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tennessoui · 1 year

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a “stay til the dawn” epilogue

a christmas present for @anakinsthot at the request of @sexysymphony

short and sorta sweet epilogue of sorts to my king obi-wan au, where anakin crashlands on stewjon, loses his memory, and falls in love with king kenobi who makes everything a lot more difficult than it has to be

(3k)(hinted nsfw, but not really anything explicit)

Tobias has never looked more happy to see him, and they routinely get together for drinks at the King’s Pub in the Garden district to root for the Coruscanti waggleball team, decked out in Coruscanti scarlet in a crowd of unfriendly Stewjoni green.

“Ah, Toby, you’re looking well today,” Anakin reaches forward and up—and up—and up—to clap the palace guard on the shoulder of his armor.

“And you’re a sight for sore eyes, milord,” Tobias replies, offering his hand to help Anakin out of the speeder. “If I may say.”

“Say away,” Anakin chirps, jumping down to the ground and peering up at the Gargantiolan. “It’s nice to be missed, even if—“ he checks the comm unit on his wrist “—I’ve been gone less than three days.”

“My joy will pale in the face of the king’s, I assure you,” Tobias says, reaching one long arm into the speeder and retrieving Anakin’s pack. “I will see this returned to your quarters, Prince Set.”

Anakin wrinkles his nose, his immediate reaction to any suggestion that he stand on ceremony.

He may have married a king, but that doesn’t mean he particularly respects all the traditions he’s now beholden to.

As a Jedi Knight, he never would have been greeted upon his return to the Temple, nor would he be excused from the tedious task of disengaging and storing his own speeder.

Even as a war general, there had been little ceremony he had observed. He and his men were equal in all but their titles, and he had striven to make sure every soul in his company knew that.

But his new job, his new title can’t be bucked off nor ignored for the very simple reason that no one will let him.

The Stewjonians are an obliging yet obstinate sort. Much like their king, who they seem to adore above all else.

As Anakin feels the same way about King Kenobi, they have a lot in common, despite the way every Stewjonian who sees him insists on treating him as if he’s made of fine, delicate, ornamental transparisteel.

“Fine,” he says with the smallest of sighs. He learned as a general that all battles could be fought, but some were not worth the effort, so predictable was their end. “Would you happen to know where our King is, if he has missed me so?”

Tobias raises four of his six eyebrows. “Can’t you feel him in the Force?”

“No,” Anakin barely resists the urge to pout, which would be very unbecoming of a Prince Consort. “He’s blocked the bond.”

Something Obi-Wan only does when he’s angry with him, Anakin doesn’t add.

At least Obi-Wan knows better than to cut himself off from the Force all together. The one and only time Anakin had made him furious enough that he’d slipped on Force suppression cuffs and disappeared from Anakin’s mind, Anakin…hadn’t reacted well.

Now when he’s grumpy—indignant, Anakin, perhaps scorned. Kings do not feel grumpy—he blocks their bond as if he’s simply locking a door, instead of deliberately locking Anakin out of the warmth and comfort of Obi-Wan’s mind, his very soul. It’s almost worse like this, but at least he knows he’s alive, can feel a quiet humming at the end of their bond.

“Perhaps the healers have used your absence to push the king into attempting a more traditional form of a healthy, Stewjonian Force bond.”

“I was under the impression such things do not exist.”

“Aye, I’d say that may just be why he blocked it then,” Tobias points out, but at Anakin’s dark expression, he quickly raises all four of his hands in his defense. “I’m only jesting, milord. He’s holding court today, I believe, given your continued absence. If you’d like to wait in the glass gardens or in the painting gallery, I’ll let Aislaen know to tell the king you’ve arrived.”

“No need,” Anakin waves his hand, already turning towards the palace’s front doors. “I know where the throne room is. I’ll let him know myself.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Tobias says, but Anakin is taking the stairs two at a time, pushing himself faster than humanly possible with the Force in order to reach his husband quicker.

Given his continued absence—the absolute nerve of Obi-Wan! He’s been gone for two and a half days! He hadn’t even left the damn planet! What Obi-Wan has to be grumpy about, Anakin doesn’t know.

The throne room is one of the first rooms in the palace when one enters through the grand entrance hall. Obi-Wan had insisted on it being so, something about openness and accessibility.

Anakin has never liked its location, maybe because he’s not one to read metaphors into architecture. What it feels like to him, having the throne room only a corridor away from the mouth of the palace, is a security risk.

But at least now it’s convenient.

The guards at the door know better than to block his entrance these days, though he breezes past them almost before they can drop into the customary bow.

The throne room is almost full, people from the capitol city taking advantage of the king’s need for distraction to come and give him problems to solve while he waits for Anakin to return.

Or whatever he does when Anakin is away.

The room is small enough that Anakin can see Obi-Wan as soon as he steps in. The king looks resplendent seated on his throne, cape carefully folded around him, the blue and green color of his outfit standing out against the dark wood of the seat.

The Stewjon people are not those who value gold and jewels and overt symbols of power; this is something Anakin respects.

But Force, would his king look beautiful decked out in the regalia other planets pile on their monarch.

Anakin strides forward to stand at the back of the line leading to the King’s dias. Stewjonian citizens line the halls, but the line itself is relatively short. Though it is fairly late in the day, so maybe Obi-Wan has been seated here for hours already. Anakin would know if his stubborn husband would just unblock his side of their bond and let him have access to his mind.

He looks tired, Anakin decides as he shuffles forward and can see more of the details of his king’s face. There are shadows under his eyes, and though he is careful to give each person before him his full attention, Anakin can see him drooping with the effort of it.

If he weren’t being so pissy, Anakin would use his princely privileges to march forward and drag his king up to their private quarters for a nice soak in their indecently sized bath. He’d even wash his hair for him and push him back onto their bed to ride him to completion. He wouldn’t have to do anything. Anakin would look after the both of them.

But Obi-Wan is angry with him about something, and he’s decided to block their bond, and Anakin can’t reward that sort of behavior, not when he feels as though he needs that bond to breathe.

So instead of running his hands through his king’s auburn hair and stretching himself wide enough to take the sizable intrusion of Obi-Wan’s cock after three days of abstinence, Anakin is standing here. In line in front of his king. Ready to complain like everyone else.

Two people away from the front of the queue, Obi-Wan looks up from the woman in front of him—complaining about some sort of imagined cheese monopoly in the Lower Colsteph district that’s been affecting her sales—and locks eyes with Anakin.

He tenses all over, shoulders straightening and eyes shuttering.

For a very scary second, Anakin is terrified that he’s actually done something quite terrible and he’s just forgotten.

Can a person have selective amnesia twice in so little time?

But no, he’s been gone for the past couple of days on an excursion Obi-Wan himself approved.

It’s perhaps a measure of how much the people of Stewjon love their king that the person ahead of Anakin follows Obi-Wan’s line of sight, sees Anakin standing behind him, and immediately removes himself from the situation.

Though to be fair Anakin doesn’t know what his face looks like right now, his own anger rising in his stomach at the sight of Obi-Wan’s aloof, diplomatic expression aimed in his direction.

The nerve.

“There was a line,” Obi-Wan points out blasely as Anakin moves to stand before him.

“And now I’m in the front of it,” Anakin replies. “Won’t you hear my grievances, King Kenobi?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes flash. “I’ve half the mind to dismiss the court. It’s been a long day already, sir.”

“Oh, yes. It must be very exhausting, sitting around in comfortable furniture for hours at a time. But I’ve flown all the way from Olijon to see you, sire.”

“How flattering,” Obi-Wan replies. “But careful, sir, I’m a married man.”

Anakin bears his teeth. “As am I. As it were, my husband is who I have come to complain about.”

The crowd of Stewjonians shift around Anakin, giving him a fair amount of space.

They’re very smart people, the Stewjonians are.

“Oh?” Their king asks.

“I seem to have married the most stubborn, most uncommunicative Stewjonian the Force has ever created. He would grind his teeth down to the quick before he let slip his own emotions unprompted.”

“Hm,” Obi-Wan says.

“For example, I believe he is grumpy with me at the moment, though I’ve had to piece together his anger as one may piece together fragments of a broken mirror: the image is imperfect, unclear, incomplete.”

“Hm,” Obi-Wan says. “Perhaps if you looked into a mirror, you would find the source of your husband’s ire.”

“Oh, don’t you dare claim my metaphor for your benefit—“

“Apologies, darling. I am a king. It is what we do.” Obi-Wan leans forward on his throne and looks down at Anakin, resting his hand on his chin. “Let me ask you something.”

Anakin narrows his eyes and crosses his arms.

“How long have you been married to this terrible husband of yours?”

“I didn’t say terrible—“ Anakin starts to protest before the words freeze in his mouth. “Two years,” he says instead, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Exactly?” Obi-Wan asks, arching an eyebrow.

Anakin swallows. “To the day,” he admits. “Ah, fuck. But Obi-Wan, I—“

Obi-Wan stands with a swirl of his cape. “Then I suggest you rush back to Olijon post-haste. After all, I’m sure you want to spend your anniversary outside of court, with your love. I, for one, would have.”

