#glad the traveler had an option to express an opinion on it in the first place tho really appreciate that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yannowhatigiveup · 3 years

Text

A Blinded Kiss

I haven’t posted anything recently so I dug around in my WIPs to see if anything was even worth posting and I found this that I made a while ago. It certainly isn’t the best but it isn’t the worst out of all my other WIPs.

"Is this really necessary?" The bluenette asked, eyeing a blindfold given by her brotherly figure.

"Of course it is Pixie!" An older man with two-toned hair replied, way too over enthusiastic about the whole situation. "It's a great way to find your way around the manor”

"And it's a great family bonding experience too!" Another man in the room replied, even more enthusiastic than the first.

"Fine, I'll do it Jay" the blue-eyed girl huffed, twirling the blindfold between her fingers. "What are the rules again, Dick?"

Dick beamed at the girl before answering. "Well Mari, it's simple. Put the blindfold on, count to fifty, spin around and try to steal a hug from anyone in the manor"

"So I have to walk around the manor blindfolded and try to sneak up on you? You know that's impossible!" Marinette exclaimed, she would not go around the house looking like a touch-starved fool.

"That's exactly why we're doing it" Jason replied, shrugging his shoulders. "It'll last a long time."

After a few seconds, the blue-eyed girl sighed, giving in to both Jason and Dick. "Fine, if that's what makes you happy" Marinette wrapped the matte-black fabric tightly around her eyes, already struggling within the first few seconds. She began counting and she heard the two scuffling away, smiling while being able to tell which direction they went in. In the mean time, Marinette debated her options.

'Both Jason and Dick would be the ideal choices but they'll be able to hear me from a mile away. Tim would be the most logical one since he's half asleep, but where does he even go in this maze? God knows where Alfred is, Mr Wayne is scary. Damian-' She paused her train of thoughts, granted Marinette had only met him a few days ago but that didn't stop the crush she had heavily try to cease. 'He'd probably hear me from a mile away as well. This game is so unfair'

Soon enough, Marinette reached fifty and spun herself around, she used a bit too much force than needed so now not only was she blinded but she lost her sense of direction. Giving herself a minute to recover, the bluenette began to walk. Using her improved senses, thanks to the miraculous, Mari was slowly able to create a theoretical map in her mind, though it did take much more energy than she desired.

"Fighting an akuma is easier than this" The bluenette muttered as she hit her thigh along the corner of a wall.

Even though she was using her enhanced abilities, she'd pump into a corner or a wall every now and again, the amount of times increased when her energy was being used. After wondering a hall for what seemed like hours, the bluenette came to a staircase, one that she ever so carefully used to get to a higher floor. Once she did, she kept a hand on one of the walls, using it as a guide. Soon enough, her hand came to what felt like a doorframe. The door was closed she could tell but it was recent used due to the fact that the doorknob was warm. Making sure not to intrude, she knocked on said door, she almost missed the muffled 'come in' had she not been paying attention. Marinette opened the door, went in and quickly shut it behind her, taking a deep breath.

"Okay I hope you don't mind but which room is this and whose in the room? Dick and Jason thought it would be a good idea to walk around the manor blindfolded while trying to sneak up on them" The bluenette huffed, only to freeze when she heard a familiar chuckle.

"I've heard, you're in my room, It's Damian just to clarify" 'Sh-' "So, what task must be fulfilled to give you permission to take the blindfold off? I doubt you want to keep it on any longer" Marinette giggled.

"You're right, I would probably get lost of I continue. Um, I have to 'steal a hug' apparently"

"So you have to hug someone without them inspecting it" Damian came to that conclusion to which the bluenette nodded her head.

"Yeah that's basically it, hey do you have anywhere I could sit down? I'm getting tired..."

"Of course, my bed is five steps to your front and two steps to your right, make yourself comfortable" She wasn't sure how red she had gotten but she obliged anyway. Had she not been wearing the blindfold, she would've seen Damian smiling at her flustered state. Giving herself a moment to regain her energy, Marinette turned to where she presumed Damian was working at his desk. "Can I hug you? Jay never said I couldn't ask the person first. I-I won't if you don't want me to! I just wanted to ask so..."

She heard the boy thoughtfully hum before he made his way over to her. From what she could tell, Damian was now in front of Marinette, looming over her.

"Did Todd or Grayson say it had to be a hug?" Marinette tilted her head in confusion and thoughtfulness, that had never crossed her mind before.

"W-"

"What happens if I kiss you instead?"

The bluenette didn’t reply with words as she knew how terrible her words would be in her flustered state. But she wanted this, her heart longed for it in a way it never did for anyone else. Instead, she nodded, giving the green-eyed boy permission to do as he wished.

She felt his hand lightly tilt her chin up towards, where she presumed, his face was. Then he pressed his lips onto hers, his other had behind her head, tugging at the fabric around her eyes. Marinette felt bliss, she was glad that no one else would interrupt this moment. Shivers went down her spine as she felt Damian’s hands travel up from behind her neck and to wear the blindfold was knotted, gently tugging at the binding. She was glad that when her face was free from the fabric that comprised her vision, the first thing in her line of eyesight were Damian's deep emerald eyes, the shimmered the same way they had when she first laid eyes on him, she'd been enraptured ever since. The boy, however, was smirking as he noticed the pink that dusted her face. Without a moment passing, she threw herself the green-eyed boy, delivering a hug. As she pulled away, her hands cupped his face and she returned his embrace with one of her own. When she pulled away once more, she smiled in satisfaction at his flustered expression.

"When did you realise you had feelings for me?" Marinette asked softly, her forehead pressed against his trying to regain her breath.

"That's a very easy question" Damian stared lovingly into her eyes. "I fell the moment I saw you take down that Akuma three times your size" Her eyes widened.

"You know about me being Ladybug?"

"The same way you know I'm Robin"

They both smiled, creating a truce to not reveal anything.

"Well I better get going, see you later." She got up from the bed and opened the door, only to turn around and say "Je t'aime mon cœur" before exiting the room, leaving a blushing Damian.

Marinette walked back down the stairs, the piece of cloth in hand and small love-struck smile on her face. When she entered the main living room, she came face to face with the owner of the manor.

"Oh hello Mr Wayne"

"Hello Marinette, I see you managed to get the blindfold off" The older man gestured towards the piece of fabric in her hand. "And please, do call me Bruce. Who did you end up surprising with a hug then?"

She smiled brightly before replying. "Damian"

His usual formal demeanor broke for a moment but Bruce quickly picked the pieces back up. "He didn't attack you or injure you in any shape or form?"

Marinette decided to play the oblivious little girl. "No..? Why, does he do it often?" Her head titled in confusion.

"Nothing it doesn't matter" Bruce simply sighed and shook his head. "Also, there's something I'd like to discuss with you at dinner, if you don't mind"

"No not at all, I'll see you at dinner then?" Bruce nodded and left, leaving Marinette alone in the room, waiting for her honorary older brother and his brother to come in. Which they did but only after some time, it was hilarious to see them crouched down, talking to each other in hushed voices. They flinched as she cleared her throat, both slowly turning towards the sound to find a smug looking Marinette and a blindfold whipped around her finger.

"I win"

~~~

Most of the occupants at the table were either in an all out war or were about to be, except for Marinette and an exasperated Bruce Wayne.

"So Marinette" The eldest Wayne began, silencing the rest of the table. "I hope you don't mind me asking but when you were off searching for Jason, you mentioned attacks that have been occurring in Paris, is this true?"

No one failed to notice the girl flinch. "Yeah it's true"

"...how bad are the attacks? In your opinion"

"Well it depends on how strong the person's emotions are really. If their emotions are strong, then the Akuma is strong too"

"What's the strongest akuma that Paris has seen?" It was Tim who asked and memories of the event began swimming through her mind, she got rid of them with a shake of her head.

"The deadliest akuma Paris has experienced was an akuma called 'Syren'. She's a regular person but, as an akuma, she managed to kill around 2 million people. But don't worry! Ladybug's cure managed to bring them back to life"

"D-did... did you die, Pixie?" Jason asked, his anger mixed with worry was boiling over and luckily simmered after seeing her shake her head.

"Do you think the heroes of Paris would let heroes from the Justice League come over to help?"

Marinette contemplated for a moment, should she really risk the heroes getting akumatized? "I think they would but I wouldn't know"

Bruce nodded while Jason leaned over the table to talk closer to his honorary little-sister. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want to bother you"

"You're not a bother, Pixie" Jason smiled at the bluenette on the other side of the table. "You never are and you never will be"

~~~

Marinette returned to Paris a few days later, in the mean time, Bruce and the rest of the batfam were planning their visit to the City of Love. Soon enough, the vigilantes were boarded on the plane. Their flight to Paris was relatively silent. After a few hours, they landed and the vigilantes waited on the Eiffel Tower, only to find out there was a battle going on. Before they could engage in the fight, they were engulfed with magical ladybugs that seemed to fix anything destroyed. As they were mesmerized by the cure, a certain spotted-heroine wobbly landed on the platform. Batman was first to notice.

"Ladybug" His voice caused the others to turn around. "Thank you for allowing us into your city"

Ladybug nodded, not uttering a single word.

"We were hoping, with your permission of course, that we could help you be rid of Hawkmoth once and for good" Again, Ladybug didn't reply. "Ladybug?"

When the heroine didn't respond, Batman glanced at Nightwing and the rest of his sons, clearly something was wrong. Unexpectedly, Robin took his glove off, approached the Ladybug-themed hero and placed his hand onto her forehead.

"You have a fever" he stated, his hand trailing down her face to cup her cheek. His family all shot him weird looks. She tiredly blinked at the vigilante, recognising him as Robin and allowed herself to fall into his arms, detransforming while doing so, leaving a burning hot Marinette.

"Dami?" He hummed. "Take me home, please..." She drifted off to sleep, comforted in her lover's arms. He glanced at his family, holding the bluenette close.

"Pixie...is Ladybug?" Red Hood's voice was first.

"You didn't know?" Robin's voice mocking confusion, enraging Red Hood that his youngest brother knew something about his sister that he didn't. Even more so that his demon brother was holding said sister,

"We should take her back home" Dick went over to feel the girl's forehead. "She's burning"

"Tikki?" Robin asked and a red creature flew out from one of Mari's pockets, startling most of the people there.

"I'll try to heal her on the way, follow me"

The floating red creature flew down from the Eiffel Tower, Robin and Marinette close behind. After some hesitation, the others followed, they ended up on top of a bakery. One by one, they entered through the trapdoor on the balcony, finding both Damian with his mask off and a weak looking Marinette. Despite her enfeebled state, the bluenette greeted each vigilante, her gaze landed on Jason.

"It's just a fever, I'll be fine"

Jason removed his helmet and ran a hand through his hair before both settled on his hips. "You don't look fine"

"I promise I am" She wasn't convincing, not at all.

"Fine" Jason huffed, he could never truly say no to the girl he viewed as his little sister. "But since when were you two a thing" He pointed at the two, his gaze resting maliciously on Damian.

"It's all thanks to you, you know" Marinette smirked at Jason's confusion. Tim snickered as he seemed to catch on to what she was saying.

"Had you not organized that 'blindfolded game', I doubt we would be together at this moment" Damian supplied the information, clearly unfazed by the burning rage in the eyes of his older brother.

"Baby Bird's all grown up" The eldest Wayne son overdramatized wiping a fake tear, Batman sighed at his two eldest sons while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Get your fucking hands off her, Demon Brat!" Jason tried to lunge at Damian, only to be stopped by both Dick and Tim. Though his fury only grew when Marinette snuggled closer to the green-eyed boy, both smirked in victory over Jason's horrified appearance.

Marinette was now part of the family in more ways than one. Though they wish they had found out in better circumstances, they would be able to take down Hawkmoth once and for all, side by side, all together. And to think this all happened because of a silly blindfold game.

#daminette #damian x marinette #maribat #maridami #marinette x damian #mlb x dc #ml x dc #big brother jason #this is eh I guess

217 notes · View notes

mariamermaid · 3 years

Text

Darkest Nights

Regulus Black x fem Reader

Summary: It was blatant, that the day of your wedding would come. Yet, you feared it as much as he did.

Words: 2.2k

Warnings: Angst, arranged marriage

A/N: I don´t know too much about Regulus, which is why I decided to interpret this oneshot in my own way. (Also, Timothee Chalamet as Regulus= chefs kiss)

Denial was the first stage you encountered. Blatantly you had been prepared for it your entire life, but when the message reached you, it was still denial. It couldn´t be true, you were promised more time. Time to live.

Any excuse sounded better than the one thrown into your face: There was no other option.

You recalled word for word in your head as you starred at yourself in the large mirror. It should be an honor, you´ll be a good wife, you´ll have a big house. But none of it mattered to you, your priorities laid differently in society. Will I be happy?

The mirror, the room and the entire house was furnished with golden details; flowers, flourishes and patterns. It reminded you of the palaces in the renaissance period. You had loved the paintings from the time, but finding yourself in a similar ensemble on your wedding day felt all too wrong.

A knock appeared on the door and your mother entered, stunned with her hand over her heart as she admired you. The two servants, who had helped you to get ready, carefully stepped back. Their work was done. If it weren´t for your mother´s sake, you´d thank them from the bottom of your heart.

“You look absolutely gorgeous, he´ll be very pleased to see you.”

Yeah, because that´s all that mattered. Your eyes wandered back to your silhouette in the mirror; long, delicate arms of lace traveled down your skin, the train measured at least ten feet and the veil, which was still placed to show your face, followed the train. Your mother handed you the flower bouquet, white, blue and lavender. Then she pulled the veil over your face and nodded a last time. “Your father will be waiting for you downstairs. They´re all ready.”

Heavy chains were attached to your feet and each step you took, was harder.

Outside the hall, where the ceremony would take place, your father waited for you. He matched your mother´s dark attire, but as so often, he loved the embellishments on his suit. In your opinion, they always looked disgustingly conceiting and plump on him. Every cell in your body screamed for you to run and as you stepped inside the large hall, you wondered why you didn´t listen to your heart. Like the rest of the villa, it was stunning and a true architectural treasure. Dark, even wood was spread on the floor and the walls were delicately painted in cool grey tones. Against the gold details, the walls looked like painted clouds, dreamy and far away.

Within the dark ensemble the white spot like a ray of sunshine; you.

Why didn´t you run?

Would it be so bad to never see your family again? A family that had no emotional connection to you, you were never told, how much they loved you or even appreciated you.

You could live a free life, away from all pressure and deciding how you wanted to live. If you wanted to get marry, or not and even more importantly, who.

The painful truth was, that running even as far as you could, only brought you time. You were their only child, their only way to safely secure, pleasant and reputable future. They would find you eventually and by the mark on their forearms, it wouldn´t be a reencounter to spread joy.

Under the veil, none of them saw your shivering jaw and your blinking eyes in tears as you made your way to the altar.

Your father´s hand, softly put over the arm you had linked with this, grabbed you harsh enough to stop you from running. It might have looked like a lovingly scene, how he approached Regulus and placed your hand in his, but it wasn´t.

It felt like somebody threw away the keys from your chains.

Oh, right, Regulus was there as well.

You had barely acknowledged his presence, which was surprising due to the fact that he was your soon to be husband. You would never, not even on your deathbed, admit it, but he looked attractive. Plenty of times you had seen him wear a neat black suit, but today he didn´t look like Mommy´s boy put in attire. Somehow, he looked like a true man in front of the altar.

He seemed so steady and calm, was he even pressured into this?

You had spent almost your entire school career knowing him, he was a year older, but you couldn´t remember a singular conversation between the two of you. You started believing, you never had one.

Regulus wasn´t the scrawny kid anymore. He was tall and had a sleek figure, which he had proved many times as Slytherin´s seeker. His dark, rather short locks framed his angular face and his high cheekbones. He truly looked like a perfect descendant for a pure-blooded family.

His hand was warm, no hint of nervousness, while yours was as cold as ice. He barely glanced at you, both of you facing the altar and the wizard, who guided you through the ceremony.

He was a man of at least sixty years, grey hair and beard, but everything that left his lips, barely entered your conscience.

Finally, it felt like years, the peak of the ceremony had come.

You turned to Regulus, carefully and slowly, his long fingers grabbed the edge of your veil and pulled it back to reveal your face.

What did you expect to see in his expression? Excitement? Awe? Admiration?

For a split second, his jaw tensed, but he turned back to his neutral expression. You didn´t know how to pinpoint those bare split seconds, where his façade had vanished, and you didn´t like, not knowing how he felt. Was he glad to marry you? Was he only looking forward to this, because you were pure-blooded? Did he find you pretty or at least attractive? Or did he find you so attractive, that he wouldn´t hold himself back? Would he follow his instincts and ignore your potential feelings?

You wanted to curse and scream, but your eyes were glued on his lips and you felt how the magical string wrapped around your hands.

“Today Y/N and Regulus join their lives in the union of marriage. Before I declare you to one another, I want to hear you confirm that it is indeed your intention to be married today.”

The lie couldn´t be bigger. A no was stuck in the back of your throat.

“Now I ask you; Do you, Regulus Arcturus Black, take the hereby Y/N Y/L/N as you wife? If so, repeat after me.”

You waited for a stutter, but Regulus repeated the words without hesitation.

“I, Regulus Arcturus Black, take you Y/N Y/L/N, to be my wedded wife. I give to you in the presence of these witnesses, my promise to stay by your side, In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow. And cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”

“Bride, please repeat after me.”

Oh, dear Merlin help me to not completely ruin this.

“I, Y/L Y/L/N, take you Regulus Arcturus Black, to be my wedded husband. I give to you in the presence of these witnesses, my promise to stay by your side, In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow. And cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”

The magical promise, which wrapped around your hands like a hot string, tightened as the words left your mouth.

“I now announce you, husband and wife!” You felt how the golden glistening oath disappeared, but you still felt the warmth pressing against your skin. It was done. All plans and hopes for this not to happen, were completely useless. You were now officially Y/N Black, wife to Regulus Black. Regulus eyes pierced into yours, somehow you took the last of your strength to keep up the eye contact. Then, to your biggest surprise, he offered you the smallest hint of a smile.

“Even the most beautiful places turn dark during night.”

Regulus´s voice was steady, but quiet. For the first time this evening, he spoke to you in his own will. Without the pressure of a family member watching. You glanced at him, while his eyes were stuck on the ensemble. He was right, it was beautiful.

The light walls were barely enlightened anymore and the golden details, which glistened from time to time, seemed to float in the air. The delicate paint strokes had become invisible, vanishing into dark. Regulus fitted in, with his dark suit, green attire and jet-black locks and you contrasted him in a way, that couldn´t be more opposing. The white fabric attracted the last bit of light, like the rising moon beneath carpet of golden stars.

You had spent the early evening, which was turning into night already, with careless and empty conversation. Even though Regulus was at your side for most of it, you didn´t even perceive him. You were too focused on not crying, not running, not saying the wrong things, not falling over your dress, not eating too much food, not smiling too much, not fake smiling enough and not being you.

“I meant it, you do look stunning”, he added, tilting his head ever so slightly in your direction. Previously, the words had seemed nonchalantly thrown into a conversation. Now, it sounded honest and against his offish body language, Regulus was different beneath his façade.

“Thank you”, you replied with barely a whisper.

For once, he wished to be more like his brother Sirius, who swept of girls with no effort and compliments fell of his lips like the lies for his pranks. Of course, he wasn´t there.

Regulus never imagined that his bride would be you or even closely like you. He remembered you from school, something he never told anymore. Back then, you had barely exchanged words. You knew about each other´s existence, but a safe distance was kept. However, he remembered the evenings at the library. Where you had sat quite focused, tapping with your pen against the book. You had watched every single of his Quidditch games and you cheered.

You were cunning and smart, driven by your own ambition to surpass yourself, but unlike him, you were empathic. People approached you easily, feeling enchanted by your natural politeness. Regulus had become used to the shadow side; people evaded to not get in is way. They avoided him, not knowing what lied behind his dark exterior. Maybe they even feared him.

He knew it was wrong for him to feel relieved to find you in the spot of his bride, he was bereaving you of all prospective dreams and a chance for true love.

“I´m sorry.”

The apology took you by surprise and your head snapped towards him. “For what?”

He sighed, knowing he couldn´t dodge the eye contact anymore. “For having to marry me.”

The emphasis clearly laid on the word me, even though he tried to hide it.

“Are you happy to have me as your-“, you paused. You had never said it out loud. “As your wife?”

He chuckled. Regulus Black chuckled. “I knew marrying out of love was never an option, but honestly, you´re the best bride I could´ve wished for.”

