#what an insane episode. i have to go to sleep immediately
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honestly ladybug you’re lucky it wasn’t a musical
#what an insane episode. i have to go to sleep immediately#my art#ml#ml spoilers#ml representation#representation spoilers#ml season 5#ml season 5 spoilers#adrien agreste#ladybug#miraculous ladybug#felix fathom#ladrien#(?)#they’re sitting next to each other. i’m counting it
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been rewatching rtte
toothless is called T multiple times, but the letter T doesn't exist in the alphabet of this world
i think hiccup was also called H???
hiccup went to the wedding of the man who tried to kill him and his family multiple times. no wonder he thought he could change drago's mind
snotlout is canonically a theater kid
"you're so small and cuddly" "please never say that again"
the twins are really smart, but they're also just stupid
hiccup straight up disappears when he's working on something
heather had a super noticeable crush on astrid
fishlegs got a love interest!! a plus size main character actually has a cool, badass love interest!
it was super hetnormative but it was cute
there was an island full of flying women who were implied to regularly commit cannibalism
hiccup taught all the riders how to fly with toothless, that's so sweet
everyone is a flat earther except for the twins
hiccup almost directly killed a lot of people
and killed a LOT more when destroying their ships
“scalding– cal..ding--" "toothle, plama bla!" was pretty much the funniest part of the entire series
dagur was bullied as a kid by a guy 8 years older than him who literally tattooed an imagine of him beating up little dagur in his arm??? What was that all about
actually we need to talk about how messed up everything about dagur is and about how the things that could've/did happen(ed) to him may be the reasons why he's Like That
just why was he imprisoned by the outcasts??? he didn't do anything to them directly
oof my brain is spiraling. "he loved you" "ig now we'll never know" what do you mean he didn't know if his dad loved him
there's a technically musical episode
tuffnut became hiccup's defense attorney and immediately got him the death sentence
hiccup regularly jumps off cliffs
he also jumped off a boat, with his arms tied and without toothless. just where did he think he was going
snotlout's annoying attitude is actually because spitelout pressures him too much and he feels like he has to be perfect for his dad :((
THE 'HICCUP'S EVIL MIRROR' VILLAIN THEME DONE RIGHT YESS!!!
viggo is the best httyd villain change my mind (you can't, swords at sundown, you may bring backup but i will win on my own)
skrill comeback skrill comeback SKRILL COMEBACK!!!!
"COMEEE TO DADDY"
what is a boar pit???
oh my god i had missed this series so much. it has no right to be this funny
this was my childhood. it has forever shaped the way i am
berserker heather the unhinged >>>
actually good disability rep! yay
hiccup complains about his peg leg pinching him
he straight up cannot walk without it and it is shown many times
"well, there are the benefits of a metal leg" after it got caught in a bear trap
funny moments, like snotlout trying to steal it to use it as a weapon
the jokes!! toothless laughing at the jokes!!! hiccup being so fucking done with the twins, who are always making the jokes!
there's an episode where everyone is so sleep deprived they actually start spiraling
astrid becomes a happy go lucky girl, hugs snotlout and tells him he's handsome
the fucking mood swings snotlout got were insane
the twins were straight up just hallucinating
"i sent them to wash their dragons, how could they mess that up?" cut to heather falling on her face with a bucket full of water in her hands
fishlegs becomes so paranoid, he's yelling at everyone all the time
"don't you know the trapper's trap can trap the trapper?? ...oh gods, i must be losing it, i'm quoting dagur"
YOOOO VALKA!!!! it's so nice to see her
hiccup tried to murder dagur to stop him from getting to toothless, which is scary bc it shows just how far he's willing to go for his bff, but also funny because hiccup. that was not going to work
oh the hiccstrid slowburn, how i have missed you
the twins's made up language
there was a beach episode turned murder mystery and a musical episode held at gun point
hiccup has a whole little speech that he periodically gives astrid to remind her that the twins serve a purpose
#i'll make more of these later#i'm just very bored and i love rtte#race to the edge#rtte#how to train your dragon#httyd#httyd rtte#toothless#hiccup horrendous haddock iii#astrid hofferson#snotlout jorgenson#fishlegs ingerman#dagur the deranged#tuffnut thorston#ruffnut thorston#heather the unhinged#avis' post
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KACII DARLING ARE U SEEING WHAT IM SEEING ?
