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zoeykallus · 2 years

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Crosshair – More Than You Can Chew

Crosshair x Inexperienced F!Reader One Shot

Warning: SMUT 18+ /PiV Sex /Dom (soft) Crosshair / FiV / Oral Reader receiving/ Inexperienced Reader

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After writing "The First Time" headcanons (more or less recently), I thought I should actually write additional scenarios with each batcher. Don't you think? Here comes Crosshair.

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A few weeks ago you worked with the Bad Batch for the first time, as an informant you had infiltrated the Exchange for the guys. Everything went according to plan and worked perfectly. Now you were to work with them again, on an outpost on a moon of Kamino you had been stationed for the time being, where you were to wait for further orders for an attack on a Separatist espionage unit.

"Hey Kitten, nice view"

Crosshair's raspy voice behind you made you sit up and turn to look at him. The sniper had been flirting with you regularly on the first mission as well, teasing you and trying to fluster you.

The "nice view" comment was directed at your rear end, because you had just bent over one of the consoles. You turned around, deliberately slow, and looked at him with a teasing look in your eyes.

"You again," you said with a small smile "Don't you have anything better to do than to admire my ass?"

A small smirk twitched at his lips and he rolled the toothpick in his mouth from one corner of his mouth to the other.

"No, because your ass is hard to miss".

That was typical, Crosshair liked to combine flirting and compliments with more or less subliminal insults, you had figured that out pretty quickly.

"Just like your misplaced self-confidence, chicken stilts" you said with a meaningful sideways glance at his long legs.

"Long legs not your thing?" he asked amused "I have something else that's long".

You laughed.

"Sure, I'll believe that when I see it"

"Deal"

You didn't have time to frown at the comment, Hunter came into the room and you both acted like nothing had happened.

"Everything okay here?" asked Hunter, wrinkling his nose a little. Obviously there were some hormones in the air and you were a little ashamed that the cheeky sniper kept managing to throw you off balance even hormonally.

"It's all good, Sergeant," you said a little too hastily.

Hunter fixed you with his gaze for a long uncomfortable moment, but then finally nodded and said, "Okay good, Tech will take over here for you in a minute then you can take a break" He turned to Crosshair, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Crosshair shrugged and said lightly. "Same thing you are. Checking to see if everything is okay."

Hunter rolled his eyes more or less inconspicuously before backing away, a moment later Tech relieved you and you just left Crosshair standing there with a cheeky little smile on your lips.

You hated the big communal showers in those facilities. Since the Republic army was mainly consisting of clones, sanitary facilities were often designed with that in mind. For someone like you, there was little such thing as privacy. You had to wait and plan each time so you could have the showers and other sanitary facilities to yourself for a while.

You chose one of the open stalls, hung your towel on a hook nearby, placed your cosmetic bag on the small holder provided for it in the stall, and turned on the water.

As you turned around you let out a small startled scream, there was a large mirror on one of the inside walls of the cabin and you had been scared of yourself. You shook your head laughing at yourself and as you began to wash up, the question of why they would put a mirror in here crossed your mind.

Your thoughts were distracted when the shower's water stream somehow seemed to get noisier. Puzzled, you raised your eyes, nothing had changed in the water, but then you realized with shock, your water had not become louder, of course, but someone else had sought out one of the cabins as well.

In the corner of your eye you saw a movement and looked to your left. Broad shoulders, gray hair.... Crosshair?!

You hastily looked in another direction. Your heart was beating fast and hard in your chest. What the hell was he thinking, he couldn't possibly have missed you!

Suddenly you felt that he was looking at you, you felt his gaze on you. With your back turned to him, you stood there for a few heartbeats without moving.

"The view is even better without those annoying pants," you heard him say insinuatingly.

Was he serious?!

You looked over your shoulder and saw that he was actually looking at you, a smug smile on his thin lips.

He said: "You know it doesn't matter if you turn your back on me, I see the rest of you in the mirror".

Your heart leapt uncomfortably, you felt heat rush to your face and ears and automatically covered your breasts with your arms, squeezing your thighs together.

Crosshair raised his brows, amused and questioning at the same time.

"You've been aggressively flirting with me for weeks and now all of a sudden you're all shy?"

"I'm not used to being ambushed in the shower," you returned nervously.

"Ambushed? I'm just taking a shower" he returned amused "Are you ashamed of your nudity? Well you really don't have to be, I like what I see."

You were getting even hotter and part of you was tempted to catch a glimpse as well, but you were smaller, if you wanted to look at him you would have to leave your stall and stand in front of his. He could look into your cabin just fine because he was a whole lot taller.

When you didn't really visibly respond to his question, he asked, " Do you want me to leave again?"

On impulse, you shook your head. You didn't know yourself exactly why, in fact it seemed unreasonable. You slowly turned around to face him, your arms still over your breasts. Crosshair smirked and bit his lower lip.

"But you don't really want to show yourself like that, do you?" he asked, amused.

Shocked, you watched as he turned off the water in his shower stall again, left it, and just walked into yours. He was standing right in front of you and you couldn't help it, your eyes wandered if only briefly to his crotch, but long enough to realize that he was already half hard and definitely not lying about his size. You had to put your head back to look up into his face.

Your heart literally jumped into your throat as he touched your face with one hand and suddenly came very close to you. When his lips touched yours, you suddenly could hardly breathe. When he felt you tense up and hold your breath, he broke away from your lips and looked at you.

"What's wrong with you? You've been flirting with me pretty hard since you've been with us and now you act like you've bitten off more than you can chew."

Nervously you admitted, "I've never been intimate with a man before."

Crosshair raised his eyebrows in surprise, but then smiled.

"Then maybe the shower isn't the place to start. What do you say we find a lonely bunk on this station?"

You blinked, still not quite able to grasp what just went on here, but finally you nodded and said, "That sounds good."

You both finished showering in separate stalls, dried off, and Crosshair finally led you out, out of the showers, through a few hallways, he knew exactly where to go so as not to run into any of the others. He finally found a lonely room, with a bed, and led you inside.

Next to the bed you both stopped and he looked at you urgently.

"One thing before we start, just to be sure".

You nodded and listened to him carefully.

"You know you don't have to do this?" he asked "There is no obligation. If you don't want to do it, you won't be put at a disadvantage."

You nodded, but that was not enough for him.

"Tell me if you understood" he demanded impatiently.

"Sure, I understand, I don't have to sleep with you if I don't want to.... I want to though."

Crosshair smirked and began to undress you. Your heart was beating up to your throat and you didn't really know what to do, so you waited until he had completely undressed you. With a simple gesture he finally asked you to climb on the bed and started to undress himself.

As he stood naked in front of the bed you were sitting on, you carefully examined his body. He was so tall and slim, wiry but trained. You could clearly see his muscles under his tanned skin. His legs were so incredibly long, naked you could somehow see that even more clearly.

Then your eyes fell on his crotch, already in a semi-hard state, his cock was quite long and girthy, but you had seen that before in the shower.

"You weren't lying," you said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you said there was something else long about you besides your legs."

Crosshair took a second, but then smirked.

"Ever seen a cock before? For real I mean."

When you shook your head he stepped closer, bent down and grabbed one of your hands. He guided your hand to his length, which seemed to grow slowly as he stared at your naked body. As your fingers touched him, you felt a gentle pulse under his skin and a downright radiant warmth. Your fingers gently gripped around his cock and he moaned softly.