Final judgment passed, he turns on his heel to exit through the side door.

Anakin, of course, will not allow this to happen. He uses the Force to hold the door shut as Obi-Wan presses his palm against it.

When Obi-Wan turns to look at him, nostrils flaring and real fury flashing in his eyes, Anakin inclines his head. “Court dismissed,” he prompts.

Obi-Wan clenches and unclenches his jaw before he waves his hand. “Court dismissed.”

There are murmurs of both protest and relief as the people around them start exiting through the main entrance, one Anakin throws open with another flick of his hand.

“And guards dismissed as well,” Obi-Wan snaps at the same time Anakin opens his mouth to remind him. He sends a wave of appreciation towards his husband in the Force, but the king is more blocked off than ever.

When the throne room is empty save for them, Obi-Wan stalks back to sit on his throne as if this whole thing has been his idea. He crosses his left leg over his knee and rests his hands on the armrests of his throne. “Well?”

“You let me forget our anniversary,” Anakin says, which doesn’t feel like the best foot forward at the very beginning. But it’s true. “You should have told me not to go on the trip to Olijon. It could have waited.”

“I’m not in the business of telling my husband what to do or not do,” Obi-Wan replies, as if he doesn’t take great joy from ordering Anakin around in bed.

Anakin’s raised eyebrow must convey this skepticism, because Obi-Wan huffs. “That’s different,” he says, crossing his arms. “That’s…pleasure. This is…”

When he doesn’t continue, Anakin takes that as an invitation to stride up the dias into his husband’s personal space. When that doesn’t feel close enough, he doesn’t hesitate to clamber into his lap, forcing Obi-Wan’s body to accommodate him.

“What is this, my liege?” Anakin asks, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Obi-Wan looks torn, shields weakening. They’ve never been in an argument yet that hasn’t petered out when Anakin shortens the distance between them.

“This is duty,” Obi-Wan says resolutely, even as his shields waver. “You needed to go to Olijon because as the prince and an accomplished engineer, Prince Set was expected to inspect the latest transport rig there. That was your duty. And mine was to let you go.”

“But you’re grumpy with me,” Anakin points out, shifting closer and bringing up one of his hands to start playing with the ends of Obi-Wan’s bangs, which just stick out under the weight of his crown.

Maybe this is what causes Obi-Wan to melt into him. Maybe it’s his pout as he does it. Maybe it’s just that he’s missed him as much as Anakin has missed being here with him.

“I’m not,” Obi-Wan mutters, dragging a hand over his face before he settles it against the small of Anakin’s back. “Not least because kings do not get grumpy.”

Anakin snorts but doesn’t say anything. He does rock forward pointedly though. After all, if they can get through this conversation, nothing is stopping them from…celebrating their anniversary right here in the throne room.

“I have a duty to my people as their king, and in marrying me you have taken on a part of that duty. I cannot keep you away when you are called upon, no matter the day. I…” Obi-Wan‘s eyes catch with his and he curls his hand around the apple of Anakin’s cheek. “It’s silly to be upset that you have taken so well to the duties I have burdened you with.”

Anakin blinks at him, slowly processing his words.

“I may have a reputation for being a bit forgetful,” he tells his stupid husband, nuzzling forward until their foreheads touch and he can stretch to place a kiss on the thin bow of Obi-Wan’s upper lip, “but I do believe I married a man. Not a planet. If my memory serves me correctly, in fact, we weren’t even on Stewjon when we were married. And I believe I have never taken on Stewjonian royalty vows as prince consort—“

“That’s because you keep hiding in the woods whenever we try to schedule a cerem—“

“Which means, my very stupid and melodramatic husband,” Anakin braces his both his hands on his shoulders and leans back so that he can look him in the eyes. “That my duty first and foremost is to you, and it always will be.”

Obi-Wan huffs and shakes his head slightly, automatically.

“Baby,” Anakin shakes his head back. “I left my family, my friends, my entire way of life thousands of parsecs away just so I could be with you. Duty means nothing in the face of love. Not to me; not when it comes to this love.”

His husband exhales rather shakily and twines his hand through Anakin’s hair, hauling him forward and connecting their mouths.

Anakin has been waiting for this since his ship landed back in the boundaries of Stewjon proper. He angles his head and opens his mouth at the lightest touch of Obi-Wan’s tongue to his lip, granting him access he never truly has to ask for.

It’s his already to do with as he pleases. Anakin is his to do with as he pleases, and he tries to make sure Obi-Wan understands that as he deepens the kiss, lets his hands fist in the front of Obi-Wan’s shirt as he rocks down in his lap.

Obi-Wan groans when Anakin sucks on his tongue, tightening his hold on his hair and forcing him into a better position. Kissing his husband is always an amazing experience, but after being deprived of his kisses for a few days, it feels like there’s nothing better in the world than the slide of their tongues, the sound of their breaths, the taste of Obi-Wan bursting on his tongue.

Anakin wants more. When it comes to Obi-Wan, he always wants more.

It takes the slightest nudge against Obi-Wan’s mind for his shields to waver and fall to Anakin, and he wastes no time at all reclaiming his space and refreshing their bond.

The Stewjonian healers had warned them both about bond sickness and unhealthy attachments, the Stewjonian impulse to possess and cling. But Anakin and Obi-Wan’s bond is strong and healthy, a meadow filled with soft, dappled light. Nothing at all like the thorny, overgrown path that the healers had painted in Anakin’s mind.

And if they were ever to convince Obi-Wan to sever their bond under the guise of his duty demanding it, Anakin would kill them. Simple as.

Greedily, he wraps himself in the tendrils of their open bond, separating their mouths to pant against the side of Obi-Wan’s neck.

After a second to catch his breath, he starts licking and sucking at the skin beneath his lips.

Two years. It’s been exactly two years since they were married beneath the Fei’luka sun.

“You’re the most difficult man in the entire galaxy,” Anakin murmurs, sitting back to look at his husband.

Obi-Wan’s eyes are dark, pupils blown. Anakin can feel the swell of his cock beneath his ass. It would be incredibly easy to sink to his knees right here, lift up the cloth of Obi-Wan’s kilt, and take that cock into his mouth. He knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Obi-Wan would let him. That Obi-Wan would enjoy it.

He’s enjoyed it before, spreading his legs to allow Anakin’s shoulders to fit between them while he lounges on his throne.

Stewjonians despise opulence yet love ceremony, and their king is the same. His throne is simple treated wood, masterfully carved yet lacking the adornments others affix onto their physical seats of power. Yet Anakin has always thought that Obi-Wan gets a special sort of enjoyment from Anakin kneeling before him on his throne, though he’s never gotten him to admit it.

Anakin certainly enjoys it, the weight of his cock in his mouth and the inescapable press of Obi-Wan’s hand against the back of his head, his liege and his king and the best damn choice Anakin has ever made exacting pleasure upon him as he takes his own as well.

“Darling,” Obi-Wan groans, “a little restraint would be much appreciated.”

“How can I practice restraint when all I can think about is the way you touch me? How good it feels. How very right. Two years of it, but Force, Obi-Wan. Force, how many more years do you think we’ll have?”

“It depends on how kind the Force is to its worshippers,” Obi-Wan’s eyes crinkle and he ghosts a kiss up his jaw.

Anakin shivers. “I’m its child, baby. The Force fucking loves me.”

The space between their bodies evaporates as Obi-Wan crushes him to his chest, pulling him down so there’s no escaping the feeling of the hard line of his cock.

“Fifty years then,” Obi-Wan swears. “Perhaps a hundred.”

Anakin’s laugh is breathless as he rocks down, rubbing himself against his husband’s erection. “And how many years will it take for us to get to the point where I forget something and you just tell me?”

Obi-Wan stands, lifting Anakin up into his arms. If it didn’t make Anakin lose his voice, that display of strength and possessiveness, he’d say something clever about improper use of the Force.

As it is, he can only moan high and loud as Obi-Wan carries him towards the door to the side chamber.

“Oh, fifty years perhaps. Maybe a hundred,” Obi-Wan tells him, and Anakin kisses him quiet, as is his princely duty.

#king obi-wan au #obikin #theyre exhibitionists your honor #of course they would also get off on fighting in public #stewjonian news on a slow day is just gossip about the king and his consort #and once again #stewjon is space scotland #thanks ewan mcgregor for influencing that choice #Anakin Skywalker #obi-wan kenobi #it was super fun to revisit that fic!!#thank you for the opportunity and also sorry that it wouldn't let me tag you @sexysymphony #i bet also obi-wan is the kind of guy who has like 6 anniversary dates in his head #and gets offended when anakin doesn’t remember the anniversary of the day they met or the day he left the Jedi or the day they kissed etc

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soultek · 1 year

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A Hundred Years - A One-Shot [Aliens AU]

Author’s Note: So, this one is for my fellow Bishop Girlies! @mandy23b - Happy 4th Friend-Versay! (You’re for sure stuck with me now!)