I JUST REALISED HE ISNT WEARING A SHIRT ITS JUST A FUCKING NECK PILLOW… AND THE BARE FACE AND HIS HAND I CAAAAANNNNNTTTTT *sobs*
No but imagine your laying down with him and he wants to watch his anime and you’re just laying on his chest kissing his pretty self while he tries to concentrate 🥹
My darling, I'm seeing ALL OF THIS AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!! I didn't even realize he was shirtless, I thought the thing around his neck was a black tank top, omg
-
"Let me know if the TV's too loud, yeah?"
You hummed tiredly in acknowledgement, tucking yourself further against his side as he tugged the blanket up your bodies.
It was the perfect recipe; you, your boyfriend, a fan blowing a gentle breeze (to save you from your living space heater of a boyfriend), and a show playing in the background to aid in lulling you to sleep.
When Chris mentioned wanting to catch the newest episode of the anime he was watching on release, you agreed with no qualms. You watched a few episodes with him from time to time, but it wasn't one of your main shows so you didn't mind missing out on the current release for the sake of catching up on some much needed sleep.
Though, when the intro theme started playing through the speakers, and Chris's gentle hums vibrated through his chest, you found yourself woefully slipping further away from actually falling asleep.
Yes, you were tired, exhausted even, but your brain refused to let go of the fact that you were laying in bed with your boyfriend - not quite a rarity, but the current trend of going to sleep before he was home due to their comeback did do a number on your sleeping habits.
Peeking an eye open, you figured you could at least watch a few scenes of the show to tire your brain out, but as the minutes passed like hours you could tell it wasn't what you needed, what you wanted.
You needed to sleep, but you wanted to spend time with your insanely busy boyfriend.
Huffing softly, you allowed yourself to fall into that mood, albeit a bit selfishly, as you tilted your head up with a pout. "Channie."
He turned his head almost immediately, eyebrows furrowed at the whine in your tone, "Hm? What's wrong - is it too loud?"
A hum of disagreement floated pat your lips, "No, I just... Can I have a kiss?"
It took him a second to register your words, but when he did a small smile grew on his face, "Baby, you didn't have to ask, come here."
Leaning down, he pressed his lips to yours in a soft kiss, lingering in the embrace for a moment before pulling away - at least, he would have if it weren't for your left hand cupping his jaw, a short whine escaping you.
"More?"
Your tired plea made him chuckle, lidded eyes gazing at you with undeniable love, "Yes, you can have more, baby."
He couldn't care less about the episode going on without his attention, not when your lips were on his again; soft and warm, simply lingering against his own until you decided to add another peck to the mix.
You both stayed like that for god knows how long, existing in your little bubble until you pulled away for a yawn to escape, Chris chuckling at your obvious dismay at the interruption.
"Go to sleep, princess," he hummed softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead before leaning his cheek on the crown of your head, "I'll kiss you extra in the morning, yeah?"
Your hand slipped to his bare chest, fingers lightly tapping at his collarbone as you nodded as much as you could in his embrace, "Mhm... G'night, baby."
"Good night, love."
[unedited]
#✧. ┊ kacii answers#✧. ┊ lovely chqnverse#bang chan x reader#bangchan x reader#bang chan fluff#bangchan fluff#skz fluff#stray kids fluff
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🌅Dawn (Adult!SatoSugu x Adult!Fem!Reader)🌅
A/N: Wholesome fluffy lovey dovey pillow talk kinda mornings with these two. I am miffed there is no character audio with these two x listener anywhere, talk about injustice! Well this is my take on it and imma do more in the future!