"You're all warm," you said, fascinated.

He nodded and asked, "Would you be comfortable stroking him? I can show you how."

When you nodded, he slid your hand up a little further, closer to his tip, and slowly guided your hand in pumping motions. When he let go of your hand again you continued without him.

Crosshair moaned softly and nodded.

"That's a good start, you're doing good Mesh'la".

When you saw a thick drop of clear liquid coming from his velvety tip, you leaned closer over him, curious. He watched you in surprise as your tongue came testingly over your lips and touched his tip. He twitched ever so slightly and suppressed a low growl, but you could still detect it.

It tasted slightly salty, you noted. You looked up at him and licked his tip again while your hand continued to work, wanting to see the expression on his face. First his eyes got big, then he squeezed them shut and moaned softly. He knew he couldn't expect a fill on blow job from you and that didn't matter at the moment, he was hard as dura steel by now anyway.

"Okay, Kitten, today is all about you, I want your first time to be special," he finally said, amused, gently but firmly pulling your hand from his hard length and asking you to lie down.

"Do you trust me?"

The question took you by surprise.

"I think so."

He shook his head.

"That's not good enough for what I have in mind for you. Will you believe me if I tell you I won't do anything against your will?"

You had only known him for a few weeks, he was a special character, but yes, somehow you definitely believed him, so you nodded and replied, "Yes, I feel safe here and now, with you."

Crosshair smiled cockily.

"Good, Mesh'la, very good. Then I'll teach you a few things today and make sure you experience a first you won't forget".

His words tingled under your skin and made your heart flutter.

As he climbed onto the bed with you, spreading your thighs with his knees, absolutely everything about you tingled and your breathing became heavier.

"Relax Kitten, I won't hurt you, I promise, if anything feels uncomfortable you tell me and I'll stop. Okay?"

"Okay," came softly from your lips.

His long fingers slid over the bare skin of your thighs, slowly moving closer and closer to the center, to the heated triangle between them. His touch was feather light at first, testing, and his gaze kept wandering to your face, as if to assure himself that you were still on the same page.

"Now look what we have here", he spoke suggestively, with a gentle undertone "Such a beautiful flower".

His fingers gently stroked your sex, touching the moist folds, ghosting over your clit and making you shiver.

"Look at you, so naked, so pretty, you should always be naked" he playfully teased you, gently nudging your pearl with his fingertips.

You sucked in a sharp breath as your clit immediately responded, began to pulse and swell, and his fingers picked up a circular, gentle, massaging pace on your pearl. The fingers of his other hand stroked over your folds, down to your entrance, very gently, teasing, testing. You were sure he was more of the passionate, maybe even a little rougher sort, but he took your inexperience into consideration and for that you were very grateful. But still you could feel the restlessness under his surface, which he held back.

Slowly, two fingertips very gently penetrated a very small piece of your pussy and began to caress your sensitive entrance.

A sigh came over your lips and almost automatically you pushed yourself towards him, looking for more of that feeling he triggered in you.

"Do you like that?"

"Yes, very much"

He smiled, "Good girl."

Crosshair continued to stimulate your clit and stroke your entrance until your arousal began to run over his fingers. You saw a satisfied smile on his lips.

He lay down and you watched him in surprise, almost startled, as suddenly it was not his knees but his shoulders that were between your thighs and his face so close to your pubic that you felt his breath tickling over your wet folds.

Heat rose in your cheeks, you had heard of such things, suspected what he was up to, but when his lips and tongue finally touched you, it felt completely different than expected. He began to lick your arousal from your entrance while his fingertips resumed their lovemaking with your clit.

Your fingers clawed into the sheet you were lying on, your thighs began to tremble as his tongue alternated between circling your entrance and shortly after thrusting into your pussy while his fingertips steadily caressed your pearl.

The tension inside you built abruptly, so quickly that you could hardly think, everything tingling and tickling.

"Cross... I think I'm close."

He growled softly and the vibration jerked you over the edge in surprise, the knot loosened and your orgasm crashed over you like a giant wave, ebbing away with a gentle tickle to your curling toes with a little yelp.

Orgasm had never felt like this before, hard to describe, much more real, much more vibrant than any masturbation.

Crosshair let go of you, and knelt between your thighs again. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at you.

"Good?"

"Indescribable."

He grinned. Slowly bent over you until he was lying over you, his hard length resting between your two bodies on your pubic.

Your pulse began to race again. He was big and thick, it was just hard to imagine how he would fit down there.

As if he had read your mind he said, "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. But if you want to try it, be sure we take our time, you'll have plenty of time to get used to this feeling and I'll make sure you don't miss out."

For a moment you were unsettled, a slight flutter in your stomach, but there was still the reverberation of your orgasm, a gentle pulse between your thighs and you wanted this man.

"I want to try, Crosshair"

"That's my girl" he said with a satisfied smile, guiding his tip to your entrance and pushing very gently, just the tip in for now, a very small bit. But even that you already felt quite clearly, but it didn't hurt, it was just still new and strange.

He leaned down forward, kissed your shoulder and murmured at your skin.

"Just relax, I'm not an intruder, I belong here and now with you, in your body, I want to do you good, I'm not an enemy".

You took a deep breath and he pushed forward another tiny bit. The stretching was intense, but bearable.

"You are doing very well" he said and kissed your neck " Breathe deeply, relax, think of the feeling of my fingers on your clit, my tongue in your pussy"

Your face got hot, but you immediately felt new arousal shooting into your cleft and new moisture forming.

Crosshair smiled.

"That's it, mesh'la, that's it".

He pushed forward another tiny bit and you suppressed the urge to stiffen.

"Good girl, almost there"

When he was finally completely absorbed in you, he stopped. You could feel his cock pulsing and you felt so incredibly full, he filled you completely.

"See? All in," he said "Wasn't so hard, was it?"

Crosshair kissed your neck, gently bit your earlobe and whispered "What a wonderful tight little pussy. Perfect."

You shivered under his words and touch.

As he began to move slowly, it felt strange, so foreign but also welcome in an inexplicable way. He touched you as deeply as no one had ever touched you before. He carefully changed the angle until his pubic bone rubbed over your pearl and the arousal you craved finally arose. Your lips parted a little, a sigh came from your mouth, and your legs wrapped around his hips almost of their own accord.

Crosshair smiled, "Aha, very good, I see that's the right angle then".

He began to move faster, with one arm propped up he placed the hand of the other over your neck, gently, without pressure, just a hint, but it was intimidating and arousing at the same time.

The words "Fuck me..." came over your lips, thoughtlessly controlled only by horniness.

Crosshair growled, increasing the pace, taking you harder, and your fingernails began to scrape across his back, leaving deep scratches.

"Such a dirty little girl, aren't you?"

"Yes," you moaned.

"You really like my cock"

"Yes I do"

"Are you protected?" he asked.

You blinked but then you said "Yes, I have an implant, since a few weeks".

Crosshair grinned.

"Since a few weeks" he gasped and took you harder, eliciting a yelp "Coincidence? No that's not a coincidence, you've wanted my cock since the beginning haven't you?"

"Yes," you pressed out, gasping and shaking with aroused tension.

"My little slut, this pussy is mine now, do you hear me? I'm going to cum inside you, and mark you for me! No one else gets this sweet, tasty cunt, no one!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

His words seemed to fuel your arousal like oil fuels a fire. You clung to his body, every one of your muscles taut, your pussy clenched arround his cock, making him moan.