He quickly became serious again, too fast for your taste. “You´re not like them, not as posh or artificial.”

“Apparently, neither are you.” You added, feeling how your body leaned a little closer to his.

“I try my best.”

The dark had covered expectations and superficiality and what was left, was a man at your side, who was honest and real. Not perfect, but not cruel. You didn´t fear him anymore and more importantly, you didn´t fear potential actions. He wouldn´t lay a hand on you, unless you would allow to do so. There was only one apprehension left, the dark mark burning on his arm.

You didn´t know how or why, but that obligation was reserved from you. Slytherin or not, pureblood or not, you weren´t evil. You weren´t one his fealty and you swore on your life, that it wouldn´t change.

Regulus felt your apprehension, but for now he wasn´t ready to share the perilous information with you. The horcrux inside the cave was his secret, but if it meant keeping you safe and sound, he was ready to risk it. For now, it was his task to make you believe him. Regulus Black wasn´t evil and he didn´t share the Dark Lords radical views. The dark mark on his arm was just like the ring on his finger, an inescapable path.

Carefully, but with clear intention, he took your hand. “I will never hurt you; I promise.”

You saw something inside his eyes sparkling, but you couldn´t pinpoint it. Pressing your lips together, you starred at the rings on your fingers. “You shouldn´t make a promise you can´t keep.” He opened his mouth to disagree.

“But promise me to be honest; talk to me Regulus. I don´t want this to be a marriage of secrets and intrigues.” He nodded agreeing. “I promise it, do you?”

“Yes.”

Cautiously, as if you could break beneath his touch, he placed a strand of hair behind your ear and slowly, waiting if you would push away his action, he placed a kiss on your forehead. You didn´t push him away, catching yourself almost leaning into it.

Yes, even the most beautiful places turned dark during night, but tonight the darkness revealed true nature. And in this darkest hour, the two of you were shining together strong as the brightest light.

#regulus black #regulus black imagine #regulus black x reader #regulus arcturus black #regulus black oneshot #timothée chamalet #harry potter imagine #sirius black #mariamermaidimagine

239 notes · View notes

beskarhearts · 3 years

Text

Warm Spotchka(Din Djarin x oc/reader)

gif credit @bestintheparsec

Recluse series pt. 3

Pairing: Din Djarin x oc!bountyhunter/f!reader hybrid (no use of Y/N)

Warnings: pre-season 1, cursing, drinking, mentions of sex

Word count: over 11.5 K

Summary: For some reason, Din can’t get rid of Bullet.

Notes: Let me know what you guys think about this! This is the first chapter where we get into Bullet’s perspective. I honestly wasn’t sure whether or not to write it from a readers perspective or as a third person POV, so let know your opinion! And if you want to be added to the taglist for this or all of my works, let me know!

Previous Part _ Next Part

Din hated to admit it but he was already accepting defeat. The first two bounties had been a total breeze and Din had been completely confident in his ability to win. No, not just confident. He was convinced wholeheartedly that he would win. But karma went and bit him in the ass when the third bounty came around. This one decided to throw him for loop, proving to be a surprisingly good hider and had chosen a great planet to disappear on. They had Din on a wild chase, eating up two whole days of his time just on this one damn bounty. Combined with the time it was taking Din to travel back to Nevarro, he felt a pit settle into his stomach as he realized he wouldn’t be able to prove her wrong like he wanted.

Bullet had probably been done for days now. He would land on Nevarro and she would look at him with that cocky expression and take his credits happily, maybe even say something about how she was the better bounty hunter.

So when he landed on Nevarro, parking the Razor Crest where he usually did, he wasn’t surprised to see a ship he had never seen before parked in the area. He hadn’t seen Bullets ship, nor learned what kind it was or what it looked like, but no one ever parked out here. But she had seen where he parked his ship and must of decided it was the place to meet him. He also couldn’t explain it, but the shipped just gave off her energy. It was smaller than the Crest but still a decent size. Enough for someone to live in and have enough room to breathe. It was also nice and it was very apparent that someone had spent a good amount of credits on it. It was a smooth, sleek black color and looked spotless, like it had practically never been used before. It was definitely Bullets and he knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. As soon as Din landed the Crest onto the ground, turning off the engine and letting the ship adjust, he let out a big sigh.

He was never, ever going to do this again.

Din slowly made his way to the hull, opening the latch to the ship. He took his time, trying to stall but he knew the inevitable was yet to come. As soon as the door completely lowered, he saw her leaning against her ship with her arms crossed and eyes trained right on him, as if she had know where he was before he even opened the door.

Din looked right back at her, examining her. She wore different clothes than she had the last time he had seen her, except for the jacket was the same. It was a cropped black jacket that was paired with a pair of cargo pants that were stained and torn in a couple places. She also had a plain colored tank top and a pair of boots on. It was a plain outfit, nothing particularly interesting about it. The part that caught his eye the most was the brand new blaster on her, looking just as new and shiny as her ship. He brought his eyes to look back up at her face. It was completely blank. No grin or taunting look in her eyes, the only part of it that he took note of being the scar he had seen before.

He waited for her to say something but when the silence continued, he made his way down the ramp to meet her where she stood. He looked back at her plainly and she gave him a once-over, looking him up and down slowly. “You nearly beat me.” She said, breaking the silence that had consumed them.

“Really?” Din asked, tilting his helmet slightly. She looked like she had been here for days at first glance but upon further inspection, he noticed her hair that was pulled back looked messy and she had a small cut on her collar bone that looked like it hadn’t been taken care of.

“I only got here ten minutes ago.” She responded. It was childish but that made Din feel better. She may have beat him, but barely so. Meaning he very well could have been in her position, waiting for her to land instead. “Second bounty was a pain in the ass.”

“Give you that cut?” Din asked, pointing to her collarbone.

She looked down briefly and her eyebrow quirked up. “Hadn’t noticed that.” she muttered.

“My third one was a good hider.” Din said, suddenly taken aback by himself as he did so. He was not used to being around people and when he was, he didn’t have conversations with them. It was a foreign concept to him. But this didn’t seem to be too bad, seemed to be something he could handle. After all, they were just talking about bounties and that was something Din could understand and find something to talk about. Work was a good topic for him. Beyond that was where were even more discomfort lied.

“How long did that one take you?”

“Two days.” Din grumbled.

“Hey, three bounties in a few days isn’t bad.” Bullet offered with a shrug. She paused, looking up at his ship as her face grimaced slightly. “Might of gone a little faster with a newer ship.”

“The Crest is fine.” Din retorted and Bullet nodded her head, not pushing the topic further.

“Hey, to each his own.” She mumbled before pushing herself off the ship and beginning to walk forwards, into the direction of the town.

Din followed slowly, not wanting to intrude but also needing to make his way to the cantina to turn in his bounties. They were still a bit out of the way, not yet anywhere where there were people. Din usually parked further away, that way if he slept on the ship before leaving he could be alone and not have to worry about anything. Din wondered where she usually parked and why she hadn’t just waited to meet him at the cantina, but he didn’t bother to ask.

“Did you have fun?” Din shook his head from his train of thought as he looked over to Bullet, who now stumbled backwards as she looked at him.

“Fun?” Din asked, confusion laced in his voice.

“Yeah. I mean, hunting bounties is my thing but it gets kind of boring after awhile. You know, same old thing. Competition made it a little fun.” Bullet explained, looking at him plainly.

Din supposed that was true. He was a bounty hunter and he honestly couldn’t imagine being anything else. This was quite literally the job he had been raised to do since he was a child. There hadn’t been much of another option for him. And he liked his job well enough. It put credits in his pocket and it was certainly more interesting than other jobs. But that didn’t mean it didn’t get old like any job had the potential to do. Sometimes there was a particular bounty that would be a little more interesting or make for a greater challenge, but in the end it was the same thing. Just a cycle and a repetitive way of life for him.

But these last few days had been more interesting. Adding the competition put more on the line, not quite so literally but more figuratively. Each bounty wasn’t just another one to get, but it was one to get quickly. That way you could win. And that had presented a different challenge to Din than he normally had. And for a bounty hunter, that did make things a little more ‘fun’, though Din guessed most people would say nothing about bounty hunting was fun.

“It was fine.” Din agreed and Bullet nodded.

“I’m just glad you aren’t a sore loser.” She said, turning her back to him as she continued walking.

They didn’t say much of anything else as they made their way into the town, just walking in silence up until they walked into the cantina. Then Bullet let out a sigh once Karga rose from his seat, looking at the two with a grin. “Well who would of thought I’d see you two together again?”

Din let out a sigh as he slid into the booth that Karga had sat at, Bullet this time slipping next to Karga instead of bringing a chair over. She waved a hand at a bartender who shook his head, seeming to know her order automatically. Din dug into his pocket, tossing the three fobs on the table which Bullet did shortly after as well. Both bounty hunters looked back at Karga who looked at the pile plainly. “You two are great conversationalist.” He said sarcastically, reaching into his pocket to grab some credits.

“Oh yeah. Talking is our thing. You should hear this Mandalorian get going...” Bullet said, giving Karga a bit of an eye roll but a smile quirked at the corner of her lips just the slightest bit. Almost so minute that no one would notice it but Din caught it before she brought a drink to her lips and hid it away.

“Yeah, right. I don’t think I’ll ever see the day this man speaks about anything but bounties.” Karga responded, giving Din a small smile. But as always, Din didn’t respond or join in on the teasing, only offering a small shrug to the pair.

“So Karga, what do you have for us?” Bullet asked, looking over at him expectantly as she leaned back into the booth.

The man looked between the two with an eyebrow raised. “Are you two working together?”

“Nope.” Bullet answered. “But I want some bounties and figure he probably does too.”

“Of course he does.” Karga said, nodding along as he slid a pouch of credits to each of the bounty hunters. Din grabbed his, quickly opening it and tossing a third of them in Bullets direction.

The woman gave a small grin, grabbing at the money before looking up into Din’s visor with a smirk. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Din let out an audible sigh. Yeah, definitely never doing that again.

Karga looked at Din with a bewildered expression. He had known the man for long enough to know he wasn’t a betting man in the slightest, and not one to hand over his credits. But Din didn’t feel like explaining the little competition that he had taken part of (and didn’t want to admit he had lost). He found himself relieved when Bullet also didn’t give into his shocked look and eager eyes, just putting the credits in her own pouch and looking back at the agent plainly.

Karga let out a small sigh once he realized no answer was coming his way, digging into a pocket and pulling out fobs. “I have four for each of you. Unless you want to work together again...”

“Is it worth ten thousand credits?” Bullet asked.

“No.”

“Then hand me the four fobs, Karga.” Bullet demanded, holding her hand out which Karga then dropped the fobs onto. She looked down at them, as if trying to get some information from the tracking device itself, before slipping them into a pocket of her jacket and giving a sharp nod to Karga. “Till next time, boys.”

She rose out of the booth and walked straight out of the door without any word, nor another glance at Din. Karga let out a grunt as he looked over at the half full drink she left at the table.

“She never pays for her drinks. Should start taking it out of her pay.” he muttered to himself. Din only sat silently and Karga looked up at him, as if forgetting he had been there. “Oh, here Mando.”

Four fobs were slid across the table in his direction and Din grabbed them and rose from his seat, marching away without another word. He walked back outside and headed towards the ship, looking around for... well, for Bullet. Once he got hit with the realization that he was looking for Bullet, he wondered why. She hadn’t said a word to him but maybe she’d be willing to have another small competition and maybe this time he could actually win. He was never one to seek out this kind of thing but she had been right. It was kind of fun, interesting at the very least. It was also the most minuscule form of social interaction which Din could handle. He didn’t even have to really talk to her. He had to hunt the bounties on his own like he usually did and just see her at the end so the loser could hand over credits. Din may argue this was the most perfect dynamic for him.

But he never found her in the crowds of people on Nevarro and while her ship remained park by his, she was nowhere to be found. Din shrugged it off, not really minding that he couldn’t find her. He’d just resume life as normal and knowing how he worked, he’d probably never even see her again.

_________________

Din had owned the Crest for many years but he couldn’t remember a time he ever used his comm, except for if there were other ships nearby that needed to communicate with him for whatever reason. To be honest, Din had no need to use it. If he had no one to communicate with then the comm served no purpose and was just a bit of technology built into the ship that he neglected to use. Most of the time, he forgot it was ever there and built into the cockpit. Just like he had no one to contact, no one ever needed to contact him. So the comm remained unused and forgotten.

Until one night.

Din was sat in the cockpit of the Crest, traveling through hyperspace and allowing the ship to do most of the work. He honestly just liked to sit in his seat and stare off into space. There wasn’t much to do but this was something that was peaceful and relaxing. Allow his mind to wander off where it wanted to or just give him time to simply think about nothing and relax. He had just finished catching the second bounty, heading to the planet where the third one was located and was only a day out. It was getting late into the night and Din was just about to rise from his seat when a crackle was let out from his comm.

His head whipped to look towards it and then quickly looked out the windows. There were no other ships he could see trying to reach him so he couldn’t even begin to imagine who was trying to get through. He almost brushed it off, figuring the ship was acting a little wonky until it crackled to life again and he heard a grunt through the line.

Din tilted his helmet. Who the kriff was this? He considered speaking back to them to ask who they were but he decided not to as it died out again. He simply sat in place and waited, expecting something else to go through. A moment later, he heard a voice ring through and yell, “Fuck!”

Din froze. He knew that voice. He pressed a button down and spoke clearly. “Bullet?”

“Give me a m-mom-” The signal crapped out once again, sizzling into silence until it crackled back to life. “Dammit it! This piece of crap better work or I swear.”

Din raised an eyebrow. The signal was pretty crappy, full of loads of white noise and crackling as well as the sound of rustling that Din couldn’t discern if it was from Bullet or the comm itself. Her voice was a little crackly and choppy, cutting out continuously, but it was indiscernibly hers. “Bullet?” Din repeated.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m here.” she snapped and Din could hear the annoyance dripping off her words. He could even imagine her sharp expression, eyes furrowed together and a slight frown. He was about to speak when he heard a loud curse from her again. “Damn fuckers!”

“What is happening?” Din asked, his face bunched in confusion.

“Oh, I’ve just had my ship stripped of parts and am stuck in the middle of the Tatooine desert with no town near by.” Bullet hissed but she didn’t seem annoyed with his question, just her general situation.

“Why?” Din asked and now she let out a grunt directed for him.

“Oh, for fun!” she sarcastically responded and Din shook his head. “I’m lucky I have this damn comm or I’d be stuck here and become a nice dinner for some Tusken’s bantha or something!”

“What are you talking about?” Din asked.

“Listen, I need you to come get me.” Bullet demanded and Din jerked his head up and sighed.

“What?” he asked, clearly exasperated.

“I am miles and miles away from the closest town! I am in the middle of Tatooine with no food or water or anything! A whole bunch of shitty Jawas stripped by ship of parts so I have no way to leave!”

Din shook his head, not believing the situation. Tatooine wasn’t too far at all but it required him turning the Crest around and going in the opposite direction of where his bounty was. It would take up more time than he had ever wasted before on a hunt, meaning the bounty could find a way off the planet they were on and make his job so much harder. “Can’t someone else get you?”

“No!” Bullet exclaimed.

“What about the girls at Oppa’s?”

“Listen, I trained those girls to deal with sleazy creeps! Not travel to Maker knows where and risk bumping into some Tuskens or creatures or who knows what! And none of them have speeders or anything.” Bullet said back.

“What about Karga?”

“Oh, so he can send some bounty hunter my way to be my hero and then everyone can find out about this? Hell no!”

Din rolled his eyes. He could definitely see her being stubborn enough to let her self sit away in the desert instead of getting somebody else to help her. But then why was she contacting him? Din shrugged off the thought and spoke into his comm. “C’mon, you must have someone else.”

“I don’t, you dip shit! In case you didn’t notice, I don’t have many friends!” Bullet spat back.

Well, shit. Din wished he was the kind of man to tell her no and keep doing his job. But past all the anger and frustration, he could hear the desperation in her voice. And he couldn’t leave her hanging. It would be a pain in the ass and could risk his bounty hopping onto a ship to another planet and making his life way harder. But if Bullet was calling him, that must of meant she really did need someone. “Fine.” Din gruffly said.

“Good. I am maybe 200 miles southeast of Mos Eisley. Could be a little more or less. But you should see my ship. Or should I say the carcass of my ship.” Din swore he heard a sad sigh after that and he remembered the ship he had seen just a few days ago, looking pristine and almost like it had never been touched. He didn’t know if it was new or just extremely well cared for, but either way having the parts stolen from it must of been a blow. And knowing how Jawas were, he wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled up things as small as even flooring and panels.

“Okay. I am half a day away.”

“Ugh, that is forever!” Bullet whined.

“I can not come if that’s too long.” Din sarcastically quipped back and he could definitely hear a grunt and an eye roll through the comm.

“Get your metal ass over here.” she said before the comm went out and his ship returned to complete silence.

“You’re welcome.” Din spoke to no one, rolling his eyes as he punched in some new coordinates and the ship began to turn in the opposite direction.

_________________

With a ship, Bullet wasn’t too far from Mos Eisley. It had only taken him a little bit of time to travel southeast of the town and find what could definitely best be described as the carcass of Bullet’s ship. It was dark outside by now, well into the late hours of the night, but he still didn’t even have to be on the ground to see the Jawas hadn’t been generous with their takings. The ship now looked like a sad excuse of what it had once been, looking many years older and like a broken down machine in the middle of the desert that had been long abandoned.

Din landed the Crest slowly and let out a small sigh as he looked out his window and saw Bullet, sat on the sand with her knees pulled up to her chest and hand holding her head up. He quickly made his way down the cockpit, opening the door to his ship and walking down it slowly. The air on the planet was still hot and humid, no relief to be found under the blanket of the stars and moon. Din looked over at where Bullet was sat on the ground, noticing she had shed her jacket and used it to sit on instead. Strewn next to the jacket were two bottles and though Din wasn’t a drinker himself he easily recognized the labels for the spotcka that had once been inside it. He stepped closer to her and her head lolled up to look at him, and oh yeah, she was definitely drunk. Her eyes were glazed over and she looked like she was partially holding her head up to keep it from falling down, rather than relaxing it on her hands. But the biggest reason he knew was because of the smile she gave him. “Well, whoopie doo, you came.”

“You are drunk.” Din said and she let out a hearty chuckle, one that seemed to fit her more properly than the smile on her face.

“Well, you are quiet the detective.” She sarcastically responded.

“I didn’t come here to be your babysitter.” Din said and a little bit of her normal persona peaked through when she rolled her eyes in response.

“Well, you took forever. And normally I have a stock pile of food but I ran out before this bounty and figured I would get more food after, not knowing I would be robbed! And then I also had no water but I had some beautiful bottles of spotchka that were practically calling my name. ” Bullet gestured to the bottles, giving them a longing look that made Din sigh. “It was warm spotcka though and that was kind of gross...”

Yep, he definitely should of just gotten his bounty and ignored her.

“So you got drunk?”

“Oh, I am barely even drunk.”

“You drank two bottles in half a day.” Din countered.

“Ugh, are you always so literal?” Bullet asked and when Din didn’t respond, she let out a big huff. “You know, I am going to get up and walk right onto your ship and you will see how drunk I am not. Hell, I could probably fly the damn piece of shit.”

Din looked down at her as she slowly began to rise from her spot on the ground. She seemed to be doing so but not with any ease. Every limb seemed to wobble and shake as she moved at a snails pace. Din almost let out a sigh of exasperation, but didn’t want to get her going. Once she finally made it up, she gave Din a cocky grin. “See?”

“You left your jacket on the ground.”

Bullet’s face dropped as she looked down at the sand where her jacket still laid there. “Did you put that there?”

“You were sitting on it when I came.” Din responded.

Bullet raised an eyebrow and looked over at him. “Well, whatever. I didn’t like that jacket anyways.”

Din shook his head. Every time he had seen her, she had been wearing that jacket. “You can’t bend over.”

“Fuck off!” Bullet argued, glaring at him and narrowing her eyes. “I can bend down and grab that jacket.”

“Then do it.” Din didn’t even know why he was doing this. Perhaps because he was annoyed she not only made him come and get her, but made him get her when was drunk. Or maybe because secretly seeing the woman who had killed a man with no hesitation and had such a crass attitude look hesitant to bend over was very amusing.

“Fine!” Bullet slowly began to bend over but Din saw what was happening before she did, her body beginning to double over. Din reached out quickly and wrapped his arms around her before she fell, pulling her up slowly. “I am fine, get off me!”

“You almost planted your face into the sand.” Din responded plainly, continuing to pull her up until she was stood up straight again.