*11/22/23 - I consider this oneshot part of the teacher!AU. Sorry for that abrupt decision!
Yo, this week's episode ... insane~ This season actually is insane so.
All credit for JJK and its characters goes to Gege.
* Please DON'T plagarize, translate, or repost my FANFIC content. Reblog, like, and follow instead.
Enjoy.
A deep rumbling groan parted the lips belonging to the snowy haired man face first in his pillow on one side of the bed that was moving too much to his liking.
"Who's rocking the bed this early?" Even in sleepiness, he had to slip in an innuendo.
A groggy yawn fell from the lips of his raven long haired partner on the opposite side of the bed, tiredly jabbing. "You would be my immediate guess."
The rustle of sheets and the sensation of a smaller warm form brushing in between them brought them both more attentively out of their drowsy state. Gojo looked over his shoulder to see something moving downwards to the bed's end. A curly grin surfaced on his face. "Hmm …"
His shadow loomed over the anxious form hidden beneath. "Well, well, well~" His hands stretched out and his fingers wiggled. "What have we here~?"
His fingers striking their form had familiar giggles spilling out, bringing a snicker out of him. "Suguru~ Someone's down here~"
Said man rolled over on his back, resting his arms behind his head, watching with tired amusement at his best friend tickling the certain someone hidden through their sheets. "Oh~?"
"A sneaky little cutie was trying to slip out whilst we were sleeping~" Gojo’s evil low laugh spelled doom.
Gojo pulled the sheets up enough to slip underneath, resulting in a fit of laughter from both parties hidden, as he went back to gentle tickling. Limbs squirmed and jostled underneath followed by streams of intermingling laughter as they kept bumping into Geto's thighs. "H-Hey!"
Feeling a smaller body drape over his lap startled Geto enough to pull off the sheets to see what the heck was going on.
Seeing you tug down his low hanging sweatpants enough for you to gingerly kiss his two small beauty marks on his right hip so affectionately made Geto’s heart pitter patter rapidly.
“Sugu, please tell Toru to sta – AAHP~!" You broke out into a squeal, kicking your legs to push Gojo off but that only made him tickle you more. "Mehehehercy~!"
"Hey! No sucking up to him, missy!" Gojo jested, sliding his hands under your top, wiggling his digits into your sides deeply enough to bring out more chortling squeals.
"Hang on, Satoru~ At least let her breathe so she can make a case in her defense." Geto grabbed Gojo's persistent hands to get you free enough to breathe in thankful takes of oxygen, hugging Geto while keeping nervous eyes and an accusing finger pointed at the cat eyed miscreant.
"I promised Nanami I would go out and help him with some errands. Haibara is stuck sick at their place so it seemed only right to help them out." You defended.
"Oh, I'm sure Yu would rather be in the darling company of his Nanamin~" Gojo crawled over, nuzzling your cheek, cheekily grinning up at you as he rested his noggin on your shoulder.
"Which is why I gotta get ready and – EEP!" Your attempt at pulling away from their difficult comforting hold and getting out of bed were cut in half as their two tall heavy bodies toppled over on you, pushing you down to lay on your stomach.
"Have you forgotten you woke us up?" Satoru drawled, his cheery tone barely coating his irritation, as his hands squeezed your sensitive sides.
"Hehehey~!" Your hopeless tussle to squirm away was getting fruitless quickly.
"And you tried sneaking out with our backs turned?" Suguru added, his calm smile underlined with inner deviousness.
Satoru dramatically exclaimed. "Just to be in the company of another man – !"
"Hey, Nanami-san is our collective friend, and I gave my word to help – mmph~!" You were cut off as you were flipped to lay on your back just so Satoru could smooch you, all sloppily and deeply, his tongue brushing yours in the messy lip lock.
"It's not fair! We should spend every morning together as much as possible!" Those puffed up cheeks of his made your resolve falter.