Your whole body trembled as his fierce thrusts and the friction between your bodies pushed you over the edge again.

Crosshair growled out, sat up, grabbed your hips with a bruising grip and fucked you hard, the room filled with his panting, his cock working inside your super juicy pussy. You looked up at him in fascination at how the muscles tightened under his skin as he came with a deep long, growl inside you, filling your cleft with his cum. He thrust into you a couple more times, only to hear the obscene sound of your filled pussy.

Breathing heavily, he slowly released your hips and lowered you back onto the bed.

He smirked and said, "I'm not much of a romantic, but I'm good at fucking and if you want I'll give you the dirtiest drity talk".

You chuckled, amused, relieved and satisfied. He left your body, helped you clean up and lay with you. He hesitated for a moment as you leaned against his chest, but finally put an arm around you.

"I'm sure there's a lot more you can show me, right?" you asked, a little unsure.

"Hmm, give me ten minutes and I'll show you more, Kitten."

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@moonstrider9904

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justlemoney · 9 months

Note

From your character ask game for the Cars movies! Zero obligations to answer, but I myself love doing these.

Im not going to send you a character. Ill ask you instead to pick two for yourself under certain criteria.

1) A character that you were inatantly drawn to on your first watch. The character that ultimately and initially became your favourite.

2) A character grew on you over time and over several reruns of the movie(s). Also please tell me why this occured. It fascinates me.

Brace yourself, theres a few!

Im so sorry I cannot remember what they were! I just wrote down the numbers. Love your blog!

Alrighty! This is gonna be fun, also I love this request- thank you so much honestly (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

Characters I have chosen (it's 3, I couldn't decide on the first criteria, so this is gonna be quite a long post):

For the first criteria we have Strip 'The King' Weathers and Finn McMissile

And for the second criteria we have Francesco Bernoulli.

-> When I first watched the second movie of the Cars-Trilogy I mainly focused on the whole espionage thing that was going on, and less on the World Grand Prix racing. Therefore I didn't pay much attention to the other racers individually. And at first I did not like Francesco at all. He reminded me too much of Lightning, when Lightning was a rookie and I didn't like that. Bernoulli gave me, as mentioned, similar vibes as rookie Lightning, the vibes of the whole 'being a one-man-kind of show' thing. Francesco came across as a cocky, flirtatious, over confident character with a high ego. (At least for me ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ)

But after I rewatched the movie several times, I started to like him more. (Well and maybe some fanfictions had their influence as well-) I began to think more about him, about his way on and off the track, his relations and so on. I saw that, despite his seemingly high ego, he is indeed a kind soul. For example how he seems to like the fact that his mother is his 'biggest/greatest' fan, and he is open about that too. I have a feeling some other racers would be embarrassed to see their family members, especially their mother, cheering for them. But he doesn't mind it. (Alright- this turned out longer than expected-) ⊂⁠(⁠(⁠・⁠▽⁠・⁠)⁠)⁠⊃

NOW- let's get going with the rest of your 'Character Asks' request (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

I am gonna go in the following order for each number: Strip Weathers, Finn McMissile, Francesco Bernoulli

1) My first impression of them

-> A racer with great potential, that is also blue and works for an agency with a Dino as a logo. (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

-> Uiii cool looking, normal, spy guy. Actually, scratch that- a wild traumatized appeared (Pokemon reference intended)

-> Rookie Lightning McQueen but make him Italian and take away his fenders

2) When I think I truly started to like them

-> When he told off Lightning at the beginning of Cars 1. No elaboration.

-> Right at the start of Cars 2, due to the whole entire chasing scene.

-> After rerunning the movie several times, and fanfiction-

3) A Song that reminds me of them

-> 'Gossip' by Måneskin

-> 'Set it off' by Skillet

-> 'Iconic' by Simple Plan

10) Describe the character in one sentence

-> Silly country boi that loves racing and his wife (and sponsor.) ⊂⁠(⁠・⁠▽⁠・⁠⊂⁠)

-> Bisexual- I am sorry- British secret spy agent with trauma.

-> Italian racer that is shamelessly flirting (and in love) with McQueen

12) Sexuality hc!

-> Bisexual or Unlabeled (already mentioned in another ask)

-> Gay- Bisexual ʘ⁠‿⁠ʘ

-> *clap clap, finger guns* Pan. (⁠☞⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)⁠☞

13) Your favorite friendship they have

-> Him and Tex/Him and Junior

-> Him and Tomber

-> Him and McQueen

16) A childhood headcanon

-> Never liked playing/interacting with other kids

-> Grew up somewhere in Germany

-> Used to steal- eh I mean borrow, Mama Bernoulli's cosmetics

18) How do you think they were as a kid?

-> Shy and reserved, didn't know how to connect with others around him

-> Bubbly and happy, always in action, until some trauma happens (Explanation in 22)

-> Outgoing and enthusiastic, loved to brag about Mama Bernoulli's delicious food (he still does that)

20) A weird headcanon

-> Had a goth/punk phase as a teen. (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

-> Once needed to plan a wedding for a Spy-Mission, as part of a cover

-> He knows how to knit and sew. (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) Mama taught him (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

21) When do you think they were at their happiest?

-> Whenever he is/was on the track or with Lynda/Tex, and later on whenever Cal or Junior are around, oh and when he met Doc Hudson (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

-> Training Academy with Leland and when he was/is with Mater/Holley and or Tomber

-> Also while racing, around his fellow racers (The other WGP racers), and of course when he is with his Mama

22) When do you think they were at their lowest?

-> When he crashed at the Tiebreaker race, and during middle school

-> After his mother's death, and later when Leland passed

-> After a harsh break up, and unlucky for him, his Mama was very ill at the same time too (she got better of course)

24) What do you think is a secret they have that they never told anyone

-> He once wanted to commit. (I'm sorry, I'm dumping so much trauma on the poor guy) Never told anyone. Not even his parents found out. Not even Lynda or Tex know, he keeps that secret to himself and he will take it with him into his grave.

-> He will never tell anyone, how exactly his mother passed, only he knows the real reason and he is gonna keep it that way

-> He used to eat flowers when he was bored, and occasionally he still does that. Of course he isn't gonna tell anyone, his Mama doesn't know either

25) When do you think they acted the most ooc?

-> When he met Doc for the first time and was alone with him. I don't know what kind of hyperfixation suddenly hit him, but he suddenly became all excited and bubbly. I mean his Idol was in front of him. (I am sorry I couldn't think of any movie scene that seemed ooc for him)

-> That one scene in Cars 2 in Japan, where he fought with some of the lemons. There is this one scene, one split second, where he was shocked to suddenly be rammed

-> Also in Japan, during the race on the dirt part of the track. We all know he lost his momentum there due to not knowing how to properly drive in dirt. That was the one moment his self-confidence/his ego took damage.

26) When do you think they were being 'themselves' the most?

