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groguspicklejar · 1 year

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Pairing: Din Djarin x fem!reader

Summary: Din would do anything to keep any outside threat from touching his clan.

Warnings: Mostly fluff, mentions of expanding a clan, slightly steamy, helmetless!Din, Grogu being a menace frogs were devoured, blood, sniper, protective!Din, slightly unhinged!Din (only briefly).

A/N: Took me a lot longer than I intended, but here we are. @sofasoap This is for you❤️ Happy Star Wars Day✨

It’s a cute house.

Small and cosy. With a wide backyard you know your son is going to enjoy taking advantage. No neighbours for miles, and you’re sure your husband is going to thoroughly appreciate not having random people bother him at any given time of the day.

It’s a really cute house. A new beginning for your little family.

“Do you like it?” Din asks from behind you as you quietly walk through the door, taking in the interior.

He can’t see it yet but you’re already smiling. Beaming with joy. You don’t remember ever being this happy in your entire life. It is everything you could’ve ever dreamed of and so much more.

You were going to have to thank Karga later for this wonderful gift.

You feel your husband’s solid armour pressing at your beck, his arms wrapping around you with a gentle strength. “Riduur?”

The word jolts you out of your reverie. You lean into his embrace, restraining the urge to laugh in utter glee. You just have so much to say, so many thank you’s lining your tongue all at once.

Instead, your head shifts enough so you can press your lips on the side of his Beskar helm. “It’s perfect.”

“Are you sure?” You can hear the genuine worry in his voice. It was the need for him to have everything in place. “We can change a few things if you want.”

He’s always like this. Stoic on the outside, but secretly wracked with nerves if you wouldn’t like something. But anything he always gives you is always heartfelt and therefore, it is perfect just the way it is.

However, you tap your chin whilst pretending to contemplate. “Maybe the couch… or the curtains.”

As expected, he’s already backtracking. He releases his arms around you in an instant. “We can go right now–”

“Din, I’m kidding.” You turned around, giggling as you threw your arms around his neck. He was so easy to mess with sometimes. “This…”

The house. The child. The peace. Him. All of it. These are the things you didn’t think you would ever attain after Moff Gideon resurfaced. But after facing the impossible, after defeating him and his army, you can finally rest assured, knowing that nothing and no one can hurt you and your little family again.

“This is all I’ve ever dreamed of from the moment I fell in love with you.”

And you fell hard. You don’t think you can imagine your future with anyone else. The mere thought alone doesn’t sit right with you and you hope you never have to face the possibility of such a reality.

“You and me.” Your fingers trace the edge of his helm. “And a few little warriors running around our house as we grow old together.” His grasp tightens around you in agreement. “It’s all coming true now.”

“Part of it.” he says, glancing around. “We have the house, but…”

“But?” your brows raise in question.

“We only have one little warrior.” Heat floods your cheeks at his words.

This wasn’t something you and him have not spoken about before. Din has made it known that Mandalorians were raised with the ideals of family centred around them. And he has made it known that he wasn’t against the idea of expanding his clan. In fact, he was eager.

“What are you suggesting?” you asked slowly, smiling.

The heat of his gaze simmers lowly as he slowly backs you further into your new home. A slow progression of desire building between you and him that is only going to implode somewhere in the near future.

“I think…” He unhurriedly pulls the helmet off and you can finally see the heat in his brown eyes. It drops to the floor when the curve of his nose brushes against yours and you can feel the warmth of his breath against yours. “The little womp rat needs a sibling.”

“Or two.” You peck his lips. “Maybe three.”

A second later, his lips press against yours. It’s slow, heated, melting into your bones. You don’t hesitate to lace your fingers through his soft hair. He hums into your mouth as he clings to you, murmuring, “or four” into your mouth.

You were right about one thing. Din is really going to appreciate having no neighbours.

Karga thoroughly enjoyed the fresh pastries you baked with your brand-new oven.

“Keep feeding me like this and I'm going to grow larger by the day.” He bites into another cupcake while you laugh.

“You eat almost as much as the kid.” Din adds next to you, making you laugh harder while Karga almost chokes.

It's true. The only person who loved your sweet pastries more than Karga and Din was your son. Grogu never wastes a second to ‘help’ you in the kitchen when you’re baking, when really he’s just waiting for the chance to lick the batter off the spoon when you’re not looking. He is currently sleeping through a sugar coma in his floating pod.

In the midst of fixing his pillow, you glance around the small cafe to see an abundance of people. Some faces you were familiar with, but most were new.

You smile when you think about how different Nevarro is, compared to a few years ago. This little town is thriving in the best way possible. You were going to like it here.

Din doesn’t think he’s going to like it here.

There’s too many new eyes, too many unfamiliar faces. Granted, crime rates had lowered significantly after the scum of the earth was cleared out from this town, a lot more people came to settle down here.

Of course, that’s not a bad thing. It really isn’t.

But why is it that every time a strange face looks at you a certain way, alarm bells ring in his head?

He doesn’t want to be paranoid. However, he has been a bounty hunter for years. And if those years have taught him something, it is to always trust his gut.

And his gut is telling him that one of the new residents of Nevarro does not have the best intentions. For that, Din hardly catches a wink the following nights.

There's always that nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he's being watched. Or worse… you're being watched.

It's midnight when he sits next to you on the bed and watches you sleep. His bare fingers gently graze your cheek, careful not to stir you awake. That's one of the things he regrets; you quickly become a light sleeper because of him. Never felt safe enough to fall into a deep sleep when you know that someone with malicious intent might be lurking nearby.

Din hopes your sleep pattern might change back to the way it was before. He wants you to rest now. To be as comfortable as possible.