@sufferthesea because 1) Happy (belated) Birthday! and 2) because it was your lyric choice and so I had to make it Bishop, obviously! I thought you’d enjoy 😉

Love you both TONS! 💙

Amanda, I know OC fic isn’t your preference, but, I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Please note there are some weird AF paragraph gaps in this that I just can’t get to work nicely... so I apologise in advance 🙏

Warnings: Some swearing / Depressive spiraling / sex reference and innuendo / He might be *slightly* OOC... please judge this for yourself, I tried my best!

Premise: From this fun little request post. There’s engineering work to do, and Rex is spiraling. Despite Bishop’s valiant attempts to stop this from happening, it seems more like a delay. Sure, it started off as a joke - but now she’s really thinking on the fact that for the next 100 years he can upgrade himself and she... can’t. Not without drastic medical advancement. Sometimes it’s not about living for the future, but in the moment...

Words: 6965

--- Lyric Chosen ---

“A hundred years wouldn't be long enough” ~ Mean It This Time, Carly Pearce

---

It started, as it always did, with a game of chess. Although, by this point in their down time, the game had been practically forgotten in favour of general chat and gossip. The pieces used more as something to occupy hands – with the rules of the game being broken left, right and centre, as they were moved across the board with no particular destination. Travelling between planets on shorter journeys meant no need for Cryo, but right now Hicks would be glad of it, because he was bored out of his mind. So bored that really he lacked the concentration for a serious game of chess – and his feigned attempts at trying had quickly made Rex lose interest in playing any better. She had been the one to initially distract him with small talk and now the board was an absolute mess.

Though, being stuck together on a ship – and being close friends – meant really there was little to talk about beyond rumour and speculation. Or whatever bets the other crew members had going on this week. Hicks sank all the way down to the table, head resting on his crossed arms. She raised her eyebrows at him, “You know at this point you might as well go back to bed, huh?” “Ah, would that I could Rex… you know the second I do, something will actually happen.” “Well at least it will be worth it for the rest of us!” She tipped the rook she was messing with a little too far and it clattered off the board and rolled across the table, Hicks stretched his palm out to stop it, but even this was half hearted. “This is the most down down time ever.” “Then go find someone to mess around with.” “You’re the most fun to mess around with – suggesting chess was a screw up on my part.” Rexanna leant on her knuckles, eyebrow quirked. She tipped her head, and as she did so loose curls of dark hair fell into her face; regretting her change of position, she blew them out of the way. Maybe she should have tied it back today. “I noticed. And to think I could have kept going for an easy victory!” She looked back to the board – no point now with the state it was in. If they wanted to keep playing, they’d have to reset the whole thing. “But I’ll take the compliment that I think that was.” Hicks raised his head, but not by much, “It’s official, I’ve never been this bored in my life.” “Sorry, I didn’t realise you turned into Hudson on this trip-!” Rex folded her arms, looking away from him nonchalantly. That soon got her best friend sitting up. “You did not.” “Didn’t what?” “I KNOW I didn’t hear you say that-!” She grinned, “Well, if you’re gonna complain I don’t know what you expect me to say!” He leaned across the table, “You are SO lucky I like you!” “Or what?” Rex couldn’t help grin wider, teasing, before he smacked both her shoulders, “OW! Geez, Hicks, you’re a lot bigger than me!” She tried to lunge back across the table, but he had leaned out of reach. Now they were both laughing, and though she was rubbing her right shoulder, Rex wasn’t actually hurting. “Hey, you could always do work!” She suggested; that was always the easiest way to increase any kind of productivity, and on a ship this big, there was always something to do. “Uh, no thank you.” He waved that one away – seeming to suggest that in honesty, the only reason he was sitting across from her now was to avoid working. Fair enough. Hicks swung his right leg up onto the bench beside him, now apparently interested in his combat boots, “Never known you to throw a game of chess.” Her eyes flicked back to the pieces in annoyance, “I didn’t, but you weren’t really taking it seriously so there was no point. There’s nothing in an easy victory.” Hicks was right though; it was her favourite game. From the “CHQ MVIII” on her armour, which had now also been transferred to a tattoo just below her right collarbone, always obscured by her blue flight suit. (Which she’d now become partial to wearing when not in combat, for both comfort and the practicality of ad hoc engineering around the ship. Not to get too ‘matchy-matchy’ with her significant other!) To the chess piece around her neck… it was pretty much how her whole relationship had started… “I dunno, I figure distracting you once or twice has given me easy victories.” Rex’s eyes narrowed, “And you think I’ve forgiven you for that!?!” “Well if I can beat you then I figure you’re not really the best on the ship.” This time instead of leaning across to hit him, Rexanna grabbed the piece nearest to her and threw it at him, “Shut up!” Hicks merely laughed, “Have any of the newbies beaten you yet?” “No!” She was clearly falling for his teasing at the way her voice was pitching - damn him! “I better teach ‘em that all you gotta do is mention-” “And how is that gonna work now, jackass!” She picked up another piece, “Don’t make me throw another at you!” His laugh turned into a full-blown cackle before he calmed a little – smile still mischievous as he looked to her. “Frost, Spunkmeyer and Wierzbowski still got that stupid bet on how long it’s going to take anyone to figure out your relationship?” “I still think they should have had bets on the newbies thinking it’s us, but that’s just me.” Rex gave a shrug, “I think so. It’s not out there… it’s not hidden. It just is. Some of them know, I’m surprised they haven’t told the others… unless they’re getting hush money!” Hicks picked up one of his bishops and studied it with interest, “They do seem to keep thinking we’re a thing.” “You’re not exactly pointing out that you have a girlfriend, are you.” “Well I think I’d much rather be out in space with her than you, but that’s just me.” Rex folded her arms, squinting and mouth open, but didn’t even rise to it, “You wouldn’t be out here without me Hicks and you know it.” “Utterly lost!” He grinned and put the piece back down. Before his smile faded a little as he looked curiously behind her, “Ooop! Your man is here to pick you up.”

Rex twisted around in her seat, and sure enough now standing in the doorway of the mess hall was Bishop. She tried not to immediately beam about it – but knew this only meant one thing. Mother had picked up a few knocks here and there with some of the ship’s internals and although not serious, they needed fixing. Rex had been putting it off until they had enough down time and no other work to do… apparently that time had come. She offered a wave, before indicating that she’d be two minutes. He nodded politely, before she turned back to Hicks. “Yeah, guess I now have work to do!” “Aw man, you jinxed it!” Her best friend appeared momentarily sympathetic before his eyes narrowed, “Work? With Bishop? C’mon Rex, where are you really going? I know it ain’t work!” “Do you want a functioning ship or not? We’ve been putting this fix off for weeks!” “Yeah, uh huh, sure!” Hicks raised his eyebrows at her to indicate he believed otherwise, “Have fun getting your fix.” Rex hated that she could feel her cheeks heating, “Screw you!” “Sounds like that’s what’s gonna happen to you, honey.” “If I wasn’t so scared for my life of what Ripley would do to me once we got back, I’d kill you.” Hicks grinned a little wider, “That’s my girl! Also, if we’re being honest, as you can’t survive without me, you’d be throwing yourself out an airlock far before that.” Point noted – but Rexanna wouldn’t say it out loud. She pulled her feet out from under the bench and made a motion to stand, but Hicks was intent on keeping her there as long as possible – now studying more chess pieces. “Hey, didn’t you play against his creator, once?” She was glad for a moment she hadn’t mentally checked out of the conversation already, or she might have taken a while to pick up the train of thought going on here. Hicks was referring to Bishop’s designer and the lead engineer on the 341-B project. “Michael? Yeaaah, what about it?” “Didn’t you win?” Rex wondered if he was being facetious. “No.” “No?!” Hicks genuinely looked surprised when he looked up, “I thought you got what you wanted?” “I did get what I played him for…” essentially the agreement that once Bishop became an ‘obsolete’ model in Wey-Yu’s eyes, and especially in the eyes of their USCM missions, instead of being deactivated he would become completely Rex’s responsibility. She expected Android law to have progressed by then, but, until such a time, if this protected him it was the least she could do. “…I didn’t win.” “Fair enough. I won’t bring up any more of your losses, I was trying to big you up.” Rex scoffed, “Against a multiple time world chess champion? Try again – remind me of all the times I beat Hudson,” she leaned in, giving her hands purchase to push herself back and away from the table, “or you!” Hicks laughed again, “No chance!” Rex stepped back a few paces, grinning at her best friend, “Alright, I gotta go – enjoy your single life on the ship, Hicks!” “Yeah well, at least I don’t have to hide away any time I want some action and pretend I’m working-!” This time Rexanna laughed, winking at him before turning, “You’re just jealous!” She held a hand up in a wave goodbye, “See ya!”