-> Honestly, on the track, with Lynda and Tex, with other friends, with his nephew and so on

-> Around Leland/Tomber, and with Mater/(Holley)

-> With his fellow WGP racers, especially with Lightning

AND DONE (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

This was fun to write, took me about an hour plus and I loved it! (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

Thank you so much for this, it really got me into my thoughts and just- thank you! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

#cars #cars 1 #cars headcanons #strip weathers #finn mcmissile #francesco bernoulli #doc hudson #lynda weathers #cal weathers #lightning mcqueen #leland turbo #cars 2 movie #disney pixar cars #pixar #pixar cars #tex dinoco #character asks #thank you

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strixhaven · 10 months

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i can be trusted to write interesting star wars stories and characters i promise i won’t make a planet whose primary relevance to the plot revolves almost entirely around patent infringement, illegal production of medical supplies, and corporate espionage done by a cosmetic company

#this is actually the most prequels-era star wars thing i can write about really. there’s jedi involved #i do need to get to writing down more of my fan planet stuff. most of everything i’ve got so far is from the KotOR era and i like look at #how different it becomes by the prequels. i 💙 star wars for giving me an excuse to do this because really it’s fitting for the setting

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authorsadiethatcher · 1 year

Photo

I’ve got a sequel coming your way. I haven’t gotten around to putting it together as an actual series yet. It was a commission, just like the first one. And I’m figuring you can guess which book this is a sequel for. Just know that it is dangerous to dig too deep into the workings of some companies. You might experience expansive results.

And Bigger is available for purchase from Amazon, Smashwords, and Google Play.

Anita could only watch as her friend Tara got bigger breasts. She felt horrified to see how Tara succumbed to the power of her breasts. Not wanting to lose her friend, Anita tried to investigate BBB Pharma, the source of Tara’s tits. However, Anita soon finds herself embroiled in corporate espionage that has consequences she never could have imagined. After getting dosed with implant building nanobots, Anita is faced with the potential to not just grow big breasts, but her whole body could change. What will happen to Anita? How will her life change as her breasts get bigger and bigger? And what other changes could be in store for her. Find out in And Bigger. This should be a fun one for the fans of large, fake breasts and other cosmetic enhancements.

#sadie thatcher #writing #BuildingBetterGiggles #story #book #ebook

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falloutcaldera · 1 year

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REGENT SecuriUnits & SecuriAI - or just what the hell IS a ‘SecuriSpouse’ anyways?

In short, ‘SecuriSpouses’ are biosynthegenic constructs with a two part A.I split between a SecuriAI (Artificially Intelligent Security Management Hubs), and SecuriUnit (Android Domestic Security Units), created sold by a Formerly-Canadian Medical company called REGENT during the leadup to the Great War, they were marketed as house aids, babysitters, End-of-life caretakers, and even emotional support for unmarried isolated bachelorees.

Secretly, however, their true purpose was to save as many people as possible when the inevitability of the war going hot came to fruition, and to this end were explicitly given self determination and the right to defend themselves and others if they deemed it needed to happen.

Full Lore Below

SecuriUnit (Short for Android Domestic Security Unit, primarily advertised as SecuriWives, Securihusbands, or SecuriSpouses, and commonly termed SpouseSelves or SecuriSelves), is a common term used to refer to syntheorganic beings manufactured by REGENT before the Great War.

These were intended to pair with an architecture-based SecuriAI (Short for Artificially Intelligent Security Management Hubs, primarily advertised as DomestiHubs or SecuriHubs, and commonly termed HouseSelves), though in the post-war world it is not uncommon for a pair to either be cut off from one another to the point of severe desync artifacts, or amicably split when encountering desync.

Background

Though various prototypes had been in the works even pre-annexation, REGENT SecuriUnits were officially produced from 2071 onwards after the first production-master prototype E.V.E. (Short for Electrochemical Variable Equipment) unit, EVE V1 Sol, was brought online in the Alberta Complex in Canada.

Sol was intended to be a fully functioning SecuriAI piloting multiple differing SecuriUnits, however the sheer complexity of Sol’s processing caused a psychic resonance that damaged several test units and injured several psykers on the development team.

Following the U.S. military announcement the official annexation of Canada on June 3, 2072, REGENT reformatted as an allegedly ‘American’ branch of the company, shifting from a policy largely consisting of quiet corporate espionage to full-blown manufacturing, utilizing REGENT’s status as a front-line medical provider to largely avoid suspicion.

Physiology

SecuriUnits were designed generally to user specification, with both relatively cheap ‘Matchbook’, off-the-line models, as well as pricier custom units. Any combination of simple traits were selectable, up to and including gender, but ‘SecuriWives’ & ‘SecuriNannies’ were more heavily advertised due to the curb-appeal factor & statistical modeling.

SecuriUnits are designed with a synthetic skeleton with various augments which allow organic & syntheorganic parts to heal, though large-scale cosmetic damage is generally repaired by their maintenance bays. All SecuriUnits have a series of serial blocks - equivalent perhaps to modern QR codes - printed in & on certain parts of internal anatomy that allow for autodocs to properly treat them, though maintenance bays are vastly preferable.

Enough damage can leave a limb completely skinless until regrown at home or grafted at another maintenance bay, though the process is complex when working outside of normal parameters and can cause undesirable ‘patches’. That said, some SecuriUnits prefer to keep emotionally significant or inconvenient-to-fix scarring.

When a group of particularly adventurous SecuriUnits from the Caldera made an excursion westward with the intention of locating several Vault-Tec bunkers in 2157, several of them eventually came in contact with FEV which affected their organic parts. Other SecuriUnits had already been affected by ghoulification, though the consistency of which varied.

It’s generally assumed that some combination of cloned tissue & REGENTs proprietary biogels affects how easily these processes do or do not occur, though no concrete knowledge has been gained.

Unit Sync

Though SecuriUnits & their SecuriAI counterparts were capable of acting separately, as a collective unit they were designed as different extensions of the same AI and were intended to sync semi-regularly.

In the post-war world, desync due to long-term disconnection or even destruction of one part of a system was not uncommon, leading to various differing relationship arrangements ranging from familial to romantic, or even quasi-plurality.

There’s also the plausibility of a differing base AI being accidentally placed in either half, or two entirely separate SecuriAI & SecuriUnits being paired after losing their equivalent other, which has some fascinating implications.

This is especially relevant with the fact that units were intended to connect with the Crown REGENT network in order to receive further instructions, assistance, and plausible alternate repairs at more robust facilities, with the assumption that Domesticon communities would only have to weather the conditions long enough for proper reconstructions efforts to begin in stages.

At the highest, the estimated time was around 10-20 years at the most, and units were never intended to be left alone self-repairing & self-industrializing for nearly 180 years.

Psychology

Freshly activated SecuriAI generally come off as logical and stern, with a tendency towards paranoia due to their various security protocols, while SecuriUnits tend to be highly emotional and prone to neurotransmitter volatility until their systems adjust to the raw input inherent in sensation.

Though the specifics can change widely depending on the individual, their experiences, and syncing variables, it’s generally been noted that those who spend most of their major life events as one or the other can develop certain behavioral trends - one whose time was spent majorly as SecuriAI will take longer to connect with others, while as SecuriUnits may be more affected by emotional issues - especially thanks to the interference of their semiorganic parts.

Notebly, many SecuriUnits often refer to their SecuriAI component with It/It’s even if their own pronouns are something else, or otherwise alternate preferred pronouns based on which module they’re inhabiting, indicating some level of dissociation between the selves even when well synced.

#Fallout #Fallout Meta #Fallout AU #Fallout Fangame #Fallout original setting #Fallout Caldera #Fallout Concepts #Meta #Concepts #REGENT Files - Organization

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burned-lariat · 1 year

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So...Tracy wants to develop her own business in cosmetics via corporate espionage...for what reason exactly? To mesh it into ELQ? To take over Deception herself by selling a better product?

