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badbatchsprincess · 2 days

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Heated ~ pt.8

Pt.1 ~ Pt.2 ~ Pt.3 ~ Pt.4 ~ Pt.5 ~ Pt.6 ~ Pt.7 ~ Pt.8

Masterlist

Summary: This is an ABO Bad batch!Poly x Omega Reader smut with a plot. This takes place as an AU before order 66. Y/N previously served under the 501st before being transferred to Special Forces 99. This is her adventure with these rowdy Alphas in a quickly changing universe.

THIS IS AN ABO AU ABOUT THE BAD BATCH (NO CANON OMEGA!) Due to the unfortunate situation of her name being Omega… Omega the child from the canon series is not going to be apart of this fanfic/porn with a plot. I feel obligated to put this warning in because it makes my skin crawl thinking anyone could make that mistake.

Warnings: Kidnapping, themes of Non!Con! beware, canon type violence, Y/N badassery, murder, Crosshair is turned on by Y/N committing murder, sorry but we know he would be, I don't make the rules I just enforce them.

I don't know why I loved writing this chapter so much it was so fun like imagining and creating a civilization in the star wars vibes. Also having a tiny homage to slave Leia iconic outfit lol don't mind me.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Still recovering from your heat, this long ride to wherever the Mimbanese were taking you was wearing you down. You shifted uncomfortably, feeling incredibly sore between your thighs, not to mention the pain in the rest of your body. Having four alphas at your disposal for a week had done sinful things to your poor body.

To say you were sore was an understatement.

Now your back was starting to hurt as his rifle bit into your spine with every gallop.

You had planned to lounge around for a few days before expecting to properly get back on your feet, but your plans had been derailed and now you were in the hands of a stranger and a strange people.

You were aware of the fact you were experiencing anxiety, but the last remaining embers of your heart still licked at your hindbrain dulling your senses a bit. All you could think about were your alphas.

They must be so worried.

~~~

The red clay earth rapidly changed, and soon a lush jungle neared you. The other riders sped up, forcing a tight formation as the animals approached an opening in the jungle wall. As you passed through, you noticed the flora and fauna matched the red and oranges of the mud fields too. Over the thundering sound of hooves, you could hear bird species screeching in the trees above and a rustling as the leaves danced in the wind.

You were trying to take everything in knowing this information may serve in your escape.

It didn’t take long for you to reach a clearing.

Upon approach, you watched the jungle reveal a massive stone wall that seemed to go on forever. You gawked as massive gates opened, allowing the war party to pass through before closing behind you with a massive locking mechanism falling into place.

You looked around, noticing villagers everywhere watching you strangely as the clan leader continued on his path to wherever he was taking you. You looked nothing like them; you were positive that's why they were staring so intensely. Then you realized the clan leader was taking you somewhere specific.

Up ahead, there was another tall wall inside the perimeter wall. More guards opened up the double doors, and you gasped.

Inside, there was a massive temple surrounded by gardens and billowing trees taller than those in the jungle outside the city.

All around these grounds were other females clad in crimson fabrics pausing what they were doing to watch you.

The Clan leader trotted to a stop, allowing you to take in the sight in its totality.

You were suddenly lifted from the saddle and settled into the grass below.

You looked around frantically, trying to find a potential escape, but you were greeted by other women… some human… you looked at them confused before they parted, making room for a smaller Mimban elder who scuttled over to you. You sucked in a breath as she approached.

She exchanged some words with the clan leader, who bowed his head in respect to the woman. She pushed forward, analyzing you with a scrutinizing eye. The clan leader then seemed to be explaining his actions while gesturing to you.

You swallowed thickly, feeling your anxiety eclipse whatever numbness you might of had.

She then took your hand into hers and studied the bruises around your wrist. You were certain those belonged to Tech. Then she clicked her tongue as she moved your collar to see Crosshair’s love bites.

She turned to the other women and said something before turning back to the temple. Very quickly, they flocked to you. You squeaked as they gently pushed you to follow the elderly woman, suddenly running their hands over your own in a friendly manner.

"Where are you taking me?" You asked, hoping they might understand basic.

One of the human girls whispered, "Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. It’s safe here."

You just looked at her, studying her face. It was painted with red designs, and her hair was plated back, showing off her dainty neck and collarbones. She donned a flowing red dress with luxurious-looking fabrics showing off her pale skin.

"Where is here?" You asked as the temple entrance approached. "I want to go home. Tell them to take me back to my pack."

"Are you mated?" She asked, taking your hand.

You shook your head no.

"Then you’re better off here," she nodded.

"But my alphas…" You whined, stepping inside the ancient building. The stone walls instantly made the temperature drop ten degrees and you shivered.

"They’ll understand soon," she gave you a sweet smile, taking the lead bringing you to the heart of the temple grounds.

~~~

"We gotta follow them!" Wrecker roared, feeling like his insides were being torn apart.

Like his brothers, he was horrified to watch you be wrenched from them. Taken from the nest with brute force.

"We are, Wrecker!" Tech snarled, looking at his data pad.

"They just took her! They fucking took her!" Crosshair was losing his mind. For the sniper engineered to be patient and still, it seemed his alpha instincts overrode his basic programming. He couldn’t deny the way his skin crawled with worry.

"What do they want with her?" Wrecker winced. "Why would they take Y/N?"

"I don’t even want to think about that," Crosshair hissed as his thoughts went to the absolute worst.

"Do you have their position?" Echo asked, looking to Tech.

"I do." He showed everyone his datapad. During the struggle, when he realized you were being taken from them, he slipped a tracker onto one of the guards. "It seems they took her to a city called Alise."

"How far?" Hunter growled.

"A few hours on foot," Tech replied, doing the math in his head, “We might be able to get there by sun down.”

"Let’s pack up and get moving," Hunter sprung into action.

They geared up and restocked their supplies before following the endless sets of hoof marks in the clay earth. Crosshair and Hunter hadn’t seen anything when they scouted a few days ago. He was hoping Tech’s info was correct.

~~~

"I- Ah!" You screamed as the Mimbanese women plunged you under the warm bathwater. You came back up coughing and sputtering, trying to wipe your eyes to see.

They had brought you to a natural hot spring inside the temple, and without warning, had stripped you down to your birthday suit. You didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed before you were being guided to the water, where they swarmed you with various scrubbing tools and soaps.

You looked up at the girl who had spoken to you moments before, but she just curled up on a fabric draped lounger with her friend while they talked, as if you weren’t being waterboarded by strangers just a few mere feet away.

You looked around, noticing there were only women here. The temple seemed to be a sacred space of sorts, as more of that same fabric was draped around the columns and ceilings. The floors were covered in red carpets, and lounging furniture was littered everywhere.

A warm cloth was brought to your skin as some sort of exfoliating cream was buffed into your flesh. More skilled hands worked some hair cleanser into your scalp. You fought back a sigh. It felt really nice to have someone else clean you.

It’s not like your alphas didn’t care for you, but they’re still men at the end of the day, and their hair washing skills were limited.

The warmed mineral water was doing wonders for your soreness. If anything, that made this a little enjoyable you felt yourself disarm a bit at their touch.

When they were satisfied with the job, they helped you out before cleaning themselves. You were brought over to the girl from before, and she stood up, extending a hand to you. You wrapped the crimson fabric around yourself a little tighter as she led you out to one of the windows. Here, were multiple vanity tables with mirrors and various creams and potions. She sat you down as her friend perched herself on the stool next to you with a kind smile.

"What is your name?" She asked, picking up a wooden comb from the table.

"I’m Y/N," you said quietly.

"Hi Y/N, I’m Taryn," she then gestured to her friend who had golden hair, "That’s Starla.”

"Where am I?" You asked, rubbing the fabric wrapping over your damp face.

"The city is called Alise," Taryn said, moving your hair to your back as she started gently running the comb through your tangled locks, "But this place is called the fortress." She waved the comb around at the temple.

"Why was I taken?" You shivered, fighting back tears. The only thing you wanted was to be in the arms of your alphas in your comforting nest right now.

"Tarook said he found you in the mud fields?" Taryn said, watching you nod in confirmation. "Anywhere outside the fortress isn’t safe for the women. They built this place to keep us safe."

"What’s in the mud fields?" You asked.

"Monsters," Starla said gravely, and you gasped.

Taryn gave her a disapproving look, "The men keep us safe here. They bring us everything we could need. There’s no need to worry."

"Can I leave?" You asked, and Taryn just eyed you through the mirror.

That was a no, you guessed.

"Who are these women?" You looked around.

"The elders, mothers, and the unmated," Starla said, "This place is a sacred site to their religion, but they use it now to protect us from the outside."

"Do the men ever come here?"

"Partners, sure. But not unless they’re mated. This place is just for us."

Taryn finished off a simple braid going down the back of your head and tied off the ends before standing to get Starla’s help finding you something new to wear. When they came back, they held various pieces of crimson fabric, and they got to work wrapping you in it.

You were thankful they covered your private bits, but the rest they let be exposed. The pieces all flowed into a skirt but left large slits on both sides trailing all the way up to your hips. The Mimban breeze blew the fabric softly and teased your legs.

You looked in the mirror, hardly recognizing yourself. You couldn’t remember the last time you had a dress on nonetheless something like this. You felt like one of the pin ups on in five’s bunk.

"So you blend in," Starla smiled and grabbed one of the pots on the vanity. She dunked her fingers in the red paste and brought it over to your face where she drew two thick lines from under your eyes all the way down your cheeks to your neck.

"You have an alpha?" She asked, noticing the love bites decorating your shoulder.

"Four. Actually," you were hit with sudden sadness, hoping you get to see them again.

"Four?" Starla’s eyes widened in shock but slightly impressed.

"Well, actually, there’s a fifth, but he’s platonic," you sighed, fighting back tears.

"Tarook took you from them?" She asked, a little horrified.

You nodded, "They tried to stop him, but there were too many."

Starla looked to Taryn, who looked a little distraught at the idea.

"That would explain these," Taryn picked up your wrist gently.

"I had just gotten through my heat when I was taken from them," you felt a tear slip, "I just want to go home." You gave them your best begging eyes hoping they’d take pity on you.

They sighed, sympathizing but in the end nothing came of it.

"I’m wondering if Tarook thought you had been hurt," she turned over your bruised wrists, "He might be strict, but he does care for us."

"My alphas are warriors. They can be a little rough, but they’d never hurt me," you sighed, pulling your wrists back and holding them close to your heart, "I don’t understand why your leader would do this."

"The fields are close to the Alooke," Taryn said.

"The Alooke?" You hadn’t heard that word before.

"They’re a clan of monsters," Starla whispered, "They’ve been terrorizing Mimban for generations. Alise was built to keep them out. They came from a nearby star system and have been taking the Mimbanese and killing them for sport."

"If you’re taken. You don’t come back," Taryn sighed.

You swallowed thickly, wondering how lucky you had been for the past two weeks.

"They particularly target women and children," Starla said, gesturing to all of the women moving about the temple, "That’s why they built the fortress."

"But you’re prisoners," you whispered.

"It’s better than the alternative, and we’re treated well."

You sighed in frustration. This was archaic, no matter the reasoning. A cage was still a cage regardless of title.

You had to get out of here. Alooke be damned.

"Will you show me around?" You asked, watching some of the elders locking arms and walking through the various corridors. You needed to learn this place and learn it fast if you were going to make an escape.

"Sure," they smiled and did the same. The three of you left the bathhouse to explore the inner city.

It was a lot larger than you had realized.

The inner city had multiple temples and many smaller private living domiciles. They showed you their rooms that they share with a few other human girls on the upper floor of the smaller western temple.

Between these ancient buildings, the gardens flowed along with a river that cut through the center of the city. The inner city was big enough you couldn’t see the walls from the other side. It gave the illusion that you weren’t trapped in a cage. It seemed like two thousand women resided here from what you estimated. They all wore the same color and had similar face paintings.

They seemed to be content. They laughed and gathered playing games you had never seen before in the little grass areas. There was an abundance of fruiting trees and gardens.

It almost seemed… like a utopia? No wonder they had no desire so leave.

Starla and Taryn found an empty bench under a huge tree and plucked a few fruits from a nearby basket handing one to you. It was a perfectly ripe meiloorun.

"Women from outside Mimban usually have an occupation," Taryn said, biting into the juicy fruit, "What do you do?"

“I’m a medic for the Grand Army of the Republic," you bit into the fruit, moaning at how sweet it was. You hadn’t had a fresh meiloorun in years, and the GAR ration packs tasted nothing like this, "I was stationed with the 501st battalion for a few years since the start of the war, then I transferred to my unit now. They’re a small group of commando soldiers. We’re sent on special missions that the other soldiers can’t do."

"Wow," Starla said in wonder, "So you’ve been all over the galaxy?"

You nodded, "I’ve been to many places. Each a little stranger than the next," you laughed quietly.

"Do you enjoy it?" Taryn asked with a hint of skepticism, "It sounds dangerous."

"Sure it’s dangerous," you smiled, remembering all of the adventures you’ve been on, "We’ve encountered pretty much anything you could think of. It is kind of nice not being shot at, I’ll admit. But I love my boys, and they work really hard for the GAR."

"War is hard," Starla sighed.

"It is," you agreed, "How did you both end up here?"

"My family was trying to flee Separatist occupation when I was brought here as a child," Starla explained, "The Alooke took them, and the elders took me in and raised me here."

"Similar story for me too. My family tried to rebuild a new life here when the Separatists showed up to try and start up a mining operation. Republic forces got us out in time. My mother is mated and lives in the outer ring with my father," she gestured to the gates.

“You know the GAR?” you asked.

Taryn nodded. “The clones, right?”

“Yeah,” you smiled.

“Brave warriors,” she nodded.

“I wonder if it was my boys,” you laughed. “What color were their armor?”

“Green,” she reminisced.

“Ahh no, that wasn’t us.”

“How crazy would that have been,” she smiled, taking your hand and resting it in her lap.

As the crimson moon rose, the inner city of Alise was cast into eerie darkness. Torches and lanterns were lit to keep the gardens out of darkness. You were all summoned to dinner with a sound bell ringing from the main temple.

You and your new friends made your way through the gardens before stepping up the temple steps to wash your feet and hands before entering.

Once inside, you smiled seeing how many women of all ages gathered, including children. They played music, danced, and sung while the others ate. It was shocking to see, but nonetheless, it made you happy. There weren’t many places in the universe like this you realized.

Starla grabbed your hand and led you over to where the prepared food was. It consisted of some things you’d never seen before, but she eagerly filled your plate before her own and marched you three over to a pile of stacked pillows to lounge on and watch the festivities.

“Is it always like this?” you asked, digging into the delicious food.

“Yeah,” Taryn smiled. “We have a very close community.”

“I can tell,” you smiled. Okay, fine, maybe Mimban wasn’t so bad. You were slapping yourself for being too judgmental. It must be the hormones.

~~~

"I don't see her," Crosshair remarked, peering down his scope at the massive city below. The rocky hillside they perched on provided a perfect view over the jungle.

"There are two rings," Tech informed, looking at his data pad. "The inner ring has ancient Jedi temples. I think she'd be in the outer ring; that seems to be where the villagers live."

"Jedi?" Wrecker asked, pulling out his scope.

"Yes, that's what I said," Tech replied, grabbing his own to peer down.

"Notice anything strange about this town?" Crosshair drawled clearly noticing something.

"What..." Hunter zoomed in with his lenses.

"There are only men," Crosshair observed, moving his scope to survey the rest of the city.

"Where are the women?" Hunter asked noticing the crowd in the streets is only men.

"What's that?" Wrecker asked, ignoring Hunter's question.

"What's what?" Hunter looked to Wrecker.

"The temples," Wrecker zoomed in. "There are people walking around."

Crosshair honed in on the flickering lanterns of the temple. "The women…”

They all adjusted their macro binoculars to focus on the inner city. That's when they saw all of the women happily skipping towards the main temple grounds, holding hands and dancing to what they assumed was music. They were covered head to toe in crimson, looking joyous and happy.

"She has to be there," Hunter declared.

"Assuming the clan leader isn't holding her hostage himself," Crosshair added, not entirely convinced.

"I don't think he would," Tech interjected, reading through the information about the Mimabnese. "I think Alise was built to protect their women. It says here that they have a long history of battling off a pirate stronghold called the Alooke. The pirates colonized this land and have been enemies of the indigenous for many generations, stealing their women for breeding."

Hunter didn’t like the sound of that one bit…

"So, you think they're keeping her in that temple?" Crosshair asked, looking through the various corridors from the outside. He couldn't really tell the difference between the various females; they were all wearing the same thing.

"Most likely," Tech affirmed.

"Alright, let's get moving before—"

Crosshair cut off Hunter, "We got movement in the north."

On the other side of the city, a dust cloud formed in the distance. Upon closer inspection, they noticed dozens of speeders making their way from the direction of the Marauder.

"You don't think they found our ship, do you?" Echo was getting a little worried now.

"It would be likely," Tech informed. "I'm guessing it's those pirates."

"They didn't bother us for two weeks. I don't think it's reasonable to think they'd start today of all days," Hunter watched them heading full speed for the city.

"What did that guy say to us earlier?" Echo narrowed his eyes through his binoculars before turning to face his squad. "He said that this place was no place for a female. Then he took Y/N…”

"Don't remind me," Hunter said, growing angry.

"No, I think he knew they'd come."

Crosshair crossed his arms. "We were sitting ducks for two weeks. If they were going to raid us and take Y/N, they would have done it already."

"Not if they didn't know she was there," Echo pointed out.

Suddenly, they realized you barely left the ship because of how upset you had been after the crash. The only time you had left was to help push the ship in the earlier days.

Echo pointed to the city again, "You saw their reaction when she popped her head out. They were shocked, and they had been watching us for who knows how long before I noticed."

"You think they saw her go into the city?" Hunter asked.

"She was fresh out of heat. No doubt they're hunting her scent trail," Echo's mechanical heart started beating a little faster, realizing you had probably unintentionally led them right to the hidden city.

"Why would they attack the city? It's massively fortified," Crosshair noted, observing all of the sentries patrolling the upper rim of the walls and the guard towers looking outwards. There were only two gates, one on the north end and one on the south. The place was like the citadel. "They'll sustain massive casualties."

Echo shrugged. "Maybe for an omega, they would risk it?"

