

The pair boarded the ship just in time to see a young human being assaulted by a hutt, the creature’s fat fingers curled around his throat.

It took Maul a total of two seconds to realize who it was, and by that time Jango had already closed the distance between them and pulled his blaster. Jango levelled it at the hutt’s head.

“Let the boy go,” he ordered, his voice level. The Force was muffled through beskar, helmet’s especially, but Maul had spent time enough with Mandalorian’s that even with Jango’s helmet firmly in place he could still feel the anger that rippled through him.

Mando’s and their children.

“Hah? Why would I do that? We do not tolerate spies here! This is offworld terf, and we will-”

“Drop. The. Boy.”

The hutt eyed the blaster wearily before he tossed the body.

Right at Maul.

Maul caught him on instinct. The weight of Kenobi almost knocked him down, but Maul held firm. Had Kenobi always been so much taller than him?

Maul kept a weary eye on the hutt, and Jango, ready to draw his blaster and fire. He could take four of whiphids before they got within arms length, and Jango could take the rest in that same time.

The hutt cussed them out and made his leave, with the whiphids following along behind him.

Maul looked down and froze when he found burning blue eyes staring back up at him.

Young Kenobi was… not what he’d expected.

He was tiny, for one thing. Baby faced, with all the puppy fat of youth that Maul, even younger than him, had mostly lost by now. He was thin and gangly the way humans’ were when they were getting ready for a growth spurt, and his hair had never been so red in the future. The last time Maul had seen it it had been almost entirely white. Had he always had freckles?

Maul didn’t know what he’d expected to find in his rival, but what he found was a kid.

This was not the padawan that had cut Maul down. This was not the knight that had hunted him half across the galaxy. This was not the hermit that had held his dying body by fire light.

This was just-

Obi Wan.

Blue eyes rolled back in his head and Kenobi dropped in his arms.

Maul looked up to find Jango with his visor tilted towards the pair. He felt bemused. Maul frowned at him and swung Kenobi over his shoulder’s in a firemen’s carry.

“Shut up,” he snapped at the mandalorian.

“I didn’t say a thing.”

“You didn’t have to. You have a very expressive visor.”

Jango snorted at Maul’s blunt accusation.

“Perhaps I do. Let’s see if Clat’Ha has a place we can bunk down and check on your little friend there.”

“He is not my friend!”

Jango ignored him entirely and picked his way across the floor to the inside of the ship. There were panels missing and wires spilled out across the metal floors like the guts of a massive beast.

Maul mentally categorized all of the easy access points, vents, weapons, and potential ambush zones.

Finally they found Jango’s friend, the human woman in charge of the Arconan Mining Company. She took one look at Kenobi, still limp over Maul’s shoulders with a ring of bruises blossoming around his throat, and marched them into a small closet that served as a medical bay. Apparently mining was a dangerous occupation. Who knew?

Maul let her take Kenobi from him and lay the boy down on a hard cot before she found a bacta spray and some bandages. A medical droid floated near by and glued a cut on Kenobi’s brow shut.

“Are you alright?” Jango touched his shoulder. Maul twitched, but didn’t break the hold. He glanced up at the blank visor.

“Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Worry emanate from Jango, amplified by their contact.

“It’s not always easy seeing other’s get hurt. Especially ade. Children.”

Maul squinted up at him. “People get hurt a lot around me,” he said slowly, like Jango was a particularly foolish child. “In case you forgot. I would have shot the hutt dead. Or hit him under his right arm. The third lung located there is close enough to the surface that the right pressure would rupture it and he would choke to death on his own blood. At least that young. An older hutt would be harder without a blaster. They’re very annoying.”

Clat’Ha stared at him over Kenobi’s body before she looked to Maul’s new ‘care taker’.

“...Jango what the fuck are you teaching this kid?”

Before Jango could even defend himself Maul wrinkled his nose at her.

“He’s barely had me two days.”

Maul hadn’t even learned that on Orsis. He’d learned that during his rise as a crime boss for the shadow collective, when he’d been forced to kill a few hutt’s to properly send a message.They would obey him or they would die. Maybe he should start building his criminal empire again.

There was an idea.

One for later. He needed resources he didn’t have yet, and Jango was as Mandalorian as they came. They wouldn't let a kid go easily. They would protect younglings with their lives if they had to.

In retrospect, Maul should have advised Kilindi and Daleen to seek them out. But Sidious might have ripped that information from his mind, so perhaps it was for the best that he didn’t.

Wherever they were he knew they were okay. Kilindi was resilient and Daleen was intelligent. Maul had faith in them.

That didn’t mean he didn’t worry about them, or miss them. They were his.

“Three,” Jango corrected mildly. “You were unconscious for the first one.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Somehow that only seemed to alarm Clat’Ha more.

What a strange woman.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Maul couldn't tell if he hated or loved this ship.

The ship itself was a hot mess, a wreck waiting to happen and it was probably older than everyone on it combined. It was dark in places where the wires needed replacing, and the whole thing was divided between two mining companies.

The entire thing was saturated with animosity and hostility, and Maul drank it in. He pulled the distrust and anger out of the air and wrapped it up in a little ball inside his chest for later. It was a technique he’d figured out himself years ago. How to skim off the top emotionally. Theoretically it could be used to take an enemies fighting spirit and enhance an allies, but Maul had never really tried to do that.

He preferred to enhance himself, and he was an assassin and a warlord more than a general. He fought on his own or in small groups in dark spaces, not in open fields with legions under his command.

His little trick on Mandalore was an exception.

Maul was even able to drink up the negative emotions that Jinn released into the Force. Irritation, worry, things that Maul hadn’t noticed when he had faced the man before. It was probably because the crew had misplaced a little jedi and everyone was in a tizzy.