“Fuck off with your boring personality and big arms!” Bullet began thrashing around and Din pulled his arms away from her. Once she could, she looked over at him with a scathing look. “What are you doing? Trying to feel me up?”

Din now couldn’t help but to chuckle, shaking his head as she kept glaring up at him. “I was helping you.”

“Oh yeah, sure. That’s what all guys think they are doing when they feel someone up.” Bullet spat back.

“I wasn’t feeling you up. I grabbed you so you didn’t fall.” Din responded.

“Oh likely excuse, sir.” Bullet mumbled back, beginning to step forward but tripping over he own feet in the process. Din reached out again, his hands grabbing onto her arms to help her steady herself. For the first time, Bullet looked up at him shyly. “Okay, maybe you made a solid point.”

Din shook his head and brought his hands away from her. “Let’s get on the ship.”

“But my ship!” Bullet yelped, her hands dramatically gesturing to it. Din looked over at it. The Jawas definitely had taken everything even remotely useful, as well as a few things that probably weren’t necessary. There was no way that thing could fly even if it wanted to and replacing everything they had stolen would probably have cost more than buying a new ship.

“What happened?” Din asked.

Bullet looked up at the ship solemnly. “I was hunting this bounty and parked the ship here. But my blaster broke so I came back to get a different one quickly and the Jawas had taken everything! My weapons, my engine, my everything! All they left was the spotchka and my stupid bounties.”

Din let out a sigh. Jawas were common enough around Tattooine and were greedy little buggers. It kind of shocked him that they were able to carry as much as they took, but wasn’t all too surprising. “Well, you will need to buy a new ship.”

“But I loved Michelle.” Bullet said softly, looking up at the ship with a small frown and big, sad eyes.

Din quirked up an eyebrow, looking down at her. “You named your ship Michelle?”

Bullet whipped her head to look at Din, seeming to dizzy herself in the process, and narrowed her eyes at him. “Michelle was a beauty. Don’t judge her when your ship looks like that.”

“The Crest is fine.” Din responded but Bullet scoffed.

“You should name that ship something fitting. Maybe Bantha fodder. Or piece of shit. Or flaming garbage can.” Bullet now couldn’t help the smile on her face, appearing to have too much fun making fun of the ship. She suddenly dropped the smile and leaned forward, whispering low and causing Din to bend down to catch what she was saying. “I thought I was going to die on that ship when I first saw it.”

Din let out a big sigh. “Well, you didn’t. So let’s just get on the ship.”

Din reached a hand to grab her arm but she yanked it away. “Wait! My bounties are still here!”

“What do you want me to do about that?” Din asked, placing a hand on his hip.

“You need to put them on your ship!” Bullet said, giving him a face that seemed to say ‘Duh, you idiot.’

“No. You can come back and get them. They are frozen in carbonite, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then they won’t go anywhere.”

Bullet frowned. “You are an asshole.”

“You aren’t a walk in the park yourself.” Din grunted, finally grabbing her arm and beginning to pull her towards the ship.

“You know, the world made me all bitter and angry. You are just all grumpy for what reason? Just cause?”

“What happened to you rarely talking like before?” Din asked, finally dragging her up the ramp and shutting the door.

“Hey, you are talking too!” Bullet huffed, giving him a critical look. “Maybe you should grow a personality.”

“I am fine.” Din grumbled back.

“No. You are bo-oring.” Bullet responded.

“Isn’t your dominant personality trait killing people you aren’t supposed to?” Din countered.

Bullet paused for a moment. “Touché.” she finally responded, seeming to succumb.

“Alright, am I taking you to the girls?” Din asked.

Bullet scoffed. “No! They’d never let this go and I don’t want to bother them anyways.”

“Where am I taking you then?” Din asked.

“Huh, I don’t know. I didn’t think this far.”

“Genius.” Din muttered, getting more and more exasperated as he began to feel more and more like a babysitter.

“Hey, I didn’t even think you were going to come!”

“I said I was going to.” Din countered.

“Yeah, but most people are dicks. I thought you probably hated me and were going to leave me to rot away in the middle of the desert.” Bullet said.

Din paused for a moment, looking over at her. She wasn’t joking, no hint of a smile on her face or a teasing tone in her voice. She was being serious. Din couldn’t argue that most people were no good, at least in his opinion, but she genuinely thought that he wasn’t going to come. Din took a deep breath, before taking a softer tone that he had remembered ever taking with anyone. “Is there any place I can take you? Or do you want to go back to Nevarro?”

Din didn’t even know why he was offering. Going to Nevarro meant really going out of his way, but he just felt the need to make the offer. “No. Not Nevarro.” Bullet paused, seeming to think before she settled on an answer. “Hey, do you want to sleep on a bed tonight?”

“I’ve got a bed.”

“Listen, I tried out that sad excuse of a bed-”

“-you laid in my bed?” Din asked but she just continued going, not even seeming to notice he spoke.

“-and that was simply depressing. I don’t know how you can even move without everything hurting. And it’s so small and you are a big guy. Unless the armor just adds the bulk and you are actually tiny. But I don’t think you are. I think you are big with big arms and big shoulders and-”

“What was your point?” Din interrupted, suddenly growing very uncomfortable with the way she continued to drone on and on.

“Oh yeah! That place we stopped at before we left Tatooine-”

“The orphanage?”

“Yes! You can drop me off there and if you want a bed for the night, y’know like an actual bed, I am sure Myre wouldn’t mind.”

“Myre?”

“Yes!” Bullet said, seeming exasperated he had no clue who Myre was, a woman whom he had never met or heard of before.

Din considered the prospect of a bed. While he didn’t like that she had laid in his bed, she wasn’t wrong. He was used to it at this point but it was terribly uncomfortable and pretty small. And Din couldn’t even remember the last time he had slept in an actual bed. Or for that matter, somewhere that wasn’t the Crest.

It wouldn’t hurt, right? He had to drop her off there anyways and it was getting late. He probably would’ve called it a day and gone to bed in the Crest anyways. He could sleep in an actual bed and wake up early and leave. It would be like he wasn’t even there.

“Okay.”

“Well, then, am I flying there or you?”

“If you try to fly this ship, I will leave you here.”

That caused Bullet to chuckle. “Aye aye, captain.”

Din gave a short nod and began to climb up the ladder to the cockpit.

“Can I call you Mando?”

Din turned to look down at her. “What?”

“Karga calls you Mando. But I didn’t want to call you that and make you uncomfortable.”

Din tilted his helmet. A smile smile quirked his lips. He couldn’t remember a time he had ever had someone ask him permission to call him Mando. “Yeah. I don’t mind.”

“Okay.”

He began to make his way up the ladder again when he was interrupted by her voice. “Mando?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for not letting me rot away in the middle of Tatooine.”

Din gave a small nod. “You’re welcome.”

_________________

Once they made it to the orphanage, Bullet insisted on taking charge. But she was still ridiculously drunk and didn’t seem to understand she didn’t need to sneak around the building. Every time Din tried to speak, she would let out a loud, drawn out “shush” that was far louder than the words Din tried to speak. But he allowed her to continue on with her plan (though he didn’t think she had one and was pretty sure she had circled the same area twice.)

“Can’t we knock on the door?” Din asked.

“Shush! You are gonna wake up the kids!” Bullet hissed, looking at him in bewilderment as if she wasn’t shouting herself.

Suddenly, a light flashed on and Bullet stumbled back, nearly falling into Din. Din brought a hand to his waist, his hands just barely hovering over his blaster. It took a second for a small shadow to make its way towards them and Din saw it was a small boy, with scraggly blond hair and big, sleepy brown eyes that looked up at Bullet. “Hi, Bullet.”

“Hey, kid.” Bullet responded, putting a hand on top of his head to mess with his hair, causing the little boy to let out a giggle. “What are you doing up?”

“I heard a voice.” The boy responded.

Bullet whipped her head to look at Din, looking disappointed. “Told you that you were too loud.”

Din let out a huff, not bothering to argue that she was the one speaking at an atrocious volume.

“Carter, back to bed.” a voice poke out.

The three looked up to see an older woman standing a few feet in front of the trio.

“But, Bullet is here.” The boy whined.

“And maybe you can see her tomorrow morning. Back to bed.” The woman said sternly but it didn’t seem so harsh when paired with her kind eyes.

The boy gave a small nod and waved goodbye before making his way back to one of the doors along the side of the building. The woman looked over at Bullet, her eyes briefly looking Din up and down, before she stepped forward. “What are you doing here this late?”

“Oh, don’t even get me started. Michelle was robbed. Stripped of all her beauty!” Bullet whined.

The woman’s eyes widened. “Is that one of the ladies at Oppa’s?”

“That is her ship.” Din chose to answer, hoping to prevent Bullet going into a loud rant about her love for Michelle (which she had done twice on their way to the orphanage).

“Oh, boy.” The woman responded, looking Bullet up and down with a raised eyebrow. “You stink like spotchka.”

“Okay, I didn’t come here to be judged.” Bullet huffed back. “You are fond of a glass or two of spotchka yourself, Myre.”

“How much did she drink?” The older woman asked and it took Din a moment to realize the question was being directed at him.

“Two bottles.”

“Maker, you sloppy drunk!” The woman said harshly, looking down at Bullet like a mother would to a disobedient child.

“Mando and I just need beds. Separately though. He already tried to feel me up once.” Bullet dropped her voice for the last part, trying to whisper as best as she could but her volume still loud enough for Din to here the words directed at the woman who gave him a fierce look.

Din let out a big sigh. “She was falling.”

“Ah.” Myre responded, giving him an understanding nod. She looked back at Bullet and wrapped an arm around the woman. “Well, let’s get you to a bed.”

Din followed as they both trailed along the many rooms of the building. It was almost set up like a hotel, each room seeming to have its own door that led to the outside. It was set up in a circular shape, with an almost courtyard like middle that was strewn with toys and other various little knick knacks one would see in an orphanage. The woman led them to one of the ends of the building, standing in front of a door.

“Alright, you can take the room right there.” The woman said to Din, her head gesturing to a room to the left of the one she stood in front of.

Din nodded, making his way to the door. He reached a hand out to the handle, but stopped to give the woman a small nod. “Thank you.”

The woman smiled back. “Thanks for getting her here safely.” Din started to open the door when she spoke again. “If you want, you can have some breakfast in the morning. You’ll have to stop by early though before the kids get to everything.”

Din just gave another nod before making his way into the room, shutting the door softly behind him and locking it . The room was small with no bathroom attached or even a sink. Just a single bed laid in the middle of it with a small table to the side where a lamp sat. A small window let the smallest sliver of moonlight in but Din closed the curtain to it quickly. Today had been a long day and he longed to be alone so he could take his armor off and relax.

Din let out a loud sigh, plopping down on the bed with a groan. He hadn’t slept in a regular bed for so long and he wasn’t even under the impression that this bed was even a good one. But compared to the pad on the cot in his ship, this bed was pure heaven. Instead of feeling hard, it had some give and he hadn’t even rested his whole body against it but it enveloped him slightly.

Din reached his hands up for his helmet, only to pause for a moment. He was in a new place, with people he didn’t know. Sure, he knew who Bullet was and she obviously trusted him on some level or another, or she wouldn’t have contacted him. But otherwise, he didn’t know this Myre woman or any of the children. He didn’t know this place. But Din allowed himself to just, even just this once, convince himself he was being paranoid. The door was locked, the window was shuttered, and there was no other way into the room. And with the lights and the sun down, you practically couldn’t see a thing in the room, even if you squinted real tight. He supposed that if Bullet really wanted to, she could make her way into the room but she was too drunk to do so, or at least to do so quietly.

So Din slipped the helmet off his head, taking in a deep breath as he rested it on the blanket next to him. The room, in some strange way, smelled welcoming. Not necessarily good but it wasn’t bad or threatening. The room was a little stuffy, with the lack of air flow or light in it but it was considerably better than his helmet. Din brought a hand to his face, rubbing at it slowly. This day had felt too long and had ended in a completely unexpected way. He had one more bounty to get. He was hoping for a fast one too.

But he supposed it could be worse. Maybe.

Din began to pull off the rest of his armor, slowly put it down on the floor as to not make too much noise. Once he was stripped of all of it, he didn’t even bother to take his clothes off before dropping his whole entire body on the bad, still laying on top of the sheets and blankets. His body usually ran hot, something he blamed on wearing the armor all the time, and the air in Tatooine was still warm so he felt no need to cuddle under any other layers. He could probably take off a few to be honest and be perfect. But as his limbs began to settle into the soft lure of the mattress and his heavy eyes began to flutter close, he found he had no strength to even strip off the clothing, choosing to just fall asleep in that very spot.

______

You hadn’t remembered much. You remembered calling Din for help, but that had been before those two fateful bottles of spotchka lured you in. You remember hearing the hesitancy in his voice and thinking how screwed you were. And once you were drunk, you even remembered the shock of seeing the Crest start to land where you were, thinking with awe and surprise that he had kept his word and come.

But everything after that was a little blurry. So when you had woken up in a room of the orphanage you knew like the back of your hand, it took you a few moments to remember how you had gotten there. You remembered being on his ship, and you must of led him here. Or perhaps he remembered it from last time and just knew to take you here.

You let out a small groan as the double suns of Tatooine poured rays of sunshine through the window, causing you to wince in response and bury your head into the blankets. It was early, that much you could tell, but the suns on this planet never seemed to care much for the early hours of the morning that should be reserved for sleep. Part of you wanted to sink beneath the sheets and bury your face in the mattress. But it was probably best to get up and start finding a way to get a new ship.

And shit, had you left her bounties behind?

An even louder, more exasperated grunt left your lips as your head pounded. It was too early to think and you were too hungover. You needed caf before you could even try to process anything.

It took you a few minutes to clean yourself up in one of the shared bathrooms, trying to get rid of the reminders of the rendezvous with the alc from last night. After doing so, you stumbled into the main building and walked into the kitchen.

“Well, good morning.” Myre sarcastically called out, letting out a small chuckle as she saw the scrunched up face you held.

“Caf.” was all that you could manage, reaching your hands out to grab a mug and make your way to the pot that held the beautiful elixir you so desperately craved. Even smelling the liquid seemed to hit the right spot alone, your brain becoming a little less foggy and eyes opening a little wider.

“How did you sleep?” Myre asked, standing at a counter where she was absentmindedly kneading at a dough with her hands repeatedly. You had seen the woman at work enough to know things like this were second nature, things she could practically do in her sleep.

“I slept like I drank two bottles of spotcka.” you muttered, taking a sip of the caf and letting out a moan at the taste. You were sure it was the hangover, but you swore it was the most beautiful cup of caf you had ever tasted, soaking in the flavor like it was the finest delicacy.

“Oh, yeah. That Mandalorian told me about it.”

You quirked up an eyebrow at that, lolling your head over to look at Myre. You didn’t remember much about getting here, but you most certainly didn’t remember Mando being here. “He was here?”

Myre let out a chuckle. “He slept here. Still think he is asleep actually.”

You froze in your spot. “Who invited him to sleep here?”

“You did.” Myre said, giving you a questioning look. “Do you remember anything?”

You sighed, trying to not express just how drunk you were but you knew deep down it was useless. Myre had seen you which meant she knew. Hell, anybody would be able to tell when you were drunk. You hated it with a burning passion, but you tended to get a little chatty when you drank and that definitely threw people off, even people who had only met you once or twice. “I don’t know.”

Myre let out a disappointed sigh, giving you a critical look that seemed to be so fitting for such a maternal woman. Everything about her screamed mother, and the stern yet loving look she gave you now was no exception. “I’m so glad you are just stumbling around with random men while drunk off your ass.”

“Who is stumbling around with random men?”

You looked up at the new voice in the room and couldn’t help the quirk of your lips as you saw the new woman. Her gaze met yours at the same time and she let out a laugh that perfectly enraptured the joy you felt but couldn’t express quite so easily. The woman ran up to you and wrapped her arms around you, causing you to let out a small groan from her excitement when you were still very much hungover. But you didn’t tell her to back off, letting her rock you back and forth in a manner that made your stomach do summersaults.

“Good to see you, Kya.” you said as she pulled away with a big grin. Kya seemed to look the same she had all the years ago when you met her as young children. She had an inherently youthful energy to her, that paired perfectly with her glowing looks and softness. She was the epitome of beauty and a free-spirit, even though she had every reason to be as tough as nails like you considered the shitty cards the galaxy dealt her. But no matter what, she was always smiling and looking jubilant. It clashed with your energy entirely but sometimes it was refreshing. A much needed break from the usual rustle and tumble of your everyday life.

“As I was saying, who is stumbling around with random men?” Kya asked, giving you a small quirk of the eyebrow as she grabbed an apron off a hook and began to tie it onto herself.

“Bullet.” Myre responded before you had the chance, and you gave her a small glare she brushed away.

Kya let out a chuckle as she began to grab some ingredient and work away at something of her own. “What a surprise.” She sarcastically responded.

“Bullet showed up here drunk last night-“

“Another surprise.” Kya quipped in the middle of Myres explanation.

“-and with a Mandalorian.”

“A Mandalorian?” Kya asked, a look of shock replacing the smile she had.

“Yeah. We worked with each other on that one bounty I had here a little while ago.” You explained.

Both women’s sets of jaws dropped. You rolled your eyes at the dramatics and glared at them. “You worked with someone?” Myre asked first.

“Yes. Stop looking so shocked.” You stubbornly said.

Both women shut their jaws but looked at you with curious looks. “Is this the Mandalorian you slept with a few weeks ago?” Kya asked and Myres eyes widened.

“You slept with a Mandalorian?” The older woman asked in a state of shock.

You rolled your eyes. “No, this isn’t the one. I’d never work with that one guy. I’m pretty sure he said ‘this is the way’ when he c-“

“Okay, please stop!” Myre interrupted, throwing her flour covered hands up in surrender.

“Oh, don’t be such a prude.” You teased.

“I don’t want to hear you talk about sleeping with Mandalorians.” She tried to justify.

“Should she talk about the people other professions she has slept with then? Oh, maybe the mechanics!” Kya asked with an evil grin, her eyes scrunching up in joy from teasing the older woman. You also couldn’t help but to chuckle.

“Alright, shut up.” Myre quipped back. She looked back at you with a small, but overwhelmed, smile. “How did working with this Mandalorian go?”

“Neither of us killed each other, so I’d say okay. He actually seems competent to be honest.”

“High praise from someone like you.” Kya said.

You shrugged. “He doesn’t seem like an arrogant douche like most of them are. And rumor has it he’s been doing it for years without a break. One of the best.”

“Ooh, I see why you worked with him then.” Myre responded and Kya nodded in agreement.

“It was worth a lot of credits and needed partners. That’s all.” You said but both woman didn’t believe you.

“Bullshit.” Kya responded. “You wanted to prove you were better. See what he was made of.”

“You always were competitive.” Myre agreed.

“That’s not it. I just wanted the credits.” You tried to argue, but even you couldn’t convince yourself that wasn’t true. You had heard of the Mandalorian before you officially met. There were lots of bounty hunters in the guild, but not many with the prestige he had. People whispered hushed rumors of him being the best in the galaxy and only given the highest bounties. It sounded like if there was a job you thought to be impossible, you handed him the fob and he’d get it done quick and clean. There was no way to argue it: it enticed you.

So when you walked into that cantina and saw the Mandalorian sat with Karga, you wanted to at least see the man with so many tall tales and stories. But to be honest, you were slightly overwhelmed when you tossed the six bounties down and realized he had been given less. I mean, if you were getting more bounties for just as many credits, who was really the best? It wasn’t like you were picking the easy guys up off the street. Your bounties were just as difficult and credible as his. Yet he was the one with the title and the persona. And you may had been new to this game, but you didn’t think he had heard your name, or most people had for that matter.

So yeah. You wanted to know what it was all about. See the hype. Maybe also prove you were just as good, if not better. And you had fully intended on giving him his time to lay out a plan and execute, watch him do was he supposedly did best. But once things became personal with that bounty, you took over without even trying. And the Mandalorian seemed to understand that. So no, you weren’t able to see his wickedly talented skills or him kick some poor schmucks ass, but that had garnered you an inkling of respect for the man, which was hard to come by.

And then that had only been furthered when he took credit for killing the bounty. He had no reason to. It’s not like you two had formed some blossoming relationship in the two days you knew each other. In fact, you were pretty sure you had just successfully pissed him off several times. Part of you had expected him to rat you out. But once he told Karga he had killed the bounty, the respect grew tenfold. He was aware enough to know you weren’t going to ask him to do it but Karga was gonna tear into your ass for popping up with another dead body. And he stepped in and took the blame when he didn’t have to.