"Then we need to go," Hunter stood up, grabbing his pack. “Now."

~~~

You smiled, holding hands with the little girl who led you around the dance floor. You didn’t know why the little Twi'lek girl picked you, but you couldn’t deny her. Her mother seemed content letting her play with you, so you just smiled and followed her lead.

Starla and Taryn clapped along with the music, giggling as they watched you enjoy yourself.

When the song was over, it seemed that everyone was eager to retire to bed.

The girls walked with you back to where you’d be staying with them until the this whole thing can be resolved.

Once inside the large converted bedroom, they helped you build a pallet of pillows and blankets like their own by the breezy airway.

You washed up before bed in one of the metal basins, and Starla helped you take the pins out of your hair, freeing your now dry and clean locks.

With a quiet goodnight, you curled up on the pallet and pulled the woven blanket up over you.

You sighed, feeling a bit of anxiety over the whole situation. Dinner was a good distraction, but now that you were left to listen to the river down below and the call of the night birds, you were left with your own thoughts.

Were your alphas coming for you? Were they already here? Or were they injured in the struggle?

What if they needed you to heal them and you weren’t there? You were starting to feel the tears again as the pull of your heart pained in your chest. You knew they were coming.

They always came for you.

You tried your hardest to find a comfortable spot that would allow you to close your eyes and try to forget the situation you were in, but you couldn’t help but hear some kind of commotion outside.

It was like there was a shift in energy, and it forced you up into a seated position. You looked around at the other girls, but they seemed to be comfortably asleep, not hearing what you were.

Something made the hair stand up on the back of your neck as you tried your hardest to listen. You wished you had Hunter’s hearing, but whatever was making your body alert, you knew it wasn’t good.

Standing up, you wrapped the blanket around yourself and stepped out from under the cover of the marble columns onto the exposed patio. Your hair whipped around in the breeze as you looked out over the inner city.

The torches and lanterns danced in the breeze, casting orange light everywhere. That's when you noticed something moving in the distance: the wall just off to the right had guards jogging back and forth, guns in hand.

You narrowed your eyes, making sure you were seeing the right thing, when you felt Starla near, rubbing her eyes and approaching you. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

“Something’s wrong,” you replied, pointing to the wall guards.

She squinted her eyes, trying to see in the dark. When she realized the guards were not in their normal watch positions, she gasped and skittered back into the room, waking Taryn.

Was it your alphas? You wondered, feeling a bit of hope fill your chest. They were coming to rescue you from this gilded cage.

Taryn awoke a little grumbly, but her attitude changed when she finally saw what was happening.

“There’s been a breach,” her eyes widened like saucers. “Go warn the others,” she turned to Starla, who sprinted out of the room.

“What do we do?” you asked, stepping back from the patio and back into the bedroom.

“We hide,” she said, leading the way to a red carpet hanging on the wall.

“Do you have weapons?” you asked.

She just gave you a look.

“This place is so ass-backwards,” you shook your head and followed her as she lifted back the tapestry, revealing a narrow passageway.

From beyond the stone walls, you heard a loud warning siren go off, letting you know Starla was successful. The blonde came running back shortly after, squeezing into the passageway with the two of you.

Just beyond the narrow pass was a small room with a candle and matches, which Taryn lit to light up the room.

From inside, you could see the ancient carvings from a time long ago. It seemed like a meditation room if you were correct. There were star maps of the entire galaxy and ancient primordial beings that seemed to be carefully depicting the beginning of the Jedi.

You’d seen this particular mural before on Coruscant… This place was a Jedi temple?

Your thoughts were cut short by the sound of blaster fire.

The two girls yelped upon hearing it, but you were just trying to figure out how many guns were firing. It was way more than five, you deduced. It wasn’t your boys; that was for certain.

This was something else entirely.

“We need weapons,” you whispered.

“We’ll be fine,” Taryn held Starla close, trying to console the girl. “They’ve never made it to the inner city before.”

“We don’t even know how to use blasters,” Starla trembled.

“Well, I do. We won’t last long without them if whoever that is out there is as bad as you say they are,” you were listening to the gunfire and the screaming.

These were all sounds you were used to, and something was telling you this was no normal siege. It was starting to sound like the front lines of Felucia.

“They won’t find us here,” Taryn’s tone was confident despite her panicked features.

You just sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting for the blasters to silence.

~~~

Hunter was panting heavily by the time they made it to the outer wall. “The pirates have drawn their fire. Let’s get up there before they come back,” he said.

Crosshair loaded a repelling cable into firepuncher and pulled the trigger, watching it latch onto the rim of the upper wall.

Quickly, the five soldiers scaled the wall like they had hundreds of times before. Hunter hauled himself up first, checking if the coast was clear. When it was, he motioned for the others to swing over the edge, grouping up into formation as they jogged in the opposite direction of the action.

Just as Crosshair had said, there were only men in the outer ring, and they all seemed keen on grabbing their weapons to join the fight.

From what they could see from the wall, the pirates managed to make it past the blockades with some kind of repurposed Separatist battering ram. It must have been left over from a previous battle.

“Over here!” Echo called out, finding a stone stairway that led down into the city below. They began quickly running down the large flight of stairs. That was until the battering ram sounded again.

“They’ve breached the inner city,” Tech said, using his infrared to see how many pirates were trying to rush the guards into the temple grounds. Luckily, most of them were being held back by the Mimbanese, and only a small handful slipped through.

“We need to hurry,” Echo urged.

~~~

The noises suddenly changed when you heard a massive pounding. It sounded like metal on metal, and you knew they were going for the massive doors protecting the inner city.

“They’re coming,” you said, slipping out of the shelter to confirm your suspicion. Taryn tried to grab you, but you were too fast. Nudging past the tapestry, you jogged over to the balcony, peeking out slightly just to see the gate had been basically disintegrated, and the guards were openly firing against a horde of what you could tell were pirates—the Alooke.

Running back to the safe place, you very carefully arranged the tapestry back to normal as you slipped back inside.

“They’re inside,” you whispered, blowing out the candle, leaving you in total darkness.

Starla started whimpering like a scared pup. You put your hand on her shoulder, trying to quiet her, but it wasn’t helping much.

You flinched when you heard women’s screams echo throughout the hall and knew they had infiltrated the temple and they were close.

It wasn’t long before they’d kick down your door. You just prayed they would move on and not notice your hiding spot.

You closed your eyes, saying a silent prayer to the Maker, hoping they’d take mercy on you.

You jumped when you heard the wood of your bedroom door smash open into the stone wall with a bone chilling bang.

Taryn covered Starla's mouth with her hand, keeping her silent. You took a deep breath, trying to still the racing adrenaline in your body so you could hear over the pounding in your ears.

You heard the man tear apart the room, throwing everything around, growling as he yanked apart the bed pallets frustrated.

“I can smell you… Omega,” he rumbled, making your stomach drop. “I know you’re in here. I know you’re close…”

He continued destroying the room, knocking over the furniture and smashing the pottery of flowers, and you cursed yourself for not thinking about the fact you were totally unmedicated and nothing was suppressing your scent. You were positive it was pungent.

“I smell alpha on you too,” he chuckled, “too bad he’s not here to save you,” he threatened.

You heard his boots getting closer to the tapestry as he rooted around in the box of body jewelry next to your hiding spot.

You looked to the two cowering girls. You knew what you had to do. You knew it was a matter of time before he discovered you. At least if you acted now, you’d have the element of surprise.

Leaning forward, you grabbed the metal candlestick and flipped it upside down before returning to the narrow passageway.

Taryn tried to plead with you, but you just shook your head, trying to convey that you had a plan… kind of… you knew Hunter was absolutely going to chew you a new one if he ever found out you were this dumb.

Nudging the tapestry aside, you saw the ugly creature prowling around the center of the room, admiring all the gold shiny jewelry he had found.

Adjusting your grip slightly on the candle holder, you crept forwards silently, leaving the safety of your hiding spot and approached him in practiced silence.

Rearing back, you went to make the swing and brought down your makeshift club hard, connecting with his wrinkly head. He let out a bark and doubled over, feeling his blood start to rush from the injury.

You raised your arm again to finish the job. He was quick enough to spin around and grab your wrist, holding the weapon. You yelped as he squeezed, forcing you to drop it.

“There you are!” he spat, “Nice of you to come out. You’ll do well. Onka will be pleased to have a new toy.” His free hand shot out to grab at your throat, and something in that moment changed, and suddenly your weeks of combat training kicked in like instinct.

With a growl, you dodged his hand and used your knee to hit him in the gut. He grunted and tried to wrangle you again, but this time you spun around and used your weight to roll him over your back onto the wooden lounging table. He let go of your wrist as he collided with the hard surface, forcing his back into a painful arch with a pop.

You backed up and arched your leg into a high kick, bringing down your heel to his sternum. You heard a crack and knew you hit your target. The man wailed in agony, gripping at his chest as it was no doubt broken.

It was loud enough. Another man entered the room curiously to find you standing over his comrade. You only had a second to react before he rushed you. Grabbing a large metal dish Starla used to hold her combs, you reared that thing back before whipping it across the pursuer's face.

He snapped to the side, spinning around, trying to recover from the strike.

His cheek was bleeding, and you were panting. Thankful for the freedom of movement this makeshift dress offered, you got back into a fighting stance, waiting for his move.

“An omega that can fight,” he sneered, raising his fists, “That’s new.”

“You have no idea,” you adjusted your grip on the plate.

He narrowed his eyes, studying you before he flinched. You decided he was taking too long to make a move and flung the plate at him like a frisbee, watching it connect with his neck. He stumbled back, shocked and struggling to breathe, when you launched yourself at him like a wild tooka.

Just like Hunter had showed you, you leaped up onto him, wrapping your bare legs around his shoulder and chest before twisting yourself down, taking him with you.

Hunter always told you that because you’re smaller, you have to bring the fight down to the ground if you want a chance at winning. You knew you had to keep this man on the ground or else he could over power you.

You rolled, throwing him into a spin on the ground. He grunted and reached out, grabbing your bare ankle, yanking you down with him. He tried crawling over you, but you kicked him in the side of the face, hearing his jaw snap viciously.

You crawled away, grabbing one of Taryn’s hair forks, holding it like a shiv.

When he tried to grab you again, you spun on him, driving the fork into his arm and twisted, hearing him scream in agony.

Just as you thought you were making some headway, the one from before got up, grabbed you by the hair, dragging you out onto the balcony and away from his friend. You screamed, feeling the burning pain as he yanked on your locks mercilessly.

“You’re one hell of a problem, aren’t you, sweetheart!” he grabbed your neck, squeezing it harshly. You scrambled and clawed at him feeling the oxygen start to leave you.

You spat at him, watching it land on his face and drip down his scaly cheek.

“Feisty,” his friend laughed, pulling the fork from his arm and letting it fall with a clatter.

The other let go of your hair to wipe his face off.

“I’m fucking her first before we give her to Onka.” He snarled, “fucking payback for the struggle.”

You bared your teeth and he just laughed spinning you around forcing you over the balcony railing at the hip. You kicked back connecting with this shin making him howl. He grabbed your hair again, smashing your face into the stone roughly.

“Damn bitch!” He started running his hand over your hip before reaching the high slit in your dress.

Just as you thought it was all over, you heard the sound of a single blaster shot and the tell tale sound of a body hitting the ground.

You couldn’t see what was happening but you nearly cried when you heard a familiar voice.

“Fucking drop her.” Crosshair’s menacing voice cut through the air like a vibroblade.

You were suddenly yanked up and whipped around, being used as a human shield. In front of you, you sighed in relief upon seeing Crosshair’s mask and firepuncher aimed right at your attacker. He slowly approached, stepping over the dead pirate.

You felt dull metal being pressed to your head, and you knew it was a blaster. “Don’t come any closer,” the pirate warned.

Crosshair stopped his advance and stood scarily still.

“Is this the alpha I could smell on you earlier, sweetheart?” He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “What a pretty little thing you are, so many men fighting to have you.”

Normally, you would have been frightened to be in a situation like this, but looking at Crosshair now, you knew no harm would befall you. You knew he would do what needed to be done. You had full trust in the sniper.

Your tense shoulders fell, and you became eerily relaxed feeling the calm wash over you.

“Hand her over, and I’ll let you live,” Crosshair spoke through his vocoder.

“No chance,” the pirate laughed before coughing due to his fractured sternum, “Put down your gun, and I won’t shoot her.”

Crosshair waited a moment, calculating the risk before deciding to slowly set firepuncher down on the ground, deciding your life was the top priority.

“Kick it to me,” the pirate ordered.

Crosshair begrudgingly kicked his beloved rifle into the center of the room. The pirate huffed, satisfied.

You were then violently shoved down onto your knees with a cry as the pirate pushed you over to have a go at Crosshair. You felt his steel-toe boot bite into your side as he kicked you.

The Pirate wasn’t ready; Crosshair was too fast, too trained. Before his boot had ever left your side, Crosshair lunged at him, knocking the blaster from his grip. The two men fell into a nasty brawl.

Gaining your senses back, you watched your beloved alpha fend off the pirate to the best of his ability.

The ugly fucker grabbed a knife from his belt and swung it at Cross. You watched in horror as Crosshair dodged him masterfully, but your adrenaline was on overdrive.

Without much thinking, you crawled over the debris of the room and grabbed firepuncher. You held up the rifle, tucking it into your shoulder and raising yourself to your knees, bringing one foot forward to plant confidently on the floor.

Raising the gun up into the air, you felt your heart calm and your breathing still.

In that brief moment of clarity, you aimed the weapon, putting the god-ugly pirate into the crosshairs of the scope before pulling the trigger.

You watched that blue plasma bolt pierce right through the back of the pirate’s skull as he collapsed on the ground mid-swing.

Crosshair stood there in awe as the smoke from the blast still lingered in the air. He felt like the air had been punched from his gut seeing you kneeling there holding his gun with that determined look in your eyes. He felt the blood rush south realizing you had just saved him... with his gun. He wanted to throw you down on these cushioned floors and ravash you. Shaking himself back to his senses, he took a deep calming breath in.

You took a deep breath too, setting the gun down as Crosshair leaped across the room to kneel down on the floor and embrace you.

You tightly wrung yourself around him, finally feeling the adrenaline wear off and the tears start to flow.

“Cross!” You sobbed, squeezing him.

“Mesh’la,” he took his helmet off, setting it down to the side, and shoved his face into your neck, holding your head like you were the most precious thing to ever live.

“Are you hurt?” He suddenly drew back to get a real look at you. He finally had a second to take in what you were wearing. If the situation wasn’t so dire, he’d probably have a boner right now.

Your bare legs knelt on the ground, and your nearly naked torso shone in the moonlight, and that damn red on you. It was making his blood warm seeing his little omega on display like this.

“I’m okay,” you replied, grabbing his face and bringing his mouth to yours in a heated kiss. He leaned over you, supporting your back with one hand and holding the two of you up with the other, he squeezed you tightly to his chest plate.

“Y/N?”

Crosshair grabbed his gun in a flash between your bodies, placing the end on his shoulder rifle rest for stabilization. You were still dazed from the kiss when you noticed the others had come out from hiding.

Taryn and Starla squeaked with the gun being pointed at them clutching onto one another.

“It’s okay,” you said, placing a hand on the rifle, “They’re friends.”

Crosshair slowly lowered the gun and looked back at you, “We need to go.”

“Where are the others?” You asked, letting Crosshair help you stand up. He put his helmet back on with a hiss.

“They’re fighting off the pirates. Echo spotted you from the balcony. I ran up here as fast as possible, but we have to go while we still can.”

“What about them?” You asked, looking to your frightened friends.

“We don’t have time,” he ushered you out towards the balcony.

You looked over your shoulder, pointing to the discarded pirate blasters, “Use those!” You pointed to the weapons. Taryn scrambled to grab them as Crosshair wrapped a strong arm around your back, bringing you to his front.

“Hold on adi’ka,” he said, aiming another repelling cable towards the floor above. You wrapped your arms around Crosshair as he engaged the lift, bringing the two of you off the ground. Once you were up, you noticed Echo squatting on the roof, firing at the wall filled with invaders.

“Echo!” You smiled, still holding onto Crosshair.

“Hey, Tiny!” He nodded at you, continuing to squeeze off more rounds, “Glad to see you… what the hell are you wearing?”

You looked down, forgetting about the strange revealing attire.

“Later!” Crosshair growled.

He grabbed a zip cable grip, placing it onto the zipline from the top of the temple over to the wall across the way.

“Don’t let go!” He said, grabbing you again.

“What?” You asked before squealing as he whisked you off your feet, letting the grip slide across the cable carrying you over the war zone towards the wall deck. He dropped the grip, landing the two of you safely on the wall. Your bare feet hit the stone with a stumble as you shook with renewed adrenaline.

“I got her,” Crosshair radioed in as Echo zip-lined across the gardens to the wall, “meet us at the rendezvous point.”

You felt Echo put a gloved hand on your shoulder before falling into formation, leading the way. Crosshair held your hand as he dragged you through the chaos. Fire and plasma blasts flew everywhere. The entire city was under siege. You watched in horror as the Mimbanese fought with everything they had.

They were fierce warriors; you could give them that credit despite their strange customs.

Your feet were definitely getting cut up from running over the debris, but you couldn’t feel much over the adrenaline. Before long, you were nearing the outer wall as Crosshair and Echo ducked behind a vendor cart, pressing you between them.

“Now what?” You asked, holding onto Echo’s flesh arm.

“We wait for Hunter,” Crosshair said, throwing one of his reflector pads on the wall to keep an eye on the action behind them.

A particularly loud explosion had you clenching onto Echo.

“I don’t know how you guys do this every day!” You flinched as more debris rained over the vendor cart.

“Part of the job, Cyra’ika,” Crosshair checked the locator on his vembrance, “They’re close.” He got up, holding his rifle ready to fire but lowered it seeing Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker arriving on stolen speeders.

When they pulled up, Crosshair led you to them. You went to throw yourself at Hunter, but Crosshair shoved you onto the back of his speeder instead, “Reunions later! Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

You snuggled up to Hunter’s back, clinging onto his armor as Crosshair slid in behind you. The Sargent gave your leg a little pad letting you know he was happy to see you.

Echo jumped onto Tech’s bike while Wrecker’s had two massive engine parts strapped to the back. Presumably stolen you deduced.

In a flash, Hunter whipped the speeder around, taking off, leaving the war zone behind.

You sped through the smoke as you neared the city gates. Crosshair kept a firm hand on your head, shoving your head down when a stray bullet whizzed by.

You gasped, seeing it explode into a basket of fruits to your left.

“Careful,” he growled.

You reached an arm back, putting it on his thigh plate, giving it a squeeze as a thank you.

Once you passed through the gates, you finally could release a big exhale. You watched the city of Alise disappearing into the background as Tech navigated you all back to the Marauder.

You knew it would be a long journey, but you finally felt free. You leaned back into Crosshair, letting your head lull against his shoulder.

He wrapped a hand around your waist, keeping you close. You were finally back with your pack, back with your alphas. Everything was right again…

You felt the way Crosshairs gloved fingers slipped onto the slit in the pathetic excuse for a dress you were wearing.

You could tell he disapproved as his fingers slid inwards realizing you had no panties on. But the other part of your grumpy alpha was turned on beyond belief.

Having you in his grasp again was making his heart race and his codpiece incredibly tight. He couldn’t help himself but to drag his hands away from you core and explore higher, he ran his hands over your exposed sides and back then up your chest to where Taryn had tied a flimsy piece over your breasts. Then he thumbed the piece that wrapped around your neck holding everything together.

You squirmed feeling yourself get wet the more Crosshair touched you. It didn’t help having the humming speeder between your legs as he returned back to massaging your exposed thighs.

Hunter felt you squirming around and tilted his helmet to the side to make sure you were okay. What he didn’t expect to see was you tucking your head into Crosshair’s neck under his helmet as he groped you shamelessly.

He shook his head going back to focusing on getting everyone back to the ship. He’d deal with Crosshair’s horny ass later.

~~~

What felt like an eternity later, the Marauder was finally in sight. When Hunter slowed down the bike to investigate the damage, it was apparent that a large group of raiders had been there.

There were footprints all around the ship, including inside. From what you could see, nothing seemed to be taken except for a few items of clothes strewn about outside, no doubt used to confirm your identity and scent.

“Stay here,” Hunter instructed as he got off the bike with the others to ensure the ship was indeed empty.

You stayed on the bike with Crosshair as he got up to take his helmet off and kiss you properly. You sighed into the kiss, feeling his firm grasp on your chin. His strong hands ran down your sides squeezing your exposed hips he stood between your spread thighs. You whimpered feeling a jolt electrify your entire being.

“Thank you,” you whispered, pressing a small kiss to his lips. “For finding me…”

“You put up a hell of a fight, Adi’ka,” he smiled, kissing you again, this time with more force, making you whine with need as he ground his hips into your throbbing core.

“Alright, quit making out,” Echo interjected, walking back towards the speeders.

You pulled away, blushing, letting Crosshair scowl at the ARC trooper for inturpting. You had heard about the post battle need to blow off steam. Some troopers went to 79’s to drink, some found hookers, and others well.. you weren’t entire sure. But you knew it was real, the adrenaline was making you want to jump Crosshair’s bones.