Maul could have ended the confusion, but where was the fun in that?

Instead he sat with Kenobi.

The boy had somehow managed to develope a fever and Jango had insisted that he be watched at all times. He’d woken up while Clat’Ha was with him, and Maul was fetching lunch with Jango. Every Time they saw the hutt’s on board Maul had to physically stop himself from trying to kill the slugs.

Jango seemed to be able to tell how he felt, even though he was about as close to a Force Null as a man could be, and went out of his way to try and keep him from interacting with them. Outside of food runs it wasn’t hard. They were here for the Arconan Mineral Harvest Company, or whatever they were called, and that meant that they stuck to their side of the ship.

The jedi master, Jinn, was the same.

Maul couldn’t help but note that the ‘ever compassionate’ jedi didn’t show up to help Kenobi until his fever lowered the boys mental shields enough that his distress saturated the air in the room.

When Jinn walked in, Maul stayed perfectly still and watched him go to Kenobi. He lay a hand on the boys brows and did… Something.

Some jedi thing. Maul watched the fever start to fade and Kenobi’s eyes finally flickered open.

Blue. Fuzzy and somewhat delirious.

"H-how?" Kenobi’s voice was hoarse and rough. Maul had the distinct feeling that he was intruding on something here. Strangely, he didn’t care.

"Don't try to speak," Jinn said quietly, "You've had a bad fever, but I've taken care of it. Your wounds turned out to be worse than initially assumed."

Maul nearly gagged on the raw hope that floated off of Kenobi in response. "Is it really you?" he asked.

Qui Gon smiled, the first time Maul had seen such an expression on his face.

"Yes, it's really me."

“Did you come to look for me?” Obi-Wan asked hopefully. Maul nearly snorted. Well of course. This was his master, wasn’t it? Jedi always came for eachother. They were fools like that.

(a quiet voiced asked if he would not have gone after Kilindi and Daleen if he could have. If he was not himself intending on going to find Savage.)

Qui-Gon shook his head. “I‘m on my way to Bandomeer as well. I‘m on a mission for the Galactic Senate. Our missions have nothing to do with each other.”

“Still, we‘re together,” Obi-Wan insisted. His voice trembled with faint hope. “You could show me –”

But Qui-Gon shook his head.

“No, Obi-Wan, that‘s not why I‘m here. Our destinies lie along different paths. Now is the time for you to get to know the people that you will serve. You must forget about me. You must serve the Jedi in ways other than as a Knight. There is honor in that, too.”

He did not say it cruelly, but it was clear that Qui-Gon‘s words struck Obi-Wan like a blow. He tried to hide it, but his eyes were sad and his shoulders hunched.

Meanwhile, Maul was reeling.

Jinn was not Kenobi’s master? Was that why he didn’t have that silly little braid? And, more important, what did he mean Kenobi wouldn’t be a knight? That couldn't be possible! Kenobi was the best of their order, he was the first jedi to beat a sith in combat in centuries, and, at the risk of sounding arrogant, Maul was one of the best trained sith in generations. Sidious, and even his master had never gone out and tested themselves against actual Jedi the way Maul had. Even before his dual with Jinn he’d already begun his head count. He had more true combat experience than the both of them, and it infuriated him in ways he couldn't even begin to describe that he still lost to Sidious.

How could Kenobi not be a knight? It didn’t make sense.

Was this how it had happened before? Or had Maul and Jango’s presence somehow changed Kenobi’s padawanship?

Maul hadn’t done much to change the events of the world besides try to stop the massacre at Galidraan. Besides that he had only been at Orsis, and then Mustafar.

Maul, barely more than a shadow pressed into the corner of the wall, watched numbly while an arconan shyly made his way into the room and introduced himself to Kenobi. Apparently word travelled fast on the ship, and the arconan miner’s had decided that Obi Wan was as much a hero as Maul and Jango for stranding up to the Hutts.

Not that Kenobi had done much besides get strangled and struck. He even said as much.

“Well, sit down and introduce yourself,” Obi-Wan said at last, waving the Arconan closer.. “In this

place, I need all the friends I can get.”

“It seems you are in luck, then,” Jinn said with a mild nod towards Maul. Kenobi’s head whipped around, apparently seeing Maul for the first time. Yellow eyes met blue evenly. He would not look away from this boy. Kenobi looked away first, to the arconan.

“Our name is Si Treemba,” the Arconan said, perching on a chair. The room was getting crowded. “We know yours is Obi-Wan Kenobi. We would be honored to be your friend.”

When attention turned to him again, he said simply, “Maul.”

Maul could see the question on Kenobi’s lips, but he didn’t get to ask it. The door to sickbay slid open. Clat‘Ha strode in with an impatient expression, and Jango at her side. He made quite the impression. Jinn’s shoulders tightened and his hand drifted closer to the lightsaber at his hip. .

“Good, you‘re here,” she said to Si Treemba, who scrambled to his feet.

Clat’Ha turned to Jinn grimly. “We have a problem,” she said crisply. “Someone has been tampering with our equipment. Young Si Treemba here discovered it on a routine inspection. We have three Arconan tunneling machines in stock, and all three have been sabotaged.”

“How so?” Qui-Gon asked.

Si Treemba stepped forward. “The thermocoms that monitor the tunnelers‘ hull temperature have been removed, sir. And the coring couplers have been rigged so that they will not disengage.”

Maul didn’t know mining equipment well, but he recognized most of the words. Thermocoms were used on certain stealth ships entering high density atmosphere’s to avoid blowing up when coming in quick and fast. If the ships overheated they would blow. He imagined that the drills did the same thing.