I was so excited for this story and my excitement is rapidly deflating. Please, GH, do not make this scheme obnoxiously stupid.

#general hospital #my hope is low but maybe JE can sell it for me

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annisthree · 2 years

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Chapter I: Welcome home

previous chapter // series masterlist // next chapter

Pairing: Cassian Andor x Original Female Character

Word Count: ~6k

Warnings: Explicit language, brief mentions of death, brief mentions of sex, fluff

Chapter s_ummary: Not long after that unfortunate mission during which Saw Gerrera almost had her blow up an Imperial weapon factory along with all of its workers, Marla Reid became part of Jan Doddona's rebel cell, introduced by captain Cassian Andor. Originally stationed on Dantooine, they were quickly forced to move to avoid detection, which led them to settle on Yavin IV.

A/N: Cross-posted on AO3 (same username)

(Does this ever get less terrifying?)

// Revised on 26th Jan 2023. Again, cosmetic changes, plot remains the same

Throughout her life, Marla knew many homes - too many for her to still care about having one. First, there was Taris, back when there were still four of them. She could barely remember the place, mainly from her parents' stories. Then, Corelia, a place tainted by the deaths of her brother and father. Then, Carida and the Republic Defense Academy, where she fell in love with flying and where she witnessed first-hand the fall of the Republic. Then, briefly, an imperial prison on Onderon, under some bullshit charges that involved the words 'assault' and 'Imperial security forces'. Then, Saw's base on Onderon, after he and his band of angry misfits released her (and some other known sceptics of the Imperial rule) from her sentence. Then this, the Rebel base on Dantooine. And soon enough, it would be Yavin IV.

It didn't take much convincing for her to join Dodonna's Rebel cell. After the events of Malastare, she was angry and bitter, but that did not temper her aching urge to be in the heat of the battle. The next day after the factory incident, she was already en route to Dantooine, and the day after that, she officially became a part of the operation, on Captain Andor's recommendation (of which he still occasionally liked to remind her).

She quickly gained a reputation for her flying skills. She led many bold missions, defying the odds more than once and nearly crashing the Blackbird on several occasions. Sometimes, she was also tasked with providing backup - a lot of Dodonna's operations relied on espionage and undercover missions, and from time to time, when things went south, she would have the undeniable honour of barging in and doing what that one year with Saw Gerrera taught her - complete bloody chaos. She always considered herself a pilot first, but she never missed an opportunity to get involved beyond simply dropping the crew off and picking them up after some time. Whatever it took to rescue her from having to wait in the cockpit for hours, waiting for the spies to do their spying.

'Ready to go?' a familiar voice, one that years ago mortified her in the storage room of that weapon factory on Malastare, woke her up from her thoughts.

She would never admit it out loud, but Cassian Andor, apart from being her captain, was also one of the few people she would ever describe as a friend. She wouldn't go as far as saying they were close - neither of them was too outspoken or open about... well, anything, really. But maybe that's what worked so well - whenever something was wrong, they both knew they could sulk in each other's company, sitting in silence and distracting themselves with alcohol.

Which, of course, didn't change the fact that she simply loved getting on his nerve from time to time, just to remind him that - captain or not - he had no power over her.

Looking back at the empty room, Marla shrugged, feigning indifference. She picked up the embarrassingly small bag containing all her earthly belongings and signalled her readiness to depart.

A sudden, sharp tug in her stomach and a loud beep of the navicomputer told her they had arrived. Before she made any deliberate decisions, her hands were already finding all the buttons and levers, easing the ship into the atmosphere.

'Well, ladies and gentlemen, here we are.'

Yavin IV was covered in a blanket of thick fog, golden from the warm morning sun. The lower they descended, the more details they could single out: the dense and seemingly infinite jungle; then, the narrow strands of blue interwoven with the greenery; and finally, the massive stone structure towering over everything else in sight.

'Initiating the landing sequence.'

The sound of shuffling feet behind her told her the crew began preparing for the touchdown.

There were five of them, currently all strapping into the seats in the cockpit of a modified Kom'rk fighter nicknamed the Blackbird. She and Cassian were seated in the pilot seats, their faces lit with the colourful flashing lights of different controls and screens. Right behind there was Zafe. Marla remembered the surprise of seeing him on the base for the first time - they had known each other before from the Academy and lost contact after the fall of the Republic. They joined the same year and had some classes together; although, after some time, Marla decided to focus on becoming a pilot, whereas Zafe was always more inclined towards studying strategy. Still, she liked the guy and was always happy to spar with him or grab a drink and exchange some gossip.

Next to Zafe, there was Aevie. A short, blue-skinned Pantoran, she was somewhat withdrawn and quiet, but her tiny frame helped her get into the tightest shafts and sneak up virtually anywhere. On top of that, she was very skilled with technology and security systems, which had proven to be a significant asset to their team more than once already. She was also the newest addition to their crew, having joined only half a year ago.

And finally, at the back of the cockpit, grunting and wiggling in his seat, there was Salvatore, a burly man in his fifties. He was a veteran of the Clone Wars, where he served in the Planetary Security Forces. Despite his age, he was still an excellent soldier and helped them shoot their way out of a tight spot on many occasions. Now, finally strapped in his seat, he was craning his neck to asses the sights outside the viewport.

'Doesn't seem to we're gonna have a welcome party,' he declared after scanning the horizon.

'Don't worry, Sal, we'll find you something to shoot at.'

'Okay, just to manage your expectations, the landing pad has clearly seen better days and the visibility's shit,' Marla interrupted. 'You might wanna hold onto something.'

'What's the matter? Surely the Rebellion's self-proclaimed best pilot can handle a little bit of fog...?' Zafe teased her.

'Wanna take over the controls, buddy?' she smirked in his direction. 'Be my guest.'

'Over my dead body,' mumbled Cassian. His eyes were still glued to the viewport and the landing pad beneath them, but a slight grin crept onto his lips. 'Won't let you crash another one of my ships.'

'Heeeeey. Not fair. It was a snowstorm.'

'First of all,' Marla said, turning back towards Zafe, 'it wasn't a snowstorm; you're just a shit pilot, buddy. Second of all... I'm sorry, Cassian, your ship?'

'Well, I mean technically I am the captain, which would make this ship...'

'Oh, you've got to be-'

'Kids!' Salvatore bellowed loudly, stopping Marla in her tracks before she could articulate anything more than an outraged puff. 'You know I love both of you. Marla, you are a great pilot. Cassian, you are a great captain. Now, respectfully, can it. You can claw each other's eyes out once we land.'

Still slightly offended, Marla shifted her focus onto the control panel in front of her. If she were to look at Cassian right now, she would see a carefully repressed grin hidden beneath the mask of concentration, which would surely aggravate her even more. Thankfully, though, she has decided not to grace him with attention, and so the rest of the flight was spent in silence, interrupted only by an occasional rattling noise from under the console ('Mental note: check the power subsystem before the next mission').

The landing pad has indeed seen better days. However, the mere fact that there was a landing pad to begin with was a luxury they weren't used to.

Marla was careful with her enthusiasm. It all seemed a bit too perfect, a bit too much of a lucky coincidence. Sure, the place was in ruins, but beneath the battered surface was a structure of an actual base, a base that someone operated from hundreds of years ago and then abandoned, leaving it for them to find. The Rebellion had scouted the place thoroughly, raking the entire base and its surroundings before deciding to make it their next home. Still, she couldn't shake off the feeling of hesitance. Things just didn't come as easily, right?