Sure. You hadn’t seen him hunt. But you had seen enough characteristics that made one a good hunter, as well as a mediocre man at the very least, if not possibly a good one. And in a world where most men, and people for the matter, seemed to be getting worse and worse to you, you supposed that was something. Maybe it was why you called him instead of Karga. You didn’t even know why you were doing it even when you reached his ship with your comm. It just seemed like the smarter thing to do in the moment and hell, it had worked. So that said something, right?

“So, is he?”

You popped your head back up, blinking away your thoughts. “Is he what?”

“One of the best?” Kya asked.

You shrugged slowly. “I don’t know. The one bounty we did went a little awry. But he seems okay.”

“Okay enough for you to call him for help.” Myre added.

“Well, I don’t really have friends so-”

“Wow, I ought to be offended.” Kya muttered with a teasing frown.

“I’m sorry but if I called you and asked you to come get my drunk ass in the middle of the Tatooine desert, what would you say?” You asked.

“Screw you.” Kya said proudly.

“Exactly.” you muttered.

You turned your head to the doorway when you heard the loud clapping of small feet on the ground. Your eyes landing on a younger Twi’lek girl who tore into the kitchen with wide eyes and frantic breathes in and out. She dramatically clasped onto the counter and looked up at Myre with a bewildered expression. “W-why is t-there... a-”

“Okay, kid, catch your breathe real quick.” You said, looking down at the girl who let out a loud sigh as she steadied her breathing.

“What is wrong?” Myre asked, putting down the food she was prepping and walking around to bend down at the knees in front of her.

“Big, giant droid.” The girl barely panted out.

“Droid?” Kya asked, her eyebrows shooting up to the top of her head.

“Yes. He left one of the rooms. So big. Very shiny...” the girl clarified and you couldn’t help the dry chuckle that left your lips.

“I know who that is.” you muttered and Myre also couldn’t help the small quirk of her lips.

“Don’t worry, young one. That is a friend of Bullet’s here.” Myre explained to the young girl who turned to look at you incredously.

“Your friends with a droid?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t say we are friends per say. But he might as well be a droid.” you muttered into your cup of caf as you took another long sip.

The girl seemed satisfied with the answer and relaxed a little bit. “Oh, okay. I probably shouldn’t have screamed at him.”

Your head whipped over to look at the girl. “You screamed at him?”

“Well, he opened the door and scared me and I screamed at him.” the girl justified, looking at you like you were the crazy one.

“What did you say?” you asked.

The girl looked around bashfully, her cheeks flushing a darker color as she avoided Myre’s stern gaze. “I probably shouldn’t say it in front of Ms. Myre.” she whispered to you, but it was still loud enough that Myre let out a big sigh.

“What did I say about your potty mouth?” Myre asked and the girl shyly shrugged.

“Sorry.” she muttered, looking down at the counter until you nudged her. She looked up at you and you held up a hand which she gladly high fived with a big grin.

“Good job, kid. Now get out of here.” you whispered and the girl let out a giggle before running out of the kitchen.

“You are a horrible influence.” Myre said, glaring at you intently.

“And that is why I don’t work here.” You said with a lazy grin which Kya chuckled at. “Although if I did, the kids would probably have a much larger vocabulary which is very-”

You cut yourself off when you heard more footsteps, this time they were heavier but slower. Not as rushed as the girl from earlier but not normal. It was like each step was taken with purpose. You didn’t even have to turn to the source of the sound to know who it was.

You looked up at Myre and Kya, who both were looking in the direction of the doorframe. Myre gave a warm smile but Kya just looked slightly stunned, looking down at you slowly as if to say ‘Are you serious?’

“You come here to scare the shit out of some more kids?” you asked, still not bothering to look over at the Mandalorian who continued to step forward a little more.

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know...” you heard his gruff voice speak through the modulator. If you were right, you swore you could detect a little bit of remorse in his tone.

“It’s fine. The kids aren’t used to visitors like-” Myre cut herself off, opting to give him an awkward smile instead of finishing her sentence.

“Mandalorians?” Mando finished, not seeming to be bothered by what she had been implying.

“No.” Myre confirmed.

“You are the Mandalorian?” Kya asked and you gave her a look.

“Oh, is the metal and helmet not obvious enough for you?” you asked and Kya glared at you.

“Shut up, Bullet.” she said and looked back up at Mando. She gave him a small smile but seemed hesitant to do so. You finally turned to look at the man, seeing him standing in the middle of the kitchen, rather awkwardly. You guessed he probably wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t seem to be good with people. At all. Not to say you were a shining example of how to socialize and interact, but he seemed totally oblivious. With Karga, he spoke short, curt words. Always straight to the purpose, no casual conversations or small talk most people had, which you actually appreciated. You’d rather die than talk about the weather or how somebody was because honestly did anyone really give a shit about that?

But then you realized it ran a little deeper than just not liking people. You were pretty sure he was uncomfortable with people. It was impossible but it seemed like he had never even interacted with a person before or had any relationships. When you had just tried to pat him down for weapons on the first night with him on the Crest, something in him seemed to snap. Not violently or aggressively. But like he was so uncomfortable with the prospect of someone touching him and the fact that you had dared to do it was enough to scare him. You had watched the way his chest was rising and falling faster than it had before, the way his helmet was aimed right at you like he was praying you wouldn’t reach out again.

And then there was how he reacted to the girls at Oppa’s, in particular with Lu. Most guys would jump at the chance with a girl like Lu, and she had practically been begging for it in her sly looks and eager comments. As soon as she had walked in you had guessed he would at least reciprocate in the most minimal way. But he seemed to freeze up, like he had no clue what to do. Like he wanted the attention to be anywhere but on him.

And he looked the same right now, maybe a little more relaxed since no one was undressing him with their eyes, but still uncomfortable. It was almost endearing in some odd way. This man was a bounty hunter. Part of his job was hunting down people and killing them. With how long he had been doing this, you were sure he had quite a bit of blood on his hands. And he was a Mandalorian. This tough, bad ass who people feared immediately, only with a small glance of the helmet. He could probably make anyone do what he wanted to if he wanted to. Yet in a room with three women he looked like he had no clue what to do.

“What is your name?” Kya asked.

You wanted to slap your hand against your forehead, feeling second hand embarrassment from her question. To be fair, you weren’t sure if Kya had ever seen a Mandalorian in person before and she certainly didn’t know a hell of a lot about them, if anything for that matter. You had learned a while ago that Mandalorians didn’t do several things, a couple of which included not giving out their names or taking off their helmets. At least that was how it worked with the few Mandalorians you had bumped into on Nevarro and Mando had proven to be the same.

“Just call him Mando.” you hadn’t even realized you said it until Kya looked over at you. A small recollection from the night before popped up, remembering how you had asked him if you could call him Mando. You shook your head and looked over at the man, giving a shrug. “Or maybe you can give him a fun nick name.”

“Mando is fine.” he said, giving Kya a small nod. You tried to discern what it meant. So far, Din did a few things a lot. He liked to sigh or grunt, he nodded a lot, and he also tilted his helmet. Sometimes you could tell what these different things meant: annoyance, anger, exhaustion, etc. They were ways he expressed himself. Sometimes the only way he could when he couldn’t respond with a facial expression like most people did. You sometimes wonder if under that helmet of his he was always making facial expressions that no one ever saw.

“You want some breakfast?” Kya asked and once again, you wanted to slap her upside the head. You looked over at her with a tired expression and she clenched up, looking confused and guilty.

“Okay, I don’t know what I said wrong that time.” she quietly muttered.

“It’s fine. I just can’t take off the helmet.” Mando said, seeming to be unbothered by the question. You were sure he was used to it by now. You didn’t know how long he had been a Mandalorian before. If it was something he signed up for or if he was born into it. But you had never heard of anyone who had seen his actual face. He had always been the Mandalorian or Mando if Karga mentioned him.

“Wait. Like ever?” Kya asked, seeming to disregard any embarrassment she felt as her eyebrows shot up. Mando opted to nod to answer her question and Kya gasped, her jaw dropping slightly.

“Anymore questions for him?” you asked Kya sarcastically. She just rolled her eyes at you and Myre let out a small snort. Once she turned away to do something, you looked over at Mando. “Thanks, by the way. For yesterday.”

“Holy shit, did Bullet just say thank you?” You heard Kya whisper to Myre and you slowly gave her a middle finger which caused her to giggle.

“It’s fine. Just don’t get drunk next time.” Mando said and you raised a single eyebrow. Was that his attempt at a joke? Or was he being literal? You couldn’t tell but you just nodded.

“How I about I just make sure that doesn’t happen again?” you said and he nodded.

“Well, Mando, you are welcome to stay as long as you like. And you can take breakfast to your room if you want.” Myre said, filling in the silence that followed you.

“I should go.” Mando answered plainly.

“Got more bounties?” you asked and he nodded. “Well, you are definitely beating me this time.”

You didn’t know if it came off as a joke, but you meant it as one. Mando only nodded again. “Thank you for the bed.” he spoke to Myre and you.

“No problem.” Myre said with a smile.

The Mandalorian began to turn out of the room, heading for the doorway when he froze. He turned just slightly, looking over at you. You froze as he stayed still, seeming to be contemplating something. He did that often. He just liked to stand there and stay still, like he was going over something in his head before he did it. You guessed that was something that probably made people uncomfortable but it didn’t bother you. You just looked back at him plainly and waited.

“Do you have more bounties?”

You quirked your head at the question. “Yeah. One more.”

“Where?”

“I am not giving you my bounty.” you said sternly.

The man sighed. “Just answer the question.”

Part of you wanted to be defiant. You didn’t like people telling you what to do. But he just seemed exasperated so you answered. “Felucia.”

Din pause, his helmet tilting in... was that confusion? “You sure?”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m pretty sure I know where my bounties are.”

“My last one is on Felucia.”

You paused. You were sure Karga hadn’t done it on purpose. But part of you remembered the grin he had on his face when he saw the two of you walk into the cantina together after your last trip. If he had given you two bounties on the same planet, it wouldn’t be surprising. Karga liked to brag about how he had the best bounty hunters on the planet and you knew he had done plenty of bragging about the large bounty you and the Mandalorian had brought in together. If he could say he personally formed a partnership between the two best bounty hunters he had, he would get a real kick out of it. Maybe even a bonus or some shit from the Guild. “Looks like Karga set us up on a play date.” you sarcastically muttered.

Mando only nodded. “I’m going there now.”

You paused. Was this an offer? You didn’t want to presume so you only shrugged. “Okay.”

“You... you can come if you want. We can grab your bounties and get the bounties on Felucia quickly. Then I can drop you off at Nevarro after.” The man offered and you tilted your head.

“How many credits do you want for that?” you asked. Nobody did kind things without a price.

“Nothing. I was just offering.”

You froze. Well, shit. Maybe some people did. You supposed it wasn’t too surprising. He had come to this planet just to help you even though he had a bounty waiting. Hadn’t even asked for anything in return. You once again found yourself intrigued by the man in front of you. Was this all genuine or just a ploy? You didn’t know but you could handle yourself. And you needed a way back and here was a free ticket.

“I’ll meet you on the Crest in a few.” you said.

Din nodded and walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps eventually fading away.

“Well, shit. Are you making friends?” Kya asked.

You turned to look back at the two of them, both with small smiles and shocked eyes. “What?”

“I think that is the most polite conversation I have ever seen you have with someone.” Myre said.

“C’mon. The kids and ladies at Oppa’s love me. And I tolerate you two.” you said, giving them an incredulous look.

“Yeah but they are all practically family. This is just some random guy.” Kya countered.

“Listen I just need to get my bounty and get back to Nevarro.” you argued.

Kya scoffed, shaking her head. “Y’know, it is okay to not hate someone.”

“She isn’t wrong.” Myre added. “He seems okay.”

You rolled your eyes. “Please, the guy has the personality of a trash compactor.”

“Oh, and I forgot about your blossoming personality.” Kya muttered, causing Myre to chuckle.

“Screw off.” You said, placing the mug down on the counter and looking at them sternly. “Till next time, ladies.”

Both of them gave you a nod and smiles. “Be safe, kid.” Myre added.

You gave them a short nod and walked out of the kitchen, heading towards the Crest.

Tag list: @eury-dice3

#din djarin #the mandalorian #din djarin x reader #din djarin imagine #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x oc #din djarin x oc!bountyhunter #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian imagine #mandalorian fanfiction #mandalorian x reader #mandalorian imagine #the mandolarian #mando x reader #mando

39 notes · View notes

fieryhonesty · 3 years

Text

The life of You

[AO3]

Words: 1895

Kaeya didn't lie when he said he lives close to the tavern. However even that short distance was enough to make both of you soaked. Letting you enter first to his humble place. It's been a while since he had anyone at home. Usually it was him sleeping over at somebody’s place but that's been a while too.

"Whoah it's so pretty and cute here!" You exclaimed, eyes drifting around. Kaeya let out an amused chuckle. His place is small but he fit here way too many things he dares to admit.

"Hope you don't mind the sofa, unless..." Trailing his sentence on purpose. Curious of what you would say.

"Unless what? I'm fine even with the floor. You know sometimes I had no option and slept on a roof, haha."

Roof? This certainly piqued his curiosity. Just what by The Seven you were doing in Liyue? So far he understands you were helping with running the business. But again, something must have happened. One doesn't leave to take care of business and comes back with a vision out of nowhere.

"Well I could caress your cheeks while sleeping or rub your back-"

"Yea, I pass on that. I'm not that scared kid anymore! You can comfortably sleep, I'll be fine I swear." You answered nonchalantly while giving him a confident smirk.

He wanted to remind you about that squeak back at the tavern but decided not to. Instead of it he offered you to take a shower. You were hesitant at first but upon his remark that you can't sleep in wet clothes and you had a long travel. You agreed, slightly blushing when Kaeya offered you some spare clothes.

As you disappeared into the bathroom Kaeya decided to at least change clothes. He hates rain, it reminds him of that day when his father left him all alone. Also the day when his foster father died. Rain never brought anything good to him.

As he was mindlessly staring out of the window, observing lightnings he didn't notice you were standing in the door frame. Unsure if you should call out for him. He seemed too fascinated and as you looked at his profile you could see the little Kaeya you remembered. He always looked out during storms.

You suddenly sneezed and got the male's attention to yourself. Giving you a smirk as he approached you.

"Be careful to not get mesmerized by my looks, Dearie~" A tint of blush appearing on your face.

"Ah, sorry... I just. I didn't want to bother, you seemed to be lost in thought!" Kaeya's smug expression deepened. Wondering how much teasing you can withstand.

"Hmm. Maybe you are lying, trying to cover the fact you were enjoying your view. I didn't know my timid childhood friend grew into a wild woman." Before you could say something to defend yourself, he gave you another head pat as he walked past you. Now it was his turn to take a shower.

As he left you just by yourself. You just stood there, thinking about his words until your brain could finally understand. You wanted to shout something but it was late night and this was not even your place. Causing Kaeya problems with neighbors was the last thing you wanted to do.

To pass the time you decided to look a bit around, ended up in the kitchen. Looking at the kettle. Where are the cups? Once you found what you needed. Turning on the stove and waiting for water to boil. You felt tired, your muscles were aching, eyelids heavy. Luckily the noise of boiling water woke you up from your half slumber.

About the same time you could hear Kaeya getting out of shower. Going to the corridor to apologize for actually having the audacity to use his kitchen. But instead of an apology for that you murmured a simple sorry and fell back to the kitchen.

Heck. You didn't think he would get out of shower with just a towel around his waist. Feeling more than embarrassed, impatiently staring out of the kitchen window. Seeing absolutely nothing except some randomly appearing lightning in distance.

"Well, well. I didn't know you were so eager to-"

"Please forget about it. I had no idea. I thought you were dressed up like a normal person." You interrupted him while your eyes were still glued to the window.

"That's why you appeared so quickly in the corridor, huh?" He said teasingly. Noticing two cups of steaming tea. "Wow, this nearly feels like we are a couple doesn't it! Seeing me half naked, wearing my clothes. You even made me tea, so sweet!"

You turned at him and rolled your eyes. "Yea, yea. I wanted to let you know I made us tea as I'm still feeling cold despite of taking a shower. But whatever, sorry for that." Crossing arms on your chest. Clearly giving him signals to stop his little play. At what he chuckled again. His expectations were, you being shy and unable to say anything at all. This was fun.

"Hey I know you are tired and would love to dive under blankets. But I'm really curious about something." Sipping from one of the cups before continuing. "What took you so long? You never sent a letter. Nobody knew your location as you never mentioned your mother's business brand." You scoffed as soon as he said the word mother.

"My mother, huh. Honestly I wanted to tell you and Diluc at the same time as I hate to repeat myself but..." Looking at Kaeya, shifting closer to take your cup. Holding it in your hands as you were leaning against the counter.

"I didn't know my mother's business. I mean I grew up in Mondstadt. I had barely any memories at that time. And when I arrived..." You let out a sigh. "It's weird. She pushed me out of her life and then... and then..." Your voice changed from strong to really weak in a matter of seconds.

Kaeya looked at you with concern. He had an idea what happened but decided to let you talk at your own speed.

"So, the letter. It was not my mother's work. Her vice assistant wrote it. At that time my moth... ugh no, she can’t be called mother. Ah... whatever. At that time she was already in a late state of cancer. Practically dying and somehow her last wish was me taking over her business."

Kaeya just stood there, listening to your explanation of what exactly happened. How suddenly you had to learn so many things about business and fabrics. Understanding prices, how to make the best deal and many other things.

"And so when finally everything was settled down, I made my assistant have the same rights as me deciding about the possible best step for business. I mean... Look, she has been there since day one. She probably knows more than anyone else. Already being that woman's assistant. I think I can trust her." Finishing your tea with a loud slurp.

Feeling a bit relieved as you could get it out of your chest finally. More than explaining, it all felt like one big rant.

"To be fair. I wouldn't care if she took over the entire business. I don't want to be a business woman anyway. Too much stress. I wonder how your dad can deal with it all. Ah, do you think he would mind if I ask him for his secrets?"

Your last sentence stung him. He wanted to tell you that master Crepus was no longer alive. That he died one day, while protecting Diluc. But also there was something much worse he wanted to say. The truth about your foster parents.

Instead of saying anything at all he pulled you into an embrace. Silently rubbing your back. As you didn't push him back he assumed it's alright. That's good. He can savor some time to think this through. He can't just tell you two horrible news after hearing your story.

The truth is, each of you lost something or somebody, and is still suffering from aftermath. Yet he feels like the biggest scum ever. Not only he lied to Diluc and master Crepus. He also lied to you and now is about to think of some lie again. Just to push the responsibility to tell you the truth on somebody else.

He is such a horrible person and he knows that. His heart is already torn between what happened in his homeland and here. He is simply not the man who has the rights to be with you. To witness your painful reaction.

"Kaeya?" He just hummed. Praying to archons you won't ask for anything related to either of these catastrophes. "I know I'm a very huggable person, but what's wrong?"

"You said you are cold, and I felt like it. I'm glad to have you back, I'm not always making physical contact like this. You better cherish this moment." Hearing your chuckle and wrapping your hands around his torso.

"Now I feel like a little kid again. You guys always stood on my side and were there for me, thanks for that. And for this."

He felt like he does not deserve this. In fact he felt really down and needed a hug. Everything was repeating in his head, chasing him. He felt sick. Dirty liar. Trying to lie to himself that it's you who needs an embrace, but in fact it's him. He just should push you away and apologize. Tell you the truth like he told to Diluc that day. Make another person to change their opinion on him. He deserves that.

You were feeling like you will fall asleep any time soon. Freeing yourself and noticing Kaeya's darkened expression. Wanted to ask if he is really alright but it suddenly disappeared.

"Guess it's time to fetch you a blanket and go sleep, hmm?" Putting your worries away and nodding at Kaeya.

As you were sitting on sofa and waiting for the blanket, your mind reminded you what's going on. Being in male's house, that male is your friend, using his shower and now wearing his clothes. Usually you would be freaking out from things like this but you just sat there, a bit blushing. Reassuring yourself this is normal between old friends.

When Kaeya appeared in the living room, he was grinning. Telling you to lay down so he can cover you like a little kid. It was funny as he really said something one would tell to a child before sleep. Before he could leave you said something that made him stop in his tracks.

"Tomorrow I want to talk to Diluc. He seemed odd. Like really cold..." He stood there, thinking if he should just hum in response or actually say something. After a few seconds he responded.