Then a hutt arrived, and the whole situation turned into a not-so-passive-aggresive show down between Jinn, the Hutts, Clat’Ha and Jango.

Maul watched it with growing irritation. All their problems would be solved if someone would just kill the hutt. He was guilty and everyone knew it.

But the jedi wouldn’t do such a thing.

Maul rolled his eyes when all that came of the argument was hot tempers and bland accusations of specism. Clat’Ha ran off to find her miner’s, with Jango in tow. He shot Maul a look that clearly said ‘stay out of trouble’. One Maul promptly ignored.

Qui-Gon shook his head sadly.

“There is a strong hatred between those two. Neither of them will listen.”

Listen to what? Maul rolled his eyes under his hood. The hutt was crooked and after power and the human was probably little better. A touch more concerned about her people maybe, and she hadn’t tried to get Jango to shoot him in the head, even if it would have been easier.

Joy. Morals.

“I don‘t understand,” Obi-Wan said. “Why did you let the Hutt go? He may be innocent of the crime of which he has been accused. But I‘m sure he‘s guilty of others.”

“Yes, he‘s guilty,” Qui-Gon agreed. “But Clat‘Ha has her defender. As Jedi, we are bound only to defend those who have no other means of defense.”

It was all Maul could do not to laugh outright. He had seen jedi become generals. What would Jinn have done if he saw their precious defenders of peace fight a war and send men to die on their behalf.

“Still, one of Jemba‘s crew has to have sabotaged those tunnelers. Why doesn‘t he try to find out who did it?” Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon answered, “Because if one of Jemba‘s men did do it, it will make him look bad before the miners‘ guild. He might be ordered off Bandomeer permanently. He knows that, so he won‘t point any fingers at his own.”

“Ah,” Si Treemba said. “And Clat‘Ha must feel the same. If anyone learned that one of her workers tried to frame Jemba, the miners‘ guild would be furious.”

“But it shouldn‘t be to hard to find out who really sabotaged the tunnelers,” Obi-Wan pointed out excitedly. His eyes were bright with a spark of determination in them.

Qui-Gon cocked an eyebrow. “This is not your affair,” he warned. “If you went looking for those thermocoms, all you would find is trouble. You must stay out of it. And stay away from the Offworld side of the ship. You‘re not fully recovered yet, Obi-Wan.”

Qui Gon left the trio in the infirmary.

“...so we’re going, right?” Maul asked without being prompted. He looked at Obi Wan, who did look a bit sheepish.

“We’ll need to search anywhere a thermocom could be.”

“They’re small,” Si Treemba said helpfully, and held up his hands to display their size.

“It won’t be too hard to search most of the ship, but the hutts will make it hard when we get closer to them. Best leave those ones to me, little jedi,” Maul advised.

“But, I hardly know you. I couldn't ask you to do such a thing.”

“You’re not asking, and I’m not giving you a choice. Shut up and start looking on this side of the ship, before your master finds out what you’re doing and scolds you.“

Kenobi’s gaze became downcast. “He is not my master. I am not his apprentice, nor am I duty bound to obey him.”

Maul started to grin. He’d never expected such a rebellious streak from him. Maybe there was hope for the little jedi yet, when he was still this young.

“Then fuck him. Let’s go to work.”

Kenobi gaped at him while Maul stood and, with practiced ease, pulled a vent free and vanished inside of it.

#Darth Maul #darth maul time travel #time travel #Star Wars #star wars the prequel trilogy #star wars time travel #obi wan kenobi #qui gon jinn #jango fett #si treemba

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abdicatedarchive · 3 years

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lost track of time || cody and bella

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: cody’s dorm and the art room // spring 2021.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: cody x bella.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: none.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: cody does not show up for their agreed upon meeting time.

Bella kept looking at her phone to check the time. The deal was that they'd meet once a week in the art room so Cody could help her with her project. They had this meeting on the same day of the week, same time, and he still wasn't here. She had texted him twice and still no response. Bella didn't want to come off as an annoyance but this project meant everything to her, and she thought they were working pretty well together last time. After an hour of waiting, she decided to go over to Cody's dorm room to check up on him. He must have been sick, that had to be it. As Bella got to the room, she knocked on the door, and waited till he answered. "Hello. Is everything okay? Are you feeling bad?"

He had recognized that they were becoming too chummy the other day. Cody didn't like the idea of someone knowing so many things about him. He turned his phone to do not disturb and turned on his xbox, something to keep him busy. Cody knew he was supposed to feel guilty, but the only thing he felt guilty about was not keeping up the trade system they had. When he heard the knock on the door, he was assuming he was going to get chewed out. That was typically how things went for him with girls. When she was concerned about whether or not he was sick ... he was surprised. "I guess I just lost track of time" said Cody as he put his arm up against the side of the door frame. He made a point to not say sorry. Like I said, they were becoming too chummy. Cody needed to put a stop to that, she was just going to catch feelings.

He lost track of time? That was it?! Bella blinked a couple times in confusion, clearly there was more than just losing track of time. Didn't he know how much this meant to her? Her parents were actually showing interest in her art for once, and it was pretty much just because Cody was involved. "I... I waited for an hour. I texted you too, did you not get them?" She didn't mind giving him reminders that they had their meet ups, but this was only the second week. How could he already forget? They both agreed on the idea of trading favors, and she had kept up hers so far of not bringing up Alexandra. It all just seemed a little inconsiderate, and she was trying to make this work.

"My phone's on do not disturb" said Cody, not really sure what to do. He should have thought about what the consequences would be for not showing up. To a certain extent he hadn't expected her to be confrontational until the second time it happened. "Did you even really need me today? Do I need to be there every time?" he asked causally. There was no way she needed his physical presence every Thursday. It was a huge commitment, and it really cut into his free time.