Bishop was leaning against the wall outside as she rounded the corner; amused by her friends jabs as much as anything else. She’d get him back later. “Rexanna…” “Sorry-! To be honest I’m not sure if that conversation was worth finishing. But I’m good now… this is about the fix we’ve been putting off right?” “Yes.” He regarded her steadily, “This is… about work.” Catching on, she flicked her eyes back in the direction she’d come from, “Y- Yes, I know.” “Didn’t seem that’s what you and Hicks were talking about.” She very nearly snorted, “I think he was joking with me, but that isn’t what I was expecting anyway. I knew this had to be done… down time comes after, that’s okay with me!” She beamed, walking in step with him, offering a wink that was only met with a look of mild disapproval.

***

They were so close as they walked towards the source of the issue that they found hands and arms almost constantly brushing – pretty soon causing their fingers to entwine. They didn’t let go at any point after that, including as they had to descend several flights of stairs – instead Bishop would walk first in order to keep her steady. Like a gentleman (as he so often was). Sometimes he made Rex wonder why anyone would rather be with a human male – honestly just one mission with any of the guys she’d been posted with would likely put you off for life. Except maybe Hicks – but of course she’d make that exception for her best friend. Even when they came across others in corridors the connection between them was never severed, even if it meant side stepping or doing some more awkward single file walking.

They’d been together a while by now, but any situation like this always made something spark within Rexanna – she never knew if it was excitement or dread, but it was definitely anticipation of what would happen. What would their reaction be; what would his reaction be. So often before she’d unconsciously worried that he would drop her hand at the slightest sign of conflict or disapproval. Which took to Rex holding him just that little bit tighter every time they came to that impasse. Bishop picked this up so quickly that at this point the only way Rex was going to make him let go was if she dropped his hand first. On the ship where most people knew, she was much more relaxed about it; and with any of the first-time fliers, Rex was ranked high enough that staring them down would get them to drop any look of uncertainty.

Eventually she realised they had got this far without much conversation. Normally that would have been fine; they both knew exactly the issue to fix here and silence was always comfortable between them. In all honesty when she had to spend the majority of her day giving orders to the other engineers or fighting her way through marine banter, returning to a comfortable silence with Bishop was heaven. Everything else was simply exhausting. They didn’t really need words to know how each other was feeling. He could simply hold his arms out for her and that would be enough.

Yet, Rexanna hadn’t seen him all morning – and right now it was like she was neglecting to ask about his day. She turned, “Hey, I thought you’d come and collect me earlier. You weren’t around when I woke up, but considering I had no other work to do, I thought you might leave me a note or something to meet you down here…!” “Oh.” Bishop smiled, “No, I had to run some diagnostics. Still got a few to finish later, you can help, if you like?” “On yourself? Sure… You okay?” “I’m fine – it’s just routine.” He gave a shrug, “Then I thought we ought to be getting on with this before it got too late.” Rex could agree with that, “Routine? You sure?” Ever since she’d found those weird lines of three-laws-defying code in him that he kept rewriting, she had to admit there was a certain level of paranoia that Wey-Yu would find some way of wiping them out of him. “Well…” She didn’t like the pause, this time stopping their walk to actively stare at him. She loosened her fingers from Bishop’s – as if to emphasise the importance of his next answer. “…It’s just upgrades, Ree, you don’t need to worry. I promise. But there are some data chip changes I need to do.” His voice was so gentle with that particular use of her name that she believed him instantly. But she had other issues, chewing her lip momentarily and looking away from the weight of his own stare. Even now sometimes she couldn’t hold those eyes of his. Truth was, she might have got his promise – might even have been given a written contract with a signature… but she didn’t trust Michael and the company one bit. What annoyed Rex most was she didn’t have a choice.

Instead, she made something more like a joke of the situation, continuing their walk. “In 100 years I'll be nothing but dust, and you'll still be walking around upgrading yourself!” Bishop’s response was to chuckle, and she smiled just to hear him laugh, “You don't know that! There could be many medical advancements between now and then.” Funnily enough he said it with every ounce of seriousness, so it was Rexanna’s turn to laugh, “Well they better hurry the hell up or I'll be too old! By that point they better put my brain in an android!” She didn’t know if she were joking or not, but Bishop looked across to her, then looked away with a little smile. “That... would be agreeable.” Rex shook her head, before nudging him playfully with her shoulder; “Yeah, I bet!” She was smiling, and her joke was meant to be throw away… then suddenly she found herself really thinking on it. Her smile faded.

Not due to unhappiness but curiosity – every now and then this was something Rex would think on. There were a lot of things she couldn’t give Bishop that an android partner could. They would be able to understand a lot of mechanical grievances; and that never ending fight for better rights. He was an Equal Opportunity Advisor for the USCM after all. Rex could live her life blissfully and never come into contact with any of that. She tried to be an active ally, for obvious reasons – but did she really give him the support he wanted… or needed? She couldn’t help but voice it: “Would you… like that?” “Like what?” She got the feeling Bishop knew, but wanted her to voice the question anyway. “If I was in an androids’ body instead of mine?” If it was still her just less flesh and bone and more circuit boards and circulation fluid. “I mean would that even be the same to you?” Bishop suddenly frowned so hard that Rexanna thought he might have malfunctioned – this time she held his stare just because of how disbelieving it was; and she was starting to feel like she’d asked something wrong. Her lips parted to say something, anything at this point that would get that look off his face. Bishop spoke first. “No.” There was a hanging silence again, Rex blinked. “S-Sorry, to which part?” “All of it. Why would I want that?” ��Well, like I say… my life is so finite. As long as you have a way to keep upgrading… I’ll be long gone by the time anything happens to you. If I was an android I could… be around for so much longer.” He stepped a little closer to her, “Rex.” It was too late; she was spiralling, “I don’t know, maybe that’d be better for you. My life won’t be long enough for either of us – even with the wonders of tech, and you’ll outlive me for so long!” Would he be able to go on without her? Did Rex really want the answer to that question? “Rexanna. Ree. Don’t do that. Stop.” He took her hands back in his, but, as she kept talking Bishop moved his hands to her arms, pulling her closer before placing his forehead gently to hers. “Hey.” Silence again, except she could hear the pounding of her heart inside her head. Brown eyes wide as they looked between his. “You wouldn’t be you. I wouldn’t trade you for anything.” Snaking his left hand down her right arm he traced Rex’s tattoo – a swirl of stars and nebulae - before interlinking their fingers, “You don’t think the reason you are so complex and so… human is part of the reason I fell for you?” She wasn’t really one for blushing, but Rex knew she was getting hot – and he was giving her very little room. Even now Bishop still had troubles with personal space. If Rex backed up, she knew she was about to hit the steel wall of the ship. She tried to look anywhere but his eyes, searching for something to say and stammering. What exactly was she supposed to say to that. In reality, Bishop wasn’t expecting her to return the favour. And she noticed that his right hand was now clasped around her other wrist, fingers pressing against her pulse point – as if to really hammer what he was saying home. Duly noted.

Though he’d have to remind her, again and again and again…

To break what for her was fast becoming too awkward of a pause, Rex deflected with humour, as her group of marines so often did. “Aw man, and here I thought it was for my stellar good looks!” She made sure her grin was extra cheesy. Bishop’s laugh was almost painful, but his look softened. “Well… perhaps a little of that too.” At least she was giggling and not spiralling; he could cope with that – as apparently this was so funny to her, she ended up collapsing into his shoulder, hiding her face in his flight suit. Or, perhaps Rex was hiding for different reasons… He watched her for a moment, shaking his head, before taking a deep – and unnecessary – breath. “Okay, Ms. Mori. We have a computer to fix. Let’s go.”

Ah, her last name? Now she was in trouble… ***

Rex had fixed plenty of systems like this before - but never in a room that looked quite so compact. Usually equipment like this was afforded areas that were wider, looking a little like rows of servers. For some reason on this ship, they had decided to place it in a cramped space; meaning instead of having rows of modules with gaps in between, they were all stacked on top of each other and screwed into the walls. Not only that, but it must have been stuffed into a tight angled part of the ship - given that the ceiling was an unusual hexagonal shape that seemed to cave in on itself. And there were modules screwed into that too. The saving grace was it was brightly lit. Unsurprisingly, everything they had to fix was up there. Both because a) of course it wasn’t on the floor, and b) it was most likely the weird angles that were causing issues. Rex swivelled in place to Bishop, eyebrow raised, pointing a finger to the ceiling; “Guess we’re climbing?” “Mhm.” He affirmed, before giving her an equally disbelieving look, “You think they’d design this a bit better though.” “Hopefully we fix it well enough for this to be the one time it comes up, but I foresee further issues..!” “Fixing it once in almost 2 years?” Bishop admired that hope and optimism, “I doubt it.” “Yeah,” Rexanna sighed gently, “me too.”

On the far wall, it seemed that the company were quite prepared for engineers to fix any faults in this room; a storage locker conveniently labelled “tools” (as if they wouldn’t have bought their own? Well… at least Bishop had remembered to!) and several cables and harnesses tied neatly together that ran all the way to sturdy looking hooks in the ceiling. At least they’d assist in climbing: but what an effort! Rex puffed out her cheeks with an eye roll; this was going to be a long day.