"You see, Diluc has grown up. He is no longer the cute lad which would run to you when you fell down. Asking if you are alright, gently blowing at your ouchie or giving it a light kiss to heal faster." Kaeya felt like he said more than he should, hearing you getting up.

"Honey, go back to sleep. Ask him tomorrow, good night." Retreating to his room, feeling guilty. He won't have light sleep tonight, that's for sure.

Previous ✨ Next

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin diluc #genshin kaeya #f!reader #genshin #genshin impact diluc #genshinimpact kaeya #diluc ragnvindr #kaeya alberich #fiery series #homecoming

16 notes · View notes

creative-frequency · 4 years

Text

Cal Kestis x Reader: DEAR STAR SYSTEM Ch. 05

Word count: 2331 Pairing: Cal Kestis x Female Reader Summary/Contains: Flashbacks & getting handsy after Kashyyyk. Partial canon-rewrite. Two idiots being dumb in the company of each other. Someone just kick their asses already.

Previous Chapter

My Writing Masterlist

DEAR STAR SYSTEM // 05

“What did you say we’re doing here again, Cere? On this… Bogano?”

You peer outside the Mantis’ windows at the grass and sunshine outside. The planet doesn’t seem to have much in terms of infrastructure; just a few well-established huts getting bleached in the sun. It looks like a planet with nothing in the middle of nowhere but Cere always has her reasons.

The new addition to your group and the one you have to thank for the luxuries of traveling in relative solitude turns in the pilot’s chair and flashes a cheesy grin. He is the first Latero you’ve ever met face to face and he seems okay.

“It’s best if you both sit down.” Cere motions towards the dining table and you trade equally baffled looks with Greez the pilot.

“Did something happen?” you ask carefully and pull a chair back.

“Uh. No.” Cere struggles to find the words. Her elbows lay on the table, fingertips occasionally touching, about to intertwine and then retreat. “No. Not recently, if that’s what you mean.”

She clears her throat and you and Greez strain your hearing, gently motioning her to continue.

“I have a plan.” Cere’s serious look sails from you to the new pilot. “And you probably won’t like it.”

“Oh?” you say, surprised but pleased. “What for?”

“Hang on. Is this something I really need to hear? ‘Cause I kind of thought the less I know…” Greez interrupts by waving one of his four hands.

Cere huffs. “I’ll tell you as little as you need to go with, Captain.”

“Alright. Good, good,” Greez approves and eases back into the chair.

You bite your lip, sternly watching every micro-expression going through Cere’s features. She’s not one to share anything more than you absolutely need to know. It’s frustrating, but you’ve learned to trust her. You just wish she would trust you.

Cere takes in a deep breath and says: “We are going to find a Jedi.”

You survived Kashyyyk, all according to the plan and with minimal injuries, even. The mood aboard the Mantis is relieved but also dejected since you couldn’t find the Wookiee chieftain. Cal is certain that Mari Kosan and Choyyssyk will come through and find Tarfful.

The crew agrees to have a breather before the next destination: another tomb on Zeffo. When you were returning from the refinery, Cere picked up an Imperial transmission, hinting that the bad guys are close to finding another tomb on Zeffo. While Greez isn’t happy about it, Cal stays true to his character, ever the optimist. The Imperials are offering the next step of Cordova’s path on a silver platter.

There’s also the fact that the only other clue leads to Dathomir and no one wants to go there unless it’s the only option left.

But first, you have to lick your minor wounds from Kashyyyk and relax. Cal has been resting in one of the cabins and he missed the delicious dinner Greez whipped up. Out of the goodness of your heart and concern, you decide to bring the Jedi something to eat.

Heart beating suspiciously fast, you rap your knuckles on the metal plating. “Cal? I’m coming in.”

You press the door open while balancing the tray on one hand.

Cal sits on the bed, just caught in the middle of a stretch, arms in the air and hair ruffled. He bends his neck to both sides and settles on looking at you attentively. There’s a cooler patch next to him and an opened pack of bacta gel strips.

“What’s that?” Your brows furrow and Cal turns into the paragon of innocence. BD-1 twirls approvingly at you for arriving just in time.

You place the tray on the small stand next to the bed and plant your hands on your hips. “And where are you hurt?”

“I’m not… hurt.” Cal grimaces like child caught red-handed at the cookie jar. At least he is not visibly bleeding.

“Really?” you ask slowly, eyes narrowing.

BD-1 wastes no time in jumping onto Cal and kicking his left shoulder blade. “Bop!”

“OW! Hey!” Cal chases the droid away and hunches forward, failing miserably at hiding the pain.

“Let me see,” you say in the most commanding tone you’re able to muster. BD hides behind you, chirping in agreement.

Cal hesitates. His ears feel hot. He can think of a thousand excuses but knows that he really has no choice but to obey.

“C’mon. Off with the poncho. The shirt’s gotta go too,” you add when he begrudgingly begins undressing.

The initial thought at seeing Cal’s bare, bruised chest is definitely not oh no he’s hurt. BD showers the blue scanning light on Cal’s injuries and you’re so glad you’re allowed to stare because it would be hard not to.

You’ve seen shirtless, extremely fit men before too, but this is Cal kriffing Kestis, the sweet, kind Jedi and you gave him no permission to look so… preposterously hot. Sternly reminding yourself now is not the time for wanting to lick his pecks doesn’t really help and before long you feel the heat on your cheeks mirroring his. Why did you want him to undress again?

“Your back is hurt, right? Turn around,” you hear someone say in your voice and BD twitters again in agreement. It’s easier to breathe when the risk of meeting Cal’s gaze is minimized as he faces the wall.

Considering the amount of fighting he had to do on Kashyyyk, you’re surprised that he isn’t in in worse shape. Some smaller bruises have turned towards a shade of violet, but unlike on the other side, there are no larger ones. You frown as you think someone probably kicked him in the chest.

You carefully sit down by the bedside. “Left side?” you utter as a warning that you’re about to touch him.

Cal nods but still slightly lurches forward under your fingertips. “Y-yeah, I think that happened when the Purge trooper knocked me down…”

You sigh heavily but abstain from commentary. You gently feel out the area BD kicked to check that nothing is dislocated or torn. Because Cal is turned to face the wall, you can’t see the ravaging blush that expands out to the tip of his ears. His skin feels hot and his muscles tense. The bacta gel might help with the pain but there are more traditional ways to ease his suffering too. Ways in which you pride yourself to be an expert.

“Lie down,” you urge him softly.

Cal gives you a hesitant look over his shoulder, eyes wide like a porg’s, but swallows his protests. He lies down onto his stomach and you inch closer, leaning over his back. He has trouble finding a place for his arms and head, partly wanting to look bashfully away and partly wanting to seek eye contact because the situation feels new and intimate. You have to resist the itch to tease the poor guy because settling astride on his back definitely crosses your dirty mind.

“What’re you doing?” Cal asks in a raspy tone.

Seeing his reddened cheeks is thrilling and brings out the worst, sadistic parts of you in the form of a crooked smile. He can be so innocent.

“Sorry, my hands might be a little cold…” You place both palms on Cal’s back and gently begin massaging the largest muscles. He needs a moment to adjust to even start thinking about relaxing.

“It’s okay… Do you think I need a stim?” he asks nervously. You shift closer to reach better so that your bodies are touching.

“Well, I don’t think anything’s broken but you’re stiff like a protocol droid,” you say and try to steer clear of any seduction in your tone.

You press your thumb under Cal’s left shoulder blade and feel him go rigid.

“Relax,” you murmur.

You’re a slight too gentle in the motions but deem it best for both of you to hold back. The silence starts growing heavier, especially since Cal can’t help the low grunts and huffs in sync with your hands. The sounds he makes involuntarily are making you quiver despite how much you try not to hear them. Your hands are moving on their own and you wish you would have to focus more on what you’re doing instead of what he is doing.

“What was it like on Bracca?” you ask quietly to fill the silence.

Cal hums to have more time to think. Looking back at that chapter of his life hurts but there are also good moments, happy moments. However, he isn’t ready to open those memories yet. The pain of loss and trauma weighs too heavy.

You’re about to pull the question back just when he starts talking.

“It was survival. Every day,” Cal says.

You wait for him to continue while trying to soften another knot in his back.

“I kept telling myself: Whatever you do, don’t reach within. Trust no one,” he recites like a mantra. The tone is lighthearted, conversing one, but you can feel the underlying hurt.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” you hum. BD-1 makes a sad noise.

“What about you? What did you do before this?” Cal asks and waves his wrist nonchalantly.

You pause your motions to take a deep breath. There’s no sense in trying to hide what you were since it’s only a matter of time when Cal either guesses or goes to Cere.

“This won’t improve your opinion of me,” you say quietly and continue onto massaging his shoulders.

“What do you mean?” Cal asks, confused and alarmed.

You swallow. “I was in this clan… or rather, a crime syndicate. The Kalari.”

Cal jolts.

“They took me in when I was still a child, to train me. It’s really common among the clans. The best way to mold the most loyal soldiers.” You need a moment to figure out how to form the thought. “I killed my first mark when I was sixteen.”

“First mark… So wait, you were an assassin?” Cal yelps.

So much suddenly starts making sense to him that you can practically see the gears turning in his head. You put more effort into the motions of your hands to avoid replying. Cal tries to squirm in order to turn to look at you.

“Stay still. Yes and I’m not proud of that,” you whip out the commanding tone and he settles.

“Thank you for telling me.” He sounds somber.

“Yeah, well. That’s about it on my past,” you say after a few moments of silence and stop trying to move your palms over Cal’s skin. “I… I hope you won’t think worse of me now that you know.”

“I could never think badly about you.” He doesn’t even hesitate putting the words out there and you feel ridiculously relieved.

You realize it’s the first time you’ve ever told anyone what you just told him – voluntarily and hoping it won’t affect your relationship.

Cal turns slightly around to see are you finished with the massage and when you don’t react, he sits up and pulls his legs closer to him.

“Thanks, Cal,” you say quietly and muster a smile to which he responds with his own. Your pulse has been miraculously steady so far despite the situation, but when Cal smiles so genuinely, you’re having difficulties at remembering your own name. He holds your gaze and you quickly lose the reason to be glad about your normal heart rate and non-shaking hands.

“Our pasts don’t define us. I’ve learned that… and I’m glad you’re here,” he says softly.

The smile on his lips is so calm and inviting and you just wish you could possess a fraction of that serenity and confidence. Why isn’t he affected by the tender feeling in your stomach like you are? Does nothing move this guy beyond the blush when you tease him? Is it a Jedi thing or just Cal’s character? The moment things take a turn to heartfelt and genuine, you’re thrown into the deep end of the pool only to find out someone changed the rules on how to swim. Maybe you’re overthinking whatever is going on between you.

You see how your hand rests on the covers and how Cal glances at it, starts moving and you already feel his fingers ghosting over yours. You can’t take it anymore. Snatching the hand back, you dart up as from a whiplash. Your heart is again running a mile a minute and you think you’re going to faint any moment now. This is exactly the kind of heady you can’t handle. Too sweet.

If you let the stupid, attractive Jedi take your hand one more goddamn time, you won’t be able to face the consequences.

You grab Cal’s shirt and throw it at his face. He catches it with ease but has to lean to the side to hold the line of sight to your face.

“You can dress now!” you yelp, turn on your feet and narrowly avoid tripping on a tool box on the floor.

“Huh? Where are you going?” Cal questions, dumbfound by your sudden change in demeanor.

“Bop bop?” BD chirps in tandem with his surprise.

“Uhh.” You try to think fast. “To… get you some more food.”

The door opens so slowly that you count seconds until you’re out of the cabin.

“Bo-boop.” BD-1 tilts his head after you.

“What do you mean I need it,” Cal huffs in annoyance and pulls the shirt back on.

His whole body feels hot in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar way. The soft marks your fingers left on his back are burning and the more he thinks about it, the hotter he feels. For the life of him, he can’t understand what he said or did to make you run like that but forbidden disappointment nags his insides. Getting carried away in your company is dangerously easy and Cal quietly decides he needs to do better.

Next Chapter - Coming Soon™!

Tagging: @sherniwrites @lucianhuntress @singlebecauseofthechocobros @sevansheart @owlwritesagain @stellar-trinity @bd1babey @winchestergirl907 @thuutthuutbilly @rilakkyungsoo @lizbid33 @twistnet @fangirl-inthe-us @campmccarran @grandadmiral @droidrights @maulblr @la-vide @dej-okay @annoyedguildmaster @xncasii @sparrows-books @calx-kestis @messrrs-prongs

#cal kestis #swjfo fanfiction #cal kestis x reader #jedi fallen order #swjfo #star wars #cere junda #greez dritus #bd-1 #my writings #dear star system

122 notes · View notes

ijwrff · 4 years

Text

Google x Reader-Soulmate AU

For Kat. Who has yet to come across a red string of fate au. So I decided to make one. Here you go @nerdqueenkat

In a world where everyone was born with a red string of fate connecting them to their soulmate, you seemed to be the odd one out. Apparently whoever was watching over you never got the memo, and you were left seemingly without a soulmate. Not everyone’s soulmate was also theirs, a rare occurrence, but it did happen. Some people were even born with multiple soulmates. Maybe one of them took yours.

Whatever the case, growing up pretending to be just like everyone else was hard. At first you thought it was some big joke, and you were the victim of circumstance. You and some friends had planned to have a soulmate party, where each time one of you turned 18, you spent the night walking around the town and seeing if you could find them.

It never worked, things couldn’t be rushed simply because you wanted to. But it was fun. On the bright side, when it happened you were surrounded by your closest friends. Were it not for the sympathy and astonishment on their faces, you would have thought they were all in on some elaborate ruse to get kids to believe in soulmates.

It was only when all your friends slowly started meeting their fated soulmates that you started to feel the weight. You were going to be alone forever.

Seeing someone else was a possibility, but it never seemed right. They would always find their soulmates and eventually leave you behind. You didn’t want to wait around with someone, fall in love and just have your heartbroken because of some spiritual mishap.

Years had passed, and you had grown used to the idea of not having someone there. You could always stay with friends, but there was always a small part of you that had some form of hope. There was no telling why until you woke up one day and a glimmer of red caught your eye.

It had to have been a half hour of you staring at the string tied around your finger before you noticed...it was tugging. That was only supposed to happen when they were close...right? But why now?

A flicker of fear settled in. What if it was a mistake, what if you wished for it to happen so much that you’ve tricked your own mind into simply seeing what you want to see?

You rushed out the front door, not bothering to say goodbye to your roommate and set out to search for your soulmate. If you had one.

After so long of trying to believe the opposite...the fact that you could have one out there was almost too much. There were so many emotions mixing together that you couldn’t tell one from the other.

In the end, you came to the front of an electronics store. You soulmate had to work there, or be buying one of the latest appliances. You walked in sweating, not realizing how much the run to the store took out of you, but you were too excited...or perhaps nervous to care.

Looking around, you locked eyes with a few patrons of the store, all seeing you glance between your finger and somewhere in the store and smiling in understanding. There were no rules against searching for your soulmate, but sometimes people wandered into places they shouldn’t be all in the name of finding them.

As your string started to move, shifting farther away you began to panic. They couldn't leave now! You were so close! Weren’t they looking for you too?

Rushing out of the store, you followed the string as it moved, locating the source to be in a truck that must have been parked outside of the electronics store. It was a company truck, could your soulmate be the driver?

You tried racing after it, but you immediately regretted rushing out of your apartment without considering the distance you would have to travel. It was out of your sight before you knew it, leaving you disheartened at best.

The next several weeks went on like this, your soulmate definitely had to be on one of those trucks. They moved from building to building, place to place. You determined they must work in electronics, as they only seemed to end up in places where appliances were either sold or manufactured.

Luck didn’t seem to be on your side, and every time you would arrive it seemed they were leaving or moving to another location.

It took some convincing of your concerned roommate to give it a break for now. They were worried about how much you’ve exhausted yourself over the last several weeks trying to find your soulmate. They didn’t blame you, they had already found their soulmate. They would have moved in with them already had they not decided upon moving slow in their relationship. It’s not common when you know the person you're with is to be with you forever, but it does happen occasionally.

You and your roommate had come to a compromise, they were set to be on a small break from their job in less than a week. In that time they’d spend a day or two of their break driving you around and looking for your soulmate. You hadn’t heard much from your other friends lately, all of them being busy with work and their own soulmates, but it didn’t bother you.

There was rumor around the group they were all planning some kind of surprise for you when you found your soulmate since you never properly got to have the “party” they all did for theirs. You attempted to pester a couple of them about it for details, but they never budged.

Your roommate wasn’t even on their break yet when you woke up one morning to the sound of your doorbell. Shuffling out of bed you went to get it but your roommate yelled at you to stay in your room. Was it time for your “surprise” already? You tried to listen in on whatever was happening outside your bedroom, but whoever was here was being very quiet.

The door almost hit you in the face when it swung open, showing all your friends that yelled “surprise” at the same time.

You couldn’t have looked more confused when they held out a small box. It looked to be around the size of a laptop, but you already had a working one, so this couldn’t be it.

What you did see...was somehow there was a red string coming out of it. Tied tight, going right through the box and directly to your finger.

It was official, the universe hated you. Your soulmate was a box, or at the very least something small enough to fit in one. What a life you live…

“Uh...not to be rude but what exactly is it?”

One of your friends stepped up, patting you on the shoulder as a kind gesture and explained, “well, we all pitched in and ordered this before we knew you had a soulmate! It was an early access thing, and we figured you could use a little company!” The grin on their face implied you were supposed to understand what that meant. You didn’t.

“That’s...cool? But that doesn’t tell me what it is…” There was no way it could be an animal, not a moving one anyways. It better be damn good if you went through all the trouble of trying to find it because of your stupid broken string.

Another friend grinned, clearly proud of their gift, “well! We’re glad you asked, it’s called a Google IRL, it’s like a robot that can do basic tasks and chores! Kind of like a walking Siri or Alexa!”

Your expression was more than displeased, not needing some...company created AI as a companion. Well, apparently you did. But how could something small enough to fit in that box have a soul anyways?

“Well aren’t you gonna open it?” Your roommate chimed in, clearly waiting to see if you’d change your mind. They of all people knew how lonely you could get seeing them all run around with their soulmates, and because of their pet allergy, a small, fuzzy companion just wasn’t an option.

You sighed, already accepting that your new string was a complete joke, and went to open the box. You were on the ground before you knew it. Whatever popped out of the box was clearly heavier and bigger than you initially thought if it was capable of knocking you over.

Needless to say, a full grown man was not what you expected to see when you looked to see what came out of the box. One who looked almost as startled as you did.

Sending a glare over the man’s shoulder as your friends all began to “whoop” and whistle at your current predicament, you wanted to bury yourself in blankets and never come out. Luckily, they seemed to get the memo and left you to your privacy with this...thing.

“Hello…” His voice was much deeper than you were expecting, and didn’t sound as robotic as any other digital voices you heard. It almost sounded like a real person.

“...hi...can you maybe...stand up?” Having your possible soulmate trip and fall on top of you might be an ideal scenario in some books, but not yours. Not after all you’d been through and done to convince yourself that they...he...didn’t exist.

The man blinked, almost looking confused for a brief moment before replying, “...is that an order?” There was no ulterior motives behind it, only sheer confusion. It was honestly a bit endearing, but you were far from comfortable.

How can something that weighs maybe five pounds in a box weigh so much more when he’s not in the box? And what kind of space alien tardis nonsense allowed a full grown man to fit in such a small box anyways! This whole scenario had your head spinning, and responded with the only “yes” you could muster.

As soon as you said the word, he was standing up, looking around your room as if to gather his surroundings. Standing up and brushing yourself off you looked at the man, “uh...do you have a name?”

He tilted his head, looking at you with an analytical stare, “putting to memory that questions double as orders.” That made you scoff, this was going to be a lot more work than you initially planned on. And you spend the last several weeks running around town aimlessly. “I am referred to as my serial number and or Google IRL, which would you prefer?”

Squinting, you didn’t want to know how long the serial number of some...android would end up being, so you replied with “is just Google okay?”

“Are you asking for my opinion or if the name is acceptable within my coding?”

It took a few seconds to register, and you only ended up being more confused, “both?”

“Do you always say everything as a question?”

“...no.”

The awkward silence in the air was somehow more deafening than any noise you heard before, and you were at a complete loss of what to do. Had he even noticed that his soulmate was in the room with him? Do you point it out? What is the protocol for this kind of situation?

“Permission to ask if something is bothering you?”

“...didn’t you just ask?”

“No, I asked for permission to ask.”

“...you’re my soulmate so I don’t think you should have to ask permission if you’re just going to ask something.’ That seemed natural to say...right?