Bella looked up at Cody in silence for a moment. Normally, she would cave in and say that he didn't have to be there every time. She didn't want to cause too much of an inconvenience. She probably would have even suggested they stop their meetings completely and she would figure everything out because she was scared that she was being such a bother. But her art meant so much to her, it's what drove her. It was all she had in her lonely life, and she couldn't fail this time. She couldn't disappoint her parents yet again. "Uh, yes. Yes I do need you, a-and yes you do need to be there every time." she said awkwardly. "I thought everything went well last week, and this means a lot to me, so ... I would appreciate if you were more considerate." she spoke quickly towards the end, in fear of sounding too aggressive.

He knew he was being an ass, but he wanted to keep her at a bigger distance. Last time he let anyone know anything about him it didn't exactly end well. He liked being alone when it came to the intimate details about his life. He liked being around people for the easy stuff, that was good. It was when people got too close that he had a problem. That's why he liked his friends as much as he did. They all kept an arms length away. Everything was surface level for them. He didn't know if there was anything else to them, and they didn't know everything that was going on for him. "Fine. I'll be there" said Cody, rolling his eyes a little. "Founders Day and your art show will be here before we know it, and then this will all be over after a little dying out period" he added, waiting for the day that this was all done. Sure it was nice to have his parents off his back, but all the added things weren't good.

Bella knew that this was a big commitment, and Cody wasn't really getting anything out of it, but this was the point of their favors. He helped her, and she would help him. No questions asked, at least from her. She didn't mind helping others, she actually enjoyed it. If there was any way to make someone happy, she would do it. But not everyone was like this, and that was something she needed to learn. This was Cody Summers after all, he was never too nice to her back in the day. "Is there a problem with that?" she asked softly, noticing the roll of his eyes. "May I remind you that we are both even with favors right now and I have not broken that yet. Maybe we should have consequences when one doesn't hold up to the deal." she mumbled the last sentence to herself. A written contract seemed more appealing to Bella in this moment. "I am also very aware of that." she added with the pout of her lips. She didn't love this fake relationship either but she wasn't being so obvious about it.

Her being a little pissed off at him was good. It meant that the walls between them were strong and good. He hated how much she had already managed to get him to open up. Cody nodded, "I will be there next time, I promise. If I break it again, we can talk about consequences". He didn't really want negative reinforcement for not doing what was expected of him, so he would be sure to be there next time. He wanted to stay just on the edge of her good side. It would make things the easiest. Not full hatred, but just enough that when this was done it would be fully done. "Then I think we're good here" said the boy shortly, "unless you want or need something?" he said, running his hand through his hair. He didn't even know why he offered.

Bella nodded in agreement with Cody suggestion, "Okay. Then this shall be strike one. No more strikes, only consequences." The idea of consequences may have not been the best for Bella, considering the fact that she babbles just a little too much when she's around Cody. She was surprised she hadn't slipped and mentioned Alexandra at this point, but her fear of disappointing others may have overpowered her rambling abilities. As Cody spoke again, she couldn't help but feel like he wanted her out of his sight. Last week was nice, and for a moment she thought she had him all wrong. She thought that there could be more to him than whatever reputation he had, but maybe people were right and he wasn't a nice person after all. "Well, I would suggest going to the art room so I don't waste this week, but ... I don't want to interrupt whatever you're doing." she said with a little more attitude than intended. "I suppose I'll figure this out on my own."

"An agreement is an agreement. Let me just grab a sweatshirt" said Cody as he quickly put on a jacket and followed her to the art building. He had resolved to sit in silence with her, no questions this week. When they got there, he sat on a stool and started messing around with a camera to keep himself busy. He didn't really know what to say, he felt like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. He knew he was in the wrong, but it was still unnerving. He snapped a photo of her as she still looked angry. He was surprised how beautiful she looked when she was focused on her work. Not that he would ever admit it to her. That was a boundary that did not need to be crossed.

Bella was pretty shocked to hear Cody say he'd be going to the art room with her. Now she felt a little bad about giving attitude. Her mother always told her she needed to be more authoritative, but that was easier said than done, at least for her. The rest of the family made it look like a cakewalk. As they got to the room, Bella quickly set everything out and put her hair up. She wasn't sure how long they'd be able to be in here since it was almost past her time slot. Working under this kind of stress was not ideal, and she was still pretty upset with Cody. The silver lining had to be that he was, visually, a nice subject to work with. As long as she did him justice, the painting should come out amazing. "Taking a picture of someone without their consent might be illegal in this state, you know. I could get you in a lot of trouble." Even though she still had that grumpy face on, Bella was definitely messing around. "Is that what you like to take pictures of? People?"

He laughed, "haven't you heard? I'm kind of a bad boy" he chuckled. She was funny when she was pissed off. He thought about it for a second, "yeah, people. I just like catching moments. I think I might take a camera to Charlie's wedding" he dropped casually. It had dawned on him earlier today that he would need to take Bella to the wedding. Honestly, that had been a big factor in why he had dipped out of today's session. The pressure was becoming a little too real. This wasn't founder's day or some silly family dinner. This was his brother's wedding. No one else in his family was going to be settling down for a while, and there was something special about Charlie. First of all, he was everyone's favorite. Not to mention Charlie and Alice's love story was disgustingly perfect, they were the blueprint. "I guess you'll be my plus one for that" said Cody, swallowing hard. The photos were going to be around for a long time. She would have probably been going anyways, the whole town was pretty much going.