Before she hooked herself up to ascend though… Rex patted down the pockets of her flight suit, wait… She cursed herself for a moment; surely she didn’t forget them!? Usually she had at least one in a pocket somewhere!! Bishop cleared his throat, and as Rex looked to him she realised he’d known exactly what she was looking for - extending his hand out with a hair tie. “And that’s why I love you.” She took it from him gratefully pulling her dark hair up into it, before smiling, with a gentle, “thank you.” That didn’t perturb him from his joke, though. “Thought it’d be for much more than that.” Bishop bumped his arm against hers as he passed, ready to set himself up for the climb. Rex couldn’t help snorting; “You mean your good looks, right?!” Although he wasn’t facing her, she could hear that smile in his voice. “Something like that.”

It didn’t take them long to attach the harnesses and ropes. Luckily they wouldn’t need to also pull a tool box up with them, as the harnesses came with handy tool belts; and anything they couldn’t fit in there was transferred into flight suit pockets. In reality, it wasn’t necessarily so much of a climb, but having to pull yourself up to the level you wanted. Not so bad for him, she supposed, but an arduous task when this whole fix would require you using your arms. There must have been an easier way to do it…?

Rex thought hard, staring at the rope in her hands for a long time. Either she’d missed something Bishop had said or he was just being extra patient with her, because he hadn’t moved to start either. Staring intently in silence and waiting for her to say whatever she was thinking. And then it clicked. “Oh my god…” she said softly, before laughing, “of course!” Seemingly Bishop knew she was about to say something typically Rex by the subsequent look on his face. “Mother, could you please disengage the artificial gravity in this room?”

There was a beat with no noise. Rex wasn’t even sure if she expected Mother to answer them. Sometimes Mother liked to remain silent when working on things and sometimes she could be overly… motherly.

Her eyes flicked across to Bishop’s as if to tell him it was at least worth a shot; but as Rexanna did so she noticed her clothes begin to rise, followed by her dog tags; escaping her flight suit and threatening to send the chess piece attached (a Bishop, what else?) sailing to the ceiling if she didn’t keep hold of it. Before long, her feet were hovering off the floor as it really kicked in. That unsteady moment when Rex was never sure if she’d remain floating or suddenly crash back down in a heap. The latter had happened many a time - especially when people weren’t expecting it! Luckily the Zero-G held and they found themselves free floating to the top of the room where the work was needed. This time the ropes served as anchors to make sure that they weren’t drifting off away from where they were meant to be. Hopefully no one would decide to check on them, or they were in for a nasty shock. Else the gravity would reengage and Rex would find herself with angry red marks where her harness caught her sudden weight in quite a large fall.

It would be no good doing this if you were afraid of heights.

The lack of gravity worked wonders; they could effectively “swim” to exactly where they were needed. That would save them some energy; or, maybe a couple of percent on having to recharge later. Though Rex couldn’t help but look over to Bishop for approval. He could tell, of course, so he made her wait for it. Luckily this time his stare included a blink or two. “Well I wasn’t going to say it until it worked - but that is a pretty efficient idea, yes.” Rex couldn’t help but give a little wiggle of a happy dance at this - Bishop just shook his head at her. Sometimes she could get so happy at the tiniest of things. She was still a mystery to him by all accounts. But he liked that.

She held her tongue for the first few minutes of work - because she actually thought she’d miscalculated - if they needed to remove panels and screws, they risked them soaring off out of reach; and if they were very unlucky, either screws lost, or further damage created they didn’t need to fix. This fear was soon abated when Rexanna realised that everything stayed firmly locked in even once unscrewed. Even those screws had a limit and didn’t come fully out of the plates. The only thing she really need to keep an eye on was her data pad; making sure she was fixing and rewiring all the right parts, before moving onto the next one. They kept a back-and-forth dialogue to ensure everything was covered. And other than that, no small talk passed between them. They stuck to task. Professional. It was probably the main reason they were allowed to go on so many of these colonisation - or ATMOS - missions together. Because work was work; and the relationship came after or between those moments. They knew how to keep things separate. So separate that there were still several newer marines that, even about a year or so into this one, hadn’t figured it out yet. They probably worked better together than most science and engineering teams in the entire Wey-Yu USCM roster. And, in this strictly professional way, they scaled themselves across their entire engineering fix.

***

After screwing her last panel into place Rexanna glanced over her shoulder. Bishop was studying the data pad - having long since finished his section (of course, he had precision and efficiency she didn’t). This would at least tell him if all systems were back to functioning. She waited… and waited… He looked up slowly, almost as if he didn’t know she was looking for the green light. “We’ll probably have to test it. But I would say everything looks nominal here.” He jabbed the pad with his index finger, “we at least fixed everything on the list.”

This was good enough for Rex! Who punched the air. They’d been up here a few hours at least; it had been more work than she initially expected. And they were working in Zero-G; not as easy as she’d hoped. Speaking of… now she was up here, she had less clue of how exactly to get back to the floor… If she asked Mother to reengage the gravity that presented the “all my weight at once” problem of before - likely not a slow process… Though then they could just abseil down… easy!

Bishop watched Rexanna look down to the bottom - the expression of concentration on her face that showed how her thought patterns were figuring their way out of this. “You know,” he spoke up, “I have a system that can engage artificial gravity. I could just float us down to the ground again.” “What?!” Rex’s eyes widened, “You do! Well that saves me a lot of hard thought!” She grinned. He pressed his lips together, thinking, “I mean you have to get to me, but, I’m sure you can manage that.” “Pretty sure I’ve been through hell and back and almost died that one time to finally get to you, so… yeah. A lack of gravity is not going to stop me!” Without warning Rex pushed herself off the wall - it didn’t have quite the desired speed; but she let her rope out enough to sail across the expanse to him. He’d at least pushed himself out to just about the middle of the room by that point anyway.

Realising there was very little to slow herself down now except Bishop, Rexanna latched herself to him; legs tangling with his and clinging to his shoulders. “Uhhhh-! Not sure this is quite what I had in mind-!” He was busy trying to balance both to not send them careering into a wall - but he chuckled; voice teasing. “Funny, because I was.” Rex’s eyes narrowed “Huh?” “I got you over here. And that was the plan.” The silence of her disbelief really said everything, “… The extent of your plan was… Did you just lie to me!?” It took a while for Bishop’s smile to crack, but once it did Rex knew she had absolutely been played. “Well…” One hand fell to her hip; and it brought back memories of the first time he’d teased her, “it wasn’t the extent of my plan. No.” “Oh? What was then?” Because no matter what; they did have to get down. So, he better have a way!

His smile was gentle, and he pressed his forehead back to hers, as he had in the hallway to calm her. “This…” His deep voice lowered to something gentle, not quite a whisper. Bishop closed the gap between them, lips to hers. Rex’s eyes closed on contact, hands tangling in his flight suit as she pulled him a little closer, savouring that contact. He kept her steady in their free float – the hand not on her hip supporting her back; running in soothing circles. He pulled away ever so slightly; but that was another tease, because he knew Rexanna wasn’t going to let him get away with it, before she pulled him in for a deeper one. Oh yeah, this was way better than getting to the ground. Rex was getting to experience a Zero-G kiss! (And how many people could say that, in honesty!?)

***

The next time they really got a quiet moment together was late into the evening, after having to fend off a million comments when Hicks decided to loudly proclaim that the last thing they’d been doing for the past three hours was fixing the ships systems, and the entire table decided to join in. If Rex had hoped anything would go that way this evening, by the time she’d made it back to their room she was exhausted.

They had finally made it down from the precarious situation of turning the gravity back on by Bishop having Rexanna continue to wrap her body around his and taking the full force of gravity and her weight by himself. After she suggested that might hurt, he came back with the cheeky quip of, “I’m used to it.” …She rather thought it might be the other way around, but wouldn’t argue.

In fact by the time she’d had enough of her crew mates and declared she was turning in for the night - which earned numerous pretty crude jeers (and several people swift smacks to the back of the head; not least Hicks for causing all this) - Bishop was already back to the room and settled. On a ship that was somehow even bigger than the Sulaco had been, and on their third such mission, Rexanna and Bishop had been afforded their own room. Small, pretty cramped, and not really enough for two people in one space without some tricky navigation – but still, theirs. Which at this point sure beat bunking with every other marine she knew.

Bishop looked up as the door slid open, she stepped inside with a blown-out breath and a shake of her head. “That good, huh?” “Dinner was dinner – you know what it’s like… it’s everyone else.” A small smile, “Oh. I can imagine your best friend was at his most helpful.” Rexanna’s laugh was almost pained, “You got it.”