Your steady breaths are gentle waves washing his guilt away. It soothes him in a way. Your peace. The lack of fear or worry. It makes him feel like after all the hell you went through while you were travelling with him, he's finally done something right to make you feel safe.

This little home on the outskirts of town is all he wanted for the kid and for you. A place where his clan can finally settle down and take root without any risks.

But this precious dream of his is being threatened again.

If he could allow himself to give into the thought of taking off his armour and lying down next to you, he would. But the pestering sensation of being shadowed by outsiders won't go away.

He reluctantly draws his hand away from you and puts his gloves back on. He makes sure the windows are locked and goes to the other room to ensure that Grogu is safe as well. The baby is just as blissfully unaware of the dangers outside as you are.

Din is determined to keep it that way for tonight.

“Staring is rude, you know.” you mutter behind your book before taking a sip of your juice.

Din tenses. “I’m not staring.”

“Maybe not at me.” You hum, your eyes crinkling as you turn another page. “The man behind me seems to be unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of your ire.”

He hates that you’re so perceptive. Your eyes are still drawn to the ink on the page, but it feels like you can see right through his armour. Din knows that you can most days.

The man sitting in the booth behind you isn’t as subtle as he thinks he is. Another stranger in town, another new Resident of Nevarro. This one claims to be here to start a new business. Something about selling rare droid parts. Din claims bantha shit. Karga would’ve told him about it yesterday at lunch.

This particular individual’s presence doesn’t sit well with him. Din isn’t sure he likes the way he looks at you.

“Only because he’s either trying to see what exactly you’re reading or he’s spying on you.” Both options make him burn with barely contained rage.

He hates this. After all that he’s been through to make sure his little family is alive and happy, it all amounted to nothing because this one person is making him feel uncomfortable in the one place where he’s supposed to be safe.

“Should we go back home?” You close your book and reach into the floating pod next to you, gently adjusting Grogu’s clothes so you can get a better look at him. “I think the kid’s had enough sunshine for today.”

The kid fell asleep not long ago. A couple of hours of frolicking around wiped him out.

Din stands up and helps you gather your bag. The pod is sealed shut and when he is sure it’s secured, his hand never leaves the small of your back as you make your way out of the cafe.

All while he is overly aware of your stalker’s eyes boring a hole in the back of his head.

He’s not surprised when Axe Wolves tells him that the man is a spy for what was left of Moff Gideon’s forces. Apparently the man claims to be starting a fresh page by settling on Nevarro. At least that’s what he told the entire town. If Din’s instincts didn’t scream imposter every time he looked at this man, he almost might believe him.

Almost.

The Mandalorians that had stayed behind on Nevarro mobilized immediately when Din voiced his concerns. They fully supported him, as they were also worried about their safety if they didn’t stay on guard.

Din should warn Bo-Katan. He doesn’t like the idea of more Imperials on Mandalore. One army of them was one army too many. The Empire had done everything it possibly could to destroy that planet and everything to do with it.

“From what we’ve gathered, he’s been scoping Gideon’s abandoned lab.” says Koska. “Amongst other places.”

Abandoned. But not forgotten. Karga hadn’t gotten around to clearing out that base and utilising the land for expanding more of the town. If the late Moff’s spies are still sniffing around, obviously, there must be something worth looking for there.

“Other places?” Din looks at him.

His lungs already constrict when he thinks about you and Grogu. You’re both at home, probably relaxing your worries away. He can already imagine you; laying down with a book in hand while watching over a sleeping baby with a serene expression. If there was someone watching you–

“We think he’s been spying on your home too.” Din’s jaw clenched tightly. “Given that it’s located in a remote area, I’d say he’s planning for an ambush.”

He didn’t need to hear another word. He was already on his way back to the house.

For all of the men he’s killed, this one brought out a certain maddening rage within him that he didn’t bother to temper once Koska was done getting information out of him.

The same man from the cafe had been terrified when he was caught. It didn’t take much for him to start talking. Gideon’s most loyal soldiers, those that survived anyway, needed resources. He was only sent there to see if the abandoned lab on Nevarro still had anything worth salvaging. And he was also told of a Mandalorian who lived outside the perimeter of the town. That he has a wife and child.

“I wasn’t gonna do anything, I swear!” he panted harshly after coughing up blood. Din had enjoyed torturing him. “I was just told to spy on them!”

The man’s hands were cuffed behind his back as he knelt against the rocky ground. His hair was dusty and skin was stained with blood from being kicked and beaten half to death. He was found not too far away from the house outside the town, laying against a rock with one eye closed. The other looked through the scope of a rifle.

The target? You. Enjoying a cup of chocolate milk on the porch as you watch Grogu hunt for frogs.

“Really?” Koska’s sarcastic barb. She dropped a bag with his belongings and held up one pouch. It clinked when she shook it. “Sounds like you got paid a lot more than to just spy.”

“I’m guessing that’s only half of it.” Axe scoffs, shaking his head. “He was going to collect the other half to get the job done.”

He would know that. Any experienced mercenary would.

If Din had been a second late, he would’ve returned home to find the scene of a crime. He would've lost you or the kid or worse. This world would've come crashing down.

Axe faces him, raising an eyebrow. “What do you think we should do with him, Din?”

What should he do? What he was already planning to do. He already knows what he's going to do to anyone who threatens the life that he's built here. To anyone who threatens you and Grogu.

“I think…” Din draws his vibroblade. The prisoner's eyes widened significantly, and it fills him with a sick satisfaction.“We should make an example out of him.”