“What happened?” Echo asked, putting his hand on his hip. The others quickly returned, wanting to know as well. “Where are your shoes?” The arc trooper raised a brow.

“They took them,” you replied, looking down at your wrecked and bloody feet.

“Okay, start from the beginning,” Hunter said, kneeling down in front of you to look at your injuries, pulling a shard from the ball of your foot gently giving your ankle a little rub.

“That crazy man took me. His name was T-Tarook or Tanrock or something like that.” You waved you hand dismissively, “Then we were riding for hours on that stupid horse before we got to the city. Then they brought me to an old lady who took my clothes and forced me into a bathspring.

They dressed me, painted my face, then let me go into that garden prison. I met two human girls who had been victims of the war who ended up there with their families.

Nothing else really happened. They fed me and brought me into their community. There were so many I couldn’t believe it. Then they converted these old Jedi Temples into living spaces and that’s when Crosshair found me.

Well, actually the pirates found us first and I tried my best to fight them off, but in the end, Crosshair saved me. Echo and him got me out and now we're here… I still don’t know where my shoes are though,” you sighed, feeling exhausted; it had been a wild 48 hours.

“An old lady took your clothes?” Echo repeated amused.

You shook your head. “It was so strange.” You were trying to understand the whole ordeal.

“Does that explain that?” He gestured to your barely there attire. You nodded again crossing your arms over your hardened nipples.

“Looks like something the Hutts would like,” Hunter commented, crossing his arms.

“I’ve seen more clothes on a stripper at 79’s,” Crosshair joked. You slapped him.

“I didn’t exactly have a choice if you didn’t notice,” you scowled at him. “Now, will one of you carry me inside so I can change?”

“Sorry to break it to you, Mesh’la, but… they took most of your clothes,” Hunter nodded in the direction of the ship.

“Fucking perverts.” You growled, “They better not have taken my favorite civvies!” You slid off the speeder and into the mud feeling it squelch under your toes no longer caring about getting dirty. You were already covered in plasma powder and maker knows what.

"Hey, I'm just glad you're okay, Pip!" Wrecked exclaimed, pulling you into a massive bear hug and rubbing his chin on the crown of your head scenting you. You relaxed into his embrace, allowing him to set you down gently.

Tech then gave you a quick embrace, followed by Hunter, who tilted your chin up to get a look

at the blooming bruises around your neck. He gave a disapproving huff, but you just smiled and placed a reassuring hand on his chest. He let you go and watched as you made your way back to the ship, your long legs shuffling through the clay, fussing with the fabrics flowing from your waist.

They all watched you trot to the ship eagerly, a little mesmerized by the outfit. Hunter then snapped out of it and pointed to the stolen engine parts, "Alright, let's get these parts installed and get the hell out of dodge," Hunter said snapping the others out of their stares.