“As for dinner, I could have made you some myself, but…” Bishop indicated to the state of himself – ports open and skin pulled back in several places. She was surprised that there was no sign of white circulation fluid everywhere. “Oh shit,” she sounded surprised, “when you said upgrades…” “Oh yes.” He nodded, “The company sent along some new data chips, as I said, so I thought they were worth installing.” “Mhm.” But this many? Wow. Rex wondered momentarily if that shipment had anything to do with her – and then thought she was better off not knowing. She approached the side of the bed, sitting gently so as not to jostle him. Sensing she had no more to say than that, and would be content with watching him, Bishop went back to installing the little chips – clicking them into place. Absentmindedly Rex’s fingers went to her necklace, twisting around the chess piece, and then her dog tags. With both these things was a very old data chip of his from when he had previously been fixed up on a mission. Tech that had become obsolete almost as soon as it was made. It would just have been destroyed otherwise – but there was something about this piece that felt too real to Rex. And too surreal as well; being a previous part of his memory core.

She pushed herself across the bed to him as inconspicuously as possible, folding her legs under herself. He’d continue on as normal, of course. Bishop didn’t have that horrible feeling any human did of being watched – and certainly wasn’t one to make any mistakes because of it. Rexanna had a sudden realisation, while watching him. Well – maybe not a realisation, maybe just a resurfacing of something she’d known for a long time, but had kept pushing down. Something she’d almost reached with her spiral earlier before he’d stopped her. But it was so out in the open now that it was unavoidable. She placed her hand gently on Bishop’s free arm, sliding it slowly to entwine their fingers. Even now there was something Rex quite liked about the difference in their skin tones; it never failed to surprise her just how pale he was in contrast to the darker tanned complexion she had. Rexanna realised that beneath that fairly superficial surface (literally), she was just contemplating her own mortality. And, in a strange way, his too. Eventually there would be no more upgrades – he’d be an old, obsolete, discontinued model. To her that almost seemed a worse fate than death. Did he care about things like that? Did he even think about them? Even with whatever agreement she had with Michael Bishop now – which would save him from being scrapped completely – at some point technology would advance so much it just wouldn’t be compatible. She’d would fight long and hard to make sure this wouldn’t happen. But what about after her? How would he cope after that? She’d age and die but Bishop never would. He was a collection of data chips: metal and plastic... No. That was wrong to say. Even if the truth. He was as human as she was – she’d spent the better part of their first mission together relaying that information. There was no debate in her mind at all that he was alive. But…

Bishop paused his working, glancing up to Rex watching him. Although realising that she wasn’t really watching him anymore – he’d lost her again, inside the void of thoughts within her head. He wasn’t sure why today of all days she was going through it. He knew it happened from time to time, but Rexanna didn’t often get this bad. “Ree…” He prompted gently, sounding a little more curious to know her wavelength. He wanted to affirm at least where she was heading. Whether he could bring her back or not. Her expression was almost one of puzzlement too, as she traced her eyes along the inner workings that were still visible, and the small pile of chips he still had to install. “That’s your heart and soul... what makes you, you... without that you-” He cut her off, now very aware that he was correct. All Bishop had managed to do earlier was pause the journey, but it was clear that the ship had left the space station and wouldn’t be back until it’s travels were complete. “Yes, but, it can all be replaced, I mean you’re wearing one, and I’m still the same as I was.” As much as he had a point, that didn’t feel the same to her. Around her neck was a fix out of necessity – he wouldn’t be here without it. This seemed like compliance. For the hell of it. Because technology just would not slow down… She almost laughed. Really, Rexanna was wrong – it was just a different kind of necessity. And at the end of it all, something she couldn’t do. She’d joked about her mind in an android body earlier – but to a point, she was envious that he could just upgrade or fix himself like this. It all seemed too easy. “And I’m just human... I... I’m not gonna last like...” Rex gasped. Seemingly out of nowhere she pulled back from him, placing a hand over mouth, before tears spiked. Bishop was quick to spring into action; snapping everything closed – this could wait. “Hey, hey... No... stop... why are you crying? Don’t- don’t think like that!” “Shit-!” Rex said again from behind her hand, “It’s just so hard!” He pulled her closer, fingertips gently brushing the remnants of the first tears from her cheeks, “This isn’t even something you have to acknowledge for years. Why is it all coming up now?” “Because I do have to think about it…” Her voice strained as she tried to stop herself from really crying hard. “I can’t be in the marines and doing this forever. I’m limited. And even if I can still work somewhere… you’ll remain out here. And that’s just the start of it-!” “You’re not limited… And…” He took a deep breath, encouraging Rex to imitate it, in an attempt to help calm her. “You’re nowhere near that. If anything, at least Earth will be safe for you.” His smile was a little crooked, “I know people say you shouldn’t live in the past but… somehow, Rex, you’ve managed to do the complete opposite.” “Yeah?” “Yeah, you’re living in the far future. And, while I admit it’s always good to look to the future… something tells me I’ve been neglecting to tell you to live in the moment.” He made a face for a second as if trying to recall, searching the room as if it had answers, “Or… someone has.” Rexanna groaned gently, burying her face in his chest, making Bishop wind his arms around her, rubbing her shoulders soothingly as she sniffed, “I’m an idiot.” “No, you just let your mind go wandering a little too far sometimes…” He held her closer, pulling the warmth of her body flush to his, “We can think about our mortality and live like that, sure. But, the truth is, neither of us know how long we have, so we have to make the most of this time. That's what matters!” His head tipped, recalling something else he’d read, “Medical advancements are happening all the time. We probably have at least another 100 years. So, you don’t have to worry about anything for minimum the next 99.” She laughed, which is what he wanted, rubbing her eyes – before shaking her head disbelievingly. Bishop didn’t really care if Rex believed him or not, he just wanted that smile back on her face. “Even if I had a hundred years to love you it wouldn’t be long enough.”

He chuckled, “Well, that’s something we can both agree on.”

---

Thank you for reading! 😚💙

#Bishop x OC #Aliens AU #I'm sorry but my favourite part of this entire fic is my space play on the phrase /the train has left the station/#I just.... that little bit made me so proud to come up with I can't even explain! haha!#For my Bishop girlies - you're real ones! <3 #Bishop Aliens #Linzi Writes #Happy Birthday Bee!!!#Happy Friend-Versary Amanda!#Hicks is best BFF #Of course I had to include chess!#Michael Bishop reference cuz it's his fault i'm in this mess / srs #Please tell me everyone read /No/ in his voice like in that scene in Aliens?#The lab one? You did?! Good!#He might be a little OOC? I don't know I really trieeeed!#Fun and Games references but nothing you'll need to read it for!

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thegreatsaiya-z · 2 years

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Beast Gohan redesign 2: Electric Boogaloo

Alternatively:

Redesign based off of @serpentfever 's meta about beast being yet another rage boost, and what it might look like if he reclaimed/perfected the form into something he could work with/ found another emotional source for the power

#dbz #gohan #son gohan #dragon ball z #dbs #dbssh #dbssh spoilers #sttl!au #step to the left au #beast gohan #gold elements are based on. also a comment from serpent about kintsukuroi in relation to beast gohan #space elements are...officially bc the trailing energy elements from my first redesign condensed #and went all star like #unofficially bc space elements are fun and like #if you cant use them for aliens where can you #constantly longing for the day we actually see gohan develop his own unique fighting style smh

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ghostypetrainer · 2 years

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I want to belieeeeeeve that even tho ingo doesn't and will never remember a good chunk of his life pre-yeeting, he still remembers that it was the price to pay to protect emmet!!!!! (Even tho who emmet was was included in the memories that got erased... He still has to know emmet is important to him! 🥺🥺🥺)

Believe me, Ingo still knows how important Emmet is to him! That sort of thing stayed in his heart, even though almost all of his memories from before are gone. I think this is something that in those first few months, Emmet worries over a lot- his brother doesn't remember him. His brother might be polite, but he speaks to him like he does everyone else in the Pearl Clan- like a stranger. Does he still have a special place in Ingo's heart? It would hurt verrry much to find out that he no longer does.

Of course, he doesn't tell Ingo any of this. This is his own problem to deal with! His brother has enough to deal with already. At least he has all of his memories, so comparatively he is doing much better than his brother. He has no right to complain!

But Ingo figures it out anyways. He may not remember Emmet, but he can still read him. He brings it up one day, and before Emmet can stop himself, it all just comes tumbling out. Emmet clasps his brother's shoulders and promises him that though he may not remember him anymore, he knows that Emmet is someone important to him, and that will not change.

Emmet rests a little easier after that.

Then later, when he finds out the deal that Ingo made, he is verrry mad. It would not be so bad if he lost his memories too! Akari did, and she is slowly gaining hers back! Why would Ingo feel the need to sacrifice everything like that? He tries to revoke the deal, to offer up his memories if Giratina will restore Ingo's- but there's no undoing it, and Ingo wouldn't let him anyways.

Suddenly he wishes his brother had cared a little less.