Finally, for once, he gets to dole out justice. Rid the galaxy of one less vile monster. Make your world a little safer.

“If the others want to try something stupid, then they should know that there are consequences.”

Axe and Koska regard him carefully before both of them break into slow smirks. All three Mandalorians look at the prisoner.

A man, scared and helpless. Almost hard to believe that he was ready to stain his hands with the blood of a mother and her child. A family that had nothing to do with him. Innocent blood. Scum like him are lower than dirt.

He is not going to live past today.

And he knows it.

“No…” He shakes his head in denial, trying to crawl back away from them. “No, please–”

“Riduur?” Your sweet voice is all he could hear when he holds you in the dark. “Everything okay?”

He arrived home in the middle of the night after a successful hunt with Axe and Koska. He found you in Grogu’s room, making sure that his window was closed so that the midnight chill doesn’t bother him.

The fury of his violence still burns hot in his veins. It still occurs to him that you could’ve died today. That your life would’ve been cut short. He still wants to go back to that corpse, the one strung high on a pole for intruders to see and do even more damage than what was already done.

He wants Gideon’s remaining allies to see what he’s capable of. How far he’ll go to protect his clan. And how much farther he’ll go to avenge it if it ever comes to that. Din prays it’ll never have to come to that.

“It will be soon.” His embrace tightens.

He has no intention of ever being the cause of your distress. And he'll be damned if he lets anyone try to hurt you or his son ever again.

Your fingers graze the side of his helm. He's almost startled by your gentle tone, “Is this blood?”

“It’s not mine.” He did not realize how hollow he felt until he heard his own voice.

This entire ordeal drained him. Worrying over you. Finding the intruder and making sure he took his last breath. All of this rage, this despair flooding his chest, it’s taking more of a toll on him than he thought.

It doesn’t, however, mean he’s ever going to stop being on the lookout for any more threats. Karga is going to have to monitor any more incoming settlers and visitors to prevent this from happening again.

You’re quiet for a moment before you make a rhetorical inquiry, “Do I even want to know?”

Din removes his gloves behind your back and picks you up. You make no qualms as you allow him, legs wrapping around his waist and hands clinging to his neck as he carries you.

“I’ll tell you later.”

If you have any worries about the blood staining his armour, you give no confessions. You, instead, lay your head against his shoulder. He feels your ease, your lack of judgement or resistance. You know that whatever it is he had to do, it was for the clan’s safety.

He holds you closer that night in bed. The violent fury slowly disintegrates with each kiss and each caress. Every second of the night, you fill the hollow space in his heart. You whisper to him, thanking him for protecting you and the child. For taking care of both of you.

His heart is content knowing that you would rather ride the stormy seas with him than sail in smooth waters with anyone else. All his life, he never would’ve imagined he’d come this far. He had always pictured dying on a battlefield with either a blaster or a blade in his hand.

But this? This is far better.

It’s the prettiest picture you’ve granted him. And he’ll cherish it for the rest of his life and beyond that.

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thesunisatangerine · 6 months

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against all odds (to wait for you is all i can do) – part nine

alexia putellas x photojournalist!reader

warnings: mentions of grief, suggestive material, hurt/comfort

(a/n in the tags) [parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve]

word count: 6.6k

words in italics: whatever language you like

Before this misunderstanding could get any bigger, you stepped in quickly.

“Alexia, this is Elisa, my daughter and that’s my brother’s husband, Robert. Elisa, Robert, this is Alexia.”

At that, Alexia’s gaze softened but when she met your eyes, questions swam in those hazel pools, ones that you sensed concerned your daughter. You gave Alexia a tight-lipped smile in answer–this was neither the time nor place to talk about something like that.

“Oh, I see. It’s nice to meet you both,” Alexia spoke in English.

She walked closer to the stands to where Robert stood and reached out a hand for him to shake. Robert–who finally got some of his color back after Alexia stopped leering at him–regarded Alexia’s hand with an uneasy look like it was something dangerous before he eventually shook it. Then Alexia turned to Elisa and offered her a closed fist while your daughter only gawked at Alexia, obviously starstruck. “And it’s nice to meet you, too, Elisa.”

Elisa remained still and unusually quiet so you coaxed softly, “ladybug?”

That seemed to snap Elisa out from her starstruck stupor and as she came back to herself, her eyes darted to you. You smiled at her, encouraging, then you tilted your head at Alexia’s direction. Slowly, Elisa bumped her fist against Alexia’s, cheeks reddening immediately as she scurried off behind Robert right after, peeking through the gap between her uncle’s hip and arm to look at Alexia shyly.

“Do you want me to sign your shirt?”

Elisa nodded. Robert passed the shirt to Alexia, who signed it, before she passed it back to Robert.

“Thank you,” came Elisa’s bashful gratitude.

When your eyes flitted back to Alexia’s face, you found her brows tilted upwards which allowed the stadium lights to brighten her already fair eyes. She looked on at Elisa’s timid display with warmth and the sight of such softness in her demeanour tugged at your heartstring.

Without tearing her attention away from Elisa, Alexia said through a small smile, “she’s adorable, no?”

“She’s a little shy but she’s actually a big fan of yours. You should see her practicing your moves–”

“Mom…” Elisa whined, stopping you from embarrassing her further. You sent her an apologetic smile before you mouthed an ‘I’m sorry’ to her.

“Oh, you play football? How old are you?” Alexia asked softly.

After a moment of silence, you took the helm when you noticed Elisa wasn’t going to answer. Her reaction to Alexia was completely understandable. Alexia, despite being one of the warmest people you knew, could easily intimidate some with her presence due to her reserved and stoic nature. Her gaze–especially for the ones who were new to meet her–could be so intense and disarming that it was hard not to look away or, in this case, shy away from her.