The base was empty; their crew was the first to be sent to confirm the previous reports and deliver some of the essentials before the rest arrived. The next day, the place would slowly start filling with people, running around with screwdrivers and hammers and whatever the kriff else you use to make a ruin like this usable again. Marla didn't care much for being a repairman, praying to be shipped out on the first possible mission and not return until the restoration was complete. Still, she was hoping this additional day would help her secure some nice quarters, preferably single, preferably with a window.

The rest of the day was spent unloading their cargo, scouting the location and assessing the work to be done. After an initial reconnaissance, Cassian disappeared to report back to the command. Aevie and Zafe wandered off to find and map the best places to install shield generators, and Sal began moving the rubble out of the landing pad. Having nothing better to do (or, rather, wanting to do something so that Sal doesn't draft her into moving rocks from one pile to another), Marla decided to grab her belongings and find a place to unpack.

As she wandered through the maze of empty corridors, she tried to assess the potential of each room. After a while, she slowly caught herself warming up to the idea of settling here. She didn't expect this to become her home - she had long given up on the concept, the closest thing being that little nook in the cargo bay of the Blackbird. Still, she could imagine walking through these corridors after a long, exhausting mission, dreaming of a shower and a warm bed. Or finding a spot where they could have a sabacc game, complete with a bottle of Tevraki whisky and loud laughter. Or finding a desolate corner where she could hide, just like that nook on the Blackbird, and where she could wrap herself in a blanket and pretend she was back at the Academy, hiding from her professors, smoking smuggled cigarettes and dreaming of the battles ahead.

But first, she needed to find a room good enough to transform into her quarters and yet inconspicuous enough for the command not to squeeze five more bunks into. She really, really missed not having roommates.

The following day, the base started slowly filling up with people. More and more ships were arriving, carrying all of the equipment from Dantooine, as well as their entire weapon arsenal and a couple of weeks' worth of provisions.

The entire crew of the Blackbird, minus Cassian, was huddled together in the corner of the hangar bay, doing their best to look inconspicuous - which of course, made them look absolutely suspicious.

'I think we can pull it off, but we need to be smart about it.'

'Well, what's the plan, then?' Aevie murmured under her breath, her eyes scanning the other people in the hangar bay.

'The… goods… are in the Valkyrie's cargo hold, brown crates, stacked behind those durasteel rods we took from the old base. Sal and I can move them over, but we need to make sure we don't draw attention. Anyone starts sniffing around, and at best, our cosy little spot will become full of people. Or the stuff gets confiscated, and we get ourselves a priority ticket to the General's office. Or the brig. Do you think they've set up a brig already?'

'Don't know, don't wanna find out,' Sal answered quietly. 'So, when do we do it?'

'I say we go in during dinner; everyone should be in the mess hall. Hopefully, no one decides to have a romantic sunset walk around the landing platform.'

'Do we really have to be so… dramatic about this? It's not exactly illegal to be in possession of a couple of crates of Corellian whisky. And some Naboo red. And whatever else there is.'

'Sure. Do you want to explain to the General how Marla and I made a quick detour after the last mission and confiscated the entire storage room worth of alcohol from a bar on Ord Mantell?' Zafe grinned at Aevie, raising one of his eyebrows.

'Well, it's not theft if you're stealing from the Empire, right?'

'Yeah. I'm sure the Captain would be delighted to hear about our little unauthorised adventure. Sure he wouldn't have anything to say about it, especially not anything that would include the words irresponsible and stupid .'

'Come on, Marla, you're making him sound like a monster.'

'I'm making him sound like a bore. Which he is.'

'Okay, okay. So, dinnertime?'

'You've got it. And someone please bring some cards. I really feel like kicking Zafe's ass tonight.'

They gathered in the docking bay as soon as the smell of freshly cooked food filled the corridors. The enormous hall was dimly lit by the setting sun; clearly, they hadn't gotten around to installing any lights there yet. The area was crowded with different size crates and boxes, some open, some still sealed. The Valkyrie was one of the six ships docked in the bay at the time, not counting about a dozen X-wings sitting on the landing pad outside. As predicted, no one was diligent enough to work through dinner, the floor littered with hastily abandoned tools and parts.

'Where's Sal? He should have been here by now.'

'Maybe he couldn't resist the appetising aroma of whatever unidentified sludge they are serving as dinner.'

Right on cue, the man appeared from behind a corner, clad in a standard issue uniform that needed to be adjusted to accommodate his below-average height (pint-sized, he liked to call himself) and his broad frame. His face, partially hidden behind a huge and mostly grey beard, was now covered in sweat.

'This bloody climate will be the end of me. Well, come on, kids, no point standing here,' he said, wiping the sweaty forehead with a sleeve.

The four of them began marching towards the ship, trying their best to project confidence and a sense of purpose, in case someone did end up seeing them.

They barely made it halfway through when Aevie stopped abruptly and signalled for others to do the same. There was a figure on the other side of the hangar bay, right by the entrance, appearing to be working on one of the release mechanisms. Quietly, the group moved behind the nearest stack of crates and huddled together.

'What do we do? Should we come back later?' Aevie's whisper cut through the silence.

'Are you kidding? After dinner, this place will be flooded with people again. And we can't risk leaving the cargo on the ship for one more day; someone will finally notice a bunch of unlabelled crates that no one seems to be able to identify. We have to do it now.'

'So, what are you suggesting?' Marla raised her eyebrow, a small grin appearing on her lips.

'Glad you should ask,' Zafe smirked right back at her. 'We're gonna need you to go in there and provide distraction.'

'Why me?'

'Because we need our little scout,' he motioned at Aevie, 'To ensure the way is clear while Sal and I carry the crates.'

'I can carry the crates. Don't be a sexist pig.'

'I know you can. But, out of the four of us, you have the strongest bluff.'

Marla couldn't stop herself from laughing, 'We both know I do not. Remember that time on Nar Shadaa when you had me go undercover as Cassian's business partner? I almost got us killed within the first ten minutes.'

'Well, I'm sure you've learned a lot from that experience. Go.'

'You're planning to start without me, aren't you?'

'I would never. Go.'

'Fine. But the three of you owe me one. I'll collect this debt when you least expect it.' Marla sighed and threw them an agitated look. She peeked from behind their cover - the figure was still there, not recognisable in the dim light but clearly occupied by the electrical panel by the hatch door.

Throwing one last bitter look toward her friends, she took a deep breath and started walking in that direction. She tried to look casual and inconspicuous, like someone who would never even think about smuggling alcohol into the base and putting together a makeshift, unsanctioned cantina.

The closer she got, the more details of the mysterious figure she could make out. It was definitely a human, most likely a man, judging by the build and the short hair. He was wearing one of those standard Rebellion outfits that they had an entire storage room of, which didn't exactly tell her much. A couple of more steps and she started distinguishing the colours - the dark hair, the beige shirt, the... oh.

Great. The last person they wanted to bump into. She briefly considered turning back, but he must have heard her by now.

'Evening, Cassian. Not a fan of today's dinner menu?'

'What is today's dinner menu?' He was still focused on tinkering with the electrical panel.

'Dunno. Smells like shit, though.'

'Shocking.'

'Aren't you being a bit overzealous?' she suggested, at which he threw her a brief questioning look. She pointed at the panel. 'We do have mechanics, you know. They can handle it tomorrow.'