"We do! But one day alone ain't gonna kill you two. I mean, I'm flattered for being so deeply needed but – mmh~!" Suguru's sculpted hand weaved through your locks, cradling your noggin, just to pull you close enough to languidly French kiss you, drawing pleased sighs outta you while Satoru licked and nipped your arching neck like the human cat that he is.
"We'd rather you stay here. For much … much … longer." Suguru's bedroom eyes are so palpable. His lulling, rich voice is so tempting.
"We want our sweet, darling angel to stay here." Satoru nuzzled his face in between your clothed bosoms, fluttering those long white eyelashes at you. "To cuddle, to kiss, to enrapture." His own addictive voice has you shivering in anticipation.
Their eyes are hypnotizing. Their combined scents are invigorating. The strongest duo have you hook, line, and sinker.
You sigh, conceding but floating on enamored air. "I'll meet up with Nanami later this afternoon. Fair enough?"
Their velvety beautiful faces beamed with pride and joy as they planted a kiss on either end of your lips. "Wifey~!"
"Clingy giants." You mushed out.
"We heard that." They grumbled in unison.
"Kinda the point~" Your teasing earned you a restless half hour spent feeling their ticklish butterfly kisses pepper your face, neck, and ears and turning you into a squirmy giggling mess. Your spasming legs got stuck entangled in theirs as their hands roamed your body, wiggling into your thighs, your hips, your sides. "Stahahahahahap~! Plehehehehease~!"
"God, I should use Infinite Void to keep us in this moment~" Satoru's nose pressed into your collarbone, smiling into your cherished skin.
"Perhaps." Suguru's freed raven bangs tickled your nose, aweing at the sneeze it elicited out of you, smooching your nose as an apology. "Bless you."
"Wait, rewind! You're gonna do what — MMM~!" Their hearts throbbed for their indulgence of you, stopping their tickling, preferring to smother your face in their snug fitting chests. "I made a huge mistake!" Your muffled dramatic cries had them laughing tiredly.
Eventually, everything prior had worn you three out enough to settle you down, draping the bed comforter back over yourselves, their intertwined arms keeping you cocooned and them grounded.
Even when slipping in and out of consciousness, seeing your tranquil, content face nestled in between them had them sagging in relief at how they were able to keep you around for longer.
Laxing but still snug as a bug, you were lulled by their soft breathing and their grounding coziness.
Even special grade sorcerers slash teachers need to unwind and relax. In their own little hideaway.
And having you there made it all complete.
The beams of sunshine trickled through the curtains, painting the bedroom in golden hues, as dawn became the setting of you guys' dream where three become one.
#jujutsu kaisen#jjk#jjk au#jjk fanfic#gojo satoru x reader#geto suguru x reader#jjk comfort#gojo x you#satoru gojo x reader#gojo x y/n#satoru gojo x you#gojo x reader#suguru geto x you#suguru geto x reader#geto x y/n#geto x you#geto x reader#gojo x geto x reader#gojo satoru x y/n#gojo satoru x you#geto suguru x y/n#geto suguru x you#jujutsu kaisen comfort#gojou x getou x reader#jujutsu kaisen au#jjk tickle#jujutsu kaisen tickle#gojou satoru x reader#getou suguru x reader#satoru x suguru x reader
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The Right Words 🧸
Chris begins to question his opinions on commitment and relationships after being close friends with you for months. Chris’s feelings for you have grown stronger, but he can’t quite articulate his affection for you. Instead of using his words he makes a romantic gesture to show you how he feels.
chris sturniolo x fem! reader
warnings: none, just chris being super shy and fluffy
author’s note: kinda inspired by stuff he’s said ab relationships and how “too much love” kinda scares/intimidates him
not proofread lmao
Chris’s POV:
Matt had invited Y/N to come hang at our house while we record our podcast episode for the week. It wasn’t unusual for Y/N to always be around, she was our friend, but I hadn’t opened up to my brothers about how I truly feel about her.