“She turned twelve last February. And yes, she’s actually enrolled in a Barça Academy located near our city.”

Alexia’s brows rose with interest. She regarded Elisa again as she spoke, switching to Spanish this time, with clear approval in her tone. “So she has Blaugrana in her blood. What position does she play?”

“Barça is by far her favorite club and it doesn’t help that you play in it. And she plays forward.” You answered in the same tongue.

Alexia hummed, the corner of her lips quirking up. You knew that look so when she turned back to you, you raised a brow at her.

“What? Disappointed she doesn’t play midfield like you?”

She flashed you a sheepish half-smile and rubbed her cheek with a finger, a gesture that you still found so endearing, before she threw her hands up in false surrender. “I’m just saying! And you can’t really blame me for having a bias.”

“No, of course not. How could I hold that against you?” You said in an excessively dry tone. What you didn’t expect was for Alexia to throw her head back as laughter bubbled out from her throat in a familiar melody that tickled your ear, and you couldn’t help the grin that made its way to your lips at her amusement. She looked so beautiful like this: her hair–now back to its light brown shade–untamed with the way baby strands clung to the slight dampness on her temple, and the rosy blush painted upon her cheeks and nose from the events that just occurred; she looked so carefree in this moment, in the aftermath of their victory, that the glow of her youth shone right through, unfiltered.

When your eyes flitted over to Elisa and Robert, you found them gaping at your interaction with wide eyes, looking very much unsure on what to make of it. Then you also realised Alexia’d stopped laughing and she was now looking at you with a small smile on her lips. Your cheeks warmed at the attention, at having been caught staring, so you casted your eyes down to your feet, clearing your throat as you kicked an invisible pebble.

It surprised you, the ease with which you were able to fall back in playful banter with Alexia as if the fifteen months that made strangers from the both you never existed. Alexia must’d thought the same thing because when you looked at her again, Alexia’s smile had dimmed somewhat but the warmth in her eyes never left.

“Congratulations on the win, by the way. You earned it. All of you did.” You said, indicating at the golden medal around her neck. The urge to hug her as you spoke pervaded you but you managed to brush it off.

Alexia looked down at it, her lips quirking up into a small proud smile.

“Thank you.” A pause as she regarded you. And then, “want to hold it?”

The suggestion took you aback and you were quick to dismiss her. “Oh, no, I’m good–”

Alexia, being Alexia, stepped into you space anyway, took your right hand and placed the medal on your palm. You tried not to focus too much on how her touch electrified you by focusing on how the surface of the metal cooled your skin, its weight surprisingly heavier than it looked, and you traced its intricate engravings with the pads of your fingers, admiring the details.

“Can we talk?” Alexia said in a low voice that only the both of you would be able to hear. She was standing less than an arm’s length away from you–when did she get so close?–and the softness you found in her hazel eyes when you gazed up at her made you want to reach out and brush your thumb over the skin beneath them.

At your silence Alexia touched your right wrist and you felt her thumb grazed ove the bracelet she gave you. Her gaze was magnetic and you were powerless against her pull.

You began, “I–”

“Alexia! Come on, we have to go!” Both of your heads turned to the voice. It was Misa who was waving Alexia over to where their other teammates were gathering. Alexia gave Misa a gesture to wait and she looked back at you again but with desperation now in her eyes.

“Go. I’ll be in Barcelona for a week starting next Thursday. We can talk sometime then?”

Alexia nodded, gave you a small smile before she turned to walk away. She startled you when she faced you again and before you knew it, her arms were wrapped around your shoulders.

“Same place?” She whispered in your ear.

You snaked your arms around her waist.

“You know where to find me.”

So it was then on this late, warm Friday evening in Barcelona the week after the Olympics final, you found yourself opening the door to Alexia.

You had agreed to meet the next day for lunch so it was more than a surprise to you to find her under the warm glow of the porch light right then. And before a word could even leave your mouth to voice your confusion, Alexia strode into your space, crowding you until your back hit the cool surface of the wall next to the door as it swung close.

Alexia was in front of you now, the distance between you so sparse that you could feel the heat that emanated from her body. You stared up at her, breathless when you were finally able to speak, “Alexia–”

“Are you seeing someone right now?” Her tone was even though the crease in her brows and the fervid depth in her eyes made you shiver.

“Wait, what are–”

“Just answer me!”

“No! Why–”

Before you knew it, her hand cradled your jaw as she brought her lips to yours, and the only thing you could do was gasp from the sudden heat of it all. It was filled with such ardour, Alexia’s kiss, that each movement of her lips threatened to both destroy and mend you again, each pull as devastating and as sweet as the last. But the sweetness didn’t last long; not after you felt the warmth against your cheeks and tasted salt on your tongue.

Alexia was crying.

She was aching, you knew it–could feel it in the slight quiver of her lips, in the frantic way with which her fingers tangled in your hair. And from her pain came yours, unfurling from your heart, into your throat, longing–reaching–to comfort and be soothed by her, your almost lover. Though it hurt, it made your teeth ache with the bittersweetness of it all because here she was breathing the same air as you, sharing the same heat as her lips melted with yours, and, god, how it felt like coming home–like the first breath once you breached the surface after being submerged for so long.

Was this what it felt like to be exhumed? Was this what life tasted like?

The kiss was slow and deep, the way only two almost lovers knew how to; the both of you took your time mapping each other’s lips, learning how to move in the same rhythm again. It was familiar but the tenderness–that gentle ardour–was above all else amplified, warming your flesh and blood to a delicate simmer.