#asks #ingo #emmet #submas #you can bet that while they were in the rift Emmet was furious!!!#but then he forgot the deal entirely. the irony.#anyways I kind of figure that they met (modern) Giratina in the space between the worlds and it told them that once they left #they would lose their memories but may have the chance to slowly gain them back. no promises though!#and ingo asked if there was a way to protect emmet's memories at least #giratina told them it was possible... but only if Ingo was willing to sacrifice all of his. permanently.#ingo accepted the deal before emmet could stop him #emmet in hisui au

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ohhgingersnaps · 5 months

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Last line challenge!! Tagged by @mysticmikalla

“Yeah, it was just an issue with the cable jack again.” Maru sets the amp beside his guitar stand, and he leans down to inspect it. “I also switched out the electron tubes, which I think should solve the crackling problem, but let me know if it doesn’t.”

I know I'm gonna miss some people here but: @floopthecooper @coolcoolglasses @iamthepulta @memento-mariii @bodhimcbodeface @jedi-valjean @kingedmundsroyalmurder @blackcoffeewrites63 (no pressure y'all)

And you! Yes, you! If you see this and would like to join in the fun, consider yourself tagged :)

#you got: a hallmark au excerpt!!#tbh i cheated a little and added the middle line after being tagged lol but the paragraph was incomplete without it #the space for the action tag was there already! I knew what belonged there! i just write very non-linearly #anyway thank you for tagging me this was fun!#sorry in advance to any beloved mutuals left off this list please consider yourselves tagged also

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interxstitial · 10 months

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@itsacriime sent: 🗣 😈😘

"i've been to many strange places... but this is a new one."

new faces aren't unusual on this side of the galaxy. honestly, jiwon can count on one hand (maybe one and a half) the number of people he's come to know by heart, but he is still in the business of knowing in general. as a broker, jiwon makes it a point to stay friendly with everyone he crosses paths with, while still remaining loyal only to himself. not everyone appreciates his style of work, but they're usually the ones being cheated out of millions of units right under their noses. evidently, they chose the wrong friends.

turning on his bar stool to face the stranger beside him, jiwon smiles amicably and laughs in understanding. "welcome to the new wild west. anything goes here." the moment the words leave his lips, a group of ossorins pull out an absurd amount of fire power and stand face-to-face with a cim'ari duo, equally decorated. "oh, dinner and a show. lucky us."

Send 🗣 for me to make you a starter with a line of dialogue from this generator. — ACCEPTING!

#itsacriime #au: see you space cowboy #//ENABLER ASLKDFJ #have this vague mish-mash of cowboy bebop and GotG \o//#icb i've never let out my embarrassing space nerd side on here #left the stranger vague for any of ur muses hehehe

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datastate · 2 years

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yttd timeloops are so so delicious but unfortunately unless ive whittled down every little reason and realistic explanation for a scenario to occur i physically can't write it

#this is why my kai ch2 has gone kaput and my mr chidouin fucking dies au has been my primary focus instead #though there's still something special to me abt kai & sara within the death game...esp if ch1 proceeds as normal #letting sara be uncomfortable even after the truth comes to light bc. trauma lol. kai's acceptance of that and giving her space #reko taking on a protective role in kai's stead. nao and reko both offering emotional support #eventually slight open up. but ch2'1 final attraction -> kai is tempted w the opportunity to save sara before the death game ever happened #he doubts they've killed her but ranger has acted so erratic he may have gone against the rule. as far as he knows the doll is the only #essence of sara that is left. etc. it's a whole thing i have unfinished 24 pages of the outline #mainly because altho it is interesting to have them discover the exit sooner. and ranger v. kai. and strained relation w many #kai's story is generally satisfactory for me? and he would be a bit questionable sure but he would try to get everyone out at first #really the main intrigue is how ranger goes for kai's throat and kai dealing with ch3 paired w hinako (another agent)#& how kai makes it very clear that he's willing to sacrifice any one of the others to keep sara alive. which makes him a slight antagonist?#anyway i could go on but anyway anyway i could make up something else for the yabusames but him being there detracted from nao's story #and i would never do that to my girl so goodbye kai i will miss you forever and ever 💔#jestersvaguely #yttdposting

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uwuinhell · 2 years

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This is the second time I've had a dream where I was Redson sooo I'ma make it y'all's problem an AU

#ugh whatever you can just leave #wait this isn't earth/mortal realm 😳#red son #redson lmk #lmk red son #red son lmk #i (redson) in my dream was a Lot less hotheaded and stuckup tho #first dream i (redson) was sick and i think mk was there and we were on relatively good terms #it was a short dream tho #Second dream however featured Mei and i (as Redson) had a (space)ship or smthn and mei was considered an enemy #(i like kidnapped her kinda? she wasn't tied up or anything tho. i just Got her on my ship and i was gonna turn her into.. something..#like i was gonna turn her into something non-human. she didn't really resist or anything tho and i was having difficulties with my plan #(i did not turn her) i ended up giving up and was like but then she left and i was like #and i went to go looking for her but before i could exit the ship i got bad vibes (like i wasn't #supposed to be there and if i continued something bad would happen. which was accurate ig #but i ended up running out to find her anyway. also i forgot but it's a forest and there's a few wooden statues lol)#also in my second dream i had plants on my ship #one of which i think was a bonsai?? idk but it had flowers i think and/or was lacking sunlight cuz sum of it was lightly colored #lmk au #lego monkie kid au #monkie kid au #so uhhh yea #i might make it like demons (not human) = aliens (not from earth)#if you have any questions feel free to ask em lol

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risuola · 5 months

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I — NOT YET — F. READER x SUKUNA RYOMEN, who is a mob boss

When a guy in the club tries to assault you, you ask a random stranger to pretend to be your boyfriend. Little that you know that out of all people, you chose a mob boss.

cw: smut, mafia mob!au, briefly mentioned assault and tiny bit of violence, Sukuna (yeah, I consider him a warning), reader discretion is advised — 2,7k words

a/n: mada... mada mada~ the very second I heard this menace toying with Panda, Kusakabe and the rest in Shibuya, not allowing them to move unless he say so - my head went straight to the idea of him playing the same game in bed.

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Sukuna never had to get used to being interrupted. Never. Anytime it happened in the past, all he had to do was to glance at the person and it usually got the message across. His gaze has enough power in it to quickly inform the intruder why invading his personal space or cutting him half-sentence is a damn bad idea. One look from him usually was enough to make anyone reconsider if they really want some problems. Sukuna had his eyes trained to be sharp and cold, his body strong and intimidating and his aura dangerous. He spent years building his reputation, earning a position in his world that now guaranteed him calm. Now everyone and their mothers know that he’s not the one to cross paths with. He’s a VIP, he’s allowed everywhere and he has no qualms about killing someone. Ryomen Sukuna is a brand, he’s a threat, he’s untouchable, invincible. No one in the right mind would ever try to start anything with him at this point. That’s why, when he tried to relax in one of many clubs that he owns in Tokyo, he couldn’t believe someone had the guts to push onto him at the bar.

“Hey, sorry, can you please pretend to be my boyfriend for a second?”, he heard near his ear and following the sound and the soft tug on his elbow, he turned his head towards you. Lucky girl, he thought while quickly assessing the view. You were too god damn pretty to be killed, looking at him with those pleading eyes that glistened in the harsh artificial lights. You were visibly scared of something, or someone, and oddly enough it wasn’t him who brought you to the verge of tears.

“Your boyfriend, huh?”, he mused, allowing his eyes to trail down your figure. The dress you had on left little to imagination and yet he wished to tear it off to see more of you. It hugged the shapes of your body perfectly and the silky fabric betrayed the lack of bra underneath. You were attractive, but clearly not smart enough to think twice before approaching a stranger.

“Please, I beg you, this guy—“, you tried to explain, squeezing your perfectly manicured fingers around his veiny forearm, but your sentence was cut in half when a man grabbed you by the waist, pulling you away just a little and harshly pressing your back against the bar. Sukuna watched as you winced when your spine hit the edge of the wooden countertop, he watched for a moment how you tried to push the guy away. With no effect, you weren’t strong enough to stand against him, you were trapped between the unwanted body and the furniture behind you, fighting the hungry hands that were groping your figure.

“Naoya, get off of me—” you tried, pushing his face away from where he was trying to suck a spot onto your neck.

“Oh, shut up woman, I know you want it,” the blonde-ish idiot grinned, twisting your arm enough to make a space for himself. He wasn’t bothered in the least with the fact he was trying to get between your legs in the very center of a club. Sukuna’s club.

Ryomen zeroed the whisky in his glass and got up from the chair. Usually, he would ignore situations like this. Other people’s problems were none of his business and he had enough his own things to take care of, to bother himself with anything else, but you. You were a problem he was willing to explore.

“Zenin, huh?”, he asked, connecting the name he heard falling from your lips with the wannabe gangster he heard about many times before. There was a certain reputation tied to Naoya’s name, mostly regarding his treatment of women but as long as he wasn’t touching his women, Sukuna couldn’t care less about this trash of a man. You definitely were not his woman. Yet.

“The fuck you want, I’m busy,” Zenin groaned, pulling his nasty mouth away from your shoulder for just a moment, only to shot a glare to the club owner.