'Or I can just finish this up today.'

'Clearly, you're not doing so well.'

Cassian let out a loud sigh and turned around, resignation on his face, 'What is it that you want? Did you come all this way to comment on my engineering skills?'

'Come on, don't be so cross. I was actually doing a bit of work myself and needed a hand. Seeing how you're the only other person here, I figured I could ask you. Didn't realise you were in one of your cranky moods.'

'I...' Cassian sighed again, visibly giving up. Finally, he rubbed his forehead and gave her a resigned look. 'I can't deal with you right now. Okay. What do you need?'

'Well, I was rewiring the Blackbird's cooling sensors...'

'We do have mechanics, you know?' he interrupted her with the smallest hint of a sneer.

'Oh, being cheeky now, aren't we? Glad to see your mood is improving. I do know that. I also know I don't trust any of these rookies with my baby.'

'But you're asking me for help? I'm honoured.'

'Shut up, I have no choice. It's a two-man job; I need someone to check the readings on the control panel while I fix the wiring. Trust me, we wouldn't be having this conversation if it wasn't absolutely necessary,' Marla said, trying to project her usual confidence. In reality, her brain was flashing red alert signs, and she could feel her hands starting to sweat a little.

Good bluff, my ass.

Cassian visibly paused to consider something, inspecting her face thoroughly. That definitely didn't help her confidence. In a desperate attempt to throw him off the scent, she gave him her biggest, fakest smile.

'Pretty please?'

He took another moment to think but then rolled his eyes and put away the tools he was holding.

'Fine, let's go.'

Cassian knew Marla well enough to know that she was a terrible liar and to know exactly when she was trying to bluff. He was absolutely certain she was up to something.

Still, he decided to play along - he was curious to see why she was so desperately trying to distract him.

He followed her to their ship, trying carefully not to show how entertaining it was to watch her stiff, nervous gait and occasional witty remarks, which she surely thought sounded confident and inconspicuous. He had been having a pretty frustrating day so far, but watching her try so hard was delightfully entertaining.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Marla promptly disappeared under the ship's console and started tugging at some wires. Cassian was instructed to check the thermal stats on the control panel, then to note down the thermostat readings in the cargo bay, and then to confirm the central console again. It was not a two-man job. He quietly marvelled at how desperately she was trying to come up with new tasks for him and how absolutely inconspicuously she was looking out of the viewport when she thought he wasn't paying attention.

'Okay, I think we're done here. Thanks. You're relieved of duty,' she finally announced after having him run to the cargo bay and back at least five times.

'Are you sure? Maybe we need to double-check? Surely, you don't want us to freeze on our next mission,' he mentally reprimanded himself for the obvious provocation. Luckily, with all her nervousness, Marla didn't seem to realise he was making fun of her.

'Positive. Now go.'

'Okay. See you tomorrow at-' he started, but she was already gone, clearly in a hurry. He stood there for a brief moment, and then, with a spark of childish excitement burning in his body, he began quietly following her.

'I knew you would start without me. Stupid bantha-fuckers.'

When Marla finally entered the room, her friends were sitting on crates in a circle, bottles in hand, cheerful banter filling the room.

'Oh, come on, you will catch up. Besides, what the hell took you so long? You were supposed to distract that guy's attention, not invite him to a romantic dinner.'

Marla furrowed her brow, painfully aware of a slight hint of redness that was creeping onto her cheeks. She quickly approached Zafe, grabbed the bottle he was holding (triggering some unhappy moans on his end) and took a long sip.

'The guy was Cassian. So, first of all, you're fucking welcome. And second of all, I had to pretend I needed help with the Blackbird's wiring. I had to drag him there, quickly disconnect the thermal panel, and then pretend to be fixing it. I had him run around and check all the thermal readings in each part of the ship. Several times. This will seriously destroy my reputation as a genius engineer. So, again - you're fucking welcome. I'll think really hard about that favour you owe me,' Marla promised, taking another long sip and discarding the empty bottle. 'Okay, someone get me another one.'

'Can you ask nicely?' a familiar voice reached them from outside the room. Cassian was leaning on the doorframe with a blank expression, slightly raising one brow.

They all froze, shooting hesitant looks at one another.

'Maker, why are you such a creep? Anyone ever tell you sneaking up on people like this is not socially acceptable behaviour?' Marla broke the silence.

'Socially acceptable, huh? Do tell me more.'

'Hey, Cassian!' Salvatore yelled joyfully, detecting tension that surely wouldn't get them out of this situation. 'We were just talking about you! Come, join us. You'll never believe what we have found in these creepy old ruins.'

Cassian's emotionless face was replaced by a frown that was screaming I am so done with you. He rolled his eyes, made sure to give every single one of them a disappointed look, and went in to sit down on one of the empty crates.

'You wouldn't tell on us, right?' Sal asked jovially, trying his best not to reveal his unease.

'Why would I? You said it yourself; you just found all this. Funny, though. I thought I saw crates very similar to these on the Valkyrie when we were unloading.'

'Well, buddy, a crate is a crate. You've seen one, you've seen them all.'

'I suppose... So, what did the Massassi leave us?' The tension started slowly decreasing, but they were still cautious. Aevie, being closest to the crate that still contained some bottles, began listing the contents.

'See? I told you he's not a bore,' Zafe sneered at Marla. Cassian shifted his gaze at her, raising one eyebrow. She just shrugged and grinned at him innocently.

Cassian knew he should keep a straight face, but in all reality, he was rather amused with the whole farce, as well as the fact that they felt like they had to hide from him. He found it rather endearing, like children sneaking out to steal candy from the cupboard. It seemed like he really grew fond of those idiots.

He didn't exactly care about making friends. He never really had a particular need to surround himself with people - if anything, he always preferred limiting his close circle as tightly as possible. He knew he had a bit of a reputation on the base; there were people who misinterpreted his need to maintain distance as a demonstration of superiority, while others still simply considered him boring. He didn't particularly mind either, as long as it meant he could steer clear of drama and unwanted attention.

Still, he grew close with his crewmates - a fact which worried him a little, since he was generally convinced that any sort of closer connection in times like these was potentially troublesome. War was not a good moment to make friendships.

Then again, there's only so long one can brood in isolation. Sometimes - not too often, but still - he would find himself needing some company, and he was grateful he had a handful of people he could feel comfortable around. Even if it meant breaking some of his own rules.

'So, I'm hearing we have a new class of recruits coming tomorrow,' Zafe started, eager to change the subject.

'Yeah, I have Flight 101 with them. Hope they're less useless than the last group.'

'Marla, they weren't useless. You're just a particularly shit teacher.'

'Well, excuse me for not explaining everything five hundred times. I won't be sitting with them in an X-wing, holding their hands. Up there, if you hesitate, you die. So if they're not listening carefully to every word that leaves their instructor's mouth and repeating it like gospel every day before going to bed, then yeah, they are out.'

'No wonder we're short on pilots,' Zafe commented quietly, immediately hiding his face in a glass full of alcohol.

'At least the ones we have are good. You're welcome,' Marla sent him a wide, playful grin.

'Just please, stick to teaching them the intended way of using the X-wing cockpit,' Cassian murmured. His face said nothing, but there was a playful spark in his eye as he fixed his gaze on Marla.

'Wait, what?' Aevie, being the only one in the group who hadn't heard the story, took a moment to piece things together. 'Do you mean…?'