Either way, Google looked a bit surprised for a moment before looking down to his hand, then following the short string to your own finger. He looked back up at you with a stare that seemed to go right through you. It was almost unnerving.

Without a word from either party, a small screen popped up in front of you, seemingly projected from Google himself.

‘Allow root access. Give Google admin privileges.’ Followed by an ‘ok’ and ‘cancel’.

While his stare was unnerving...surely he wouldn’t hurt you. Could he hurt you? You’ve seen Terminator. It was definitely possible.

But after spending most of your life believing he wasn’t even real...and considering he was apparently made in a factory you supposed he wasn’t until recently, you decided it couldn’t hurt.

Clicking the ‘ok’ button you barely had a second to register what was happening before you were pulled into...a hug? It was awkward, and definitely didn’t feel as warm as a hug you would get from a regular person...but it wasn’t bad.

“No one believed me…” the sad tone of his voice made your heart break, and you raised your arms to hug him back if only to comfort him. “None of the others had one...they said we don’t have souls. We aren’t even alive...they said it was a fault in my wiring.” You rubbed his back, feeling his grip on you tighten at the gesture.

“I went through so many tests...they convinced me you weren’t real.” If your heart was broken before, now it was completely shattered. You knew what it felt like to not believe you were worth love.

“Before...you were...made...I guess, I had no string. I was the only one without it. Everyone thought that...I just didn’t have one. That you weren’t real either.” He stilled at your words, clearly processing what you had told him.

He pulled back, and you were almost reluctant to let him. He scanned your face, more emotions on his own than you had so far seen, almost to see if you were telling the truth.

Google leaned in, wiping away tears you didn’t know were there, and held your face in his hands. For a robot...or whatever he may be, his touch was as light as a feather, a stark contrast to how tight he was holding you before.

What seemed to be an attempt at a reassuring smile graced his face, and he leaned forward to put his forehead on yours.

“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

With a smile, you said words that you never thought you would. Something that you had only uttered in your dreams. Before your string appeared, you would have never been able to say the words and mean them. Today, upon only knowing him for what seemed like minutes, you knew you would say them with certainty.

“You were worth the wait.”

@serenitydusk

@tiny-yan-anon

#google x reader #x reader #google irl #fanfiction #soulmate au #red string of fate #too many tags #kindness and tacos #markiplier egos

130 notes · View notes

redthreadoffate · 4 years

Text

come fly with me [t.h.]

relationship: companion!tom holland x companion!reader

warnings: mistakes here and there

sort of requested: @angel-cap (i asked her to request this but look how long this took me to do)

notes: this was really fun. i love thirteen and i dream to be a companion of hers, so what a joy when katherine said she wanted something like this. but omg huhu, i don’t think i did too well on this. i cry.

summary: the doctor tries to play matchmaker (ugh, bad summary)

Whenever you think about it, it was still so surreal. You were one of the Doctor's companions. You never dreamed of becoming one. Actually, you didn't even know there was such a thing until you stumbled upon her exiting the blue police call box, which you now know as the TARDIS, and running quickly towards you.

"Do you know a Mr. E. Smith?" she asked, her face so close to yours.

You gulped. "Quite a common name," you replied. "You'll have to be more specific, miss."

"Doctor," she corrected.

Truth be told, she didn't really look like one with just a glance of her clothing.

"Oh, sorry."

"Would you help me?"

Your eyes widened. "Um, what?"

"I need to look for Mr. E. Smith, he has much information on the Puff."

“Who?”

“Puff,” she repeated. “You know, the magic dragon. The nursery song, as they say.”

You stayed silent. This lady seemed a little cuckoo. Yes, you knew about the magic puff; in fact, that was your favorite nursery song. But now that it’s in your mind again, you can’t help but feel melancholic and come on, the song is quite sad.

"I know she sounds crazy," someone's chimed in. You turned to look at the young man with dark brown hair and chocolate eyes. "But she's legit. I've been with her for way too long."

The blonde lady huffed. "Please, I need to find him."

"Sure," you gave in. There's no harm in helping, … right? “Give me all the information you need, I’ll do my best.”

“Great, perfect! Thank you!” She leaned towards you. “Should we start?”

The Doctor, as she called herself, gave you a run-through of everything she could give you. You took note of everything and tried to wreck your brain for anything you could think of with regard to this person they were talking about. Luckily, she and Tom, her companion, were very detailed and he already had a bit of information that it was a little easier to figure out.

“There’s a lot Mr. E. Smith,” you murmured. “Wonder how this will turn out.”

Tom smiled at you. “Don’t worry, the Doctor always finds what she needs. Always gets the job done. We’ll be okay.” You noted that he had a British accent. “I’ve been with her for a while, never a dull moment with her.”

As you walked to your destination, you listened to his adventures. They seemed out of this world and you were a little skeptical of what he was talking about. But he seemed genuine, but you’d have to learn more about this if you were to talk to him some more.

“How long have you been with her?”

He shrugged. “Not for too long. Just a few months. But going on these adventures make you think that you’ve been with her longer than that.”

“What’s your relationship with her?”

That made him think. “You know what, I guess I’ve always just been known as the companion. She isn’t my boss or anything but we...travel together. She doesn’t treat me any less, which I’m very grateful for. Like I said, our adventures are pretty out there.”

“And your family?”

His smile faltered a little. “I’m lucky, I suppose. They weren’t on the same page with me at first but an adventure with the Doctor convinced them. I’m done with school and everything so I don’t think it’s bad. Money isn’t really a problem...that’s kind of hard to explain.”

You nodded. “I can’t say I understand.”

He chuckled.

“Enough with the chit chat,” the Doctor called. “We’re almost there!”

And that was your first adventure with them. After you had gone to talk with Mr. E. Smith, the Doctor pushed you inside the police call box and flew away. You began to argue that you hadn’t asked permission to leave but she assured you that it’d only be a few hours.

When they brought you back home, after some talk with the magic puff and some awestruck moments with the sonic screwdriver, you felt incomplete. So you made a decision. And it was probably the best you’ve ever made.

As time flew by, your relationship with the Doctor and Tom has become...familial. But you couldn't be too sure with Tom. Overtime, you've learned more about him. His history was much more stable as compared to the Doctor’s.

He admired his loving family, supportive parents and wacky brothers. And you admired him for being such an open-book, both in terms of expressing himself, and in terms of opinions. He was a good guy, and that was probably the main reason you liked him.

One time, you were watching out for any signals that TARDIS could pick up. Tom was napping on the side, tired from the day's heavy lifting. Then the Doctor appeared beside you, bringing her face so close to yours.

"When will you tell him?" she asked you.

"Tell who what?" Although you were very sure of who and what she was talking about, you still feigned confusion. "I don't follow."

"Oh, crickets." She shook her head with much force, a look of irritation on her face. "You know he's too shy to tell you, what if you tell him first?"

I sighed. "It just doesn't work that way. Not all the time. We aren't even sure if he does like me back."

"I do." She snapped her head back. "I have a knack for these things."

You giggled. "You kinda have a knack for many things."

She smiled. "So, will you tell him?"

Humming, you pretended to think for a while. "No."

She groaned and left.

Little did you know, that wasn't going to be the end of her matchmaking.

In every opportunity she could find, she made sure you and Tom would have something to do together, usually alone. Once, she even left the TARDIS, leaving you two inside. Of course, you had the option to get out and follow her, wherever she was going, but you two stayed. It was a little awkward that time, despite being able to talk to one another with ease.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Doctor finally returned, with an expectant look on her face. "Well?"

You two simply glared at her.

But the day finally came. And like many love stories, something dangerous had to happen. It was cliché but you weren't complaining

A few spaceships were shooting at the TARDIS. As the police box rocked back and forth, the three of you did your best to hang on and evade the threat. Even though the TARDIS has the tools, it was hard to use them when the opponents were just brainwashed.

You were the closest to the door and at some point, you ended up pressing random buttons, hoping that they would work. There was a blast from behind you and you quickly turned to find the exit wide open, the door itself was flailing as the TARDIS sped off. Distracted, you hadn't realized your trip had loosened and in a matter of a few seconds, you had gone from being safe inside the TARDIS to falling down, out if the exit, and into space.

"Y/n!" you heard Tom and the Doctor scream.

You were falling and falling, unsure of when you'll hit the ground. You didn't want to look down though. But, you paused. Didn't you just pass by the TARDIS? And another. And another. A few more times. It was still wide open and if you could just reach the flailing door….

After a few tries, who knows how many times, you finally were able to get a grip on the door and call for help.

Both Tom and the Doctor heard you. Tom immediately ran to where you were, but making sure to have a tight grip on whatever he could hold.

"Grab my hand!" He extended an arm as he held tightly onto what he could.

You extended your arm, frightened of whether you would fall again, but as luck may have it, you were able to reach for his and he pulled you in as much as he could.

Your other hand let go of the door and quickly grabbed his hand. It was a little harder for him now but he pulled you close enough for you to grab something to hold onto.

As you dragged yourself, once your body was all inside, Tom slammed his hand on a button and the door closed. You both panted, trying to catch your breaths.

"Hold on!" the doctor shouted.

And in a flash, everything was silent.

"Are you both okay?" she asked.

"Good, good," you assured. "Tom?"

"Thank God you're okay," he said.

"I should leave you two," the Doctor said. But instead of really leaving, she just turned around, her back facing us.

"I'm okay," you told him.

He crawled over to you and gave you a tight hug. "You're okay. You're okay."

"I am."

He pulled away from you and cupped your cheek with one hand. "I'm glad."

Without any thought, you leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "I'm okay," you murmured.

"Next to you go flying around," he said, a soft chuckle erupting from his throat. "You better bring me. I've always wanted to be an astronaut."

You giggled. "Next time, I promise."

He smiled and kissed you.

"Are you guys together now?"

#tom holland x you #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagines #tom holland imagine #peter parker x you #peter parker x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker imagine #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker imagines #misc: cherish writes

41 notes · View notes

commanderbensolo · 4 years

Note

Can I please request 15, fluff with Adam Sackler? Thanks!

Hiya anon, thank you for requesting this. I hope I did it justice.

“Sackler, I need your opinion on how I look!” You yell to him as you finish curling your hair, allowing it to drape over your shoulder in what you hoped was an alluring way. You had a date tonight with a guy you had met from your grad program, and although he wasn’t you tall and handsome roommate (whom you had a very large crush on), you had thought it would be nice to go on a date with him. Though it made you sad that it wasn’t Adam that was going to be waiting for you.

“Why the fuck do you need me? Just call one of the girls?” He said as he knocked on your door and coming in after a few seconds, pausing when he saw what you looked like. You turned to him as you heard him become silent.

“What’s wrong? Do I look bad?” You asked, nervously playing with one of the curls and pulling down the hem of your black dress, averting your eyes from Adam’s face and looking intently at the floor as he continued to stare at you.

“Y/N… oh my fucking god, you look like a fucking knockout!” He blurted out suddenly, causing you to blush heavily as you slowly brought your eyes up to meet his, where he was still looking at you, jaw nearly on the floor.

“Erm… thanks, Adam. That’s really nice of you,” you say, hints of anxiety lacing your voice in an undertone that you hoped didn’t give away how nervous you were for this date, and it wasn’t because it was a date.

“This guy’s pretty damn lucky, what’s his name again? Brad, Ben-“

“Brian,” you supplied with a small smile, thinking of the blonde-haired, almost-always smiley guy who had asked you out one day after class. You had said yes, thinking it would be fun and a good way to get your mind off Adam since there was no way in hell he would feel the same way as you.

“What’s wrong?” Adam said, finally pushing himself away from your doorframe and coming over to stand in front of you, placing his large hands on both of your shoulders. You avert your gaze again, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

“Nothing, anyway I need to go he’s gonna be here an-“

“Y/N, you’re my roommate and I’ve known you for years, I know when’s somethings up, what’s fucking bothering you?” He said, looking intensely down at you. You lifted your eyes slowly to look at his brown ones, feeling your cheeks heat up even more under his intense gaze.

“I just- I’m not really sure about this date, I mean what if he turns out to be a fucking serial killer or some shit?” You say, worry beginning to build in your chest as you reached the end of your sentence. You hadn’t thought this through at all. He could end up being a murderer, or he could kidnap you and hold your for ransom, or-

“Where’s your phone?” Adam said, bringing you out of your escalating thoughts abruptly as you fixed him with a confused expression.

“My phone? Why?”

“Just where is it?”

“On my dresser, there.” You say, pointing at it as he took it off the dressing table and typed in your passcode, pressing on the messaging app and onto Brian’s contact.

“Adam, what are you doing?” You say cautiously, going to grab your phone out of his hand just as he moves it out of your reach, making you utter a noise of frustration and stretch upwards. Thank God you were wearing heels.

“Cancelling your date,” he said nonchalantly, causing you to let out a noise of surprise as you once again make a grab for your phone, falling into his chest and causing him to momentarily stop typing as one hand immediately grabs you by the waist.

“Sorry, sorry,” you whisper into his chest and he just looks at you with a toothy smile, steadying you and bringing your phone back down to your height.

“Listen, from the looks of things you don’t want to go out with this guy, so let’s just stay in and watch TV and order takeout, yeah?” He said, looking at your earnestly, his composed message still not sent.

You think about your options here. On the one hand, you could go on a date, have a 50/50 chance of getting free food and drinks and coming home stressed out and sad because it wasn’t your roommate, or stay in with said roommate and watch TV and order takeout like you did nearly all the time.

Was it hard to tell that you were leaning towards the latter option?

“Can I see what you’ve put first before I decide?” You ask him, reaching your hand out for your phone and having electric shivers rush up your spine as your fingers brushed when he placed it gently in your hands.

You read over the message he had sent quickly, reaching the end and deeming it suitable before quickly pressing send, feeling like a weight had been lifted.

“I’m thinking pizza?” Adam said out loud as you looked up at him again only to find him smiling like the cat had got the cream.

“What are you smiling about?” You say, unable to stop your own smile from reaching your lips.

“Just glad you’re not going on a date with that douche, that’s all. You deserve so much better.”

“Hey, Brian was not a douche-“you argued before Adam cut you off.

“You initiated nearly of the conversations between the two of you which means either he wasn’t interested or he just wasn’t on his phone much, either of which is a deal breaker, and he usually replied with ‘sup’, who fucking replies with ‘sup’ to someone their interested in?”

You cocked your head, thinking about what he said before eventually sighing defeat and nodding. It was true, even though Brian had shown interest in class, it had seemed more like a possession thing, like he had to show off to his friends, and he had never shown that interest in private conversations either.

“So, anyway, pizza or Thai?” He asks, walking out into the kitchen to grab menus for both before you pull him back by his t-shirt and into a quick kiss on impulse, not even thinking about what you were doing.

You pulled away just as quickly with panting breaths, muttering ‘sorry’ and ‘I didn’t mean to’ whilst you just looked at the floor intently, willing for it to swallow you up until your felt warm hands caress the back of your neck and pull you against a soft pair of lips for a rough kiss, teeth and tongues clashing together.

Adam was fucking kissing you and he wasn’t stopping.

You both pulled away after a couple of minutes, panting heavily from what had just occurred and Adam pushing a lock of his dark hair behind his ear bashfully, averting his eyes to look at your carpeted floor.

“Why did you kiss me?” You said quietly, unsure of what else to say in this situation.

“Why did you kiss me first?”

You blushed a deep red (you were sure you looked like a tomato by now) and looked at the floor as well, trying to formulate an answer.

Why had you kissed him?

“I erm, I don’t know, I guess I just really like you and it felt right to me for some reason and-“

“Hold the fuck up, you like me? Me?”

You nod shyly and meet his eyes, which have brightened considerably at your confession.

“Well I happen to like you a whole fucking lot too Y/N.” He said whilst chuckling deeply, a sound that made warmth travel through your body.

“Now that that’s settled, get changed so we can be couch potatoes for the rest of the night and eat our weight in pizza, fries, garlic bread and soda, okay?” Adam says before pulling you back in for another kiss, albeit softer this time, and releases you with a large smile on your face, which you mimic almost instantly as you nod your head quickly, rushing to get changed as he went to go and phone the pizza place.

As you went to go and sit on the couch next to him, you snuggled into his side as he threw an arm around you, kissing the top of your forehead with a smile and resting his head on yours.

You were so glad you had asked for his opinion.

I hope you liked it anon!

#adam sackler x reader #adam sackler #fluff

67 notes · View notes

darkestwolfx · 4 years

Text

Impact - Re-Review #35

“This is going to be a close one.”

“Isn’t it always?”

Hello everyone! So I’d just like to say a massive massive thank you for all the recent comments and reblogs on the Re-Review Series. Being busy with work this week I haven’t had the time I like to reply to everyone, but be aware that I have read every single response and if I haven’t replied to you, it’s not meant unkindly! I’m incredibly grateful for all your support with these, and glad to know you’re enjoying them - it motivates me to continue writing them.

Now, before we dive in with today’s installment - I can’t believe we’re on number 35 already! - I’d like to give a little note on Fanfiction works (which I know have been lacking from me lately!).

So tomorrow there will definitely be one piece to upload, I’m hoping it could extend to three, maybe four, but I’m working on the numbers I can guarantee I can deliver - which is an irrelief2020 prompt that I have loved from the moment I saw it and been desperate to write - so I’m hoping it will be well received! Hopefully I can bring you more works too, but if not, bear with me (like you all are, and I massively appreciate it)! If I can take any good screenshots from my chat with Australia (and the Red Pandas) [which by the time this goes up will only be hours away and I will have been awake from about 3AM UK time) I will throw them up for you all to see as a reward.

Anyhow, back to the Re-Review Series;

It’s EOS! It’s actually EOS, and she’s in the opening shot and we get to see her travelling around Thunderbird Five! I love it so so much. Look at those little red dots of... is that jealousy there, EOS?

“Lucky shot!”

“That wasn’t luck; that was skill.”

“Yes, I’ve studied it in college. It’s supposed to miss Earth by millions of miles.”

“However, it has apparently changed trajectory. And the probably of a collision with Earth is now one hundred percent.”

“What could possibly knock a comment that far off course?”

You’re about to be very sorry that you asked that, I’m afraid, John.

“We have a situation.”

“Uh... you always say that.”

Scott swiping Alan’s feet out of the way is absolutely perfect brotherly interaction once again.

“Something The Mechanic could have done?”

“Good guess, but no.”

“Langstrum FIschler.”

Uh oh... Scott is mad. Scott is very mad. The face said it all.

“Nobody said gear up’s were fair, Virgil.”

So, Alan is on form (as usual) in this episode, and we get to see Virgil’s first trip in Thunderbird Three! This makes sense as we were shown Virgil piloting Three up to Five in TOS ‘Ricochet’.

“Any luck tracking down Fischler?”

“Not yet. That guy changes addresses more than I change socks.”

Um... I don’t know which part of that sentence to be more worried about...

“Hello, this is Langstrum Fischler, inventor and visionary!”

“And this is International Rescue.”

“Ah... Yes... so it is.”

You know what, I’ve been awake for too long now and am a little too tired to sit here and write the essay I would love to write on Fischler and his idiocy and made up names and processes. But I will have to write that another time when I am more able to write something which isn’t a load of prattle. So for now, let me just express my heartfelt feelings that said man is a liability. The epitome of liability even.

“John’s right. We do have a situation.”

As I have said before Alan; we wouldn’t have a show if you didn’t.

“What are our options?”

“We could try to steer the comet away from Earth.”

“Because we’ve seen how well that’s worked for Fischler.”

“Ah, yes, point taken.”

New catch phrase, maybe? FAB and RAD are totally outdated.

“I say we blast it to bits!”

Of course you do, Virgil, seems to be an area of expertise of yours, after all: demolition.

“I’ve loaded up enough demolition charges to do the job.”

“Wait, you put explosives on my ship?”

This is another of those traditional Alan lines that only Alan can ever really get away with saying.

“Alan, you fly a rocket. It’s already an explosive.”

“Point taken.”

I still adore this scene.

“This is Thunderbird Three. That was a rough ride.”

“But thanks to Alan, we’re ok.”

“Which is more than Fischler’s gonna’ be when I’m done with him.”

Yeah... it’s probably a good thing that Scott can only reach Fischler by holographics... the man would have a broken nose else.

“Better you two stay on task and blow up the comet.”

Not everyday we hear that from International Rescue!

“And Fischler’s rocket.”

“Especially Fischler’s rocket!”

Yes, we get it Scott. We get it.

“Meanwhile, I’ll break the news to Global One.”

Which of course happens to be where Ridley is based.