"Criminal Cody. I should have known." Bella let out a sigh and shook her head slowly, pretending like she was disappointed in him. The mention of his brother's wedding completely shocked her. How could she forget about that? Her parents had talked about it more than enough times, it seemed to be a pretty big deal around town. She didn't actually process the fact that she'd have to go with Cody. He was literally apart of the family, he was probably even a groomsmen for Charlie. This put even more pressure on her, and she was not even the slightest bit prepared. She was never going to pretend to be someone's girlfriend ever again after this. "That is very true... I am going to be your plus one." she tried focussing on her work as she spoke. "Question. Is this really as big as everyone's making it out to be? Because sometimes my parents can be very dramatic, and they've talked this wedding up quite a bit."

He hesitated with his answer, "I think it is going to be that big. Hastings Planning is doing all of it, so Katie. I know my entire extended family is coming. Luckily I'm not the best man" said Cody messing around with the camera. "I know I need to be there the whole time, but you can definitely fake a stomach ache or something. Just don't blame the food, because Katie will put them out of business, or worse there'll be a pregnancy test in front of your dorm room before you know it" Cody advised. He really hadn't thought through the fact that his brother's wedding was coming up sooner than he thought. Summer seemed like such a distant thing, but it was creeping up so fast. "To a certain extent ... I don't know who is not invited. Maybe Bryce? I would assume Bryce is not invited, but Charlie might invite him out of spite".

Bella couldn't hide how nervous she was feeling. Now she would have to meet his entire family, he already had such a big immediate family. She'd probably have to prep herself and write down a list of possible questions she'd be asked so she can get answers ready in advanced. "I'm not sure I'll be able to leave early. My parents would not let me live that down if I did. My dad's 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' tone when he speaks really hits in the heart." Bella didn't want to cause a scene by leaving the wedding, and then leave Cody with even more questions as to where's she's gone off to. It would only be one night, and if she could get through that, she could get through any other family event for Cody. "It's fine. I'll be fine. You'll be fine. Teamwork makes the dreamwork. And maybe your other siblings will be bringing dates too. Then we won't have as much attention on us."

He shuddered at the thought of his sisters having dates, "Well I'm sure Courtney or Claire's dates will be ... tolerableish. Channing though? That will be a mess, but I would rather that than seeing her hit on people. It's disturbing for sure. She likes old men, and I wouldn't put it past her to go after Nathaniel even with us dating" he monologued. Channing was the talk of the town though, just not in a good way. He could see his parents paying someone to escort her. It was that bad. "We'll be fine though, and we can definitely sneak off for a bit and sit on our phones. People will just think we're young and in love" he added, getting surprisingly nervous about the wedding. He didn't think about how many eyes were going to be on him. How many people were going to be there at an event about his family and Alice's family. It was different than founders day. Founder's Day just meant everyone would notice them, not that they would be watching them.

"I don't think Nate will be interested. One because he respects my love life, and two, because ... you know." It didn't ever seem like anyone was actually interested in Channing, but Bella understood why. She had met some mean people in her life, but Channing Summers? The woman was on a whole other level. She didn't like to speak badly about her though, Bella believed if she did, the evil spirit within Channing would come out and hurt her in some way. Too risky. "That sounds good." Being away from everyone sounded like the best option. The more time away, the better. She was starting to think about all the attention they were going to be receiving. It was very unsettling. "Are we going to dance? Because I don't mind that. I enjoy dancing, typically by myself. Feels more special that way, but dancing with someone else can be fun too."

He laughed when she said you know, everyone definitely knew. It was weird to make plans with someone like this. He hadn't dated in a long time, hadn't made any long term plans with anyone. It was weird because they weren't actually dating, just dating for everyone else. His relationship with Bella was surely a weird one. He hoped he didn't have anything like this again. "Maybe, I'm not really one for dancing" said Cody, shutting the idea down as best as he could. He just didn't like looking like an idiot, Cody felt like he was just too tall and big to be doing any dancing. He just towered over most people, he felt like a giant on the dance floor.

Without thinking, Bella pouted her lips as Cody turned down the idea of dancing. "Okay. That's fine." she answered as she looked back and forth between him and the canvas. She would never make someone do something they didn't want to, but it was going to be sad seeing everyone else dancing at the wedding. Bella wasn't very big on parties, but there was something about dancing in crowds every now and then that felt liberating. No one had their eyes specifically on Bella, everyone was simply having a fun time together. "What are you one for?" All she really knew about Cody, as far as interests went, were that he enjoyed football and possibly photography to some extent. Even though she was annoyed with him, Bella still was pushing to know more about him.

"I like parties, hanging with friends, some video games" said Cody, surprised that he didn't have a better answer. He wondered if he was boring. Cody thought he couldn't possibly be boring, he was a Summers and had friends. People wouldn't spend time with him if he was boring. But then again, he was in a fake relationship. He sat there, spiraling about whether or not he was interesting at all before asking, "what are you one for, besides art?" he asked to fill the void around the room. He felt like he was sinking, like he was the least interesting person that had ever existed. Even his sisters were more interesting.

Listening to Cody's answer proved even more that they were both very different, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If anything, Bella wished she was more like the people that had a ton of friends and partied. They seemed like they were always having fun. Parties were unfortunately a little too much for her to handle, and she never had one of those big friend groups. She did enjoy video games though, but the last time she was very passionate about it was when the Wii was thriving. Nowadays, she gravitates to more relaxing games. "That's fun, and it tracks. Sports and video games both can be competitive, and partying seems like a good fit for someone who likes other people's company. You also said you enjoy capturing moments, so hanging out with friends and creating memories sounds like something you would appreciate." She didn't mean to sound like some kind of personality quiz result, Bella just enjoyed learning about people through their interests. It said a lot about them. "The ocean and space are very special to me." she answered with a smile. "I also have specific interests that usually change once a month. This month, anteaters."