Wrecker got to work quickly, knowing there was limited time before the locals or the pirates showed up to poke around and Tech grabbed his welding kit.

~~~

"Are we good to go?" Echo asked Tech, who began the launch sequence. The ship groaned slightly as it pulled away from the surface of Mimban. You sat in your jump seat, feet cleaned and bandaged, wrapped in a blanket, and preparing for the cold of space.

"We’re clear," Tech said, angling the nose of the ship towards the blackness of space.

"Thank the maker!" you cheered, thrilled to get the hell off this rock. “Fuck Mimban!”

You heard Wrecker laugh.

"Launching to hyperspace," Tech announced, pushing the throttle forward to prime the hyperdrive. Within seconds, you were all zooming through space with bright blue and white lights.

You could cry, honest to the maker. The relief of never having to go back to Mimban ever again was like a weight off your chest.

Hunter chuckled at your enthusiasm, watching you happy dance from your seat.

"We’re at cruising speed," Echo said, unbuckling and turning to face you directly.

You perked up. "What is it, Echo?"

He crossed his arms and smirked.

"What?" You started to feel anxious under his playful stare.

"Oh, nothing…" His smirk only grew. "I just didn’t know you had such…voracious tastes."

Your eyes widened like saucers, reminiscent of the one you chucked at that pirate earlier.

"Oh, don’t play shy now," he pointed an accusatory finger at you. "I had to listen to how not shy you were for the past week!"

You wanted to vanish into the floor. You felt your entire body flush, and you knew they could see it because half of it was on damn display.

"You can’t blame me!" You crossed your arms, trying to defend yourself.

"Actually, I think I can," he laughed. "I thought omegas only picked one…"

"You said you’ve shared before!" You narrowed your eyes at him.

"She wasn’t in heat," Echo smiled.

"Is this what you two talk about when we’re on missions?" Hunter leaned against the galley doorway crossing his arms.

"Well, excuse me, you all smell remarkably similar. It’s a little difficult when you’re all different versions of the same person!"

Echo chuckled. "We all know that’s not how that works, sweetheart."

You couldn’t help but leave your mouth agape. "Can’t you just be happy I’m not dead? Must you tease me before we even get back to Coruscant?”

"I just didn’t know this about you," he stood up, shrugging and keeping his playful tone. "I never would have guessed our Tiny…Little sweet Tiny, would roll like this." He laughed.

You threw the blanket you had at him, making him laugh and bat it away.

"Alright, enough, quit playing with her," Hunter gathered you up, keeping you from playfully smacking Echo.

"She likes it," Echo flicked you on the forehead, making you yip as he sat back down in his copilot seat. "I want all of them," he mimicked your whiny voice with a snicker.

"Ahh!" You screamed, covering your face. "Shut up, Echo!"

"Help me, Alpha!" He smiled and laughed, watching you flail around in Hunter's arms, trying to kick him.

"Are you not wearing panties?" Echo gasped pointing a finger at you. The others whipped their heads around.

"Echo!" You screamed.

"Alright, someone has to be the responsible one and get you cleaned up," Hunter spun you around and walked you to the fresher, “Shower. Then we should probably talk before we get to Coruscant," Hunter said, running a gentle hand over your head affectionately.

"Can I borrow some civvies?" You asked, gesturing down to your dress.

Hunter scratched the back of his head. "They took ours too… sorry, pip." He felt bad. You sighed and nodded, letting him close the door, giving you some privacy.

You sighed. You’d be lying if you weren’t a little anxious about having the talk. The second you hit lucidity again after being in heat, you knew it was coming, but the way Crosshair kissed you at least gave you a little hope they weren’t going to just kick you to the side and pretend like it didn’t happen.

At least not the sniper; the others? You weren’t as confident.

Stepping into the fresher, you took a deep breath, letting the hot water wash away the past 48 hours.

It was going to be an uncomfortable journey back home.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

So I usually HATE when someone puts images of clothes they had visualized for a fic, but because I struggled so much describing the image, I'm attaching my inpso images here (ahh I'm sorry I'm a hypocrite) and also Pip's iconic tray toss (just like daddy Crosshair)

Taglist: @substantial-exposure

@rains-on-kamino

@minimissmoo

@z-and-the-batboys

@aynavaano

@9902sgirl

@sideofhorny

#The bad batch #tbb #star wars #ABO #alpha #beta #omega #heat #hunter #crosshair #tech #wrecker #echo #clone #clonewars #fanfic

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othunderous · 2 months

Text

it never gets easier, having to be away from one another. some days, thor thinks it only gets worse, as more time passes. all throughout the incredible journey of watching their children grow, they’d rarely separated. it never felt right, leaving for council or a fight while she remained at home with four of them to look after. even as they’d aged into their own people, independent, more able to care for themselves— thor supposes he’s never wanted to miss a second of it. god or not, none know how much time they have. even a single moment wasted elsewhere isn’t worth it.

but they both knew, eventually, they would not be needed by the lives they’ve created as they once were. no longer small and helpless, no longer oblivious to the universe around them. . . and there will always be another battle. they knew, eventually, they would be pulled apart by events beyond their control. while leia & frigga are becoming capable young women, the boys are still young; leaving only their sisters to supervise them would surely lead to disaster. thor had offered to stay behind.

the week doesn’t pass as slowly as he’d anticipated, but his wife’s absence is still felt. his time is occupied caring for freyr and reginn, keeping their active minds and bodies busy. leia offers much help, while frigga is quieter without her mother’s presence. he understands; nothing is particularly wrong, but it doesn’t feel right to be without her. he watches her now, leaning over her plate of half-eaten breakfast as sunlight streams into their kitchen. a fork absently pushes the food around. leia and reginn have finished— rather quickly, he always notes with amusement— whilst freyr takes his time. rey should be home soon. the anticipation buzzes in the air around them. a light excitement.

“reginn,” thor addresses as he rises from his seat, his plate in hand. he crosses the table and sets it down in front of his son. “once frigga and freyr have finished— i do believe today is your turn to clean up.” reginn sighs, shoulders slumping. “then i want to see you outside. for training.”

“can i come watch?” leia perks up. she is next to thor’s now vacant seat. “i like it when he messes up.” the smile she flashes is lightheartedly spiteful, and cannot go unpunished; reginn plucks two grapes from his brother’s plate and throws them at his sister.

“i’m still eating that,” freyr protests, sporting the same forcefully neutral face thor often wears when he is annoyed.

“you’re one to talk,” reginn counters. thor can see how he tries not to smile. “i don’t think i need to remind you what happened last time uncle loki visited.”

the gasp that follows is broken apart by a laugh, and merely watching them, thor feels pleasantly warm all over. “that’s hardly a fair comparison! how could i have possibly been expected to. . .” as she trails off, thor is moving about the island, and the sudden silence brings pause. looking between the four of them, all sound and movement has stopped. their heads lift, their eyebrows pulling in concentration. he’s seen it enough times to know what it means. something is about to happen.

“mum’s home.” frigga’s tone is content as she speaks it, and she slowly hops out of her seat. not a handful of moments later, and they can see her approaching through the windows and the open door that leads outside. thor can’t help the smile that pulls at his mouth.

making his way to the door, the conversation behind him continues, freyr returns to eating, and frigga follows. she lingers in the doorway as he exits, taking in the sight of his wife beneath the sunlight. the day on hyperkarn is beautiful; the sky is blue and bright, few clouds across its expanse; the breeze that ruffles the grass and trees is gentle. yet all of his focus narrows down to her. all this time later— more than three decades— and she still makes the heart in his chest flutter just by looking at him.

they are in each others’ arms in seconds. thor, amidst his delighted laughter, lifts her from her feet and holds her tightly to him. her answering squeezes tighten his throat, but the smile on his face doesn’t lessen. where he stands, he spins them once before setting her back down, though his arms don’t unwind from her. he doesn’t have the chance to straighten his back before his face is caught between both her hands, pulling him toward her, drowning him in kisses that leave his cheeks flushed.

@lightsiided: i missed you. every second. every breath.

each word is rushed between the kisses; beneath the press of rey’s fingers, his smile widens until it aches. at last she catches his mouth, and as he returns her kiss— loving, affectionate, brimming with joy— he can at last feel himself settle. there is no more longing nor worrying. she’s here. his heart has come back to him.

“as i,” he kisses her again, “have missed you, my love.” mirroring her, his hands glide up along her body from her waist until he can cradle her face. the press of his lips to hers slows, softens, until he lingers against her mouth, allowing himself to forget— only for a moment— the rest of the world around them exists. pausing, barely separating, thor beams at her brighter than even the sun in their sky.

“there will be plenty of time for this later,” he whispers, offering but one more peck before he pulls away. “there are people who would like to see you. and i want to know all about your trip. how were the senators? i trust you were perfectly diplomatic.”

#lightsiided #𝙜𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧. main #all i do is yap yap yap no matter WHAT ‼️#anyway. them 🥺♡

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tennessoui · 2 years

Note

“Honestly, just stop it.” for the 4 word prompt ? maybe a little omega obi and alpha ani?

mid not totally okay to just make it what ever?

!!! hey yes of course!!! this is set in the same universe as "you be the tightrope, i'll be the safety net" (side note i cannot believe how popular this fic has become and i'm so happy to watch it climb and grow and be enjoyed.......we LOVE a bitchy obi-wan, as is our right)

(from this prompt fill)

(1k)

It hadn’t taken much effort on Obi-Wan’s part to score an invitation to Anakin’s 10 year high school reunion.

He’d found the invitation in the trash, carefully ripped into eighths, and taped it back together while the pasta water boiled merrily on the stove and the twins laughed at each other across the dining room table.

If Anakin really hadn’t wanted him to find it, he would have shredded the entire letter so it was impossible for Obi-Wan to read.

He loves his husband though, so he waits until Anakin gets home from work to bring it up, resisting the impulse to RSVP before he talks to the alpha at all.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t do anything underhanded. He is, after all, invested in a singular outcome, one he knows Anakin will protest for a handful of very good reasons. So while the beef stroganoff is bubbling on the stove, five minutes before his alpha usually gets home, Obi-Wan goes to their room and changes into a short shirt, one that just shows the swell of his pregnant tummy. He’s almost five months along now, and if he’s learned anything from the twins and the past four months, it’s that Anakin can’t stand to say no to any of his requests while he’s carrying his children.

Typical alpha.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin calls as soon as he gets home. “Leia, Luke?”

Like they’d be anywhere else besides waiting for him to come back to them, Obi-Wan thinks with a roll of his eyes as he re-enters the living area of their apartment.

Anakin hasn’t even taken off his shoes or dropped his bag to the ground before he flies to him, kissing over his face and then down to nuzzle into his stomach and press a kiss against the bump of their baby.

“Hello, darling,” Obi-Wan says. Quite normally, in his opinion. So normally, in his opinion, that he even continues. “How was your day, Alpha?”

Anakin stops, lips pressed against the swell of his stomach. Damn, Obi-Wan thinks to himself. Of course the alpha who’s known him since he was a child would also realize something is up, baby be damned.

“Fine,” Anakin says, taking a step back with one last devastating sweep of his hand over the baby bump. “Why?”

Obi-Wan should probably be insulted that the alpha thinks he needs to have an ulterior motive in order to ask him about his day. He should, but he doesn’t. Anakin is, after all, absolutely correct.

“Mine was fine as well,” Obi-Wan informs him, pulling away from the alpha’s hold and picking Luke up in order to bounce him in his arms—partially because it’s been far too long since he held his child, and partially because surely the image of himself with child and with a child—Anakin’s child—will only serve him well.

The alpha, so smart and so clever, narrows his eyes, even as he steps forward to kiss Luke on his tiny forehead. “Honestly, just stop it, baby. Obi-Wan. I can smell it. You want something.”

Obi-Wan changes strategies again, lifting the child into Anakin’s arms so he can pick up Leia. “I do,” he tells him as truthfully as his alpha has requested. Unable to help himself, he places a kiss to his daughter’s cheek before resting the two-year old against his hip.

“What?” Anakin asks him. His tone is the same tone he always uses to ask this sort of question: like he’d give anything to him that he could possibly ask for, provided that he wants it.

For a second, Obi-Wan is so overcome with sheer love for his Anakin that he is struck speechless. He nuzzles against his nose instead.

“I saw the invitation,” he finally brings himself to say, leaning back against the counter. “To your high school reunion. Ten years, Anakin. It’s a big deal.”

“It’s not,” Anakin says immediately, just as he knew he would. And a second later, “and how did you even see that? I tore it up.”

“I have my ways,” Obi-Wan replies mysteriously, imperiously---as if he still doesn’t have kitchen scraps of vegetables that he’d thrown into the garbage before he’d seen a scrap of the flyer and dug beneath the mess to rescue--- beneath his nails. “We should go.”

Anakin scoffs. “Why on earth would we go?”

“Because you’ve never once in your life turned down the chance to talk about the twins,” Obi-Wan offers immediately. “Because we have another child on the way. Because I love you and the more people I can tell that I love you the better. The best.”

“Obi-Wan, I think if I responded to that RSVP and told them I was taking a plus one, they’d bar me from entrance. Remember the wedding? Look, knowing that school, the same people who were in that bridal party are putting on the reunion. We literally got kicked out of the reception if you don’t remember. I had to pay fifty credits for dry cleaning for some woman’s coat because it had cum on it.”

“We have a joint bank account,” Obi-Wan waves this away. “At most it was 25/25.”

“Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan frowns, and his arms wrap tighter around Leia, who coos and pats at his bearded cheek. “I…” he trails off. His scent reaches out to Anakin’s, whose own tangles with his immediately. “I keep thinking about what your old friend said. Padmé. She said, when you were dancing, that she knew that you’d never be married to an asshole like me. And I just…can’t forget that. You are. And we’re so happy. I love you. I want another chance to show it. That I love you.”

Anakin hesitates. Anakin loves to know that Obi-Wan loves him. Anakin takes so much pride and joy in the fact that Obi-Wan loves him, as if he hasn’t been loving him since he was seven years old.

“Will you be nicer this time?” His alpha asks. He puts his arm around Obi-Wan’s waist and pulls him tight against him, and Obi-Wan knows all over again that he could be the biggest dick in the world and Anakin would still love him.

“Absolutely,” Obi-Wan lies, stretching up to kiss the corner of his alpha’s mouth. “Shall I RSVP then?”

#asks #squick tag: a/b/o #obi-wan is a little better this time #him at the 10 yera high school reunion is mostly him talking about all the kids they have #(2)#and the one they're going to have #and also how amazing anakin is as an alpha and how wonderful it is to know him and love him #etc etc etc #ok no its basically the wedding

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pretchatta · 2 years

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The Generals

Hera misses the Alliance briefing for the operation on the forest moon of Endor against the second Death Star, but Mon Mothma introduces her to the general leading the aerial assault. Hera is surprised to find it's someone she knows – but less so when his version of how they met differs to her own.

rating: general || 2.2k words || written for the @worldbetweenworldszine

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Hera was running late.

The corridors of Home One, the headquarters of the Alliance High Command, were quiet as she rushed through them. White walls flashed past as she raced to the central meeting room. Other than the minimal crew overseeing the flagship itself, everyone was attending the briefing that she herself should have been in at that very moment were it not for a certain last-minute emergency.

The thing about children was that they were utterly unpredictable. Never mind that everything had been in place for her to leave on time; she had turned her back for all of thirty seconds, and Chopper and Jacen had somehow managed to turn the whole galley upside down.

Well, that was all Zeb’s problem now. Thank the goddess for extended family.

She turned the last corner and almost ran right into Mon Mothma. The former Imperial Senator was just leaving the briefing room, which meant–

“Oh no, did I miss it?” Hera exclaimed.

Mon Mothma took in Hera’s breathless state and gave her a sympathetic smile.

“I’m afraid so,” she said gently, stepping aside so that more of Rebel Command could file out of the room. “But don’t worry, it was nothing more than what you and Admiral Ackbar discussed earlier. If you like, I can introduce you to the General who has volunteered to lead the aerial assault – I’m sure your experience would be welcome.”

“Of course, I’m happy to help.”

Hera felt a small twinge of regret at hearing of someone else leading the fighting. No, I promised Sabine I would take up the rear, she told herself firmly. The young Mandalorian woman was still co-ordinating the rebuilding of Lothal after the Empire had been turned away four years ago, but she had made Hera promise to stay out of the worst of the firefights. Now that Jacen was with her on the Ghost, it was too dangerous to do more than watch their flanks and be ready to ensure everyone got away should anything go wrong. Hera could no more deny Jacen his requests to stay with her than she could deny her own need to join this massive assault on the second – a second – Death Star, so this was their compromise.

She followed the Senator back into the briefing room, which was now nearly empty. She nodded a greeting to the pilots and other leaders she recognised, and then noticed Leia on the far side of the holotable. She was talking to two other people: a pale Human man Hera didn’t recognise and a cloaked figure she couldn’t quite see the face of. It seemed she would soon find out – that was the direction Mon Mothma was leading her.

Leia looked up as they approached, and Hera caught sight of an unexpected yet familiar face behind her.

“General Calrissian,” Mon Mothma addressed him, “may I introduce you to General Hera Syndulla of Phoenix Squadron.”

“No introductions are necessary, Senator Mothma,” Lando said, his face breaking out into a gleaming smile. “The lovely Hera and I are already acquainted.”

Mon Mothma either didn't notice or chose to ignore the implications of that statement.

“Then I will leave you to discuss strategy – General Syndulla’s experience at the Battles of Scarif and Yavin will be invaluable as you plan your assault on the Death Star.”

She gave them each a nod and then withdrew. Hera barely noticed; she was too busy staring at the General.

Continue on AO3 ->

#hera syndulla #lando calrissian #leia organa #han solo #mon mothma #star wars #return of the jedi #battle of endor #star wars rebels #fic #pretchwritta

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rughydrangea · 2 years

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I have been very behind on TV, so today I finally finished the Obi-Wan show! Four months later, I know. And it’s weird, I was watching the show very actively up through the fourth episode, but then that very afternoon my mother landed in California and we had to pack, I had to graduate, we drove across the country, I moved into my new place, started a new job... it was just a whirlwind and I just never felt like I was in the right headspace to finish. So tonight I just forced it through. And in the interest of not vomiting my opinions in the tags of someone else’s gifset, here they are. In somewhat incoherent form, I fear, it’s past my bedtime.

It’s not a good show, which I think was apparent quite some time ago. On a plot level it fails every logic test imaginable. Not in a cinema-sins way, just in the sense that characters’ decisions almost never make sense and sometimes the directing also doesn’t make sense. But what really drew me into the show at first was the Obi-Wan/Leia relationship, and to the extent that the ending worked (it didn’t, really), it was by channeling her and Luke as the real emotional stakes, as what matters most in the story. Ultimately, what worked in this show for me was its portrayal of how deeply, deeply loved Anakin and Padmé’s children are. The fact that they have this horrific, toxic legacy that they know nothing about, and instead grow up in warm families that adore them is just very meaningful to me, and seeing that was great. And the best episodes were the ones that focused on Obi-Wan getting to know Leia, appreciating her for who she is but also seeing that she truly is her mother’s and especially her father’s daughter. I liked all that.

The Obi-Wan/Anakin stuff? I mean, leaving aside the fact that Rebels did it better (the way they plucked the image of Vader with half his helmet gone straight from Rebels was really something), I just needed none of it. The problem wasn’t that we knew neither of them would kill the other, or whether it made sense in continuity. The problem for me was that I don’t think there’s anything new to say about that relationship. This show didn’t introduce a single new dynamic, it just replayed the beats that we saw throughout the films, to say nothing of TCW. Yes, Anakin is bold and overconfident and so aggressive it makes him dumb, and we’ve known that since AotC, so why exactly we needed to learn that again is just mystifying to me. Also, I do find Anakin consistently being so stupid that Obi-Wan can easily beat him kind of tiresome. Of course the fight I found the most fun was the one in episode three where Vader just whales on Obi-Wan. Reversals are fun!

Now I can move on to Andor, I guess, though I’m behind on a few other shows that I will probably try to get to first. It’s time I admit that the only new SW content I’m actively looking forward to is season 2 of The Bad Batch. I discovered too late that animated Star Wars is, at this point, far and away the best Star Wars, even when it’s not great.

Still, if they made a show of Luke and Leia just being kids... I would watch it.

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #star wars #it's bedtime i'm so tired!!!!!!!!!!

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warsamongstthestar-keen · 2 months

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Chapter Fifty

"So," Seventh Sister remarks, spinning her lightsaber rapidly. "The rumours are true, Darth Maul lives."

"Formally Darth, now just Maul."

Keen spins on her heel, pushing Leia behind her and stepping closer to the former Sith Lord, one of her blades extended toward his neck, the other still held out to the Inquisitor's. "You stay away from them!" the Jedi Master snarls.

"Now, now, Lady Quinara, you must watch your temper. We wouldn't want you to fall to the Dark Side, now would we?"

"Keen," Ezra grumbles, tugging on the arm holding the blade to the Danthomirian's neck. "I swear he's on our side!"

She pulls her arm out of the Padawan's grasp, but keeps the blade toward her side. "Sithspit, Ezzie! You don't even know him," turning to glance at the ex-Sith, she snarls, "Or what they're capable of."

"Are you really still caught up on the topic of myself killing Qui-Gon Jinn?"

The Inquisitor's blades begin to spin, and Kanan shouts back at the Jedi Master, "Can we discuss this later?"

Maul smirks, dropping the bottom part of his cane, revealing his lightsaber. "Perhaps my actions will speak louder than words." He ignites his dual-bladed lightsaber, quickly attacking all three Inquisitors at once.

"What are we waiting for?" Ezra questions, launching himself into the fight.

Kanan shrugs, jumping at their enemies himself, Ahsoka following him into the battle. Ari'abel looks over at Leia, "Be mindful, Princess. Don't trust him."

"Okay."

The Jedi Master nods at her Padawan, launching herself directly at Fifth Brother.

There isn't much of a fight, Maul doing most of the work, the Jedi, and Ahsoka, standing back to watch the fight. The Inquisitor's flee, leaving only one dual-bladed red lightsaber still glowing in the cavern. Maul turns quickly to face the rebels.

"Maul, what game are you playing?" Ahsoka demands, stepping toward him.

"The end game, Lady Tano." He turns back to watch the fleeing Imperials. "The end game. I am the enemy of your enemy now, and I have my own reasons for wanting the Empire to fall." He pauses, probably for dramatic effect, taking a deep breath. "But we have little time. The one they call Vader will be here soon."

"How do you know this?" Kanan questions.

Spinning around, Maul disignites his blade, replying, "His dogs will tell him where we are. Four Jedi and a 'part-timer'. Oh, he will come. He will not be able to resist us."

"Okay, now just wait! There isn't an 'us' Maul. Handling the Inquisitors is a whole different ballpark to dealing with a fully trained Sith Lord. And there isn't any way in h*ll I'm working with you."

"Keen, we should trust him," Ezra implores. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a pyramid shaped object that glows a faint red. "Uh, look! He and I took this from Temple together! This is why we came here, right? To find out about the Sith. To find a way to beat them."

"Ez, you don't know Maul like Ahsoka and I do. You don't know what all he's done. He was wanted by the Republic, and now he's wanted by the Empire. If they both can agree that he needs to be arrested, that in and of itself should tell you something."

The Padawan cacks his head, looking at Maul questioningly. "What is she talking about."

"Just a small matter of me killing her Padawan once upon a time."

Leia looks nervously between her Master and the Danthomirian. "Uh, that doesn't sound like a 'small matter' to me."

Maul waves off the Princess's concerns. "Oh, it's not as if I have a grudge against Lady Quinara. It wasn't personal."