You sighed against Alexia’s lips as you pressed your body further into her, and in response she to you, and you relished how in spite of the strength that rested beneath the firmness of her self, everything about her remained, oh, so soft. And it was this want for more closeness that prompted you to tighten the grip around her hand that cupped your jaw, an unspoken plea for her to not let go–to not let you go.

How had you gone on for so long without her touch?

A familiar scream ruptured the silence, shattering the moment instantly.

It was automatic and immediate your reaction to it: you tore yourself from Alexia’s embrace and rushed towards Elisa’s bedroom, ignoring the way your vision blurred from the sudden exertion, your lungs protested as you hurried up the stairs. You were already expecting it but like all the times you were faced with it, your heart broke all the same at the sight of Elisa sitting up by the headboard of her bed, spine crooked as she curled in on herself, head lowered to the top of her knees while her hands pressed against her ears. Upon your intrusion, she lifted her head to reveal wide eyes that darted to you, frantic at first, but the apprehension in them dimmed when she saw you.

You tried to compose yourself as you approached her slowly, before you placed yourself just by the edge of her bed.

Gently, you called out, “ladybug?”

Not a second later did Elisa throw herself into your embrace and immediately hid her face in the crook of your neck, her hands clawing and gripping at the fabric of your shirt while her sobs made rattles from her bones. All of her self was tense, taught and coiled, her pain’s physical manifestation–all the intangible grief violently wrought into existence.

Elisa clung to you as she cried and you could do nothing in the moment but offer comfort through your embrace, hugging her just as tight, brushing back her hair–consoling–as you began a common lullaby in her mother tongue, rocking her to its gentle rhythm in the hopes that it could salve the wounds of her past even a little.

In her own time, Elisa emerged from the throes of her grief, her grip on your soaked shirt loosened, her sobs now reduced to hiccups and sniffles. You carded your fingers through her damp hair and wiped the sweat that lined her forehead.

As softly as you could, you whispered, “want to talk about it, ladybug?”

Elisa didn’t answer as she seemed to gather herself, gnawing on her lower lips, brows creased in a pained frown. You were about to remind her that she didn’t have to when she answered in a voice so small that made the rawness in it all the more pronounced.

“I saw Mother’s… I saw her dead beside me again.” She cuddled closer to you before she continued, “it’s always been her but when I looked this time I–”

Fresh tears sprung to her eyes, they fell when she squeezed them shut, and your heart broke a little more. You were quick to hug her tighter, pressing a kiss on the top of her head to console her. Elisa sniffled then she continued, “this time I–I saw you instead. I saw you dead.”

Elisa whimpered and she clung to you again.

“Oh, ladybug. That must have been difficult to see.” You hugged her tighter. “Were you scared?”

Nod.

“What were you scared of?”

Silence.

“I was scared because I thought I was alone again. I was scared you left me, too.”

Her answer made you pause and you regarded her, your worry now twofold.

“What else do you feel, Elisa?”

“I don’t know,” Elisa shrugged. She pressed a fist to her chest, “but it hurts right here. I hate it. I want it to disappear. Why does it still hurt so much?”

The state of her pained you enough as it was but how much more agonising this must be for Elisa? So you pressed your temple on her head as you began, soft but firm when the words passed through your lips.

“It aches so it’s not surprising you want it to go away. And you hate it because it stays with you. And it hurts because you’re still grieving, Elisa. A year may feel like a long time but what happened to you is not an easy thing to move on from. You’re still trying to heal.”

“If there is part of you that’s telling you it’s your fault your family died, I want you to remember that it isn’t. It isn’t your fault. You were so loved, Elisa, and you loved them just as much. And you still are loved.”

“I won’t leave you. As long as we’re here–your Uncle Derek, Uncle Robert, Nana, and I–as long as you want us to be, we’ll be your family and we love you. And death might come for all of us, and it is scary, terrifying and painful most times, but our love will never fade. The love given to you and the love that made you, they will never leave you, Elisa. Love comes and goes, and it may change its form, but it is never lost. You’re right here with me and you’re safe, and I love you. You’re never alone, ladybug, don’t you ever forget that.”

Elisa turned her head to look up at you and in the warm glow of her nightlight, you saw her chin quiver. “Promise you’ll never leave me?”

“As long as I breathe, I promise.”

You pressed a kiss on the top of her head, on her temple, then on her forehead before you hugged her again. Elisa sagged in your embrace as a watery sigh escaped her lips, and though she sniffled, she shed no more tears.

“I love you, too, Mom.”

In response, you kissed her forehead.

“How are you feeling now, ladybug?”

“A lot better, thank you.”

“Do you need me to get you anything?”

“Water, please?”

“Okay. Do you want to come with me downstairs or are you alright with me going for a bit?”

Elisa thought about it before she said, “I’ll be alright here.”

You smiled at your daughter, half encouraging and more than proud, as your chest filled with warmth at her display of bravery. You stood, grabbed a fresh shirt from her closet and placed it on her lap so she could change out of her damp one. “Okay. How about you change into this while I’m gone, hmm? I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and you darted out of the room but not after you placed another kiss on top of her head and squeezed her knee for reassurance. So engrossed were you in your aim that you nearly ran into Alexia who was just standing off to the side of the doorway, an unopened bottle of water in hand. As soon as she saw you, she offered it to you without a word with a soft look in her eyes made warmer by the dim, yellow glow of the wall lamp beside her head. It was a simple gesture but your heart expanded from the thought behind it, so much so that you nearly cried when you took the bottle from her.