He was constantly surprised at her well thought out answers, and how quickly she came to them. You would think he would expect it by now, but there was just something about her (it was weird) but that she was confident to just say whatever she actually felt or perceived. He wasn't sure if someone just saw him? It was a stupid thought. To go with that stupid thought, she was always talking about the ocean or space when they were kids. Bella would be at a bonfire and spend the whole time away from people just looking at the sky. He didn't know why anyone would not want to be in the thick of it, getting attention from others and making memories seemed so much better. "Anteaters? Any ... reason?" he asked, his douchey tone definitely coming through on accident. He couldn't help but be skeptical. Sometimes it felt like she wanted to be weird, like she was actively seeking it out.

Bella side-eyed Cody for a second as she caught his little tone. It sounded like he was judging her instead of actually being curious. People were always questioning her, whether it was her family or someone that barely knew her. It never felt like it was because they genuinely wanted to know more about her either. This is why she enjoyed the ocean and space so much more. Even though she tried to see the best in people, they still made her feel bad about herself. When Bella was alone at the beach during the night, it was just her, the sea, and the moon. All her worries were washed away, even if it was temporary. It was nice. "I went to a thrift shop and saw an anteater beanie baby." she answered in an almost defensive tone. "It was very cute and made me realize that I don't know much about them, so I got curious. They deserve a little appreciation."

She was a strange one, "and how about next month? aardvarks?" he joked. Cody wondered if her fixations actually changed every month, like clockwork or if it was just something that happened naturally. It did give him a good gift idea for the future though, when he would undoubtedly have to give her a gift in front of his family. His mom was talking up a storm about him getting Bella something nice soon. It was so relieving not to talk about himself or his siblings with his parents, that he honestly didn't even mind his mom talking so much about Bella. She was so excited about everything, he had never seen her like this about anyone he was seeing. Now that he was thinking about it, he wasn't sure how much his parents ever liked Alexandra.

"I don't know, Cody Summers. I guess I will let you know since you're so interested. Maybe I'll even make a presentation next time." she answered, that little grumpy face coming back quicker than she thought. Bella didn't usually get too upset, she liked to think of the positives. Even when she was with Landon, if anyone was getting upset between the two, it was him. Maybe that was because she was so stupidly in love with her ex boyfriend, that she chose not to see his faults. But Cody's comments sounded like he was making fun of her, and she didn't appreciate it. Bella was starting to wonder why her parents liked him so much. Yes, she agreed to this fake relationship, but her parents were about to set her up with him anyways. It could possibly be because of his family's nice reputation, but they just seemed to really like Cody. "Maybe if you looked into them, you would like them too. There's nothing wrong with learning or trying new things."

He smiled to himself when she replied grumpily. Cody liked getting under her skin, it was the most fun he was having when he was with her. Teasing her was honestly a very good time for him. Cody wondered how someone so strange came out of the Langston household. Her brother was surely a robot, and her sisters honestly must have been made in a factory because they were flawless. Something kind of got lost in translation with Bella, but she was still pretty. Just not pretty like that. "You should tell that to the anteaters. I heard they only eat one thing" said Cody with a little laugh. He wasn't very funny. But he thought he was funny enough. The bar at home was very low.

Bella turned her attention over to Cody just to narrow her eyes at him slowly as if she were suspicious of him. She very much preferred the Cody that she was with last time, he didn’t poke fun at the innocent anteaters. “For your information, they do not just eat ants. They also eat termites. Sometimes even fruit and eggs.” she informed him. “It’s not like they can eat any tough meat, they don’t have any teeth.” Bella then cleaned off her brush and set it down and walked up to him, “Anyways, I think you look decent enough for me to take a couple of those reference pictures.” Yes he was attractive, everyone knew that, but Bella was not going to say it. All of the Summers seemed to have this cocky energy to them, but at least Charlie was sweet. He deserved the compliments. “Can I touch you? Like, fix your hair or position you differently?”

"I stand corrected" he said shortly. Honestly most of the time she spoke with him as kids it ended a lot like that. She just knew all this weird stuff for no reason, which was nice but still strange. Where did she even store all this information? Then she said decent enough. Decent enough? Did this girl seriously not find him attractive? Of all the things he knew in this world, Cody Summers knew he was everyone's type whether or not they liked him as a person. It was a trait of all the Summers children. His parents had done a great job with the genetics, and it was probably the only reason a few of his sisters had any friends. "Sure, whatever you need" he responded, a little lost at her comment. He just didn't know why she wouldn't think he was good looking. Again, everyone thought he was good looking. Cody had everything going for him: nice jaw line, 6'5", good hair, muscley but not too much. What did she even mean by good enough?

Bella nodded once at Cody before she started to mess with his hair a bit, “Thank you.” There really wasn’t much she needed to do, but if she mentioned that, it would probably go straight to his head. Bella wasn’t going to say something like, ”Even though you initially ditched this week and weren’t planning to come, you still look so effortlessly good. Wow. Please let me take the pictures of you today.” No way. But the longer she was this close to him, the more she noticed how attractive he was. Like, ridiculously attractive. Stupid Bella. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She positioned his face the way it was coming out in the painting before reaching her hand out, "Camera please. I only need a couple photos for the reference, so this won't take too long. As long as I get the right lighting." she said as she looked around the room. "Photography is not really a strength of mine. Apologies in advanced."