"Honestly, Maul, I've gotten over you killing Qui-Gon. You know me, I don't hold grudges easily. It's the fact that you continued to hurt, and harm, Obi-Wan, and the Jedi. That's where I draw the line. Maybe I'd give you a second chance, but you burned that bridge long ago, mate."

Maul scoffs. Ezra spins, turning to face the Togruta, "Ahsoka, you said we came here for knowledge."

"Ezra, there is no way a Jedi can unlock that holocron."

"But you may unlock the Temple itself," the Danthmirian responds, addressing Ezra.

"How? Tell me how."

Ari'abel crosses her arms, glaring at the ex-Sith. "At the top of the Temple is a chamber. Connect the holocron to the obelisk within and you can unlock the ancient knowledge of the Sith."

"Why are you working so hard to keep us here?"

Shrugging, Maul turns his back to the group, taking a few steps toward the Sith Temple. "I can not defeat Vader alone."

"I say we stay with him."

Keen scoffs, while Kanan says, "Yeah? Well I say we go, so that settles it."

Maul scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you such cowards that you would run from this chance to defeat your enemies?"

"I wouldn't say that staying alive, and keeping others safe is cowardice. I see it as brave, having to run from a fight. Sometimes running is the only good choice, and I'd like to stay alive," Leia responds.

The Danthomirian glares at the Princess, "Your Master has certainly taught you well in the ways of the Jedi."

"Thank you!"

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Kanan? Can't we stay?"

The Knight sighs, looking over at Keen. The two have a silent argument with their eyes, Kanan evidently winning, as he sighs, pulling his comm from his belt. "Chopper, we're staying for a while." Chopper grumbles at Kanan, "Yeah, I know it's a bad idea. Just scan for incoming ships, and keep the Phantom out of sight." The astromech grumbles in response.

"Oh, how exciting," Maul says. "We're all on the same side."

"Yeah, we're about as far from being on the same side as someone can be, y'know, without being mortal enemies. Just take us to the top, and hurry."

"This way."

#wars amongst the stars #ari'abel quinara #wats #star wars rebels #au fix it fic

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nellyharrison · 1 year

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come along, CH. 7

aka my rewrite of season 3A of Teen Wolf based on the question: what if Erica was best friends with Scott and Stiles from the beginning?

The lacrosse team is forced to spend the night at the mysterious Motel Glen Capri. When it becomes clear that the werewolves are in danger, Stiles, Allison, and Lydia must step up to save them.

CHAPTER SEVEN - MOTEL CALIFORNIA (click to read on AO3)

The school bus carrying the students from Beacon Hills rolled to a stop in front of the Motel Glen Capri. One by one, the teens exited the bus, looking up at the place they would unexpectedly be spending the night. Coach Finstock called them all to attention and explained that their lacrosse game was postponed until the next day and that they were to pair up in their rooms. Lydia and Allison decided to bunk together, the former not at all bothered when Jackson was left to bunk with Erica. Lydia might not have officially been pack, but she understood the dynamics within it enough to know that while Jackson and Erica were close, she had nothing to worry about. She did worry about the motel, a sentiment she shared with Allison before they left for their room.

Erica dropped her bag on the bed of her choice, Jackson grumbling as he took the other bed. He decided he was going to take a shower, and she nodded before leaving their room and walking over to Stiles and Scott’s room a few doors down. She sat in a chair near their beds while they laid back, staring at the ceiling as they began to discuss the Darach.

“Alright, so I have four,” Stiles stated.

“Four?” Scott repeated, looking over at him. “You have four suspects?”

“Yeah, it was originally ten,” Stiles admitted. “Well, nine technically, I guess. I had Derek on there twice.”

“You had- Are you out of your mind?” Erica gaped. “You cannot possibly still believe Derek is the bad guy in all this.”

“Well I don’t anymore,” Stiles retorted.

“So who’s number one?” Scott stepped in. “Harris?”

“Just because he’s missing doesn’t mean he’s dead,” Stiles explained.

“Well then who’s the third warrior?” Erica pointed out.

“And if he’s not dead, our Chemistry teacher is out secretly committing human sacrifices?” Scott clarified, openly in disbelief of that theory.

“Yeah, I guess that just sounded way better in my head,” Stiles acknowledged.

“Well, what if it’s somebody else from school?” Scott suggested. “Like, you remember Matt? We didn’t know that he was killing people.”

“Excuse me?” Stiles asked, his eyes widening as he sat up to look over at him. “I’m sorry, what?” He stood up, Erica hiding her amusement over how defensive he was. “I- yes, we did. I called that from day one, actually.”

“Yeah, but we never really seriously thought that it was Matt,” Scott insisted.

“I was serious,” Stiles declared. “I was quite serious, actually. Deadly serious. No one listened to me.”

“I remember you saying you didn’t like him, but I thought that was just you being a jealous dick like you were with Derek all the time,” Erica recalled, unable to stop her smirk from appearing when Stiles shot her a glare.

“Who were the other three?” Scott said, once again stopping them before they could continue bicker-flirting.

“Derek’s sister, Cora,” Stiles stated. “No one knows anything about her, and she’s Derek’s sister.” He watched Erica open her mouth to argue Derek’s defense again, so he continued. “Next, your boss.”

“My boss?” Scott questioned, sitting up.

“Yeah, your boss,” Stiles nodded. “I don’t really like the whole Obi-Wan thing he’s got going on, you know? It freaks me out.” Scott froze, looking up at him blankly as Erica snorted back a laugh. “Oh, my god. Have you still not seen Star Wars?”

“It’s not like it’s one of the greatest sci-fi fantasy epics of all time or anything,” Erica mused, leaning back with her arms crossed as she shook her head. “And I was just thinking that Princess Leia in the metal bikini would make for a fun Halloween costume, but I probably shouldn’t if someone so close to me wouldn’t even get the reference.”

Stiles shot a vicious glare at Scott, Scott’s eyes widening before he rushed out, “I swear, when we get back home, I will watch the movie.” Stiles mumbled his frustration under his breath, neither guy able to stop their grins when Erica laughed at their exchange. “Who was the last one?”

A heavy sigh escaped Stiles before he admitted, “Lydia,” and sat back down on his bed.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Erica questioned, sitting up straighter in her seat.

“She was totally controlled by Peter and she had no idea, so…” Stiles explained.

“So she could be doing all of this and have no idea,” Erica concluded, sighing in time with the two of them as they all leaned back. “I don’t want to think that someone close to us is responsible for all of these deaths. There has to be a suspect we haven’t considered.”

“And if there isn’t?” Stiles countered. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, or that these are the only possible suspects, but not suspecting those close to us got all of us hurt at one point or another. I’d rather be overly cautious than get caught off-guard again.”

“As long as we’re still considering other suspects,” Scott suggested. “We could be just as easily caught off-guard by someone else if we’re not careful.”

“Fine, I’ll keep thinking,” Stiles gave in.

“While you’re doing that, I’m gonna go take a shower,” Erica decided, standing from her seat. “Come find me if you figure anything out.” They nodded as she left, her eyes scanning the motel parking lot below. There were a few guys wandering around, trying to kill some time before bed. As she stepped into her room, Jackson was lounging on his bed in just a towel. “Dude, put some clothes on.”

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he told her, sitting up and watching her as she moved around the room. “You were gone for a while.”

“Yeah, I went to check in with Stiles and Scott,” she explained, opening her bag and pulling out what she would need for a shower. “Stiles has four suspects, but I don’t think he’s figured it out.” When she turned around, he was standing right in front of her, her eyes widening as she took a step back. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What?” Jackson feigned innocence, adjusting his towel as he took another step towards her. “Don’t pretend like you haven’t thought about this. About us. Like that night at the formal, when we danced together. Wasn’t that nice, Erica?”

“Yes, but we’re just friends,” Erica reminded him. “We’re pack. You’re with Lydia.”

“Doesn’t mean you and I can’t have some fun,” Jackson insisted. “Like the kind you and Derek used to have.” His hand reached up to caress her cheek, but she slapped his hand away, which seemed to jar him out of whatever state he was in. He took a step back, shaking his head slowly before looking up at her. “That, uh, that wasn’t- I’m not-”

“Are you okay?” she questioned, her brows furrowed. “What was that?”

“I don’t remember,” he admitted.

“Well figure it out, because I’m not going to be some pawn for you to use to mess with Lydia,” she snapped, tossing her stuff back onto her bed before storming from their room. She was confused, but she also felt like something wasn’t right. She needed to talk to someone about what had happened, so she made her way over to Allison and Lydia’s room. Just as she was walking up to the door, it was opening and Scott was stepping out, looking embarrassed. “Scott?”

He looked up at her, his eyes widening when he realized how this probably looked. “Erica, I-”

“I don’t care,” she scoffed, pushing past him and into the room. She closed the door firmly behind her, her hands splayed on the smooth surface as she exhaled roughly.

“Erica?” she heard behind her, turning to find Allison stepping out of the bathroom. “You okay?”

“Are you?�� Erica asked her. “What was Scott doing in here and why do you look like you just got out of the shower?”

“He, um, he came in while I was in the shower,” Allison explained. “It was weird. He didn’t do more than try to grab my hand before he left, but he seemed off.”

“Okay, something weird like that just happened with Jackson too,” Erica admitted, pinching her lips together. “Maybe something’s up, but why is it affecting Scott and Jackson?”

“I don’t know,” Allison admitted. “Lydia went to get more towels. Why don’t you just sit tight and we can all talk about it when she gets back? I’m going to get dressed and then maybe call my dad.”

“Yeah, sure,” Erica nodded. If something was going on, Chris would be able to help them.

Allison got dressed rather quickly, throwing on a pair of shorts over her leggings and pulling a loose t-shirt over her head. She brushed out her hair, pulling it into a half updo before rejoining Erica in her room. They both needed some fresh air, so they decided to call Chris out in the stairwell, Allison putting the phone on speaker when he picked up. She explained what had happened with the meet, assuring him that they were together and okay.

“Do you want me to come pick you up?” Chris offered. “I don’t mind a late night drive.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Allison assured him. “We’re at a motel.”

“The school paid for that?” Chris questioned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Allison nodded.

“I don’t think they really had a choice,” Erica admitted.

“It’s not great, but it’s just for a night,” Allison pointed out.

“What’s it called?” Chris wondered.

“The Glen Capri,” Allison answered. “Do you know it?”

“Yeah, it… sounds familiar,” Chris started, pausing as he tried to remember where he’d heard that name before. “Listen, sweetheart, Erica, I’m gonna hop in the car and come and get you guys.”

“No, Dad,” Allison insisted. She looked over at Erica, knowing that they were going to ask for advice on why Scott and Jackson had acted strangely, but she didn’t want to concern her father more than she had. “Seriously, it’s okay.” Erica sighed softly, nodding in understanding. She didn’t like keeping secrets from Chris, but she also didn’t know if there was something they needed to worry him about.

“If there’s something you feel like you can’t tell me, I just want you to know you can talk to me,” Chris encouraged. “We don’t have to keep anything from each other. That goes for you too, Erica.”

“I know,” Allison replied.

“We’ll be back in Beacon Hills before you know it, Chris,” Erica promised him. “Enjoy your night of freedom.”

“Call me if you need anything,” he requested, ending the call once he got their acknowledgement.

Allison and Erica shared a glance, then walked back to the room to wait for Lydia. In addition to towels, Lydia returned with a dark statistic about the Motel Glen Capri that had them both in shock.

“198?” Allison repeated.

“Yes, and we’re talking 40 years,” Lydia confirmed. “On average, that’s… 4.95 a year, which is… actually expected.”

“Five suicides a year at the same location though?” Erica argued, not denying her logic but still finding it surprising.

“And who commemorates that with a framed number?” Lydia pointed out. “Who does that? Who?”

“All suicides?” Allison wondered.

“Yes,” Lydia nodded. “Hanging, throat-cutting, pill-popping, both-barrels-of-a-shotgun-in-the-mouth suicides.”

“Descriptive,” Erica groused.

“I don’t know about you, but me, I-” Lydia began, but paused as she began to hear voices in the next room over. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Allison asked.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Erica told her, knowing she heard just about everything without even trying. Allison and Erica watched as Lydia slowly turned towards the wall behind her. Lydia stood and stepped onto the bed, walking over to the vent installed in the wall near the ceiling. “Lydia, what do you hear?”

Lydia began shuddering, causing Erica and Allison to start moving towards her. “Lydia?” Allison prompted.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” she repeated, over and over, before stumbling backwards with a sharp gasp.

“What is it, Lydia?” Allison asked. “What happened?”

“Didn’t you hear that?” Lydia gaped.

“Hear what?” Allison questioned.

“The two people in the other room,” Lydia explained. “They shot each other.”

“Lydia, what are you talking about?” Erica wondered, bewildered.

Disregarding her, Lydia ran from the room, Allison and Erica following her and calling her name. She went to the room next to them and opened the door, finding the room empty and the lights off and not working. Lydia entered the room, looking around and calling into the darkness.

“Lydia, what are you doing?” Allison demanded as they followed her, stopping once she found a light and switched it on. The room was empty except for construction materials. It was obvious no one had been there for hours, if not days.

“It had to be right here,” Lydia insisted. “It was a guy and a girl, and, I mean, they sounded younger, but… they were here.”

“I believe you,” Allison told her.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Erica snapped, feeling an overwhelming and sudden anger take over her.

“Erica,” Allison muttered, surprised by her tone.

“If two people killed each other in the room next to us, don’t you think the werewolf would have heard it?” Erica pointed out.

“After everything we’ve been through, how could you not believe her?” Allison shot back.

“This is a waste of time,” Erica shook her head, pushing past them and leaving the motel room. Unsure where else to go, she returned to her own room, relieved to find that Jackson was no longer there. She needed to clear her head, so she decided to finally take a shower and try to wash the last couple of days off of her. She opened the window to avoid steaming up the bathroom too much, leaving her clothes on the sink before stepping into the shower. As she was rinsing her hair, she started to feel her mind grow fuzzy and unfocused. Just as she thought the feeling was easing, she started to hear familiar voices.

“I know bringing her back was the right decision, but what am I supposed to do if I’m her mate?” Jackson asked. “Or if Lydia’s her mate?”

“Please, like I’d let being her mate keep me from being with you,” Lydia scoffed. Erica turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself, inching towards the open window where she heard the voices coming from. “Sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier if Derek had just asked for you werewolves to give your blood.”

“I know what you mean,” Allison agreed. “I mean, other than Stiles, neither of us want to be with her like that.”

“Just because I want to date Erica doesn’t mean I want to be her mate,” Stiles stated. “That’s a lot of pressure.”

“And what happens when she goes and gets herself killed again?” Isaac added. His certainty that she would die again, a fear she’d been harboring since the second she came back to life, had tears welling in her eyes. “Is her mate expected to just give their blood to keep bringing her back?”

“Maybe she would have been better off staying dead,” Scott mused. “Maybe Derek’s her mate, and with him gone, we won’t have to worry about having to bring her back ever again.”

Erica stumbled back, gasping for air as heavy tears rolled down her cheeks. All of her fears about having a mate had been realized in that one observed conversation. It all came down to her fear of rejection, something that felt embedded so deeply in her sense of self. After hearing everything they had said, she knew that her fear was valid, that it had been a mistake to bring her back, and that no matter who her mate ended up being, she would be ruining their lives. None of them wanted her, not in that forever kind of way. She had been fooling herself into thinking that wouldn’t bother her, but she wanted a forever kind of love. She wanted to feel like she really belonged, and now she knew that the people with which she wanted most to belong regretted being a part of how she was still alive.

Her mind started to spiral, repeating even more fears and insecurities about herself and blinding her to any common sense until the only resounding thought inside of her was that she deserved to die. She couldn’t see through her tears, her hands reaching up to brush them away before she found herself slipping and falling against the heater in the bathroom, burning her arm. She yelled as she jumped back, clarity suddenly reappearing in her mind despite the confusion over what had just happened to her. She remembered the conversation, but as she made her way over to the window, she found that no one was there. They couldn’t have disappeared that fast, her head shaking as she looked down at her arm and then over to the heater.

Wiping at her face, she jumped into the shower to finish rinsing herself off, quickly dried off once she was done, then threw on an oversized sweatshirt over a pair of shorts and twisted her wet hair into a braid. She stepped out of her room and looked around, her attention being drawn down towards the parking lot as Lydia, Stiles, and Allison were talking to Ethan. As Ethan walked into a room on the first floor, Erica slowly made her way towards them. She knew that what she had seen must not have been real, but she couldn’t shake the way it had made her feel.

“What now?” Lydia questioned.

“I’ll find Scott and Erica,” Allison suggested. “You guys grab Jackson, Isaac, and Boyd. The best thing we can do is get them out of this place.” She began walking up the stairs, stopping at the top when she saw Erica walking towards her. “Hey, you okay?”

“Something’s wrong,” Erica admitted, playing with the ends of her sleeves before wrapping her arms around her middle. “I don’t know what, but it’s… I saw something that wasn’t there. At least, I don’t think it was there. I-I hope it wasn’t there.”

Stiles hadn’t moved yet, glancing up at Erica before looking at Lydia with silent curiosity until she asked him, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Stiles stammered, but Lydia cut him off. “Stiles.”

“Alright, Lydia, I didn’t want to say anything, but this,” he began gesturing around them and up towards Erica. “Everything we’re going through- we’ve kind of been through something like this before. A lot like this.

“What do you mean?” Lydia questioned. “When?”

“Your birthday party,” Stiles explained. “The night you poisoned everyone with wolfsbane.”

“You think this is my fault?” Lydia gaped, storming away.

“Stiles,” Allison called.

“I got it. You guys go find Scott,” Stiles encouraged before following Lydia, apologizing.

Allison looked back at Erica, who looked away and started walking towards Scott’s room. When they got there, the door was slightly open, the room inside seemingly empty as they pushed the door open further and stepped inside. They called Scott’s name, but no one replied. “Look around,” Erica decided. “I’m going to go help Lydia and Stiles.” Allison called her name as she left, concerned over her guarded behavior but focusing on the problem ahead of her.

Erica made her way back down to the parking lot, finding Lydia and Stiles hovered by a storm drain. She listened as Lydia seemed to hear something, her proclamation that someone was drowning stopping Erica dead in her tracks. She followed them as they ran towards Boyd and Isaac’s room, trailing in behind them to find Boyd inside the full bathtub with a safe on his chest and the drain blocked.

“Get out of my way,” Erica insisted, pushing them aside and grabbing the safe. She growled as she began lifting it, but she wasn’t at full strength yet, and the fight with the alpha pack had left her weakened.

“Is he dead?” Lydia questioned. “How long can a werewolf stay underwater?”

“You think I know that?” Stiles asked, rushing to try to help Erica before his grip slipped and he stumbled back against the heater the way Erica had. “Wait a sec, the heater. Heater- Ethan came out of it when he touched the heater.”

“That’s what happened to me too,” Erica admitted, still struggling to lift the safe but with no luck.

“What?” Lydia muttered.

“It’s heat, heat, fire. Heat does it, alright? We need something- We need fire,” Stiles declared.

“He’s underwater!” Lydia pointed out.

“Yeah, I’m aware of that!” Stiles shot back.

“One of you needs to do something or he’s going to die!” Erica screamed, refusing to give up as she got a better grip on the safe.

“Wait, wait,” Lydia realized. “The bus. On the bus, they’ll have emergency road flares. They have their own oxidizers. They can burn underwater.”

“Are you serious?” Stiles gaped.

“Just go, Stiles!” Erica snapped.

While they waited for Stiles to return, Erica did her best to lift the safe enough so Lydia could ease Boyd’s head closer to the surface, trying to get air back into his lungs. When that didn’t work, Erica whimpered, still trying to lift the safe. Lydia backed out of the room, rubbing her hands nervously until she heard sniffling nearby. She turned around, glancing at the bed, before crouching down and looking under it, unable to stop the gasp that escaped her when she found Isaac hiding under there.

Stiles made it back just in time with two of the three flares from the bus, Lydia instructing him how to light one before they rushed to press the flame against Boyd’s skin. Boyd tossed the safe off of him, Erica jumping back and just barely avoiding it as Boyd shot up out of the water with a roar. Lydia then told them that Isaac was huddled under the bed, and Erica managed to pull him out and to the bathroom in order to press his hand against the heater. Boyd and Isaac, now in their right minds, started packing their stuff, determined to get out of the motel as fast as possible.

With the second flare, Lydia, Stiles, and Erica left to find Jackson. It didn’t take them long, the jock standing at the end of the 2nd floor balcony with a bedsheet tied around the railing. Just when he was going to lift the other end and tie it around his neck, Stiles lit the flare and pressed it against him. He shakily stepped from the balcony, Lydia holding his face to make sure he was okay. They shared a soft kiss, their foreheads resting together before Stiles cleared his throat and reminded them that they still needed to find Scott. Lydia decided to go back to Jackson’s room with him so he could pack his things, and the remaining two met up with Allison at the stairs.

“I can’t find Scott anywhere,” she told them.

“It’s happening to him too, isn’t it?” Stiles wondered.

“It has to be,” Erica agreed. “If it’s happened to all of us, it has to be happening to him too.”

“There’s another flare on the bus,” Stiles stated. “I’ll go get it.”

They made it to the bottom of the stairs and looked towards the bus, only to find Scott standing in the middle of the parking lot, the burning flare in his hand. He looked soaking wet, and as they got closer and made their way around him to face him, they realized it wasn’t water dripping off of him. It was gasoline.

“There’s no hope,” he told them.

“What do you mean, Scott?” Allison asked. “There’s always hope.”

“Not for me,” Scott shook his head. “Not for Derek.”

“Derek might not be dead,” Erica reminded him.

“And if he is, it wasn't your fault,” Allison assured him.

“No, Derek wasn’t your fault,” Erica agreed.

“Every time I try to fight back, it just gets worse,” Scott muttered. “People keep getting hurt. People keep getting killed.”

“Scott, listen to me, okay?” Stiles insisted, taking a step towards him. “This isn’t you, alright? This is someone inside your head telling you to do this. Okay? Now-”

“What if it isn’t?” Scott wondered hopelessly. “What if it is just me? What if doing this is actually the best thing that I could do for everyone else?” His soft sobs broke their hearts, Allison covering her mouth with her hand as tears rolled down Erica’s cheeks. “It all started that night, the night I got bitten. You remember the way it was before that? The three of us?” He looked up and over at Stiles and Erica, his voice shaking as he continued. “We were- we were nothing. We weren’t popular. We weren’t good at sports. We weren’t important. We were no one. Maybe I should just be no one again. No one at all.”

Scott held the flare out more determinedly, and Stiles took another step towards him, Erica following right behind him. “Scott, just listen to me, okay? You’re not no one, okay? You’re someone. You’re-” he paused, his breath uneven as he thought of the right words. “Scott, you’re my best friend. Okay? And I need you. You, me, and Erica,” he glanced back at Erica, feeling a bit of strength when her hand slipped into his as she stood beside him. “Scott, we’re the three musketeers. All for one and one for all, right? So…” He trailed off, taking a deep breath before stepping into the puddle of gasoline at Scott’s feet. “So if you’re gonna do this then…” With the hand that wasn’t holding Erica’s tightly, he reached out and covered Scott’s hand on the fuse. “I think you’re just gonna have to take us with you. Alright?”

Soft sobs escaped Scott as Erica slipped her open hand into his and let Stiles’s hand go so he could work the flare free from Scott’s grip. He tossed the flare back, and for a second, Erica thought everything would be okay. She glanced up and saw Lydia, Jackson, Isaac and Boyd make their way onto the second floor balcony, looking down at them. For one shining moment, it felt like they had gotten out of the ordeal unscathed. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flare start rolling towards the gasoline.

“No!” she screamed, pushing Stiles and Scott out of the puddle until they fell in a heap on the ground and a fireball of gasoline ignited behind them. She glanced over and saw Allison on the ground beside them, relieved to know she was okay, then focused on the two guys below her. “A-Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah,” Stiles nodded, his heart racing as he looked back at where he had just been standing.