“Is there anything else you need?” Alexia whispered as she stepped into your space, brushing the back of her hand over your cheek gently. You leant into the comfort of her touch and sighed, before you shook your head in answer.

“This is more than enough, thank you.” You met Alexia’s gaze one more time before you knocked on Elisa’s door and slipped back into it upon her consent. Once inside, you opened the bottle and gave it to Elisa and as she sipped from it, you ventured into her closet again to grab a small towel to dry her sweat with.

“How do you feel, ladybug?” You asked as you ran the towel over her face and the back of her neck.

“Sleepy,” she said with a small smile. You returned it in kind.

“Do you want to try going back to sleep? I’ll stay here if you want.”

Elisa yawned her agreement as she nodded so you tucked her in. Then you reclined against her headboard and began a lullaby, gently dragging the back of your finger in the space between her eyes until her eyelids fluttered close before her breathing deepened and eventually evened out. You remained there until you were certain Elisa had fallen asleep completely before you slipped back out, making sure to leave a slight gap between the door and the frame just in case Elisa woke up again.

It wasn’t a surprise when you found Alexia still patiently waiting out in the hall, who pushed herself from the wall she was leaning on upon seeing you.

“Is she okay?” She asked softly, looking over your shoulder at Elisa’s door, concern apparent in her tone and the crease between her brows.

“She’s… she’ll get there. She’s been through a lot for someone so young but she’s getting better.” It was getting frequent again, you noted with more than a hint of worry, Elisa’s recurring nightmares about the horrors she’d witnessed. You knew you needed to talk to Elisa about her therapy and if she’d be inclined to take more sessions to unpack this because there was only so much you could do to help her.

“What happened to her?”

You looked at Alexia at that, unable to answer her–had no desire to if you were being honest. How could you come up with the words to explain it especially when doing so would lead to questions about what happened to you? And that was something you truly didn’t want to, or even knew how to, talk about.

Alexia must had found something in your eyes because she just nodded at your reticence and casted her gaze down. You grazed your knuckles over the back of her hand, partly in appreciation for her respect and partly for her to follow you, while you stepped past her to the stairs down to the living room, Alexia’s footsteps not too far behind you.

The both of you entered the living room in silence, the tension from what transpired between the two of you upon Alexia’s arrival and the weight of what you were about to talk about made the air thick for breathing.

With crossed arms you settled on the wingback chair on the far side of the coffee table while Alexia situated herself on the other at the opposite side, leaving the couch unoccupied; the memories in it far too intimate for two people who’d grown apart.

During this reprieve, you finally allowed yourself the luxury to take Alexia in. You didn’t really get the chance to, it had all been a blur the moment she strode through the door, but now your eyes roamed over her freely.

She had a pair of low rise denims on, a leather jacket over a white shirt that revealed a strip of her stomach while her loose, light brown hair framed her face. Even when sitting down, her character remained undiminished especially with the way she sat with her legs parted, one hand hanging over the chair’s arm while the other was on her chin, fingers splayed over her lips as she regarded you quietly in a fixing gaze that left you feeling exposed–vulnerable.

Alexia brushed her lower lip with her fingers as she sank further against the upholstered back of the chair, tilting her chin up slightly as she kept her eyes trained at you. Her movement caused the warm glow of the light to touch her lips, drawing your attention to them, and you noted how they still glistened from the sheen of your lip balm from when she’d kissed you before, and the reminder made you burn, unpleasant in the way it ached, a bittersweet mixture of your immense desire and longing for the woman before you. It was intentional the way she moved; you knew it from the way Alexia’s eyes challenged you to speak up but you couldn’t quite find the words to say–you didn’t dare to.

“Are they real?” Came the question.

It was low and even, how Alexia posed it, but the abruptness with which the silence was broken made you flinch. That didn’t go unnoticed by Alexia it seemed because her gaze immediately softened.

“Are what real?”

“What you wrote in those notes you left me. Are they?”

The silence that settled in the space between you pressed against your chest, made even heavier with the weight in Alexia’s eyes. You tore your gaze away from her and you didn’t dare look back up.

“Look at me and tell me those didn’t mean a thing and I’ll leave.” ‘Just like you left me’, you heard the words Alexia left unspoken and then she continued, “I’ll leave and I won’t bother you again.”

She was serious. You knew if you lied and told her otherwise, she’d keep her word; she’d be out of your life completely. Were you willing to run? Were you ready to live a life without her for good?

Still without meeting her eyes you voiced barely above a whisper, “I… I can’t.”

Then you heard Alexia draw a breath, long and deep, followed by the unmistakable rustle of clothes before the air stilled once more. Not a moment later though a choked sound broke the quiet and immediately, your head whipped to the sound and found Alexia now bent forward, elbows resting on the top of her knees, her head bowed into the cradle of her open palms while her hair formed a curtain around her face.

“‘What’s happening to me? I’ve not know desire like this–like how it is with you. How, then, can I go on without you now that I found you?’” Each word came out strained as her breath stuttered and yours, too, hitched at what Alexia just recited. Then she lifted her head up a fraction but it was enough for you to see the undisguised pain reflected in those eyes and the sight of them made yours burn.

“You didn’t even give me a chance. You wrote and left those words to me but what was I supposed to do with them? What was I meant to do?”

A pause.

“I thought I knew what feeling lost was like. My ACL taught me that and when my father–” Alexia screwed her eyes shut as she drew in a heavy breath. She continued after a moment, “but after you went away, I felt lost again. I didn’t know what to do with myself, didn’t know how or what to feel. All I knew was I was mad at you for leaving, for what you said to me, for not responding… I was hurt. And I felt so empty that I didn’t look through that damn bag you left me.”