Cody felt weird having her so close to him. They had already kissed, but this was weirdly more intimate? He didn't really know how to describe it. He knew they were the only two in the art room, but it felt like they were alone in the building. He shook off the feeling as she asked for the camera, and he passed it to her. "If you need any help I'm not too bad at set up" he said casually as he stayed still in the position she wanted. He kind of wished he was still holding the camera, he would rather take photos of her than to have her take pictures of him. He felt a lot more comfortable behind the camera these days. She also had the kind of face that photographed well, sometimes he was surprised with just how pretty she was. But that thought was a little too much, if anything it just made them fake dating look more realistic.

Bella took hold of the camera and shook her head slowly, "I think I got it. But thank you." The few friends Bella had were just as artsy as her and some of them were great with cameras. Their art always fascinated her, so the first chance she got, she picked up a photography class. She had taken it her first semester of freshman year, but her professor didn't really teach much. It was unfortunate because she wanted to improve her skill, but that would have to be for another time. Right now, all Bella could do was hope for the best. Messing with the settings sort of scared her and the natural lighting coming through wasn't exactly helping. After taking a couple pictures, she looked over them, pouting her lips in disapproval. "On second thought, help would be much appreciated. If it's not too much to ask."

He stayed still while she took the photos. Once she took back her response about help, he slid off the stood, putting her bag on the chair. Cody took the camera and toggled with the settings, realizing he wasn't actually helping her at all. He was just doing it. So he put the camera back in her hands and showed her what he was doing from behind. Luckily he wasn't hunching as much as usual. It was nice to be around someone who was tall. Cody moved the camera up to her face, his finger over hers on the shutter button. He took her other hand and had her move around the focus under his hand "tell me when it's the perfect shot" he said quietly. Talk about things that were weirdly intimate. He couldn't stress this enough, they had already kissed. This should not be a big deal, but he was distracted by how her hair smelled, and how she could probably feel his breath.

Bella gave the camera back to Cody and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she watched him adjust the settings. She didn’t mind if he did it all on his own, she didn't want to get in his way. As he was handing the camera back, she thought everything was set, but then he went behind her and assisted her that way. Bella went into some kind of weird shock and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Was this as intense for him as it was for her? Sure they've kissed before, but the last time she was ever actually touchy with someone was when she was with Landon. But maybe she was being a dweeb about this, and this was normal for Cody. Even though things like this totally happened in romance movies, and she could kind of feel his breath on the side of her neck, and it was making her ears get all warm. "Now." she spoke softly as everything was in focus.

Cody pressed her finger onto the shutter and took a photo of the bag. "Okay now stay right there" he said as he moved the bag over and sat the way she had posed him before. He caught his breath after the moment they shared, feeling the goosebumps on the back of his neck. "Are we good here?" he asked, wanting to leave. He didn't like how intimate that all felt. It felt very real, and Cody did not believe he was compatible with Bella in the slightest. Sex was going to make this all very complicated, but he couldn't help but think about it. It was that damn shampoo. Thank god she didn't smell bad, but did she have to smell like that? It was all too much, and Cody was only sure of a few things. One of those things is that he was never going to have sex with her, and he definitely did not want to except a few minutes ago when he thought about it. A fluke, for sure.

Bella stayed as still as she could, she was practically frozen, and took the picture of Cody once he was back into position. She quickly moved the camera down from her eyes and kept her attention on that, "Yes." This had to be the most quiet she's ever been around Cody. Her strange need to talk a lot around him was still confusing to her, but her mind was scrambled right now. No words were able to come out. She also didn't want Cody to notice how red her face had gotten so him leaving now was the best option. Bella turned her back to him and headed towards her canvas. There was still some work to be done, but that would have to be for another day. All she was thinking about was that little moment they just had, and how she definitely didn't enjoy it ... even though she kind of did. His touch, his voice. Her mind was starting to wonder a little too far and it was weird. Very weird. Bella needed a break, maybe she was overworking herself. A nice walk on the beach would help clear her mind.

He dipped as soon as he could, "see ya next week" he said with a small wave before heading out. Cody had every plan of actually being back next week whether he liked it or not. This was just something he was going to have to phone in. Not something he could get out of just by being Cody. That was most of his life, getting out of things for being Cody. Not a lot of hard work involved in that. He looked back at her and he could see how red her face had gotten as he picked up the pace. He hoped this didn't feel real to her. There was a lot more to come before they were to break up. // END

#codyxbella #threads || bella and cody #bella and cody || 003 #cody: thread

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twilight-mademegay · 6 years

Text

Hold Onto Me

Bucky's awake.

That's by no means something new. It's well past midnight and no one else is awake. Well, Steve isn't and that's everyone else that could be. Everyone that matters. The blonde is laying next to him in their shared bed, with his back to Bucky. This is how they usually fall asleep. Steve is always the first to fall asleep and Bucky doesn't mind.

Except when he can't sleep. Which happens almost every night.

Tonight isn't bad, but it isn't good either. It's past midnight, likely around four a.m. Bucky's watching the slow rise and fall of his best friend's chest as he sleeps normally. It's late. Too late. But he can't sleep. Not that he doesn't want to; he does. But his mind won't let it. Tonight is one of the nights where everything is just too overwhelming for no reason. There's an uneasy feeling in his chest. It's heavy and makes it hurt to breathe. He's tried matching his breathing to Steve's; it doesn't work. His hand- the flesh and blood one- twitches to reach out for the blonde. It's like this every night. He hates it. He wants to change, but how?

He does not mean to be this dependent. He knows he has problems, they all stem from himself and who Hydra made him to be. But he can't help it. Especially after his first week back with Steve. It feels like years since then but honestly he isn't the best at telling time. Being put under ice and out over and over has ruined that for him. It's likely why he has trouble sleeping at decent hours. God, he thinks. He has so many problems, so many issues. The first week he had stumbled his way back into Steve's life was hectic to say the least.