“Thanks to you,” Scott acknowledged, turning to look over at Stiles. “Both of you.”

The four that had watched the whole scene from the balcony ran up then, checking on all of them and getting them back on their feet. Lydia told them what she had seen in the flames, and the confirmation that the Darach had been involved in what they had all been through was shocking and unsettling. Allison and Lydia went back to their room to pack up their stuff, Scott and Stiles leaving to do the same while Isaac, Boyd, and Jackson went with Erica so she could gather her belongings. Once they were all done, Allison considered calling her dad, but it was so late, they would only need to wait a few more hours before the rest of the team would be waking up. Boyd was the one to suggest sleeping on the bus, and slowly, they made their way on board and settled into the aisles.

In light of what had just happened, Scott kind of expected Erica to sleep near him and Stiles, but she followed Isaac and Boyd to the back of the bus, laying down on one of the benches without a word to anyone. They caught Jackson watching his packmate too, but all he did was raise a challenging eyebrow at them and turn back to his girlfriend. None of them got much sleep that night, and as expected, within a few hours, the bus doors were opening and the team was joining them. Coach had questions he didn’t want answered, along with the news that the game had been canceled and they were headed home.

Erica had just sat up in her seat when she noticed Ethan sit down beside Scott. She listened as he explained that he didn’t remember what happened the night before, then acknowledged that they had saved his life. As thanks, Ethan told them he was pretty sure Derek was still alive, which had Erica’s mouth falling open in shock and guilt. The next warning Ethan gave them had her mouth closing more tightly, her eyes shifting to Isaac and Boyd behind her. The threat had become very real, and they knew they were in more danger than ever before.

Facing forward with her head leaning against the window, Erica was glad to have a seat to herself. She closed her eyes, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the eyes that turned towards her. Scott and Stiles surely had a lot of questions, and they probably had a lot they wanted to say to her after the night before, but she couldn’t face them. She couldn’t really face any of them after what she had hallucinated. Just because she knew it was a hallucination didn’t mean the conflicted emotions it had stirred in her went away.

Her eyes opened when she heard the muffled whistle blow, then looked over to see Lydia hold her hand out, revealing that Coach’s whistle had been tainted with wolfsbane. Stiles voiced the realization they all had; all of the times the Coach had blown his whistle the day before, he was just poisoning them further. Frantically, Stiles took the whistle from Lydia and threw it out the window. Coach scolded him for it, but the bus started driving away before he could get out to retrieve it.

The bus drive back to Beacon Hills felt more sedated than the drive out to the meet. There wasn’t as much drama with Scott now healing and Boyd not out to kill Ethan any chance he got. There was also the addition of their exhaustion, both physical and emotional, from the night before that left them all drifting in and out of consciousness. When they finally pulled up outside of Beacon Hills High School, they were eager to get home and get some proper rest. Erica was the one that decided she should check the loft in case Derek had returned home in his weakened state. Most of them offered to go with her, but she refused and left before they could argue with her further.

It took her probably longer than normal to walk to Derek’s building. She took a deep breath as she looked up at it, then made her way inside and to the elevator. Before the elevator doors even opened, she was hit by the smell, but it wasn’t until she stepped inside the loft that she identified what the smell was. The mussed bed sheets were indication enough of what had transpired while they were gone, but it wasn’t until she identified the female scent that she felt nauseous.

Derek appeared from the kitchen, stopping when he saw her hovering in the doorway. “You’re here.”

“You’re alive,” Erica replied, her eyes shifting from him to the messy bed. “And you weren’t alone.”

“I almost died,” Derek admitted. “I, uh, found Miss Blake. She brought me back here so I could heal.”

“And how does fucking her fit into that plan, exactly?” Erica wondered, her eyes returning to him fiercely. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through? I thought you were dead. I thought I watched you die. I’ve been beating myself up, thinking I could have done more to save you, that I had failed as your beta.”

“Erica,” he sighed, moving towards her.

“The pack and I nearly died because the Darach targeted us, and while that was happening, you were here, having sex with Miss Blake? Do I have that correct, Derek?” she demanded. She was met with silence, a dry laugh escaping her as she nodded. “You know what? Since it worked so well this time, the next time you’re dying, don’t come looking for help from me.” She turned to leave, but he called her name again, so she stopped. “Why didn’t you call me? You had enough time to have sex with my teacher, but you couldn’t pick up a fucking phone and tell me you were alive?”

“I’m sorry,” he said weakly. “I didn’t plan for it to happen, but I don’t regret it. I don’t know how, but being with her healed me.”

“Wow,” Erica gaped. “That’s awesome. I’m so happy for you, Derek.”

“I can understand why you would be upset I didn’t tell you I was alive, but why can I smell your jealousy from here?” Derek questioned. “You’re my beta, Erica. Not my girlfriend.”

“You’re right,” Erica stated. “I’m just your beta. You want to mess around with some innocent English teacher? Go for it. You won’t see me standing in your way. In fact, you won’t see me at all,” she decided, turning and walking out of his loft without another word.

She ran for a while, needing to release all of her pent up anger and frustration, then for a while longer when she wasn’t sure where she wanted to go. She missed the stability of her childhood home, but her parents were long gone and they were better off without her. She missed her own home, the apartment she had made for herself that wasn’t safe to live in anymore. It also felt too close to Derek, something that she had appreciated before but loathed now. She missed staying with Allison, the apartment she had shared with her and Chris comforting in a way she yearned for now that she was without it. In the end, she found herself walking up to the McCall home, the single heartbeat inside telling her that Melissa was at work and Isaac had gone home with Boyd after all.

Walking inside, she adjusted her bag over her shoulder, then made her way upstairs. Scott must have heard her coming for he met her at the landing. “Hey, you okay?”

“No,” she answered automatically, walking past him into his room where she let her bag fall from her shoulder to the floor. “No, I’m not okay.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” he offered.

Again, and just as quickly as before, she replied, “No.” She walked over to his window, looking out at his yard. “Derek’s alive. We nearly died. We all saw shit that probably traumatized us. The alpha pack’s either going to kill Derek or make sure he kills all of us. Everything’s a mess.”

“But we’re still alive,” Scott pointed out. “Maybe we should just focus on that for now?”

“Why?” Erica scoffed. “Is staying alive some big accomplishment now? Oh wait, I already proved I can’t even manage to do that.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” Scott insisted, moving towards her. “What happened with Derek?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she shook her head.

“It does if it’s got you this worked up,” he disagreed. “If you don’t want to talk about that, maybe we should talk about what happened at the motel.”

“I don’t want to talk about that either,” she muttered, trying to move past him to leave the room, but he placed a hand on her arm to stop her.

“You helped save my life, Erica,” he reminded her. His hand smoothed down her arm, gently taking her hand.

“And you saved mine, so we’re even,” she brushed off, but she didn’t let go of his hand. “Do you really think about what things were like before you got bitten?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “It all seemed simpler back then.”

“Simpler doesn’t mean better,” she pointed out. “How do you think things would be different if you hadn’t been bitten?”

“It would still be you, me, and Stiles,” he mused. “Just us three. Allison wouldn’t have noticed me, which means Lydia and Jackson wouldn’t be around.”

“Neither would Boyd and Isaac,” she added. “I only really started spending time with them at school when I wasn’t with you two.”

“Would you have ever told Stiles the truth?” Scott wondered. “About how you feel about him?”

“I don’t know,” she confessed, shrugging a shoulder. “Maybe I would have found someone else eventually. Someone normal.”

“Maybe we would have ended up together,” he said without thought, swallowing dryly when she looked over at him, her eyes wide. “I mean, if you were the only girl I ever spent time with, and I was one of the only guys you spent time with. Don’t you think it makes sense?”

“Sounds a bit too much like a fairy tale to me,” she shook her head. “The two best friends that realize they were perfect for each other all along? As if that actually happens in real life.”

“Said the resurrected teenage werewolf,” he teased slightly, a grin growing when she snorted. When she yawned right after, he started walking backwards, his hand still in hers and guiding her with him. “Mom’s going to order pizza for dinner when she gets home. Isaac said he would be back in time, but that’s not for a few hours. Why don’t we rest until then?”

“I should-” she started, gesturing towards the door to Isaac’s room.

“Stay,” he requested, sitting down before her on the bed and looking up at her. “I can’t promise a fairy tale, but I can promise some comfort right now. No strings, no promises, no expectations. Just one best friend thanking another for saving his life.”

Erica sighed, glancing down when he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “We can’t make a habit of this,” she decided, crawling onto the bed beside him as he settled back, the two shifting until they were comfortable in each other’s arms. “I mean it.”

With a small smile, Scott nodded, his eyes closing when he felt her head settle on his chest. “Whatever you say, Erica.”

#scirica #scott mccall #erica reyes #stiles stilinski #jackson whittemore #allison argent #teen wolf fanfic #teen wolf #lydia martin #my fic

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percontaion-points · 1 year

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Covet chapters 48-51

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Chapter 48

But as he laces our hands together and leads me to his couch, I can’t help wondering if going slow will take the pressure off…or if it will just make everything explode.

Chapter 48 summary: Rather than to actually talk through things, Grace and Hudson get into it. She tries to leave, but he blocks her path. Because that’s mature. And also continues to argue with her.

We eventually get to the root of his issues: he’s spent his whole life trying to protect Jaxon from hurt, and this is hurting him. Grace says that Hudson sure isn’t making things easy on his brother. But then goes on to say that before Jaxon left a moment earlier, he’d kind of given them his blessing.

That suddenly changes everything in Hudson’s opinion, and he invites her to watch the rest of Star Wars with him.

Chapter 49

Well, until the end when we got into a fight about why Princess Leia couldn’t admit she loved Han Solo until it was too late.

At this point, I’m only going to applaud the author for not having another shitty and thinly veiled Pride and Prejudice reference/metaphor.

Because there’s no city—Giant or otherwise—anywhere around.

Chapter 49 summary: The next morning, Grace recounts to Macy the censored bits of her night with Hudson. Nothing actually happened, but Grace was again struck by how she’d like to be locking lips with Hudson. He pushed her too far, and she ended up storming out.

The two of them then start to get ready for their weekend trip. Grace is worried that they’re going to stay an extra night, and she has so much work to catch up on still.

As they’re packing, she tells Macy that today’s her mom’s birthday. She talks for a long while about her mom’s birthday tradition. Macy joins in about some of the last times that she’d gone down to see her aunt and uncle. That was before her own mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances. (And now that this has been brought up, it’ll probably be relevant sooner or later.)

They meet up with the others downstairs, where they get into the giant teleportation circle that Gwen and Macy had been practising all week. They teleport to a huge forest, but as Grace stands up, she realizes that they’re not in the city at all.

Chapter 50

My cousin is testing the weight of four unbelievably large athames in her hand, bouncing them up and down like she’s about to throw— “Oh my God!”

Chapter 50 summary: The others are quick to explain to Grace that there’s a barrier that needs to be brought down before they can actually go into the city. Or as I like to call it: the reason why it is that we’re currently in chapter 50 of 161.

Macy says that she can do it, but Hudson encourages Grace to help. Since it’s an earth barrier, and she can control earth.

Then Grace finally asks how it is that he knew that putting those rocks on her would bring her back from death. There is an actual answer, but it basically boils down to MAGICAL GARY STU GUESSING POWERS. Which sounds about right, honestly. However, the explanation given makes him sound more manly and heroic, and earns him a hug from Grace.

Chapter 51

I can’t hear what it is, but it sounds urgent, so we all lay on the speed. And break through the tree line just in time to see the athame embed itself into the trunk of what has to be the largest tree in the world.

Chapter 51 summary: Macy uses her magic knives to point in the direction of the constantly moving entrance to the giant’s city. They start flying off into the forest, so they’re forced to run after them to keep up. This goes on for too long, and without any point whatsoever. And before anybody says anything… I’m literally on page 273 of 874. The author clearly needed to be told that brevity is the soul of wit.

#Crave series #Covet (Crave 3)#chapter 48 #chapter 49 #Chapter 50 #Chapter 51 #Grace (Crave)#Hudson Vega #shitty relationship is shitty #Jaxon Vega #the bar is so fucking low #Macy (Crave)

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fybillielourd · 4 years

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I grew up with three parents: a mom, a dad and Princess Leia. I guess Princess Leia was kind of like my stepmom–technically family, but deep down I didn’t really like her. She literally and metaphorically lived on a planet I had never been to. When Leia was around, there wasn’t as much room for my mom–for Carrie. As a child, I couldn’t understand why people loved Leia as much as they did. I didn’t want to watch her movie, I didn’t want to dress up like her, I didn’t even want to talk about her. I just wanted my mom–the one who lived on Earth, not Tatooine. I didn’t watch Star Wars until I was about 6 years old. (And I technically didn’t finish it until I was 9 or 10. I’m sorry! Don’t judge me!) My mom used to love to tell people that every time she tried to put it on, I would cover my ears and yell, “It’s too loud, Mommy! Turn it off!”–or fearfully question, “Is that lady in the TV you?” It wasn’t until middle school that I finally decided to watch it of my own accord–not because I suddenly developed a keen interest in ’70s sci-fi, but because boys started coming up to me and saying they fantasized about my mom. My mom? The lady who wore glitter makeup like it was lotion and didn’t wear a bra to support her much-support-needed DD/F’s? They couldn’t be talking about her! I had to investigate who this person was they were talking about. So I went home and watched the movie I had forever considered too loud and finally figured out what all the fuss was about the lady in the TV. I’d wanted to hate it so I could tell her how lame she was. Like any kid, I didn’t want my mom to be “hot” or “cool”–she was my mom. I was supposed to be the “cool,” “hot” one–not her! But staring at the screen that day, I realized no one is, or ever will be, as hot or as cool as Princess F-cking Leia. (Excuse my language. She’s just that cool!) Later that year, I went to Comic-Con with my mom. It was the first time I realized how widespread and deep people’s love for Leia was, even after so many years. It was surreal: people of all ages from all over the world were dressed up like my mom, the lady who sang me to sleep at night and held me when I was scared. Watching the amount of joy it brought to people when she hugged them or threw glitter in their faces was incredible to witness. People waited in line for hours just to meet her. People had tattoos of her. People named their children after her. People had stories of how Leia saved their lives. It was a side of my mom I had never seen before. And it was magical. I realized then that Leia is more than just a character. She’s a feeling. She is strength. She is grace. She is wit. She is femininity at its finest. She knows what she wants, and she gets it. She doesn’t need anyone to defend her, because she defends herself. And no one could have played her like my mother. Princess Leia is Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher is Princess Leia. The two go hand in hand. When I graduated from college, like most folks, I was trying to figure out what the hell to do with my life. I went to school planning to throw music festivals, but always had this little sliver of me that wanted to do what my parents pushed me so hard not to do–act. I was embarrassed to admit I was even slightly interested. So when my mom called me and told me they wanted me to come in to audition for Star Wars, I pretended it wasn’t a big deal–I even laughed at the concept–but inside I couldn’t think of anything that would make me happier. A couple weeks later I went in for my audition. I probably had never been more nervous in my life. I was terrified and most likely made a fool of myself, but I kind of had a great time doing it. I assumed they would never call me, but after that audition, I realized I wanted to give the whole acting thing a shot. I was definitely afraid, but as a wise woman once said, “Stay afraid, but do it anyway … The confidence will follow.” About a month later, they somehow ended up calling. And there I was, on my way to be in motherf-cking Star Wars. Whoa. Growing up, my parents treated film sets like a house full of people with the flu: they kept me away from them at all costs. So on that fateful first day driving up to Pinewood, I was like a doe-eyed child. I couldn’t tell my mom, but little sassy, sarcastic, postcollege me felt like a giddy, grateful middle schooler showing up to a fancy new school. On that first day, my mom and I sat next to each other in the hair and makeup trailer. (Actually, she wasn’t really one for sitting, so she paced up and down and around me, occasionally reapplying her already overapplied glitter makeup and feeding Gary, her French bulldog.) Between glitterings, the hairstylist crafted what was to become General Leia’s hairstyle, then it was on to me: little Lieutenant Connix. Funnily enough, my mom had more to say about my hairstyle than her own. Even though she complained for years about how the iconic Leia buns “further widened my already wide face,” she desperately wanted me to carry on the face-widening family tradition! Some people carry on their family name, some people carry on holiday traditions–I was going to carry on the family hairstyle. So after we tested a few other space-appropriate hairstyles, we decided to embrace the weird galactic nepotism of it all and went with the mini–Leia buns. She stood in the mirror behind me and smiled like we had gotten matching tattoos. Our secret-handshake hairstyle. On the first day of this thing I could now call “work,” I walked into the Resistance Base set for rehearsal and J.J. Abrams, the director, told me where to stand and what to do–basically just press some pretty real-looking fake buttons. But I have to say, just pressing those buttons and observing the rest of the scene was one of the most fun things I had ever done. I had no lines in the scene, but my mom kept checking on me like I was delivering a Shakespearean monologue. “Are you O.K.?” she asked. “Do you need anything?” I scoffed at her maternal questions like a child embarrassed by her mother yelling goodbye too loud in a carpool line: “Mommy, go away! I’m fine. Focus on you, not me!” In the moment, I was humiliated that my mom was moming me on my first day of work, on the Star Wars set, of all places. But now I realize she was just being protective. Sets are extremely intimidating–I was too green at the time to know that–and she assumed I would be scared as hell. But weirdly, I wasn’t. At risk of sounding insane, something about this bizarre new world made me feel right at home. I had found a place with an empty puzzle slot that perfectly matched my weird-shaped puzzle piece. That night, on the long London-traffic-filled ride back from set, she turned to me and smiled. “Bits,” she said. “You know, most people aren’t as comfortable on sets as you were today. Especially on the f-cking Star Wars set, of all places!” (Excuse my language, but that was her language.) “This might be something you should think about doing.” At first I laughed, assuming she was kidding. But she continued to look me straight in the eye with no inkling of irony in sight. My mom was telling me I should act–my mom? The lady who spent my entire life convincing me acting was the last thing I should do? It couldn’t be true. But it was. I haven’t had many moments like this in my life–those aha moments everyone talks about. This was my first real one. My mom wanted me to be an actress. That was when I realized I had to give it a shot. She used to sarcastically quip that she knew all along what a massive hit Star Wars would be. As with most things, she was kidding. She was absolutely and totally beyond shocked by the massive global phenomenon that was the first Star Wars trilogy. It changed her life forever. Then, when it happened again almost 40 years later, she was even more absolutely and totally beyond shocked. It changed her life yet again. But that time, it changed my life too. I thought getting to make one Star Wars movie with her was a once-in-a-lifetime thing; then they asked me to come do the next movie and I got to do my once-in-a-lifetime twice. On our second movie together, I really tried to take a step back and appreciate what I was doing. I couldn’t tell her because she’d think I was lame, but getting to watch her be Leia this time made me feel like the proud mom. Watching the original Star Wars movies as a kid in my mom’s bed, I never imagined the lady in the TV would get older and get back in the TV. And I definitely never imagined we would end up in the TV together. But that’s where we ended up. Two little ladies in the TV together–Leia and little Lieutenant Connix. We wrapped The Last Jedi a little less than six months before she died. I went back to L.A. to film the show I was on, and she stayed in London to film the show she was on. One of the last times we spoke on the phone, she talked about how excited she was that the next movie in the trilogy was going to be Leia’s movie. Her movie. She used to say that in the original movies, she got to be “the only girl in an all-boys fantasy.” But with each new Star Wars movie, the all-boys fantasy started to become a boys-and-girls fantasy. She was no longer a part of a fantasy, but the fantasy herself. Leia was not just a sidekick one of the male leads had on his arm, or a damsel in distress. She was the hero herself. The princess became the general. My mom died on Dec. 27, 2016. Two days after Christmas, four days before New Year’s and about a year before she was supposed to appear in her final Star Wars film. Losing my mom is the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I lost my best friend. My little lady in the TV. My Momby. And I inherited this weird, intimidating thing called her legacy. Suddenly I was in charge of what would come of her books, her movies and a bunch of other overwhelming things. I was now the keeper of Leia. About a year later, J.J. called me into his office to talk about the plans for Leia. We both agreed she was too important to be written off in the classic Star Wars introductory scroll. This last movie was supposed to be Leia’s movie, and we wanted it to remain that, as much as possible. What I hadn’t known–and what J.J. told me that day –was that there was footage of my mom that they had collected over the years that hadn’t made it into the movies, footage that J.J. told me would be enough to write an entire movie around. It was like she had left us a gift that would allow Leia’s story to be completed. I was speechless. (Anyone who knows me knows that doesn’t happen very often.) J.J. asked me if I would want to come back as Lieutenant Connix. I knew it would be one of the most painful, difficult things I would ever do, but I said yes for her–for my mom. For Leia. For everyone Leia means so much to. For everyone Leia gives strength to. For my future kids, so someday they’ll have one more movie to watch that Mommy and Grandma were in together. So they can ask me about the lady–now ladies–in the TV and tell me to turn it down because it’s too loud. I grew up with three parents: a mom, a dad and Princess Leia. Initially, Princess Leia was kind of like my stepmom. Now she’s my guardian angel. And I’m her keeper.

#billie lourd #interview #star wars #Carrie Fisher

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anxious-allie-ren · 3 years

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I couldn't help myself from posting the next chapter already. I'm just too excited about this story and sharing it with you all! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter as well! It's probably my favorite thing I've written so far.

A few trigger warnings for this chapter: Violence, death, and childhood trauma.

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Erota

Your majesty.

The invitation had arrived at his castle months ago. It sat open on his desk with no response for three weeks. He stares down at it as he finishes putting on his attire for the evening. It was a last minute decision to go. He still wasn't confident in such a decision, but it was too late to go back on it now. His aunt and uncle would be expecting him.

Ben had been a quiet boy. Growing up on the palace grounds was very secluded. High society members visited the King and Queen of Chandrila often. Balls, banquets, and glamorous events took place nearly every fortnight. But it was rare a child would accompany their parents. It was even rarer that Ben was allowed to attend such events.

His father was a strict man. He had married into power, Queen Leia taking control of the kingdom after her father had passed. He was anointed king soon after their marriage and took on numerous responsibilities. Most notable being the military and war plans. He was a courageous soldier, fighting in many of Chandrila's most notable wars. This tough exterior and pride carried into his parenting. Han pushed Ben to be just like him. He was to be strong, both physically and mentally. Any sign of emotion was seen as a weakness.