“I can tell that you’re busy,” Ryomen grabbed one of Naoya’s wrists. It wasn’t looking like a hard grip, but the face of the blonde betrayed the sharp, bone-breaking pain he felt.

You felt some kind of relief when the stranger you just met stepped between you and your unwanted date. The large body of him towered above you completely, he was bigger than you thought when you approached his sitting form, but you couldn’t think about it for too long when he dealt with Naoya so easily. Once the blonde was gone, he turned to you.

Your heart skipped few beats once you took the image in. The man was huge, way taller than you and built like a greek god. The sharp outlines of his muscled torso beautifully showed through the dark graphite dress shirt. Looking up, you could finally see his face clearly. His features were attractive, dangerous with the black tattooed lines around them. He could easily be a gangster or something.

“T-thank you,” you spoke finally, snapping out from the initial impression of him. He was a red flag, you knew that. If not for the circumstance, you’d probably be the first to run away from him. He was hot. An absolute smokeshow, but he was certainly bad news.

“Was he your date?”, he asked, pulling a chair that he was sitting on previously and twisting it to position, before his large hands landed on your hips. There was no effort whatsoever when he lifted you and sat you down on the seat. He opted to stand next to you.

“No… I came here with a friend, but she left earlier. I was just about to leave as well, but this guy stopped me,” you sighed. “He wouldn’t let me go, I was afraid that he’ll just walk after me to my home. I’m sorry I interrupted you.”

“Don’t apologize,” he said, pushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. The gesture in itself was soft, but you shivered underneath his touch nonetheless. You couldn’t quite tell what made him so… scary. Was it his overwhelming frame? Or maybe the calm, distant demeanor? He had authority, he was expecting submission and when he was looking at you, you felt like a prey of him. Strangely, you were quite fine with that. You had no wish of doing anything with Naoya, but this man… he was different, he was interesting, he made you cross your legs just to feel any kind of pressure between your thighs. “Your name?”

“Y/n,” you replied.

“Y/n. Nice,” he gave it a soft nod and ordered two drinks. “Ryomen is my name. Sukuna Ryomen. Memorize it.”

“Sure…”

At this moment, you had no guts to ask why was it important to imprint the name he told you into your brain, but it all became clear just barely two hours later. You couldn’t exactly recall the moment Sukuna led you out of the club and into his car. There was something so enticing about his entire aura that made you lose your ability to think. He made you break every rule you ever had for yourself – to not talk with strangers, not go with them anywhere. Before that night you were doing exceptionally good in avoiding danger, you somehow slipped through your life up until that point without any major problems, but once you faced the problem, it was a big one.

The talk was good, it flowed easily and the menacing aura that Ryomen had all around him kept you interested. You had no idea that you’re attracted to bad boys, and maybe you were not exactly into school hooligans. Turned out, you’re aroused by the much worse kind – the kind that keeps a gun behind his belt, drinks pure whisky and makes people run away just by shooting them a glance. Yeah, that seems to be the kind of men you are into, because if there was any common sense left in you, you’d be out the door and running towards the safety of your dormitory. If there was any self-preservation instinct in you, you’d be probably anywhere else, rather than in here.

In the most luxurious house you’ve ever seen, not to mention been inside of; somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo where you were not even sure how you can get back to your home from there. If you were just a little smarter, you’d for sure be in your own bed right now and not on the dark leather couch, with your silky dress scrunched up around your waist and your underwear torn to pieces and laying on the floor. If you had more braincells, maybe you wouldn’t be bouncing on that stranger’s dick right now, gripping onto his muscular shoulders as one of his large hands kept your hip in a dead grip, leading your moves up and down his girthy length and the other one tightly squeezed around the back of your neck, from where he was keeping his head close so he could kiss you so hungrily it took your breath away. But that’s just where you were. And you wouldn’t change a thing.

He felt so goddamn good, filling your tight hole to the very brim, stretching you to the point of delirium and he wasn’t even fully in yet. His moves were aggressive and yet sensual; he made you feel small even if it was you who was on top of him. You had no control, he made it clear with the way he was holding you and every time you tried to dominate him in any way, he quickly showed you your place back. Maybe later, he’ll let you have your way with him, but now, he was in charge.

“Think you can take all of me?” He asked against the delicate skin of your neck, now painted in red and purple marks he nibbed onto it. You could feel him grinning at the way you squeezed your little hands on his clothed biceps. He got you all exposed and yet he only allowed you to free his dick; his shirt was still buttoned up, his pants were still on his legs. There was a certain dominance shown in the way he got you all naked on top of his suit.

“N-no,” you breathed out, “too big.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can.” Sukuna doesn’t exactly accept no as an answer and he for sure gave you enough time to accommodate to his size. “You’ll take it and thank me for it, yeah?”

“Yes,” was all you could mumble, before both of his large hands landed on your hips. The iron grip, you were sure, was going to bruise you but now, it felt grounding in a way.

“Good girl,” he praised, his purr vibrated against your skin as he sucked yet another mark along your collarbone. It distracted you for a moment before he pushed your pelvis even lower, fully bottoming into you. Your clit made a contact with his lower belly, the harsh brush of his skin against the swollen bud making you moan louder than you were meaning to. You felt like all of your organs were moved out of the way just to make more space for his dick and Sukuna couldn’t be more satisfied by the way you took him in. “See? As if you were made to take this cock.”

Something incoherent left your mouth, a tear stained your cheek and the man was happy to lick it away, tasting the saltiness before he bucked his hips up, keeping yours in place. He took full control, thrusting into you with all the power he had in his muscular body and you held onto his shoulders with your little hands. The filthy, wet sounds were filling the interiors, bouncing off the walls and mixing with all of the whines and whimpers that were leaving your lips. Some grunts added to the melody, but you barely heard any of it, too consumed by the exploding pleasure between your legs.

Sukuna’s name was leaving your mouth like a prayer, you felt so close, you felt like falling and you had no intention to stop. The man grinned, licking a long stroke along your throat, his tongue curling upwards as it reached the tip of your chin. The taste of your skin felt intoxicating to him, he wanted to devour you whole, to keep all for himself.

“You wanna cum, huh?” His voice was taunting. “You’re clenching around me so fucking hard, you’re gonna milk me as well.”

“Yes, yes, please,” you near damn begged, chasing the bliss that you could almost taste on your tongue right now. It filled all of your body cells, rushed through your veins in ecstatic waves of lust.

“Not yet,” he ordered and it felt almost painful to force yourself back from the state of climax. You could tell he was playing with you, toying with his dominance, reminding you that it’s him who pulls the strings in here. And yet, he was still rutting into you, his movements completely different to what he was saying, he was fucking you like he wanted you to cum in that very moment. “Still not yet,” he teased, feeling your little fingers digging onto his shoulders, your manicured nails nearly making holes in his shirt as your eyes fell shut.

“Oh god, Ryomen, please,” you whined. Your thighs were shaking, your spine arching and the incredible tension below your stomach threatened to burst any second now.

“Now,” he ordered and just like that, all inside of you snapped. You came all over his dick, and you came hard. It felt like nothing you’ve ever experienced, like you were suddenly shot into another dimension and if not for the way he sped up his movements, you’d probably just get lost in the lustful feeling. Ryomen came just few moments after you, wrapping his arms around your waist and painting your walls white. You felt him throbbing, spasming inside of you, the hot seed gushed out of you as he was pumping it in, staining your thighs and the bottom of his black shirt. Then he pushed you down, fully onto his cock, plugging the way out for his cum.

You found his lips, swallowing his quickened breath as you kissed him with desire and he gave in, quickly dominating the kiss. You were tired, the muscles in your legs were burning from the intense exercise, but you couldn’t shake off the feeling of still wanting more. He made you hungry, he made you unsatiated and you were sure, you won’t be able to recognize yourself after you’re done with him. You were never such a greedy lover but frankly, you never had a chance to feel that good with anyone. The boys you’ve been with had no skills and if not for the orgasms you gave yourself with your fingers, no one else ever brought you over the edge like Sukuna.

“Can you undress?” You asked him, your lips brushing against his as you mouthed the question and he chased your kiss with his head, grabbing your lower lip between his teeth. There was a certain expression painted all over his dangerously handsome features, the menacing aura amplified as he took his sweet time before replying.

“I can undress,” he began, yet there was a but hanging in the air. He had conditions and you were open to hear them. “I’ll give you two options, little kitten. Wanna hear ‘em?”

“Yes.”

“I won’t undress. You can pull yourself together and I can drive you back to your home now. But I can also take the suit off, carry you to my bed. Then you’ll stay with me till morning, but don’t have any hopes for a calm sleep, no. The night will be as filthy as it can get. You’ll be sore tomorrow, most likely exhausted.”

You blinked hearing the options. It was clear as day, stop there or continue? You knew the answer already, your body decided for you even before he came up with an offer.

“Will you drive me home as well if I pick the second option?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s get you naked.”

» PART TWO

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