He probably could have done it with a little more finesse too. Bucky had just showed up at Steve's door. He had knocked once and waited. And waited. And waited. The fact is had been four am was likely why it took so long for an answer. But when he got it...Steve nearly fainted when he saw Bucky. Well, as close to fainting as a super soldier could get. It was obvious Captain America wasn't expecting the Winter Soldier to show up at his doorstep. That was clear with how tense he was letting the brunette into his apartment. But, it seemed like Steve was hoping for Bucky. That was also clear with how the blonde seemed to slip back into their old habits over the course of the week. He offered Bucky his bedroom, to which the man shook his head and stayed on the couch for nearly four days straight. Steve had worried. He was cautious though, never over stepping any unspoken boundaries. Only offering food and water whenever he ate and trying to include Bucky in whatever mindless task he did.

It had taken the whole-extremely slow- week for Bucky to do or say anything. The first thing he asked was if Steve would cut his hair. It was disgustingly filthy and stringy and he wanted it gone. Steve had agreed. Seeing the metal of the scissors made his heart stop and every negative thought he'd had this past week came to the front of his mind. And there were a lot. The part of him that was still the Winter Solider screamed; told him to run and about seven different ways to incapacitate Steve so he could. He nearly listened. His flesh and blood hand stayed pressed against his leg. The metal one dug into his own thigh; Bucky was sure he'd probably bruise himself. It didn't matter. The bruises would heal impossibly fast.

He didn't face the mirror as the blonde cut his hair carefully. He kept himself turned towards Steve; he was level with Steve's stomach as he sat on the edge of the bathtub. At some point, he had leaned into Steve and stayed like that until the haircut was done. He hadn't pulled away once it was done. Instead, he stayed still and kept his face pressed against Steve's stomach. His arms stayed at his sides. It didn't make any sense why this was helping him, why touching Steve like this was somehow making everything in that moment okay. But it did. It did when Steve gently wrapped his arms around Bucky's shoulders and tentatively ran his fingers through his now short hair. They stayed like that until Bucky's mind was no longer racing and he brought his hands up.

Touch seemed to be the one thing to calm him. Steve touching him. His Stevie. Things didn't immediately pick up after that night. But Bucky found himself remembering things slowly. He remembered Steve- so much smaller before. Before everything went wrong. Steve sick for weeks at a time and on his death bed at one point. Steve having to look up at him just to meet his eyes. The faint blush on his friend's cheeks when Bucky would catch him staring for a little too long. Doe eyes and surprised. The same look when Steve would catch him doing the same.

Bucky moved closer to Steve's sleeping form. His chest was tight and he needed to touch. Needed to hold onto Steve. Onto something that was real before and still is now. It was unbelievable how they both ended up here after seventy years. Steve under ice the whole time while Bucky was being pushed to and from. When things got bad, he would wish he hadn't survived that fall. Maybe things would have been better if he hadn't. People wouldn't be dead, that was for sure. Bucky wouldn't have their screams and pleads ringing in his head years, decades, later.

He moved impossibly close to Steve and wrapped his flesh and blood arm around his best friend. Around the only person keeping him together anymore. He owes everything to Steve. And to Steve's friend, Sam. For keeping Steve together when he wasn't there and for when he was.

Bucky knows he created a huge hole in Steve when he left him on the riverbank. He knows. Because it left a huge one in him. It felt like something had been scraped out of his chest. But he couldn't stay because he didn't know what he would do. He hadn't been out of cryo that long before; who knows what he would have done. But he's here now, he reminds himself. He presses his face against the blonde's shoulder and tries to push back the thoughts that always haunt him. He sees the faces of innocent and not-so innocent people alike in his mind. Men and women he's killed over the years. Their names are long forgotten but their face. Their screams. They stay.

The brunette isn't aware of the shifting body next to him. Steve wakes up and becomes very aware of the cold body pressed against his. His own hand comes to hold the one that presses against his chest. He laces their fingers and squeezes. It's a bad night. "Buck?" He turns his head slowly and sees the other's face hidden. He gets it. Shifting very carefully and slow- he doesn't know how Bucky will react- he turns and faces his best friend and lover. Bucky isn't looking at him. Well, he is. His eyes are open and looking at Steve but he isn't seeing. He's going into a bad headspace. Steve sighs and scoots as close as possible. His arms circle the other man's shoulders and holds him against his chest. "Sweetheart, I need 'ya to come back to me." He presses a feather light kiss to his forehead.

It takes a minute or two before Bucky is back. Steve only knows he is because the arm around his waist tightens and the brunette presses his face against Steve's chest. He doesn't move, only holds Bucky. It's okay. It's late at night (or morning) and he is dead tired from being an Avenger. But this is okay. It's late and there's nowhere Steven Grant Rogers would rather be than comforting his best friend and partner. Because Bucky isn't the only one who had problems and wakes up at night from nightmares and in fight mode. No. Steve has his nights and Bucky is always there to comfort it whether it be midday or in the middle of the night. Because they love each other. Because as long as they had each other, had the other to hold onto, things would be okay.

James Buchanan Barnes would be a lying mess if he disagreed.

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Based on “Hold Onto Me” by Mayday Parade

#Steve Rogers #james bucky barnes #hurt bucky barnes #stucky #Song Fic #captain america #mcu #marvel #mayday parade #hold onto me #one-shot #fanfiction #ficlet #hurt/comfort #bucky barnes needs a hug #mentions of ptsd #super soldiers in love #super soldiers #post-winter soldier

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