When Ben was just a boy, no older than four years of age, he had attended a hunting trip with his father and a few other noblemen. He kept to himself as he followed the men deep into the woods. He struggled to carry his bow and arrow, the weapon still larger than him. He observed the men bantering and preparing weapons of their own. He was much too young to understand what was to happen on this trip. But he would soon find out.

The group was stopped for a break within a small clearing. The men chugged bitter wine from their flasks and exchanged raunchy jokes. Ben was too busy watching a brilliantly blue butterfly floating about to absorb their words. He is ripped from his peaceful moment as his father quickly grabs his own weapon near his feet.

"Look across the clearing there, men. We've got a large one!"

Ben follows his fathers line of sight to a marvelous buck grazing the meadow in the distance. He was immediately taken with the animal. He had wooden toys of woodland animals just like it. A smile spread across his face as he watched the buck chew on blades of grass, its long antlers sat on his head like a crown. It reminded him of the crown his father was wearing now. Ben turns to look upon it just as his father pulls back the arrow and releases it. The buck is speared in the chest, just inches from its heart. It collapses in the grass, too stunned to take off. Han yells out in frustration.

"Motherfucker! That was a clear fucking shot!"

Ben's eyes water as he watches the buck writhed in pain, releasing wails that cut through the calm woods. Han looks to Ben and sees the tears trail down his chubby little cheeks. He rips his dagger from his boot and grabs Ben by the back of his collar, dragging him towards the wounded animal. Ben cries out in protest, trying to wriggle from his father's grasp.

"No father! I don't want to go near it!"

Han stops in front of the animal, shoving Ben in front of him and forcing the dagger into his tiny hands.

"Finish him off, boy. End his suffering."

Ben shakes his head, tears still falling from his eyes. He looks from the buck and back to the dagger. Blood is flowing from where it was punctured, creating a pool near his feet.

Ben sniffles and starts to back away. He lets out a small whimper and cries out, "I can't father! It was good! It did nothing wrong!"

Han growls in anger and pushes Ben closer to the animal.

"Do it, Ben! You need to stop being so fucking weak! Good or bad doesn't matter when you're facing another man's sword. All that matters is who comes out of the battle alive."

"But this isn't a battle! It's just an animal!"

Han's anger finally boils over. He grabs Ben's hand, forcing the dagger into his little fist and shoves it through the buck's heart. Ben screams in horror and fear as blood splatters onto his arms and chest. Han releases his grip on his hand, yanking out the dagger and wiping it on his pant leg.

"This kingdom has no use for a sensitive, spineless king. Toughen up, Benjamin or you will fail."

That moment had traumatized him. His father's words sunk into his soul, like a rock sinking to the bottom of the sea. He came back from that trip a bit hardened. As he grew, he continued to collect bricks of trauma, adding them slowly to the wall he hides behind. His fortress was solidified the day his parents passed.

He never got along with his father. His relationship with his mother wasn't good either. When he was an infant, Leia doted on him. She took on the responsibility of caring for him by herself, leaving her other duties to her advisors. She spent as much time with him as possible. But when Ben was about the age of three, she seemed to abandon him. Leia brought on nannies and wet nurses to care for him.

Leia was brought up as an independent, able lady. During her time in the ton, she was one of the most desired debutantes. But by the end of the season, she had chosen Lord Han Solo, the son of a Baron in Chandra. He was below her in status, but she was so enamored with him that they married quickly after meeting. Ben was born just ten months into their marriage. He provided Chandrila with its sought after heir. But a spare would still be needed in the event that tragedy were to strike. Leia tried desperately for another child, but nothing seemed to stick. She went as far as to bring in witch doctors and herbalists in hopes of success. The spare never came and the stress weighed on her greatly. The pain became too much to bear.

Leia returned to her duties and never spoke of children again. She distanced herself from the one she had as some way to cope with her failure. Seeing her living child grow only reminded her what she was lacking. They would remain separated for the rest of her life, only seeing each other at events.

Ben was only fifteen years old when his parents died. The king and queen were travelling to Chandrakant for a meeting with the Earl to discuss funding when they were attacked. Soldiers from a neighboring kingdom ambushed their carriage during the night. They were found in the morning by merchants traveling along that path. When their bodies were brought back to Chandrila and laid to rest, Ben was crowned as king.

During his coronation, he was given the choice to take on a reign name or keep his own. Both his parents had kept their names during their rule. His grandparents had as well. But he made the decision that day to let his past die along with his family. He would take on a new name and bring on a new era for Chandrila. From that day on he was formally known as His Majesty, King Kylo Ren of Chandrila.

Kylo had been living a secluded life for many years at this point. He preferred to stay introverted, doing what he had to for his kingdom and nothing more. The ballroom that was once filled with balls and galas had been retired. An event had not been held at the palace since his parents were alive. Meetings with nobility took place in the throne room. He did not travel. He did not leave the palace grounds.

But Kylo has now come of age, surpassed it by a few years even. His advisors were now beginning to push the idea of marriage on him. A heir and spare would be needed for the succession. Kylo simply brushed off their pestering questions during court. He would take a wife when he was good and ready.

But finding a wife meant leaving the grounds to search. This meant he must attend the events of the ton. Kylo had absolutely no interest in stepping foot in such frivolous festivities. When he decided it was time, he would simply have his advisor pick a lady for him. It's not as if the marriage would ever be anything more than a societal alliance. A way for both notable families to gain from the prospect. The notion of love was not even on Kylo's mind. He had lacked it all his life, never experiencing it to know what he was missing. A marriage and creating an heir would become another royal duty for him to fulfill.

He couldn't deny that he was shocked when the invitation was brought to him in his den. The King and Queen of Corellia had invited him to the first banquet of the season. It was to be held at their summer estate in the countryside of Corellia. He hadn't been there since he was a small boy.

During the nice summer months when the air was humid and the sun stayed in the sky long past his bedtime, his family went to visit the King and Queen. Uncle Luke was his mother's twin brother. They had both been raised in Chandrila and had been very close most of their lives. When they both came of age, it was decided that Chandrila would divide into two kingdoms. One for Princess Leia to rule, and one for Prince Luke. This is how the kingdom of Corellia was created. Ever since, Uncle Luke has ruled those territories.

Kylo had been fond of him when he was young. But when his parents passed and the responsibility of Chandrila was thrusted upon him, Uncle Luke never came to help. He didn't attend their burials. He didn't assist the young boy in the transition. He too, had abandoned him.

He realized on one late night, weeks after the invitation had arrived, that this was some sort of olive branch. A way from Luke to worm his way into Kylo's good graces. But this would not be enough for him. He wanted answers. He wanted justice. Overall, he wanted revenge. So he decided then to accept the invitation. Kylo would attend this banquet and get what he deserved.

But all those plans were put on hold the moment your name was announced to the ton.

Kylo had arrived about an hour ago. He entered through a back passage he remembered as a child, so as to not draw attention to his arrival. He had taken a glass of champagne off a passing tray and stood on the outskirts of the crowd. Young ladies gawked and whispered about him, giggling amongst one another. He paid them no mind, he was on a mission and he intended on completing it.

He was slowly making his way towards the back of the ballroom where his uncle sat when your arrival had been announced. He took no notice of it initially. But he stopped in his tracks as he got a glimpse of you through the crowd. Your deep red dress stood out against the pastels surrounding him. You were delicate in your motions, curtsying before your king and waiting for his command. He watched as Luke approached you, his uncle clearly as enamored with you as he was. Everyone in the room could hear his words as he spoke to you. Singing praises and compliments that undoubtedly made you beam with pride.

Your father had led you away after your interaction with the king. Kylo lost track of you as a group of gentlemen approached him to exchange pleasantries. He did his best to be polite, not wanting to draw more attention to himself than he clearly already had. He again tried to make his way through the crowd, only this time he was in search of you.

A petite young woman appeared in front of him before he could get his eyes on you.

She had shiny black hair, pinned up with elegant pins. Her dress was a nauseating pastel green and her jewelry constantly caught the light, nearly making him squint to look at her. She presented her hand to him and gave him a toothy smile.

"Hello, your grace. My name is Charlotte Ventress, the daughter of Lord and Lady Ventress. I saw you standing here all alone and felt so compelled to introduce myself."

Kylo nearly cringes from her introduction. Debutantes we're never meant to approach gentlemen. In fact it was the other way around. Her forwardness was immediately a turn off. It's unlikely he would have been interested in her, if he hadn't already been so taken by you. Kylo clears his throat and takes her hand, giving it a gentle shake.

"Hello, Miss Ventress. I'm humbled by your need for introduction, but I'm afraid you're using the wrong titles."

Charlotte looks at him confused, an eyebrow raising at his statement.

"Is that so? Well, then what title should I be using exactly?"

Her words were laced with attitude and sarcasm. Kylo smirked to himself, looking down at his pristine, shiny dress shoes. Did he look anything less than a king? He figured his attire would have given his status away, that's why he chose not to wear his crown. By her tone, he can only assume she thinks he's below her.

"The correct title would be your majesty, miss."

At this she tries to hold back a chuckle, placing her hand over her mouth to hide her amusement. Charlotte places a hand on her hip, her posture becoming more relaxed now. She thinks he's joking.

"Your majesty? Sir, I'm pretty sure the only royalty in this room is sitting over there."

She nods her head towards the back of the room, motioning to the thrones where his aunt and uncle are sat. Oh this poor girl has no clue.

"I believe you're referring to my aunt and uncle. I'm King Kylo of Chandrila, King Luke's nephew."

He watches as the recognition flies across her features. Eyes going wide and eyebrows raising in surprise. Charlotte immediately stands back up, making a poor attempt at presenting herself as dignified. It was much too late for that now.

"Oh, you're majesty! I'm so sorry for my lapse in judgement. How silly of me."

Kylo holds back his eye roll. Just another young woman fluttering her lashes at him for his titles. He nods to her and finishes off his champagne.

"Right, of course. You must excuse me, it seems my glass is empty."

With that he walks away from her, back on his pursuit to find where you'd gone. He comes to the outskirts of the dance floor, watching as lords and ladies waltz around in circles. A waiter begins to pass by and he is quick to place his empty flute on their tray.

Kylo stands in a relaxed position, hands clasped behind his back, as he watches the couples in front of him. He raises his eyes from the dance floor for a moment, hoping to spot your crimson colored dress amongst the crowd. That's when Kylo locks eyes with you from across the room. He takes in your features, admiring your beauty. He admittedly had very little experience with women. It was a rare occasion for him to speak with them. His interaction mostly took place with the ladies in court. All of them married and much older than him.

Kylo finally understood his uncle's words to you earlier. You held his intense gaze, allowing him to see the secrets held within your eyes. He felt like he was stuck in place, frozen in time with just your look. The moment ended abruptly as a ginger haired man stepped in front of you, blocking his view of you and cutting off your eye contact.

He instantly felt possessive. Kylo could see your discomfort through your body language. He kept watch from the side of the dance floor as you took the man's arm and joined him for the next song. He wanted your full attention.

Kylo decided then that he needed more of you. He wanted to know you, needed to know you. If joining the ton and surviving this season was what he had to do to make that happen, then so be it.

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Poor baby Kylo! How are we feeling about Kylo's perspective? I'm hoping to include his view of things very often in this story. Please let me know what you think!

Love,

Allie

#star wars #kyloren #kylo #king kylo #kylorenthings #kylo ren x you #kylo x reader #kylo ren x reader #poe dameron #armitage hux #Hux #poe #bridgerton #historical #slow burn

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giggles-and-freckles · 3 years

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swoon june day 8: hands

“Got it,” he says, jumping out of the bed with a speed she isn’t entirely convinced isn’t aided by the Force. She doesn’t complain, though. Just lays her head back on the pillow and smiles in contentment.

She thought it would wear off by now. Everyone told her it would. That his eagerness to be the one to tend to the babies every night would trail off and be replaced by groans and complaining.

They were going on six months, though, and Anakin was as happy to lull the twins back to sleep now as he was the first night they brought them home.

The crying stops within minutes, which means it must have been Leia. She never cries longer than absolutely necessary. There’s a hesitancy to the way she expresses her emotions, like she has so much to give but isn’t quite sure if the galaxy is able to handle it. Padmé is familiar with the sentiment. She sleeps next to it every night.

She waits a few more minutes, then pulls back the covers and slips her feet to the floor. It’s a short walk to the nursery, but she steps slowly and as quietly as she can. He left the door open so she stops just on the other side of it, her back flush against the wall of the hallway.

He’s singing.

Padmé smiles at catching him in this talent he’s too embarrassed to show anyone over the age of six months apparently. She recognises the tune from the nights before. Always the same song, rough huttese bent and flattened into smooth melody. His voice rumbles on and Padmé can’t help but peer around the corner of the door.

It’s Leia, like she’d guessed. The infant is curled up on Anakin’s chest as he reclines in the rocker. Her head bumps along the bottom of his chin as she shifts, leftover sniffles from whatever nightmare it was that had woken her up. His metal hand–an ungloved rarity–catches underneath her, hoisting her up. His other hand lightly trails down her face, tracing her nose.

Padmé’s heart constricts as she watches him sing and study their daughter. There’s a warmth about Anakin she’s always had the privilege of knowing–but she’s overjoyed that his circle has expanded. That there will one day be another woman who knows what it’s like to be loved by Anakin Skywalker.

His finger moves down Leia’s tiny, upturned nose to her lips. He traces those, too, and Padmé watches as he then lifts his finger to his own lips and kisses it. Then drops the finger back to Leia’s mouth. A satisfied sort of snort comes from Leia and Padmé has to stifle a giggle behind her hand.

Anakin’s head turns toward the door and locks eyes with her.

“Spying again?”

“Well,” she says, stepping fully into the room, “see, I heard this voice singing. I had to know where it came from. Couldn't help it.”

“Right,” he says, rolling his eyes.

“And what good fortune,” she continues, with a grin, “turns out he’s got a cute baby and he’s not too bad looking himself.”

He grins in return. “I’ve got two cute babies, actually.” He holds out his hand and she takes it. “But as it turns out...I also already have a wife. She works really hard to keep the galaxy in one piece, so she’d probably be a little upset to hear that a random woman was hitting on me in the middle of the night.”

“Hm,” Padmé says, lightly, “your wife seems nice.”

Anakin tugs on her hand until she’s sitting sideways in the chair with him. Leia squirms a bit on his chest and reaches out with a fist. It finds residence in the folds of Padmé’s gown. Padmé moves to replace the fabric with her own finger, then watches as Anakin wraps his own hand around hers and Leia’s.

This hand that has crushed droids and crashed starfighters. It has catalogued thousands of hours spinning a lightsaber around it and learned how to make the Force bend to it’s will, for better or for worse. More recently, it has killed a Sith Lord and independently restored balance to the entire galaxy.

Padmé thinks it’s much better suited to holding and caressing than killing and destroying.

She shifts her head so she can look at him, really look at him. He blinks back at her with a smile so soft she’s not quite sure how he was ever targeted by the Sith and drops a kiss to her forehead, then one to Leia’s.

Behind them, there’s a whimper. Because if Leia has inherited her father’s propensity for emotional suppression, Luke has inherited his need for attention.

“I've got it,” Padmé says, smiling and clamoring up from the chair. Anakin hums in response, but his finger is already tracing back down the bridge of Leia’s nose, watching with fascination as her eyes flutter shut.

Padmé leans over Luke’s bassinet. “Hello, my sunshine,” she whispers, pulling him up and close to her. Blue eyes blink up sleepily, but happily, at her. “Ani, when are you going to get around to teaching them that three in the morning is not breakfast time?”

Anakin doesn’t respond or seem to even hear her. Padmé looks and sees that he is still fixated on Leia. As she walks back toward him, she hears the first line of his lullaby, the tune hushed and rasping as he cups Leia’s face and rubs his thumb back and forth across her cheek.

The chair isn’t even close to being big enough for four of them, but Padmé drops into it nonetheless, needing to be complete and whole for this moment. Luke coos and sighs against her neck as she adjusts, laying her legs lightly over Anakin’s.

“I love you,” she says, as he continues to sing.

And the words change–from Huttese to Basic, from unfamiliar and foreign to warm and personal.

“You are the best of me, and the best of me is for you.”

swoon june 2021 prompts

#my fic #swoonjune2021 #anidala #no thoughts head empty just happy skywalker family #sorry but I can't HELP IT

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coexiising · 3 years

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Good Neighbors - Chapter One

SUMMARY ✦ You were excited to learn that someone was finally moving into that old house next to your own. The Skywalker-Amidala family seemed like a great addition to your friendly neighborhood, with their two twin kids and happy personalities. Though, the more you get to know your neighbors, the closer you get to the husband of the family: Anakin Skywalker.

WARNING(S) ✦ Modern! Anakin Skywalker, Alternate Universe, Infidelity, Eventual Smut, not so slow burn, Eventual Romance, Neighbors, and they were neighbors, anakin looks so good in a suit, sneaking around, forbidden love

NOTE ✦ I’ve been wanting to write a Modern! Anakin fanfic for a while now, so here we go! This will be a multi chapter fic, I don’t know how many yet but expect a lot because I’ve got some ideas to play out! This chapter is more of an introductory, but expect some more spicy drama in the next coming chapters.

»»————-　✼　————-««

As tradition goes every year, you could smell the smoke coming from the middle of your neighborhood's culdesac while you made your way outside your garage with your mother, who held a large tray of potato salad in her hands that she insisted she carried herself over to the white tables in the distance. It was hot outside, early July was coming strong this year with the heat, reaching a staggering eighty nine degrees outside and it was already well past noon. Though, you should’ve been expecting the heat, since it seemed to creep up on you every time this yearly cookout happened.

It had been a little tradition, jokingly deemed a ‘holiday’ by your younger brother, that had been going on for as long as you could think back to. You could remember being five years old and running around with the neighborhood kids and jumping into your pool after eating the bountiful amount of food that was supplied for the families that participated. It used to be a handful of them, three or four families that came and had a small little barbeque together. But over time that changed, and now it became a whole neighborhood thing.

The dads of the block always started earlier to get everything set up, which was really the long white tables where food could be set and setting up the large grill on the pavement. And the moms always slaved away in their kitchens making some type of side dish, whether it be fruit cups, potato salads, or whatever. You were twenty two now, almost done with your undergraduate degree, and you wondered if you would ever find this sense of friendliness anywhere else when you eventually moved from your home. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to leave, it was just more convenient for you to stay and you didn’t mind your family that much. They were supportive, there for you no matter what, and your home was close to your University anyways.

“I wonder if Lisa is going to wear that ugly dress she bought the other day,” Your mother stated, making short, languid strides next to you. “She brought it to the house a few days ago when we were having a little wine date and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was definitely not twenty five anymore and that dress did not hug her in the right places.”

You laughed, jokingly hitting your mom on the shoulder. “Mom, come on, it can’t be that bad.” She didn’t respond, only grinning towards you with a hint of playfulness filling her eyes behind her thick, black sunglasses. Your eyes scanned the crowd already forming, kids on the outside running around with a ball. You knew a lot of them, even held some of them as babies after they were born. But when you took another glance at the group, you saw that there were two you didn’t recognize. A boy and a girl, both looking similar to one another and the only difference being the slightly different shades of their hair. “Mom, who are they?” You asked, pointing to the girl and boy who were now fighting each other for control over the soccer ball.

“Oh, they’re the kids of the new neighbors,” Your mom answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. You looked over at the house next to your own, a two story one with white coloring and many windows. It had been for sale forever and it became quite the local news when someone actually bought it. You guess you hadn’t realized that the people who bought it were now occupying it. “They’re twins, I think. The mom and dad are on the younger side too. Courtney says that the husband is working at that law firm down on first street and apparently the wife wants to run for senator in a year.” How the hell did she know this much about everyone? You shouldn’t even question it at this point, since she was friends with all the neighborhood moms who loved to gossip.

Looking around for any unfamiliar faces, you were surprised to see none. Were they not coming out for the cookout? It seemed like the perfect place for them to meet everybody. “Oh!” Your mom exclaimed. “I forgot the tongs on the kitchen counter, could you go get them for me, please?” Without a second thought you nodded, turning on your heel and making your way back towards your house. As much as you loved your mom, you were sometimes annoyed with her forgetfulness, especially because you asked her if she had everything three times before you left just a few moments ago. Oh well, it wasn’t that big of a deal, you would be in and out in no time.

You walked up the well cut grass of your lawn to your front door, sandaled foot almost hitting the concrete when you heard the creak of another door. It belonged to the door of the house beside you, the light tapping of shoes making their way onto the patio filled your ears, feeling somewhat foreign since you weren’t used to hearing anything from that house. You wondered what it looked like inside, if everything was rusted and worn. It had to have been almost ten years since someone lived there.

But when you turned to finally get a look at your neighbor, your thoughts were completely halted.

Your mom was right, he, most likely being the husband, was on the younger side. He had to be in his early thirties, still a lot of youth painting his broadened features. His skin was lightly tanned, it was hard not to notice the way that the sun seemed to do a good job in painting his long, muscular arms that reached to close the door behind him. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt and black pants, though it wasn’t like something that you had seen other dads wear before, it was more formal, more pristine like he was trying to make an appearance. But if the story checked out, he was supposed to be a lawyer, it was his job to look professional. You continued to look at him, almost shamefully so as your eyes trailed from his clothing to his face, taking in the sharpness of his jaw and the blues of his eyes that very much reminded you of the light blue sky above you now. And then to his hair, which was cut short and had a golden glow to it.

Right as you were about to turn and get into your house, the ball that had been with the group of kids came flying your way, hitting against the door next to you and making you jump at the loud noise. It was lucky that it didn’t fly through a window, or your parents would’ve gone ballistic. You could hear some of the parents start to shout at the kids, telling them to stay away from the houses if they were planning on kicking that thing off of the ground. The same kids you were questioning earlier ran up your lawn, most definitely to retrieve the ball that would’ve hit you dead on if you hadn’t been gawking at their father.

“Luke, I told you to not kick it that way!” The girl, Leia, yelled towards her brother, a little stomp in her step as they made their way towards you. You picked up the ball and held it in your hands, kneeling down and waiting for the kids to approach you. Luke shook his head, shaggy hair falling into his eyes and saying, “It wasn’t me! It was that other guy over there. Why do you always blame me!” You laughed, the dynamic almost reminding you of you and your brother when you were younger.