“But I missed you. God, I missed you, so I opened it and what did I find? Your fucking notes.” Alexia laughed, flat and void of any warmth, and she shook her head as if in disbelief, digging the heels of her palms into her sockets before looking back at you with raw eyes. “‘With every kiss, every touch, I become more yours. If you ask me to, I will surrender myself to you.’ If you truly meant that, why did you leave?”

“Won’t you even tell me why?” Alexia repeated, now pleading.

“I–” You began but the words caught in your throat as you turned her question over in her head because why, why did you leave?

“I was… I was afraid.” You admitted finally, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Afraid of what?”

“To hear that I meant nothing to you, to know I felt more for you than you did for me. I was just one of your girls, right?” You laughed bitterly, hating the way tears immediately fell down your cheeks, as you looked over Alexia’s shoulder, unable to look her in the eye as you spoke. You were weak enough as it was, so bare that one word from her could make you bleed if she wanted to.

“I couldn’t bear to hear that from you so I left. And perhaps it was cruel of me to leave those notes behind but I didn’t want to take them with me. I didn’t want the reminder of what we had and what we could’ve been. And I guess, deep down, I just wanted you to know how you made me feel because even if it ended, even if it meant nothing to you, that doesn’t change the fact that you made me happy.”

“‘Nothing?’ What do you mean–” Confusion first swam in her hazel eyes but her eyes suddenly widened. “That day… you were there?”

You hastily wiped your tears away with the back of your hand. “Yes.”

“Oh my god,” Alexia whispered as she lowered her head even further, fingers digging into her scalp as she shook her head. You heard her mutter something in Catalan that you couldn’t quite understand, barely catching the familiar Spanish words for ‘kill’ and ‘two’ from whatever she said.

Then Alexia gazed up at you with fire in her eyes. “If what we had meant nothing to me, I wouldn’t be here. Whatever you heard that day, there’s no truth to it.”

“All of it? Then tell me, what did Mapi mean when she said I’m one of your girls?”

At that, Alexia opened her mouth before closing it again, then she casted her gaze aside.

Your heart dropped.

She wrung her fingers, the muscle in her jaw ticked while her frown deepened but she found the courage to look you in the eye again as she began to speak. “After I got injured, I was a wreck. It was one of the lowest points of my life. I felt like I was stuck, like my life was playing out in front of me and I couldn’t do anything but watch.”

“The world moved on but I couldn’t. I couldn’t get past it, what happened and what would come after. It was a constant one step forward, three steps back. So I… I slept around because I needed control. I was spiralling when you met me and it’s–it’s true I had others while I was with you.”

Oh, how her words branded you! Perhaps there was still a small part of you that hoped Alexia would deny it but as the words spilled from Alexia’s lips, that vision was immediately dashed and in its place bloomed anguish. Your eyes burnt as you took Alexia in, she–with her lips pressed in a thin line and the corners of them crooked downwards, brows furrowed so deep her eyes were almost covered–looked guilty and in as much pain as you upon her own admittance.

“I had others but not after the first time we had dinner together. At that point, I stopped. I stopped because I hoped… I hoped that we could be more. I still do. But it never meant nothing to me, you never meant nothing to me. I just want you to know that.”

You bit your lip as her words sank in, and your stomach dropped even further as you realised something. The falling out, it was all your fault, wasn’t it? If you’d just talked to her, none of this would’ve happened.

The silence must had lasted longer than you realised because you heard Alexia’s whispered plea, “please, say something.”

“I… I want nothing more than to be with you, Alexia. In my mind, it had always been you and instead of telling you, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t make my intentions clear and it was unfair of me to expect you to know them. I was going to–I was going to ask you to be mine that night but when I heard you say those words, I lost it.”

Tears tracked down your cheeks as you choked out, “I’m sorry. I broke us, didn’t I?”

Alexia was quick to answer.

“No, you were scared and hurting. I can’t hold that against you. And it’s not just you, it’s not like I was very vocal about what I wanted either. I should’ve told you what you meant to me, I should’ve made it clear what I wanted from this–from us.” Alexia looked into your eye with an ardent disposition that made you shiver while a small, hopeful smile graced her lips. “I still want you. If you still want me, have me.”

Her declaration moved you and this wasn’t the first time tonight that her words made your heart ache–fed fuel to the fire that was your yearning. The temptation to accept her offer was too much but you stopped yourself; the logical part of you who knew that you weren’t the same person as the one Alexia met prevented you from saying yes.

“I’m not the same person I was from before, Alexia. And I have a child. I don’t want you to trick yourself into thinking you want what comes with me just because you want me.”

“Then let me in! Let me know this version of yourself and don’t decide for me if I want or don’t want to be with you. Let me make that choice this time.” Alexia said, almost exasperated in the way she threw her hands up but desperation weighed heavier in her voice. “We don’t need to label it. You’re mine and I’m yours, isn’t that what matters?”

“And if it doesn’t work out?”

“And if it does? And now that we know what we want from each other, it’s not like how it was before.” Alexia countered easily. Then she added with a half smile, teasing. “C’mon. I thought you’re the optimistic one in this relationship?”

You couldn’t help it, you smiled at her lightness. Then you nodded.

“Okay. So, can we start over slow?”

“That sounds good.” Then Alexia grinned, mischievous with the way she brushed her thumb over her nose and how her dimple gilded the corner of her lips. “Hi, I’m Alexia. What’s your name?”