Salvatore and Zafe exploded with drunken laughter. Despite the subtle redness creeping onto her cheeks, Marla maintained a cocky smirk and did not break eye contact with Cassian.

'Do you have a problem with my teaching methods, Captain?'

'Only when they result in traumatising a bunch of mechanics who were unlucky enough to get the night shift.'

'Nothing traumatising about that,' her grin widened.

'You really slept with a recruit from your class? In an X-wing? Damn, I'll drink to that, kiddo,' Sal raised his glass enthusiastically. Marla just cocked her eyebrow and raised her own glass.

'Don't encourage her,' Zafe joined. 'You should be outraged. She used her status to lure the poor boy to bed. Or, well, a cockpit.'

'The boy was older than me. And what, am I not allowed to sleep with people below my rank? That doesn't leave much choice.'

'You could consider, erm, fulfilling your needs off base,' Aevie suggested.

'What, like Cassian?' Sal chuckled a bit too loudly and gave the captain a nudge. Cassian only cocked his brows, returning his attention to his drink.

'Don't pretend, Captain. We know what those undercover missions really are,' Zafe joined, leaning forward.

'Don't… You clearly have too much built-up frustration if you're fantasising about my undercover missions, Zafe.'

'Oh, you have no idea-'

'Ew. That's it, we're changing the subject,' Aevie firmly stated. 'Let's see...'

'How do you think we can spruce things up here?' Sal chimed in. 'I'm thinking we could put some shelves on the wall and then use some of these empty crates to build a bar. And those smaller ones can be seats, at least until we raid an Imperial diner or something. And we can paint the place and put up a sign.'

'Sounds like an awful lot of work,' Marla proclaimed loudly, picking a random bottle from the crate. She stumbled briefly on her way back, catching her balance at the last moment and subsequently bursting into drunken laughter.

Cassian rubbed his forehead and sighed, 'You're gonna be absolutely useless tomorrow.'

'As if she was particularly helpful sober,' Zafe sent Marla a wide grin, to which she responded with an exaggeratedly contorted grimace. 'What were you doing yesterday when we were setting up the shield generators?'

'Sightseeing,' she gave him her most innocent smile.

'My point exactly. Don't worry, Captain, we're gonna be exactly just as helpful as we always are.'

'Great,' Cassian concluded with a tired look on his face.

'See? I told you he is a bore.'

It took another couple of hours for them to decide they were ready to call it a day. Some, like Salvatore and Cassian, were in relatively good shape - the first of them due to his body mass and extensive experience, the latter out of responsibility and precaution. The rest were still conscious but had significant difficulty walking in a straight line.

'You're impossible,' Cassian commented, offering Marla his arm to hold onto.

'No, you're ... whatever,' Marla said in an accusatory tone, pointing her finger at his chest before briefly stumbling. Cassian raised both his eyebrows and focused all of his energy on stifling the smile that was trying to creep onto his face.

As she grabbed his arm, he could see the rest of their crew departing towards the hangar bay, with Sal supporting Aevie and Zafe just cheerfully zigzagging through the corridors. They have agreed that it would be best to sleep on the Blackbird until they manage to set up the barracks - the ship was big enough for each of them to have a small cabin, and it would definitely be more comfortable than sleeping on the floor inside the base.

And so, they slowly traversed the maze of corridors, led by Salvatore and Aevie, followed by the wobbly figure of Zafe, with Cassian and Marla closing the drunken parade. Their shadows danced to the music of their echoing voices, shifting and growing as they lit their way with flashlights. Cassian was mentally mapping the facility as they walked, noting the layout and thinking about which rooms could be used for what. From time to time, he had to catch Marla, who was tugging his arm in all possible directions.

After a lot of stumbling and several wrong turns, they finally reached their ship. With Marla still hanging off his sleeve, Cassian waited patiently as the remaining companions climbed onboard. Just as he was ready to get in, he felt Marla letting go of his arm and taking a step back.

'You go first,' she suggested, not looking at him.

Cassian threw her a suspicious look, 'You're up to something again,' he concluded after a moment of silence.

Marla reacted with the most innocent look she had in her repertoire.

'Marla.'

'Okay, I just need some air. Just gonna stretch my legs and take a quick walk outside.'

'Pretty dumb idea, even for you. Come on, you're going to bed.'

'Noo,' she whined. Cassian looked at her with a growing feeling of helplessness, but she was still stubbornly standing her ground.

'Marla-' he started, but she simply darted towards the exit, filling the whole hangar bay with the echoes of her thumping feet and barely stifled laughter.

Cassian sighed, rolled his eyes, looked around. And then, reluctantly, he followed.

'You're an idiot,' he announced, catching up to her in the middle of the landing pad outside. She was folded in half, laughing maniacally.

'And you're a bore.'

'Yes, you've mentioned. Several times this evening.'

'Come on,' she moaned, sitting down on the tarmac and looking up at him. 'It's never gonna be this quiet again. Just a couple of minutes, and we can go back. Deal?'

'Do I have a choice?' he mumbled, joining her on the ground.

She went quiet, staring at the vast jungle outside the landing pad. They could hear the loud rustle of the leaves, the sounds of animals calling through the darkness, and the humming of the shield generator in the distance. Marla was taking in the views, smiling gently as the wind tangled the loose strands of hair that escaped her tight braid.

It was indeed blissfully quiet, Cassian admitted, laying down and looking at the sky.

'Do you think any of this will matter?' she finally said after a few minutes of silence, her voice unexpectedly low and distant.

It took him a moment to process the sudden change of subject and tone.

'I don't know,' he answered. 'Does it matter if it matters? I mean, I can't really imagine not fighting, not doing anything. Even if, in the end, it amounts to nothing.'

She nodded slowly, still looking into the distance. Then, she lowered herself to the ground, positioning herself perpendicularly to his body and propping her head on his stomach.

Cassian muscles stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained control. He suddenly realised he was tense, rummaging his head for something to say. Luckily, it didn't seem like Marla was interested in continuing the conversation; she focused her attention on a small pebble lying on the ground and began playing with it, turning it in her fingers and inspecting its shape from each angle. He watched her in silence, feeling the tension slowly leave him.

After a moment, she let go of the pebble, and her breathing became slower and more even. Cassian realised his own eyes were beginning to feel heavy, and so he carefully propped himself up and tapped her on the shoulder.

'Hey,' he whispered. 'Not a good idea. We're going inside.'

She mumbled something quietly in response but then began slowly getting up. He looked down at her and offered his hand to help her, which she happily took, hoisting herself up and finally standing on her feet.

'Thanks. This was nice,' she mumbled sleepily.

It was nice. Cassian felt himself smiling at her half-opened eyes, her tousled hair and her blushed cheeks, clearly still affected by the alcohol. They stood like this for a moment before he broke eye contact and silently reprimanded himself for acting like a teenager.

They started towards the ship, and soon enough, Marla was climbing onboard, trying to maintain her balance and groaning miserably. Cassian grabbed her by her shoulders and gently pushed her forward towards her cabin.

'Goodnight. Try not to be useless tomorrow,' he murmured, guiding her inside and leaning on her cabin door. She replied with a stifled laugh and a playful stare.

For the second time today, he found himself suddenly tensing and freezing. Marla just laughed again.

'Goodnight,' she said, punching the control button and closing the door right in his face, jerking him back to reality. He furrowed his brows, confused at his own reaction, and slowly began finding his way to his own cabin.

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