Handing them the red rubber ball, they both gave you a small ‘thank you’ and Leia muttered a tiny ‘sorry’ and they went on their way. Watching as they went, you didn’t even realize that someone else was walking up to you. Still kneeling, you looked up and saw that it was your neighbor, looking down at you with a tiny, pleasant smile on his face. You blushed, realizing the awkward position and stood up, ignoring the heat coming to your cheeks and offering a smile to him as well. Being this close to him, you could see that he was tall as well, standing a good couple inches over you. Usually this would’ve made you feel intimidated, but for some reason it made you want to draw closer to him. You mentally scolded yourself for thinking this way, knowing that he was your new neighbor, and not to mention he had two very cute twins and a wife who was probably beautiful.

“Sorry about that, I hope they didn’t scare you that bad,” He said, taking a glance at his kids who were already starting another round of whatever game they were playing with the others. His voice was low, but there was a sense of calm to it. It wasn’t rough or gravelly, almost like honey as he spoke to you. “I haven’t seen you here before, do you live here? I think I’ve seen your mom and dad around but we were waiting until the cookout to introduce ourselves.” Kind of a stupid question to ask since you were standing on your porch with your keys in your hand, though you gave him the benefit of the doubt.

“Yeah, um,” You thought back to the day you saw your neighbors two cars parked in the driveway, was that a Sunday? No, it was a Monday. “I’m usually around here more but last week I had to pick up a couple shifts at work to help my friend.” Your coworker and friend came down with the flu and had to find someone to cover her ships ASAP, and you weren’t doing anything important and stepped in to help.

He nodded. “Makes sense. I’m Anakin Skywalker, you already met my kids but they’re Luke and Leia.” Skywalker. A strange last name that confused you for a moment, realizing that you’ve never heard of anything like that before. Then again, you hadn’t heard of the name Anakin either, but somehow the unique name fit him.

“Y/N,” You responded, giving him a nod.

“Y/N,” He said, like he was testing the name out on his tongue. You tried to ignore the feeling you got when you heard it come out of his lips, which were very nice by the way when you took a second to glance at them. It sounded good in Anakin’s voice, and you found yourself wanting him to say it over and over again if he would. There was a moment of awkward silence between the both of you, a random amount of tension that you didn’t know if you were imagining or not. Then Anakin opened his mouth again to say, “My kids were looking at the pool in your yard the other day when they were exploring our backyard.”

“Oh, yeah,” You said. “They’re welcome to come over any time and use it if they want.”

“Are you sure?”

It was normal for the people in the neighborhood to use it if they wanted to. It was a big underground pool that had been built when you were a little kid. “Yeah, everyone does. Just make sure to ask someone before and they’ll most likely say yes. We like to get the most out of it every summer.” You realized that you were supposed to be back with your mother, she was most likely getting antsy as to what was taking so long. So you took the opportunity to leave, even though you wouldn’t mind staying and talking to your new neighbor for as long as he wanted to. He wasn’t just attractive, you thought that he was nice too.

“Well, I need to get something from the house and get back to my mom. See you later, Mr. Skywalker.”

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Just Anakin is fine.”

You felt your cheeks heat up. “Right, see you later, Anakin.” He gave you one last smile and right as you turned around, you could’ve sworn you saw a wink. You turned on your heel, ignoring the eyes he clearly had on you and making your way into your house. The moment the door was closed, you leaned against the wood and closed your eyes, replaying that last moment over and over again in your head. Had he really winked at you? Or was that just your mind spinning some kind of fantasy?

Oh, Christ.

It was hard to ignore the butterflies swarming in your stomach.

#Anakin Skywalker #anakin x reader #anakin skywalker smut #anakin smut #anakin skywalker x reader #star wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars prequels #star wars fanfiction #star wars smut #modern #modern au #star wars modern au

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dracowars · 3 years

Text

hold on | poe dameron

pairing: poe x reader

word count: 1,9k

summary: where poe has to hold on to y/n for dear life

a/n: this is inspired by that one scene in Mulan II (if you know, you know)

warnings: angst, character death, mentions of blood

universe: star wars

It was in that one moment, in that one tiny second, that you were careless. You were not paying enough attention. You have felt safe, a false sense of security. And suddenly the plans with important secret information about the First Order and its troops, that you worked hard for to earn, were snatched away from you.

Leia had entrusted the four of you - Rey, Finn, Poe, and you - with this very important mission and sent you to Vandor to meet up with a spy in the ranks of the First Order who captured said plans. With these plans you could have foreseen their next steps and be prepared for them. You would have had a chance, but now that the plans are gone, the hopelessness keeps increasing.

After you went to Vandor and reached your destination, you were badly surprised on your way back to the base and had to make an emergency landing on Pasaana, a heavily populated desert planet. You immediately thought that something was not right, that something was suspicious since the Millennium Flacon was carefully checked on the basis of the Resistance beforehand and showed no signs of any damages or problems. You should have guessed that the First Order was behind this, chasing you down until they got their precious plans back. And unfortunately, that is exactly what they now succeeded in doing.

Pasaana is known for its colorful festivals and marketplaces and while you were looking for spare parts to repair the Falcon with, you were distracted. You were not paying attention, got distracted, and suddenly the plans were gone, stolen by a creature you would classify as a bounty hunter based on its appearance. They were shrewd and cunning and had probably worked out their deed diligently. One of them distracted you all, talked to you, got you involved in a conversation and offered you all sorts of things, just like a real trader. What none of you noticed, however, was how his companion sneaked up on you from behind and stole your bag with the plans.

The two of them ran away immediately and you followed them as quickly as possible. While doing so, you also drew the attention of a few patrols consisting of stormtroopers of the First Order on you, who are making the pursuit even more difficult now. Rey fends off their shots with her blue lightsaber, Finn shoots his blaster at your chasers in the middle of running, while Poe and you are closely following behind the bounty hunters.

The sand under your feet makes it strenuous for you to move forward quickly, but not only you are affected by it. The bounty hunters as well as the stormtroopers are struggling with it too and since you ran out of the actual city by now, you find yourself completely surrounded by sand.

However, you do not let it stop you and continue to pursue them in the hope of regaining the important plans with the information, not dooming your mission. Poe tries to hit them with his own blaster shots repeatedly, but terribly fails. In return for his attack, you are met with a small ball flying straight towards you; a bomb.

Within seconds, Poe throws himself protectively at you, pulling you to the side and away from the source of danger, ending up in the soft sand when the bomb goes off close to you. Poe shields the swirling sand from you with his body, his strong arms blocking your view.

“Are you alright?”, he asks you worried, his arms wrapped tightly around you, scanning his eyes over your face.

“Y-Yes. Thank you”, you stutter out. You have never been this close to him before as you are at this moment right now. His dark curls fall on his forehead, beautifully framing it, his stunning brown eyes look straight into yours. You lose yourself in the moment, wanting to control and stop the time to forever enjoy this moment. Poe, on the other hand, seems to be stunned as well. By you.

He has had these feelings for you for so long already, but he suppressed them. At first, he tried to deny the fact that he fell for you, but seeing you every day, seeing that gorgeous smile on your face that he wants to touch so bad every time, he accepted his feelings at some point, but was still not ready to confess them. How could he? In the midst of a war raging around you, he felt it was inappropriate and not the right time to put his feelings first. But right now, in this moment, he would like nothing more than to confess his love to you. Kiss you right on the spot, cup your face, softly touch you with his fingers, all that he wishes so dearly still seems so far away, even now when he can literally feel your raging heartbeat against his chest.

No longer able to withstand his loving gaze on you, you avert your gaze and Poe watches how your eyes suddenly widen.

“The plans!”, you shout in shock and bring you both back to the bitter reality. Getting up as fast as possible, Poe helping you, you stomp through the deep sand again, following the bounty hunters who have brought a great distance between you in the meantime.

“What are you two even doing!?”, you hear Rey’s voice behind you as she comes running after you both. Apparently, she and Finn successfully eliminated all stormtroopers.

“They are going to escape!”, Finn adds a little angry, the blaster still ready in his hands before another loud shot is suddenly fired.

Several Tie Fighters have now appeared above you, chasing and shooting you. You are abruptly forced to stop in your tracks when one of their fatal shots lands right in front of you, blocking your path with a violent explosion, whirling the sand through the air again.

“This way!”, Poe calls out, takes you by the hand and leads you into a crevice, closely followed by Rey and Finn. “Their footprints lead this way, come on!”

Not hesitating for long, you stay hunched between the rocks, walking more slowly than before with the Tie Fighters over your head, waiting like vultures for their prey. The footprints lead through the rocky landscape until you reach a large, deep cliff.

Right when you reach it, the bounty hunters run over a narrow, unstable suspension bridge that leads over said gorge. Without thinking any further, Poe and you quickly follow them, the loose pieces of wood creaking dangerously under your feet. And on top of all of this, the Tie Fighters reappear, now that there is enough space above you to shoot at you again. A shot fired by Finn, who has stopped on the solid surface in front of the cliff, passes you, heading straight for the bounty hunters, but missing them by only a few inches. One of them aims his weapon directly at Poe and you on the loose bridge, fires a shot as well and actually lands a hit this time. Poe cries out in pain, whimpering, when his blaster is shot out of his hand with great impact, falling into the abyss.

As soon as the two bounty hunters reach the other safe side of the gorge, a disgusting laugh comes from their mouths as they suddenly start to cut the rotten ropes of the hanging bridge. Immediately the bridge begins to sway dangerously under your feet, nearly knocking you over when you try to keep your balance.

“Watch out!”, you hear Rey’s loud scream behind you, the last thing you hear right before one of the Tie Fighters shots fly through the air again, breaking the rope in half and causing you to fall into the deep depths, screaming.

At the very last moment you manage to hold on to a broken old rope, reach out your arm right away to catch Poe as well. His weight pulls hard on your arm, making you cry out in pain briefly, but you grab his hand as tightly as you can, not letting go of him. You hang helplessly in the air over the gorge, which leads several meters down, not even being able to see the ground from up here. A cold breeze floats through the gorge and not only makes you sway, but also the almost completely destroyed suspension bridge above you.

“Poe! Poe, hold on tight, okay? I got this!”, you scream loudly, hoping to give him and also yourself the strength to get through this, but when you look up to where the bridge was a few seconds ago, another part of it breaks and you fall a few meters deeper. Holding on to the one puny rope with your bare physical strength, tears are already stinging your eyes, the situation seeming hopeless. The rope, which now resembles a thin thread, will not be able to hold you for much longer.

“Y/N. It will not hold us both”, Poe states, his shaky voice full of fear and sadness, saying out loud what you thought.

“No, it will hold us both. It will, I know it will!”, you reply with an equal shaky voice, looking down at him and the infinite depth below him. Bloods runs down his arm, caused by the injury on his hand due to the shot, turning his light brown shirt a deep red. Tears well up in your eyes when you notice the helplessness in his eyes. Shortly after your words, the rope starts to tear a little more and your arms turn sorer every second.

“I should have told you this much earlier, Y/N. But I want you to know that, before we die, I truly love you”, Poe confesses out of nowhere, causing the tears to flow down your cheeks, your hand clasping even more around his wrist.

“I love you too, Poe. With all my heart”, you sob and see a gentle smile on Poe’s lips, which disappears again quickly as his whole facial expression changes after his gaze fell on the thread which is the only thing still saving you from death. “We will not die, do you hear me? We will make it out of here!”

“Y/N. I am sorry”, he whispers and suddenly loosens his grip on your hand. Screaming bitterly, you try to grab him, to hold him, but his hand slips away, and Poe falls down into the abyss, margining with the deep black while you can only scream after him.

“NO!”, you cry out loudly, your hand still outstretched, warm and covered in blood where your hands were still touching seconds before. “POE!”

You are about to let go as well, your grip on the rope, that is currently still rescuing you from the same fatal fate as Poe, is already loosening when you suddenly feel how the gravity gets reversed and you begin to float in the air. Slowly, you slide up out of the deep gorge, still holding the rope in your hand, your gaze fixed on the black below you as you get rescued through the Force by Rey. As soon as you feel solid ground under your feet again, you rush back to the dangerous edge, fall on your knees in front of it while tears flow down your cheeks in streams.

With beeping ears and a throbbing heart, you feel how Rey and Finn put their arms around you, how they talk to you and try to comfort you. But nothing could. Nothing in this universe could relieve you from the absolute pain you are in.

You feel nothing but emptiness. A void that is only filled with the unbearable pain of just having lost the love of your life forever.

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tennessoui · 3 years

Note

hi all of your aus are amazing! pls what happens with divorced!obiwan and the twins?

hey!! sorry this took so long i had to think of an appropriate cliffhanger

this is a continuation of this ficlet and this ficlet, where divorced!obi-wan accidentally acquires a partner and a set of twins.

(2k WHOOPS)

The twins are not, and probably have never been described by anyone except their father, angels. They take to Obi-Wan as well as Obi-Wan takes to them, which is to say that all three of them watch each other suspiciously until one day Luke launches himself off the top of the fridge--how the fuck did he manage to get up there--and Obi-Wan drops his morning toast in a frantic bid to catch him.

After that, Leia and Luke apparently decide he is Another Anakin Who Is Just Around A Lot Less But Is Better At Reading Bedtime Stories and deign to treat him as such.

Obi-Wan decides that he’s going to have a heart attack by the age of fifty. Do all children see a childproof house as a challenge?

It somehow takes both a longer and shorter time to win over Anakin’s favor, mostly because Obi-Wan isn’t sure what the man’s thinking at any given moment. He seems to blow hot and cold depending on how he woke up or how the work day goes. Some days, Obi-Wan comes home from campus and Anakin and the twins have waited to eat until he’s there. Sometimes they’ve eaten and there’s a meal under foil on the stove just for Obi-Wan.

(“I don’t know how you do it,” Obi-Wan tells him one night after the children are put to bed. “I mean, work from home with your job, mind the children, and cook?”

“They made me head of the R&D department a few months ago,” Anakin admits, taking a sip of his second glass of wine. “So I’m doing a lot more checking through other people’s work instead of making my own. It just means I can do that and make something edible--no, really, you just can’t cook, Obi-Wan, I’m not the best either.”

“Do you miss getting to make something other than food?” Obi-Wan asks eventually, giving himself enough time to recover from the sound of the other’s giggles.

Anakin shrugs languidly. “It’s better salary, and I’m the youngest ever in the company to have the position. Means I’ll pay off my student loans quicker, same with my mom’s hospital bills. Doesn’t matter what I want.”

Obi-Wan’s chest hurts and he wants to lean across the gap between their chairs and place his hand on Anakin’s arm, but they don’t know each other like that. It’s only been a month and a half since they moved in. Still. “It always matters what you want,” he insists. “And I think you’re amazing.”

Anakin blushes bright scarlet and takes a huge gulp of wine, and Obi-Wan wonders if this is a throwing-yourself-off-the-fridge break through.)

(It’s not because the next day, Anakin doesn’t say a single word to him, which bothers him more than he’d like to admit.)

(“Am I in the wrong for wanting to get along with my housemate?” Obi-Wan asks Quinlan despairingly during their office hours that he should be using to grade papers. Instead all he can think about is Anakin Skywalker and the goddamn cold shoulder he’s been getting from the man for the past three days.

“Yeah,” Quin says absentmindedly, marking something with a red pen before looking up at Obi-Wan’s outraged intake of breath. “I mean, no. I mean, sorry, Obi, what are we even talking about now? Is it still your hot new roommate with the two kids? Because that’s what we were talking about an hour and a half ago.”

Obi-Wan crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. “I’m just not sure I appreciate--”

“And you said he’s not been hanging around in the living room when you get home? But he’s still leaving you meals in the kitchen? And you’re upset about the free food?”

Obi-Wan is upset at the lack of Anakin’s presence, but he thinks that’s probably not the right thing to say here.

“Maybe he’s just tired?” Quinlan puts down his pen and rests his chin on one of his hands as he looks at Obi-Wan. “From the kids and the job and putting up with your moody ass. C’mon, Obi, what’s really getting you worked up?”

Obi-Wan purses his lips and stares at the desk in front of him, but he had come to Quinlan for help. He should at least be honest about what’s eating at him, even though he knows how silly it will sound when given a voice. “...Satine always waited up for me,” he mutters. “Until she didn’t.”

Quinlan’s quiet for a worryingly large amount of seconds, before he reaches out to pat Obi-Wan gently on the arm. “Oh, Obi,” he says pityingly. “Repeat after me. You cannot make your new roommate your rebound from your thirty year marriage.”

Obi-Wan scoffs. That’s not the problem at all. “That’s not the problem at all,” he says, not defensively in the slightest. “I think I’m just worried about the children not having enough structure in their lives.”

“Right,” Quinlan says, not quite managing to hide the skepticism in his voice. “Then you should talk to him. For the sake of the children.”

Obi-Wan will absolutely not be doing that, but it’s a nice thought.)

The real turning point in Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship happens five months after the Skywalkers move in.

Anakin and Obi-Wan are in the living room. Anakin is trying to braid Leia’s hair while Obi-Wan tries to pretend he isn’t watching. From the kitchen, there’s a very, very loud crash and the sound of something shattering.

Both adults leap up from their seats immediately and run to the other room.

Luke is standing in the epi-center of disaster, little face scrunched up like he doesn’t know whether or not to cry. At the sight of his dad and Obi-Wan, he starts to wail, moving forward and reaching for Anakin.

Obi-Wan, who is wearing shoes inside the house (a point of contention between himself and Anakin), grabs Luke roughly and picks him up by the armpits before he can cut his feet on the glass. He hands him over to Anakin to soothe, stepping further into the kitchen to find the dustpan he keeps in one of the pantries.

It’s very obvious what broke, though Obi-Wan can’t for the life of him understand how Luke got ahold of Satine’s heavy cake stand. He can definitely understand how Luke dropped it, as the thing was ridiculously heavy.

It had been one of the only things left in the house that had been Satine’s. She’d left it, and Obi-Wan had been too bitter or petty to point it out to her. Yes, it had been her mother’s. No, keeping it had not made him feel any better. But it’s not like Satine ever baked anything anyway.

Good for Luke, actually, for doing what Obi-Wan never could bring himself to do.

He grabs the broom and dustpan and marches back to the pieces of shattered glass. Anakin has placed Luke on the counter, ostensibly to check to make sure his feet are fine if the boy would ever let go of his father’s neck. Leia is peering around at the mess on the floor.

When Obi-Wan comes back and starts sweeping everything away, she darts forward to pick up a rather sizeable chunk.

“Don’t touch that,” Obi-Wan says sharply, much harsher than he intended. Leia drops it instantly and scurries back to her father, eyes wide and sort of watery. Oh, fuck.

“Hey,” Anakin snaps immediately. “She’s just trying to help and Luke didn’t mean to break--whatever that is.”

Obi-Wan holds up his hand to cut Anakin off. “I’m not mad,” he promises all three of the Skywalkers. And he’s not even lying. He’s really not mad, hasn’t even thought to be mad at this last piece of proof of his relationship with Satine shattering on his kitchen floor. “I just don’t want either of you to cut yourself. Glass like this can be very dangerous and none of you are wearing shoes.”

“Promise?” Luke asks, untucking his red face from Anakin’s neck so he can peer up at Obi-Wan.

“I’m sorry I was a bit rough,” Obi-Wan apologizes, coming over and bending down a bit so he’s on the same level as Luke. “I was just worried about you. Promise.”

Luke sniffles but lets go of Anakin to throw himself at Obi-Wan, apologizing all the way.

“Hush,” Obi-Wan says as Leia scrambles up his leg, vying for his attention. With his hands full of children that aren’t his, he raises his head to look at Anakin who’s watching them with a very strange expression on his face. He tilts his head toward the broom and then down to the kids in his arms. “Come along,” he tells them both. “Leia, I’ll finish your braids if you’d like.”

“Braid my hair too!” Luke demands with a pull on Obi-Wan’s shirt.

Luke’s hair is floppy but awfully short. “I’m sure we can figure something out,” Obi-Wan says generously, leaving the kitchen.

“I suppose I’ll just clean this up then?” Anakin calls sarcastically behind them.

“Thank you, darling,” Obi-Wan responds.

There’s the sound of something else breaking, but it’s not Obi-Wan’s problem at the moment.

(A year later, Anakin mentions something over morning coffee about looking for a new apartment, now that he’s got everything straightened out. “We’ll get out of your hair,” he says, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’ll look today since it’s my day off.”

Obi-Wan doesn’t want to examine why that idea makes something curl tightly in his stomach, making him feel vaguely nauseous, but it does. On his way out of the house, he unplugs the router, and then after a second of thought, takes it with him just in case.)

(Quinlan laughs his head off when Obi-Wan sheepishly puts the router down on the desk in front of him. “It’s a bad market right now,” Obi-Wan says defensively. “I’m just looking out for him.”

“Obi, I mean this in the best way possible, but there are at least four professors in the psych department that would probably love to do a case study on you.”)

(Two years after the Skywalkers move in, Obi-Wan is running late for a meeting with the head of his department. The man is stepping down, finally retiring, and Obi-Wan thinks that perhaps he’ll be tapped as the new head. It would mean dropping some of his classes, but it would be worth it.

“I made you a breakfast wrap,” Anakin greets him at the door, holding out a paper bag. “It’s got that salsa you like in it.”

The salsa Obi-Wan likes is the mild version of what Anakin and the kids eat, but Anakin treats it as if it’s from another planet entirely.

“Good luck!” he says with a sweet smile, also passing Obi-Wan a travel mug of what’s hopefully fully caffeinated tea. Obviously Obi-Wan needs it. He got perhaps two full hours of sleep last night, tossing and turning and thinking about this meeting and now he’s running late and his tie is crooked and none of his favorite sweater vests were clean.

“Thank you, dear one,” Obi-Wan mumbles, mind somewhere else. If traffic isn’t too bad, he could still be on time.

“Text me how it goes!” Anakin chirps, following Obi-Wan out the door to stand on the front porch with his arms crossed in an attempt to fight off the early winter chill.

“Yes, of course,” Obi-Wan replies, turning around to brush an absent-minded kiss to Anakin’s lips before hurrying to his car. It’s a twenty minute commute. If he gets his preferred parking spot and runs to the department building, he won’t be late at all.

Is that too much to hope for?

He starts the car and pulls out of the driveway, looking back in the rearview mirror to see Anakin standing frozen on the porch. That’s strange, usually the other man can’t stand being out in the cold.

Obi-Wan gets to the first stop-sign out of the neighborhood before he realizes what he’s done. It’s lucky that he’s already slowing down, because he slams on the brakes. Did he--

Did he kiss Anakin? Did he really kiss Anakin as if he does it all the time? As if they were in a relationship?

Oh shit.

Frantically, he pulls out his cellphone from his bag and checks to see if he has any new messages. He doesn’t.

Oh. Shit.

#asks #one more ficlet in this universe and i will have No Choice but to piece them together somehow on ao3 #there was supposed to be a bit where one of his students is like 'oh i didnt know you were a father!'#and obi-wan is like 'im not a father'#and then he plugs in his laptop to pull up the powerpoitn for the day #and his background is a picture of luke and leia #not even doing anything theyre just sleeping peacefully in his favorite armchair hugging the same book #anakin had sent it to him #with the text that they were taking turns playing Obi-Wan and Student #but the game was so boring they fell asleep #KUWSK

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