The absurdity of what she said caught you off guard, even more so the laughter that bubbled out from your throat. As your laughter faded and Alexia’s grin dimmed to a small smile, a vacuous silence settled over the both of you, a welcome reprieve from the weight and tension that filled the air moments ago. Your eyes roamed over Alexia’s figure in silent appraisal, and hers over yours, as you mapped the familiar contours of her silhouette. Then you noticed a change in her demeanour: her eyes darkened, a look you were well acquainted with fifteen months–a look that your body remembered all too well with the way your flesh burnt.

“Did you have others?” The question took you aback and you were sure that you weren’t able to hide the surprise from your face because where the hell did that come from? Still, you indulged her.

“Not in the way you think. I can’t even kiss anyone without thinking of you. It’s not fair to them if I take them on as my lover when I know I’m still hung up on you.”

“‘Still’, huh?” Alexia hummed in response and her gaze only became darker, eyes now lidded.

You scoffed at her arrogance but it lacked any real bite because it was true anyway. Your cheeks warmed at her attention and you crossed your legs, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Alexia–the way she bit her lower lip made it known to you she knew just what she was doing to you–before you casted your eyes aside, down to the floor. “Don’t be an ass about it.”

At the sound of clothes rustling, you looked back up only to find Alexia had already crossed the distance and now stood an arm’s length away. Your body, always in tune to her presence, parted your legs before you could think better of it and Alexia claimed what little space between you, her knees now against the edge of the chair.

She planted both hands on either side of your chair’s arms as she leant down, craning her neck so that you could feel the warmth of her breath against your cheek.

“I’m being serious.”

The words were whispered so close to your lips that you could feel the heat of hers as they brushed over yours.

“I tried. But you… you had others, didn’t you? I saw the photos.” You tilted your head, relished the way Alexia followed and ghosted over your lips as you did so, whispering the words against her jaw.

She shivered.

“One. Just the one before I read your notes.” And she leant in again and this time, you could almost taste her lips from how close she was to you. “She never touched me. And besides, who do you think she looked like?”

An image of the woman came to your mind. You didn’t realise it then but now her resemblance to you became apparent: the colour of her hair and the length of it, the colour of her eyes, her height. They were all similar to you.

“But you touched her.” It wasn’t a question and the silence that followed was confirmation enough. You didn’t hold that against her–couldn’t–but it hurt you still. You didn’t even know you’d teared up until Alexia swept her thumb over the corner of your eye, soft and careful; apologetic. And then a fire sparked in you, an all consuming green that prompted you to ghost your lips back to Alexia’s neck. You didn’t miss the way her pulse jumped when you left a light kiss there.

“Tell me, Ale. Did she feel better than me?”

“No,” Alexia choked out and the heat of it warmed your ear.

A kiss to the corner of her jaw. “Did she moan your name like I did?”

“No.”

You placed another kiss to the lobe of her ear before you whispered, low and cruel, and obscenely shameless.

“Did she come for you like I did?”

That did it.

Alexia took the back of your head in her hand and pulled you in for a kiss. A soft moan left your mouth–or was it from Alexia–as you surrendered to her heat, melting instantly and lips parting for her and her only. You felt her other hand creep down to the small of your back where she pulled you forward, urging you to stand up. When you did, and without breaking the kiss, Alexia manoeuvred the both of you until you felt the soft texture of the couch against the skin of your calves.

You pulled away with a gasp and before Alexia could upon her eyes, you stepped aside and pushed her just enough for her to end up on the couch, eyes flying in surprise at the sudden change of position. She opened her mouth, as if to protest, but she quickly shut it when you straddled her lap, hands automatically over her jaw and neck as you sank into her lips again.

Alexia dragged her lips away from yours and you were about to sigh in disappointment until you felt her tracing the lobe of your ear with her tongue. Then she nipped along your jaw as she whispered, a smile clear in her voice, “that’s right… You like being on top.”

You shivered as her hands traced your silhouette but when you felt her hands move from your ass to the edge of your shirt, brushing against the skin of your back with clear intentions, the haze lifted immediately as apprehension filled you. The words didn’t even leave your mouth before Alexia stopped her ministrations, pulling away from your lips gently, and she opened her eyes, which revealed at first the deep desire in them, now replaced with concern as she met your gaze.

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

Shaking your head, you placed a slow, lingering kiss on her lips before you broke away again, breathing heavily as you rested your forehead on hers.

“I’m sorry. And no, you didn’t. It’s not that I don’t want you because I do. God, I want you so much, you don’t even know, but I’m not–I think we’re going too fast and Elisa…” You trailed off, cheeks warming.

Without another word, Alexia fixed the hem of your shirt so the strip of exposed skin was covered, and placed a tender kiss on your cheek. Then she shifted beneath you, shrugged off her leather jacket and placed it on the coffee table, before she lied down.

A gentle hand on your back urged you down on her chest and upon doing so, you sighed as a sense of peace washed over you and you found yourself sinking into her tender warmth, into the safety of her arms wrapped around your waist.

She brushed back hair from your temple and you felt the flutter of her hum against your cheek before you heard it. “Are you comfortable?”

The gesture made you ache and you feared your words would fail you if you spoke so you only nodded, nuzzling the column of her neck with your nose and placed a kiss there as a form of gratitude.

Alexia pressed her lips on top of your head and then you heard her sigh, content. “Good.”

#ap11 #not proofread #mine #my writing #a/n:#i told yall last time words will be spoken so here they are finally #kept changing my mind on where to put some of the scenes/dialogues. i cut out a pretty juicy one from this part for future use (hopefully)#dead tired but i finished it yall 🥲 i dont have fresh eyes atm so extra sorry for any mistakes in grammar/prose/spelling etc.#hope you guys like this and would love to know what you think about the story so far #woso x reader #alexia putellas x reader

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