“Ridley, you may want to sit down.”

“Not so easy in zero gravity.”

Does she not know by now that John really struggles with humour and works in a high pressure environment where if he’s calling you, it’s probably because you’re in life-threatening danger.

“Ok, you have my attention.”

“Good, because all of you on Global One are in serious danger.”

“Only the last shuttle was short one seat.”

So, I highly doubt any space based organisation would miss-run a potentially life threatening calculation like that for one.

“Besides I thought you could use a hand with the towing operation.”

“What towing operation?”

“John, I’ve did the calculations. My maneuvering jets aren’t powerful enough to push Global One out of the way in time. So I’m counting on you to save the space station.”

Secondly, that was the whole point of why John told you to leave Global One - there was no plan to rescue something which could be rebuilt. (Yes, I am aware here that the boys often try to rescue their own ships, but emotional attachment is the reason for those calls - I’m well aware Ridley’s call could be put down to the same reasons, but it’s a call that annoys me. One I don’t think a Captain should have made).

“Ridley, I’m not a tow boat Captain. I rescue people.”

“Ok, I’m people. Rescue me.”

So, thirdly, (and I’m aware I’m about to say some things that might not be well received, but), who does she think she is? I thought the character of Ridley was going to be a good addition to the show, but in this episode, I kinda changed my mind on that a bit. John is the sort of person who - whilst capable of remaining incredibly calm under pressure - does have a massive heart. I mean, look how he took in EOS after she nearly killed him (and potentially Scott, Brains and Alan) and gave her a second chance. Ridley knows he would rescue anyone because that is his job. Emotional blackmail doesn’t sit well with me - and whilst many might not see her actions in that way - that’s how they always come across to me. This entire conversation makes out very clearly that she stayed because she wanted IR to save Global One, but knew there was no chance of that occurring if it was just the ship in the comet’s way. So she stays, and then trips every switch that John has - because he (like most of the Tracy family in the odd world of 2060) has a conscience - and makes herself need rescuing when it could have been avoided. Maybe I see it more this way because I’ve always had a soft spot for John - up in space, all on his own - but even if this isn’t blackmail, it’s manipulative. And even if it wasn’t intended that way, it definitely works that way. With Alan and Virgil on the comet, the only other option is for John to act and - like Scott says - put himself in danger, all for one person who didn’t listen to him in the first place, someone who you would have expected should have enough knowledge (and apparent care) to listen to him. It just annoys me that she acted that way.

Right, potential discussion-opening opinion out there, but I felt it needed saying (although hopefully I’ve written that argument well and not done any tired prattle). Now to move on.

“John, what are you doing?”

“Trying to save Captain O’Bannon’s life.”

“Oh. Well then, carry on, Using Thunderbird Five?

“That’s the general idea.”

“John, come on! If things don’t go your way, we could lose Global One, Thunderbird Five and you!”

“Love to hear about a better plan.”

Unfortunately I have to now return to my above essay. You see my point?

“There may not be time to pull Global One clear of the comet. I’ll rescue you first, then we can try.”

“No! It’s like we discussed. Save me, save my station. Package deal.”

“Ridley, be reasonable.”

Yes, be reasonable, and don’t put people (i.e. John) needlessly in danger.

“John, this is my command and I am not about to abandon it. Would you give up Thunderbird Five if the boot was on the other foot?”

Already discussed this as well, so won’t repeat myself too much, but really, manipulative is the only word which struck me for all of this. There was (other than for the sake of expanding the episode) no reason for Ridley to put John in this position.

“Score one to you, Captain.”

See? Forgiving John (or maybe blind John) all over again. And wait for it;

“Just like climbing set of monkey bars.”

“If the monkey bars are twenty-two thousand miles high.”

“John.. don’t help.”

Okay, really now, make your mind up because you cannot have everything, and I definitely believe that you cannot treat someone who is risking their life for you (job or not) - and who you might have considered a friend - like that. Seriously, she irks me in this episode, a lot (if you hadn’t already guessed). But yeah, I’ve seen the real life effects of emotional manipulation like that, and I personally believe Ridley was really out of order, and even after she became trapped, and John risked coming out to rescue her there still wasn’t any apology.

I’m with EOS on this one, not jealous maybe, but angry. She stands to lose a lot as well if she loses John and/or Thunderbird Five, remember.

“Did I see Thunderbird Three sticking out of that comet?”

Yes, yes you did.

“This is us leaving... Except the grappling arms won’t retract!”

“What?”

“I’m not thrilled about it myself!”

I told you Alan was on form, did I not? He did really well to get them out of that situation then. He really is a skilled pilot.

“They did it!”

“I never doubted them for a moment.”

Of course not, Brains. We’ll just never speak of it, shall we?

So, apart from the fact this episode was in space (key point that one) and was called ‘Impact’, it still shared many similar elements with the earth-based TOS episode ‘Edge of Impact’, alongside the soon to come ‘Weather or Not’ TAG episode. Combined, ‘Impact’ and ‘Weather or Not’ sum up many elements featured in ‘Edge of Impact’ quite well - the high tower, the endangered lives, the near-misses, the potential loss of life, entrapment, the technological failure... anything I’ve missed?

Oh, and I really love the above poster.

34 notes · View notes

love-kazin · 4 years

Text

History Walls

Genre: just a friendly scenario with a very slightly friends-to-lovers.

Pairing: Kim Wonsik/Ravi x Reader (female).

Warnings: none.

Word count: 1.371.

REQUESTED.

There’s this literature project counting as the major grade and your friends couldn’t think about any person that wasn’t you to work with.

-x-

"What I'm saying is that doesn't matter what you're reading, because any kind of literature is a literature! Anything that makes you read is interesting because it can develop your creativity and vocabulary." Hanging out in a bookstore wasn't how you planned to spend your saturday. Not with the guys, actually, because you love a good bookstore, but being the one who got invited was a little different. Since you were a good student, with the higher grades in class and the most well developed assignments, you were the first thought of the guys. Not that they only wanted to work with you because of that. It's just easier to work with friends, and if they're smart, it's a plus. "Do you really think that?" Taekwoon was looking at you but his face was hard to describe. He could be genuinely curious about your opinion or preparing himself to end all your arguments. "Yes, I do. What do you think?" "I think a good literature is the better option to extend your intelectual atributes." "But what's a good literature?" "Oh, here we go again..." You could only chuckle at Hongbin's statement. Any topic could get kinda phylosifical in seconds when you were talking, which was a little boring but an amusement to them at the same time. Hearing you talk all your points of view was nice, not only because you helped them to get another vision about certain topics, but also because your excitement was interesting to watch. "A good literature is that one that makes me travel around the theme, like I'm floating in the author's ideas." "That's a good point, really. I think it's important to feel conected with the material you're reading, to take that to yourself. But as you said, a good literature is the one that makes you feel it. And this can be anything. It can be a thick book about a country's history, a cute and tragic romance, a fashion magazine or even the shampoo bottle. It can work differently for every person." "Even a shampoo bottle? How's that could work?" "Imagine that you're a chemical student, learning how to compose something. Don't you think the specified rotule would make you wonder how to work with that? Which combination is the better one? To whom that product can work well?" "Oh, that makes a lot of sense. So, that's how bedtime stories works for kids at night? I mean, it can stimulate their thoughts and affect their dreams?" You nodded. It was good they were catching your point. Hakyeon started to look at you proudly, his words dancing at his expression. He didn't needed to talk it out loud, but you knew that he was thinking you would be amazing as a teacher - which was the main point of your academical career. "Do you think it's problematic for an adult to like stories made for kids?" Jaehwan looked really curious, subtly. Which was kinda normal. You were used to his comportment that can change in seconds from playful to serious. "Of course not! I understand that some people may joke around and tell to this person to grow up, but they're doing it! Just like everybody. It's something to read, and as long as the person enjoy the topic, it's valid. Nobody should say otherwise." Humming in agreement, they started to work on the summary of the literature assignment. Actually, it was something to present, with slides, point of views and lots of topics related to the main point. That's the reason requiring a whole 7 members group. The teacher has given almost two months to prepare it, since it was a final project for the semester, so there was a lot of time to do it, and it wasn't that hard. But being an applied student, you always liked to do your assignments as soon as possible, and your friends knew it, even not being the same way. It would be kinda hard to everyone thinks exactly the same way, and that's why some discussions happened along the day. "I don't think it's healthy for a kid, for example, to read adult things." "That's why there's age recommendation, Taek." "But there are things that doesn't have it. Like those shampoo bottles you said earlier." "I don't think a kid would read that these days, but it's not forbidden. Maybe they can be a chemical engineer in the future, right? Is that bad?" Taekwoon just looked at you and returned to the book while thinking about it. Wonsik was the one who was strangely quiet that day. No one seemed to notice when he left the table to disappear between those big book walls. But that did bother you. If he wasn't feeling ok, you'd like to help. His face looked puzzled, almost lost in thoughts, and the way his eyebrows furrowed a little trying to read the book title on his hand was very cute. "Do you need some help, Wonsik?" He then looked at you, nodding. "I'm starting to think that this book isn't even in english." The thick and brown cover, with golden letters, and a thin dust layer, was actually in german. "It's not. But I can find a english version of it, if you want it. Or a korean." Wonsik smiled at you, showing off his perfect teeth, resembling a little like a cute bunny, but also big. While you showed him the way to the library part where would had be the book in his elected language, you grow up some curiosity. "May I ask you why do you wanna read this book? It's quite sad. Are you alright?" "I'm okay, yeah. I'm just curious, and trying to expand my known list of books. I wanna be smart." "You already are. But it's great to know more, also because you're getting to know another type of writing. If you feel too sad to finish, you can just call me and I'll resume to you." "Did you read it?" Nodding, you grabbed the book and gave it to Wonsik. "Can I call you if I have some doubt?" "Sure. I'll be glad to help." Then, the silence came. Being around Wonsik was nice, but along with the others. Alone, it was weird because he seemed uncomfortable in your presence. You didn't knew why; there wasn't any memorable thing that happened that may have hurted him or anything. So it was just weird. And turned your cheekies into a red color because of your shyness. But also his, which you didn't knew the reason. "Maybe... Can I just call you...?" "What do you mean? We're friends, right? You can call me." That was unexpected. But you weren't denying an approximation. Maybe things could get better. "No, I mean, like, not a friendly relationship." "Oh, so like... strangers?" "What? No, not like that too." You weren't following his idea. The question mark was almost tattooed in your forehead. "In a getting-to-know kind of relationship." He seemed nervous about the topic. "I thought we were already doing... Oh." Then something clicked in your head. And your cheekies burned even more. Specially because Sanghyuk appeared in the hallway looking for both of you. "Are you done with this weird dating thing? We're needing some help." Before you could explain the situation, he disappeared. Wonsik nodded and smiled weirdly at you and returned to the table. Was he developing some kind of crush on you? He was like the main crush of the entire class. It wouldn't be bad, but it didn't make sense at all, specially because he had never said anything. Maybe you'd have to figure it out. Returning to the table, you saw a thoughtful Wonsik and other five hardworking men. Sitting on your spot, you quickly wrote a simple "yes :)" on a post-it and passed to the man on your side, almost like a secret mission. You could sense him trying not to break into a wide grin, and you felt related. It's a little weird how things work, but it can be good. Turning your attention to the paperwork, the boys seemed a little lost, just how Sanghyuk has said. "What do you need me for?"

#kpop #kpop scenarios #kpop fanfics #vixx #vixx scenarios #vixx fanfics #cha hakyeon #n #jung taekwoon #leo #lee jaehwan #ken #kim wonsik #ravi #lee hongbin #hongbin #han sanghyuk #hyuk

14 notes · View notes

cutesuki--bakugou · 4 years

Text

Ancient Soul

Time Travel, Quirkless, Feudal Japan AU

“Your soul does not belong here.” Those were words you never thought that you would hear. Now, thrown into the past in feudal Japan, you must find a way to survive, all while struggling to avoid the growing feelings for one hot-headed war general. War, romance, death and love drive you forward, to find the place where your soul truly belongs.

Bakugou Katsuki x Fem!Reader

Want to start from be beginning? Check the Ancient Soul tag. New chapters released every Wednesday as long as schedule permits.

Genre: Romance / Angst Story Rating: Explicit | Adult Themes, Sex, Death, Depictions of Violence, Alcohol

Chapter 10: Soft on You

Chapter Rating: Teen | Cursing Words: 2756

The feeling of Bakugou’s eyes on you was something that you had difficulty ignoring. You knew that he was watching you closely for any signs that you were about to totally bullshit your way through your next prediction, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, you had no idea what happened at this particular skirmish, yet you were having difficulty admitting such a thing to him. The past couple of months that you had been his “strategy assistant”, or whatever you were called, had gone by swimmingly. Nothing you said had been wrong and everything had gone just as you predicted, so the fact that you were drawing a blank on this one battle was eating at you viciously. More than worrying that he may no longer believe you, you didn’t want to disappoint him.

You had grown to love the feeling of being praised by him and by anyone else who found your predictions to be helpful. Seeing Bakugou or whoever was sent out to battle return victorious filled your heart with joy, and you dreaded how he may react if you had no suggestions or information for him. What if that was a battle they ended up losing? Surely it would look bad on you, as if you were trying to sabotage them or something similar. What you could do was alluding you completely, and you were feeling very much helpless at this point. Making something up was out of the question, as your conscience couldn’t handle such a thing. So, the truth was the only option. Or, as close to the truth as you could get in your current predicament.

“I’m sorry, but I’m just not seeing anything for this…” Shaking your head, you sat up from leaning over a map, having difficulty looking at the ever-vigilant man beside you. “It’s… Blurry.”

“Blurry. Hm.” Bakugou tapped his finger on the map his other hand on his chin as he thought. “Must not be very impactful, then. Isn’t that what you said?”

Nodding, you glanced up at him, though your felt a heat rise in your cheeks as you caught his gaze. “Yes, though I can’t say for sure. I know I’ve done really well up until now, I’m sorry--”

“Don’t apologize.” Bakugou began to fold up the map, seemingly not upset at all with your inability to assist him this time around. “As you know, we take your suggestions seriously, but we don’t base our entire strategy around them. That would be foolish.”

At this point, you learned not to take things that he said to heart. He was a rough man, with very little sense of sympathy or gentleness. You didn’t mind that. In fact, you quite liked it, as it made the moments when he was kind to you all the more special. You liked that he was brutally honest, that he shared the majority of his thoughts and opinions with you without restraint. There were hints of his more tender side shown to you every so often, with a hand to assist you up off the floor or even bringing you a lunch that he prepared himself. Often, you could have sworn that he was even flirting with you, but due to your nature, you had built up this wall around yourself that prevented anyone from coming inside. That included Bakugou, though he had similar defenses built around his own mind.

You thought that, perhaps, it was just like yours. Getting close to people wasn’t easy for you, as you had a deep fear of rejection and abandonment. It wasn’t something you could really describe with words, but the thought of letting someone in only to have them hurt you deeply was a horrifying thought. Not just a thought, but an experience that you never wanted to relive. Still, this man had an… energy to him. Just being beside him made you feel comfortable, safe and content in this world that you hardly knew. Over the half a year that you had been here, he had taught you so much, even if he called you stupid every time you did something wrong. You were a quick learner, however, and impressed him more than you annoyed him, which was a plus in your mind.

It would be easier, you thought, for him to accept your mistakes if you could just… tell him the full truth. If you could just tell him that you were from the future, where people drove cars and talked to each other from all the way across the world. He would surely think you’re crazy if you even attempted it, though he seemed to find your oddities more interesting and amusing rather than scary in some way. He enjoyed your phrases and words that were commonplace in your time, but had yet to be created in this era. In particular, he loved the word ‘fuck’ and all its variations, though you had yet to really teach him what it meant. The thought embarrassed you greatly, so instead of the definition, you just told him how to use it properly and… sparingly. He didn’t really listen to you on the sparingly part, since no one else really knew what it meant, he used it as he pleased.

Besides the fact that it was hilarious, it was also cute, to see his smug grin any time he told Kaminari to ‘fuck off’. His yellow haired subordinate begged both you and Bakugou to know what the word meant, but it seemed that you shared a very similar sense of humor with Bakugou. The confusion was funny to you, and though you felt bad at first, there wasn’t any harm in it that you could recognize. If Bakugou didn’t know those words, he would just tell Kaminari in his own just as crude way. That, and you didn’t really want to change the course of time and linguistics all that much by spreading your phrases across the country. One man was enough, and since it was your favorite man of this time period, you didn’t mind it all that much.

“I’m kind of glad you don’t take what I say all that seriously… I mean, I’m happy you listen to me, but it makes me feel better that you’re not completely counting on me. That could end up a disaster.” You gave him a smile, moving some of your hair back behind your ear. “I think that your tactics for this particular situation are perfect, though. I’m learning a lot about these things from you.”

Bakugou nodded, taking a moment to stand and walk the map to its regular resting place, inside of a small cabinet along with other documents. “You’re learning very quickly. At least, you retain information well. That’s a good quality to have. It could help you survive out here for sure.”

With a small sigh, you gave a shrug, eyes on his bare feet as he came back towards the low table you were still sitting at. “I guess so. Though, I don’t have to learn much being cooped up in this palace all the time.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Coming to stand beside you, Bakugou held out a hand, which you took to use his assistance up off the floor. “In this palace is the safest place you could be. Out there is nothing but death.”

After standing, you fixed your clothing back into place a bit, smoothing out the fabric around your hips. “I mean, that is true. But it would be nice to at least get to go out to town occasionally. I haven’t stepped foot outside of the palace since I got here.”

“Again, why would you want to leave? You have your pond with Sushi, your books, your paper and ink to keep you occupied. By now you’ve made friends to visit when you’re able.”

“I know, and I really am grateful for all these things, but…” Feeling your chest grow tight in nervousness of admitting the truth to him, you fiddled with the hem of your sleeve, not wanting to offend him or belittle his generosity in any way. “I still feel like… I’m nothing but a prisoner. I’ve been here almost seven months, and I’ve done nothing but show my support and loyalty. I had just hoped that… that perhaps by now, I’d be more accepted into the clan.”

Bakugou stood in front of you for a moment, his presence silent and tense. You could tell just by the way he didn’t move or say a word that your confession had upset him, but in what way? When he was angry, he lashed out with words and angry body language, so it wasn’t that. This seemed more like… he was contemplating his own choices on how you had been treated thus far.

“You have done well. But there is still something about you that my Lord is having difficulty trusting, so he cannot accept you, no matter how… others may feel. I cannot allow you full freedom without his consent.”

Your stomach bubbling with that dreadful feeling of rejection, all you could do was give a small nod, knowing that anything else you had to say wouldn’t change your situation.

“But…”

Confused, your gaze was pulled off the floor to look up at Bakugou’s face, instantly feeling your cheeks flush with heat at the calm expression on his face. Sly smirk crossing his lips, you immediately knew that he had noticed your blush, though you didn’t have a chance to hide it before he spoke again.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t go into town with a chaperone.” With a gesture to the door, arm outstretched, Bakugou took a step back to allow you room. “Let’s go.”

“‘L-let’s’?” You made your way towards the exit, even though your legs felt like jelly. “You’re taking me into town? Right now?” This was beyond anything that you had expected from Bakugou of all people. He wasn’t one to enjoy going out into public to begin with, so for him to willingly take you into town himself was intensely shocking. Had something you said struck a guilty chord? Was he doing this because he pitied you or because he wanted to cheer you up? Was this like… a date?

No, no! Don’t think things like that! This isn’t a date! It’s not!

“You’re the one complaining that you don’t get to go out. If you don’t want to--”

“N-no, I want to!” You stopped for a moment, turning to look up at him in worry. You didn’t want him to change his mind. This opportunity was something that you couldn’t let slip through your fingers, no matter how embarrassing or frustrating it may be. Bakugou, this brute of a man, was stopping any plans he had for the day just to take you into town. It made you excited, nervous and… happy.

In truth, although your attitude was pleasant and as content as possible, it had been a very long time since you could consider yourself truly happy. Even before you were sent to this world, your life was void of that lightness in your chest, that fluttering in your stomach that spread warmth through every inch of your body. But this… this simple action Bakugou had decided to make was filling you with a happiness you had nearly forgotten.

“Good,” Bakugou huffed with an annoyed scowl on his face, sliding the door shut behind him as he joined you outside. “Because I won’t be offering to do this again. You’d better enjoy it!”

Unable to resist the small smile on your lips, you followed him as he made his way towards the stables, finding it difficult to pull your eyes off a particular spot between his shoulder blades. “I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

“More like a pain in the ass. You keep your name and anything about you to yourself, understand? There will be people who will want to pry and be curious about why you are with me.”

“What will you tell them?”

“That it’s none of their fucking business.” Bakugou snarled at you over his shoulder, though you couldn’t resist giggling at his use for the modern curse. “Shut up! Why do you always laugh when I say that word?!”

“It’s nothing!” You smiled up at him, walking a bit faster so you were beside him instead of behind. “It’s just so silly to hear you say that when you don’t know what it means.”

“Then tell me what it means! I don’t care if it’s offensive, I want to know!”

Tapping your finger to your chin, you hummed out in thought, wondering if it was worth it. He would surely get embarrassed if you told him, so you didn’t want to ruin your chances of getting to leave the castle. “Okay, I will tell you. But not until we get to town.”

“Excuse me?! You don’t get to make the rules around here, Demon. I command you to tell me!”

“And I promise that I will,” You smiled up at him, bringing a frustrated and flushed expression to his face that you couldn’t quite understand. “But not until we get to town. Deal?”

“Tch, fine! I’ll hold you to that…” Nearly pouting, Bakugou turned his glare back in front of him, shoving his arms into the adjacent sleeves. Placing your own back behind your back, you peeled your eyes off his cute expression to instead watch your feet as you walked. Your wooden geta sandals clacked against the pristine flooring with each step, as did Bakugou’s, but you found it to be a pleasant sound. At the moment, the paired resonating noise represented a companionship, one which you hadn’t expected to bloom. And yet, your closeness to this ruthless and hot-headed man had blossomed into more than just a professional relationship based around occupational necessity.

Bakugou was your friend… and your crush. That only made it harder for you to not think that this was something more than him just doing a favor for you. You wanted it to be more, for there to be some other motive that was driving him. Although there may have been a hint here and there as you both made your way to the stables, there was nothing definitive.

His ears and cheeks flushing could be from the heat.

Right?

His sideways glances and wandering gaze could just be him watching you for any mischief.

Right?

His gentle touch and lingering hands as he put you up onto Yonaka’s back were just him helping you out and supporting you.

Right?

His arm around your waist as he settled in behind you was just to make sure you were body steady and comfortable.

Right?

That’s all it was. There was nothing deeper about any of his interactions with you, now or from the moment you had met him. You were just a woman that he used for his own gain and he had no romantic feelings for you whatsoever.

“Maybe while we’re down there, you can pick some clothes for yourself, so you don’t wear the same rags every day. And some pork noodles sound good, there’s a place in the center of town that sells it with their own special sake that will probably ruin you.” Bakugou spoke calmly as Yonaka lumbered his way out of the castle gates, waiting until you were out of earshot of the guards so no one else caught wind of what was going on. “I hate town, but it will be good to get away.”

Feeling heat rush to your cheeks, you kept your eyes on Yonaka’s ears, which twitched and twisted at the sound of Bakugou’s voice and the chirping birds in the trees. “I-I don’t have any money…”

“Who said you needed it?”

Clutching onto the pommel of the saddle tightly, you suddenly found it difficult to breathe, a tightness in your chest constricting your lungs and throat. If only you could tell him that a man taking a woman to buy clothes and dinner during your time meant something more than just a simple favor. In your mind, all you could think of was the possibility that he was doing this in pursuit of something more.

But he couldn’t be. You absolutely could not fall for this man, and he couldn’t be falling for you. It just wasn’t something that could happen.

Right?

“Ah, okay… Well, thank you, Bakugou. I look forward to it.”

“Katsuki. Call me Katsuki.”

#bnha imagines #bnha scenarios #bakugou x reader #bakugou #katsuki bakugou #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha fanfiction #fanfiction #bnha writing blog #xreader #personal #ancient soul

44 notes · View notes

takingcourage · 5 years

Text

The Girl Next Door

Pairing: Jaime x MC

Word Count: 3,550

Summary: Jaime gives Arden a tour of some renovations he’s made around his house, and they decide it’s time for a change in their relationship.

Note: I’ve had a draft of this story in the works since before A Prickly Diversion, so I’m super excited to finally share it with you all. It came out much cheesier than I intended, but I’m rolling with it. : )

This also fulfills the last two soft-prompt requests that I received from @krishu213 (reunion hug and family). If all goes according to plan, my other requested fics should be finished by the end of month.

"Attention, passengers. We will now begin our descent into Northbridge International Airport. It's a cool fifty-seven degrees in the city and the local time is 6:43. We hope you've enjoyed--"

"Never thought I'd be so happy to be back in Northbridge," Ellen declared over the pilot's announcement.

Arden pulled a pack of gum from her carry on and offered a stick to her business partner. "I'm always happy to be back."

Truth be told, she was especially glad to arrive on this particular evening. A series of flight delays had meant missing her lunch plans with Jaime and having to wait another full day before seeing Jinx and Opie. They'd only been apart for a week, but the time away had really started to wear her down.

Ellen rolled her eyes and folded the piece of gum into her mouth. "Of course you do. You'd happily live in the middle of the Sahara if it meant Jaime Lewis was there."

Arden wanted to argue, but the other woman wasn’t exactly wrong. Jaime had always been somewhat indispensable to her happiness, but over the past several months, he'd started feeling downright essential to her life. With a momentary flash of shame, she remembered the long sigh she'd given earlier in the day when their cancelled flight had meant eating yet another airport meal -- a meal without the boyfriend she'd been missing since they’d kissed goodbye at the terminal.

It had been a long day -- the end to an incredibly long trip. From a business perspective, their venture had been incredibly successful. They'd secured all of the investments and partners that they'd been looking for, receiving little more than outright support for the groundwork they'd laid so far. The Ellen and Arden Show was scheduled to begin live tapings in Northbridge in just a few short weeks.

Arden had been on cloud nine since they'd left their first meeting, except in the quiet moments when she remembered life outside of work. More and more, it was that half of life that seemed to matter most.

"I'm dropping you off at his house, right?" Ellen continued, breaking the silence.

"That would be great. He can't pick me up from the airport, but he did promise to have dinner waiting for me." Arden straightened her back in a vain attempt to stretch out the kinks it had fallen into during their travels.

Covering a yawn, Ellen consulted the view from her window. "You've got a real winner with that one."

"Which is exactly why I'm happy to be back in Northbridge," she responded lightly, predicting the other woman’s response even before it came.

“Have I ever told you how cringey you are? Because you’re going to make me question my choice to take you on as my partner.”

“That cringey-ness is part of why this city loves me. And we both know you’re not really regretting anything. We make a great team.”

Ellen rubbed her forehead wearily as the wheels hit tarmac.

_____

Arden had stayed in a lot of different places over the past week, but none of them had produced the same effect upon arrival as Jaime’s house. Her pulse shifted tempos when they finally made it to his driveway, her whole body light with the knowledge that this time, she was taking her suitcase somewhere familiar. The relief of not having to spend another night in a hotel was second only to the relief of not having to spend another night alone.

“Thanks so much for the ride,” she acknowledged, cracking open the door. “I’ll have those drafts to you first thing tomorrow morning.”

Ellen gave her a peculiarly appraising glance. “No rush. I won’t have a chance to look over them until the afternoon.”

“Okay. See you Monday?”

“Bright and early.”

“See you then,” Arden promised, hefting her roller bag out of Ellen’s trunk. She wheeled the suitcase across Jaime’s sidewalk, smile breaking wide when the front door opened before her.

“Hey!” Jaime greeted, reaching to take the briefcase that was slung across her shoulder. “Sorry I didn’t come out to the car.” I didn’t want to mess anything up.

Arden’s forehead crinkled in confusion at his thought. “What is there to mess up?” As she uttered the words, she was met with the unmistakable smell of garlic wafting from the kitchen. “Oh, you mean dinner! We wouldn’t want anything to burn.” Again, she added mentally, recalling several of her own foiled kitchen attempts.

Confusion flashed in his eyes, but he covered it quickly. “Oh, yeah. Burnt lasagna is a definite nope.” Jaime set the briefcase by the door, then he wheeled her suitcase into a nearby corner. “C’mere, Arden.”

Dropping her purse to the floor, she was in his arms an instant later. She soaked in his warmth, his strength, his smell. Everything she’d been missing for the past week was fulfilled.

“You okay?”

“I just missed you a lot.” She buried her nose into his shirt, breathing in the scent that had eluded her senses, no matter how hard she’d tried to imagine it. “And it’s good to be home.”

His grip on her tightened. “Speaking of home, do you want to see the work I’ve done since the last time you came around? I could give you a little tour.”

She nodded against him, lips curling up at the excitement in his tone. “I’d love to see what you’ve been working on.”

He hadn’t told her the exact nature of the projects he’d completed, but Jaime wouldn’t be Jaime without some ongoing repair around the house. Even so, it was a little unusual for him to actually finish something significant enough to merit a tour. He’d spent years planning for future renovations, though most of his efforts were channelled into the work he did for others.

Eager to see what he’d done, but reluctant to let go of him completely, Arden reached for his hand when they drifted apart. Slipping off her shoes, she followed him in past the entryway.

“You might have already guessed, but my first item of business was to get these floors refinished.” They crossed the threshold and Arden stopped short, thin socks sliding across the hardwood.

“Jaime, they’re gorgeous! I can’t believe it’s the same floor!” She released his fingers so that she could squat down for a closer look.

With a quiet chuckle, Jaime knelt down beside her. “It is a significant change, isn’t it? I went for a few shades darker than what was here before. It’s classy, but not dark enough to make cleaning it too much of a chore. I don’t think the upkeep will be too bad.”

Arden’s fingers came to a standstill as she brushed the glossy panels. “Are you planning to hire me as your maid?”

His cheeks flooded with color when her laughing eyes fell on him. “Of course not! It’s just...an interesting design feature.”

“Uh-huh,” she replied, unconvinced. There was definitely more going on than Jaime was letting on. Is he asking me to move in with him?

As they stood, his next thought practically confirmed it.

It shouldn’t even show pet hair. I know they don’t shed that much, but still...

Arden felt her heartbeat in her throat as they resumed the tour. If he was asking her to move in, her answer would come quite easily. She’d been wanting to move in together practically since they’d started dating, but Jaime’s good sense had encouraged waiting until they were sure that the relationship was actually going somewhere. Moving was an awful lot of hassle for something that wasn’t permanent.

This is permanent, she thought, brushing away the strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead. It’s definitely permanent.

Catching up to him, she locked onto his arm, pressing her cheek against his bicep while they walked into the dining room together. He glanced down at her, concern in his eyes quickly turning to affection when he saw the contentment in her gaze.

It’s good to have you back, Arden.

“It’s good to be back. And I hope it’s a long time before I have to leave you again.”

There was a pause before his reply. “I do too.” Whatever was on his mind, he recovered quickly, and she didn’t press the issue. He gestured toward the gray walls behind his oak dining set. “I’ve taken down the wallpaper in here, but I was hoping to get your input before I put something else up.”

“You have a much better eye for design than I do,” she countered, surveying the large swath of bare wall. “I don’t want you to end up with something you hate just because I picked it on a whim.”

“I’ve got it narrowed down to a handful of options.” And your opinion matters a lot to me.

“Then I’d be happy to take a look at what you’ve got. I’ll even help you hang it up if you decide on new wallpaper.”

Jaime eyed her dubiously. “I wouldn’t put you through that.”

“It could be fun,” she countered. “We’d stream some cheesy pop music and get wallpaper paste all over our clothes...”

His brow cocked even further. “Have you ever hung wallpaper?”

“Not even once,” she admitted with mock solemnity.

“Then I wouldn’t put me through that either.”

“Oh, stop.”

She caught another whiff of dinner and sidestepped into the kitchen for a tantalizing glimpse of the lasagna on top of the stove. As she took in the sight of marinara and melted cheese, the airport sandwich she’d eaten so many hours ago felt even more paltry by comparison.

Jaime noticed the shift in her focus. “It still needs to rest for a little while before we cut into it. While we’re waiting, we can take a look at another project I’ve been working on upstairs.”

Arden turned from the kitchen, taking in her boyfriend’s unsettled expression. Why does he look so nervous? She fell into their normal pattern of banter, hoping that it would relieve the tension she saw etched across his face. “Oh, I see. You’re just trying to get me into your bedroom.”

“Something like that,” he answered with a laugh.

“You’re lucky it happens to be one of my favorite places,” she commented, leading him up the flight of stairs. “But I’m not letting myself get too distracted. Dinner smells amazing and I’m hungry.”

“I’m sure. Traveling can really take it out of you.”

“You can say that again.” Arden couldn’t resist a quick smirk as they passed into his room.

Some of her favorite memories from the past months had taken place between these four walls -- snuggling in the early morning before either of their alarms had sounded, half-forgotten conversations that occurred when one of them wasn’t quite ready to fall asleep... More than anything, it brought to mind the closeness they’d achieved over these past months. Physically, emotionally, spiritually -- there was no one she’d ever known more fully than she knew him.

She scanned the space for changes, stepping into the ensuite when she could see no major difference in the bedroom. Once inside, Arden noticed the sink first: a double vanity where a single basin had stood before. Jaime’s small collection of toiletries had been moved to one corner of the counter, leaving the other side completely empty save for the new hand towel that rested beside the rim. It took longer for her to see the additional set of towel hooks that stuck out from the opposite wall a solid half-foot lower than the existing pair.

When she looked behind her, Jaime was leaning against the doorway, deep brown eyes fixated on her form. “I was thinking maybe it was time for an upgrade,” he told her quietly. “You’ve been ‘the girl next door’ for a long time.”

Arden’s heart thumped dully, the roar of blood pounding in her ears. “Are you asking me to move in with you?” She wasn’t nervous about asking the question, but her body still hummed in anticipation of his response. Please say yes.

“Something like that,” he repeated a second time, standing up straight. “Let’s go downstairs. There’s one more thing I wanted to show you.”

Suspicion dawned as they trod the stairs again. Jaime wasn’t usually one for evasive answers. Deflecting multiple questions meant he was definitely keeping something from her. Remembering his earlier unease, the nature of that something was suddenly incredibly obvious.

He’s asking me to marry him, she realized with startling clarity. She’d caught his thoughts on marriage too many times for this to be mere coincidence.

“I was kind of hoping to save this for last,” he told her as they reentered the living room, waving a hand toward a wooden inscription that hung above the mantle:

The Lewis Family, established 2020

Even with her suspicions, her mouth still fell open at the simple message. There could be little mistaking just what he meant by such a gesture.

Breath hitching in her throat, Arden turned from the sign to the man standing before her. All of his nerves were gone, replaced by a look of the most tender affection she had ever seen.

“Arden, I want you to be more than just ‘the girl next door’ or ‘the girl who lives with me.’ I'd really like to call you my wife.” His lips quivered at the pause between words. “I’ve had you in my life for so long that I can hardly even remember who I was before I met you. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of standing by your side as you risked everything for what you believe in, I’ve watched how well you love and care for others, and I’ve benefitted from your thoughtfulness more times than I can count. You’re the funniest, most creative, most insightful person I’ve ever met, and I love you more every single time you cross my mind.”

“But more than all of that, you’re my best friend and the only woman I’ve ever wanted to spend my life with.” He knelt and withdrew the box from his pocket, holding it out to her as he opened the lid. “Marry me?” Jaime asked simply, emotions checking all but the most necessary words.

Eyes fixed on Jaime, she was conscious only of his question and the stream of tears spilling over her cheeks. She tried to sweep them away, but they continued, unbidden. “Of course I will,” Arden whispered. “I think you knew before you even asked.”

Confidence fully returned, he flashed her a self-assured smile. “I certainly hoped you would.”

She’d always expected that getting engaged would be frightening -- that she’d be overcome with fear about what the commitment meant for her future. When she’d imagined permanence with anyone she’d dated before, marriage had seemed like something to bind her and hold her down.

But with Jaime, it wasn’t like that at all. In fact, she wasn’t sure when she’d felt more free or alive. All she wanted was to be gathered up in his arms, kissing the lips that had spoken the two sweetest words she’d ever heard.

Both longing for contact, they kissed soundly before she melted into his embrace, cheek sitting flush against the hammering of his heart. Arden heard the confessions of love he whispered into her hair, but she was too full of joy to recognize their substance.

They parted, and Jaime swiped at the remaining tears with his thumbs, cradling her face between his hands. “That sign is just a symbol, by the way. You don’t have to take my name. I can take yours or we can use a hyphen, or --”

She shut him up with a kiss, arms winding so tightly around his neck that his body sagged with the weight of her.

“Jaime, it’s perfect -- whatever we decide. No matter what the paper says, you’ll be a Gale and I’ll be a Lewis. We’ll be a family.”

His eyes brimmed with tears as she stressed the word. “I can’t tell you how much I want that with you.”

“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” she agreed. “Even if it took a while to figure that out.”

“We should probably put your ring on then.”

Arden could only nod, another fit of giggles accompanying her wordless reply. In the swell of emotions, she’d managed to forget the ring entirely.

Jaime slid it onto her finger with ease, bracing her hand for inspection even after it was securely in place.

She’d caught him staring at the naked fingers of her left hand too many times in the past weeks for the perfect fit to come as a surprise. What she hadn’t expected, however, was to recognize the emeralds on either side of the central stone.

"They’re from my mom’s bridal set." She could barely get the words out around a second onslaught of tears.

He looked up from her fingers to meet her gaze, brown eyes misting over. "I've had them since the day your dad found out we were dating. Apparently she gave him pretty clear instructions to pass it on once we’d finally stopped pretending.”

“It couldn’t be more perfect, Jaime.”

“I love you, future-wife.” He kissed her hand and dropped it to her side.

“You’re such a dork,” she laughed, tears still dampening her face.

“Hey, cut me some slack. I’ve been waiting a pretty long time to call you that.”

“Let’s change that soon,” Arden suggested before catching his lips once more.

_____

“Is this why you couldn’t come pick me up from the airport?” Arden inquired after dinner, thumb caressing the smooth metal band that circled her finger.

She couldn’t see his face, but it wasn’t difficult to imagine the blush that was probably spreading over his cheeks at the question. He drew close, stubble tickling her cheek as he leaned down to her ear. “There’s no way I could have made it that entire drive without thinking something that would have given it away. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“You really are a romantic at heart.”

“What can I say, Arden? You bring out that side of me.”

Arden pulled her legs up bedside her, turning on the couch to sit across his thighs. From this position, his silhouette was illuminated by the light of the fire behind him, casting a golden halo across his features.

His lips curved into the boyish smile that had been doing funny things to her heart for years. In such moments, those striking eyes had never held anything but delight and care for her. But tonight, there was something else woven in -- something that spoke of forever.

Smiling to herself, she allowed her gaze to fall back to the hands in her lap. As the firelight glinted off the stones of her ring, she sucked in a quiet breath.

“What is it?” Jaime asked, noting her surprise.

Her eyes flitted back to his face. “Walking into the studio with this rock on my finger is really going to damage my sex appeal. Not that I have to have sex appeal, but in the world of television, it certainly helps...” she backpedalled, realizing that the entire notion was somewhat ridiculous.

“I think your sex appeal is just fine.”

“You’ve never given me reason to doubt that at all,” Arden laughed, threading her fingers through his hair. “Let’s just hope you don’t get bored of me after I move in.”

“It won’t,” he persuaded, his tone growing serious. “After this many years together, I can promise you that’s never going to happen.”

She nuzzled into his chest and slipped an idle hand beneath his shirt. His muscles tensed as she felt her way around his side. Still, it wasn’t long before he joined the exploration, his own fingers finding the sliver of skin exposed beneath the hem of her shirt.

Nope, definitely not getting bored of you. And I’m definitely ready to have this all the time.

His thoughts sent a thrill of heat through her.

“Although I do have a few other projects to finish before you move in. I want it to be perfect.”

“It will be,” she assured. “In fact, there’s just one more renovation I’d suggest.”

His hands paused, as if waiting to add her request to his list.

Arden’s cheeks throbbed with the force of her smile. “Don’t worry -- it’s nothing too big. I just think we should hang some blinds on this window so you can kiss me in every room of the house.”

“I’m kissing you anyway,” he told her, hands moving once more to scoop her into his arms. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and carried her weight as he stood. “But I’m taking you upstairs before this goes any further.”

“You can take me anywhere you like,” she told him, giggling as she recalled Ellen’s earlier comment about the Sahara.

“Hmm?” His steps slowed as his face angled down to search for the source of her amusement.

"It’s nothing,” she promised with a kiss to his chin. “Take me upstairs?”

Jaime was only too happy to comply.

#playchoices #playchoices fanfiction #wishful thinking #jaime lewis #jaime x mc

50 notes · View notes