She moved to LA a few months back and we all met her at some influencer party, and she hit it off with us immediately. First, it started with the four of us going out to record content, going bowling, thrifting, things like that. Eventually, we all grew closer with her and she started hanging out at our house a lot more, and often sleeping over. The first time she had slept over was after Nick and Matt had already gone to bed, and since she didn’t want to wake them she slept in my room with me. After that night I guess my room became the unofficial-Y/N-sleepover room because she has always spelt in my room every time since.
I immediately found Y/N attractive when we met— she’s a very pretty girl. I’ve always had closer girl friends in my circle, and even if I think any of them are pretty, my feelings never go beyond that— it’s always platonic. I know part of that is because they just weren’t the right girl for me, but another part of me knows it’s because I don’t let myself sit in those feelings. I’m scared of commitment, relationships, things of that sort. Sure I’ve hooked up with a few girls in my day, but I’ve never had any serious romantic feelings for anyone.
Until Y/N.
That first night she slept in my room we stayed up for hours talking about everything from our favorite hockey teams to deeper emotional stuff. That became our routine when she would sleepover… always the last ones awake, and always having long in-depth conversations with one another. What started off as friendly, platonic feelings for her quickly changed after many nights spent late night talking.
As much as I loved our late night talks I honestly wanted more. I wanted early morning talks, afternoon talks, and to just be with her every second of every day. I wanted to hold her, spoil her, kiss her, and call her mine. I thought I would never feel this way about anyone before, but she makes me feel things I’ve never felt— she’s everything to me.
I recently came to the conclusion that keeping these feelings buried was starting to drive me insane, and I had to open up to someone about it.
Matt and I were currently getting in his car on the way to pick up Y/N. Before Matt put the car in drive, I spoke up;
“Hey, can I talk to you about something that’s been on my mind a lot lately? I just really need someone to talk to about it.” I say sheepishly. Matt’s eyes leave his phone to meet mine, and he instantly put his phone down giving me his full attention.
“Yeah bro of course. You can tell me anything. What’s up?” He says concerned because usually this is the other way around. Matt opening up to me about his issues. It was rare that I ever had anything on my end to discuss.
“Well it’s just,” I pause, hesitating if I should even continue. Matt puts a hand on my shoulder comforting me enough to move on.
“I have serious, and I mean serious feelings for Y/N.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting in response, but it wasn’t this…
He started laughing. LAUGHING. In my fucking face.
“Okay why are you laughing? Is something funny about any of this?” I say now a little pissed off that he wasn’t taking this seriously.
“Oh man, no no I’m sorry I’m not trying to be rude. It’s just… SO obvious.” He says and continues to laugh.
“WHAT?! IS IT REALLY?” I yell. Oh god, I hope Y/N doesn’t know and I’m not making a complete ass out of myself.
“Yes! Nick and I talk about it all the time. You may not realize it but you NEVER stop talking about her. “Y/N said this funny thing last night,” “Y/N really likes this movie,” “You know one time Y/N” Y/N Y/N Y/N. I swear every god damn sentence you utter her name leaves your mouth.” Matt mocks, but before I can interject he continues;
“Jesus not to mention the way you stare her down whenever she’s in the room. Nick and I are always laughing about it— like when he’s editing our videos and we can see that you looking at her constantly whenever she steps behind the camera? Or when we went to the beach that one time!? You saw Y/N in a bikini for the first time, and we saw you grab the towel to cover your lap because—”
“Okay OKAY! Alright, I get it! I’m not as good as hiding my feelings for her as I thought…” I cut him off before he can continue to blabber about it any more. Matt comes down from his laughing fit.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be mean. My point is is that we’ve never seen you like this with anyone before, and it’s really sweet.” Matt rests his hand on my arm reassuringly. “Well, we told her we were on our way to pick her up. If you want to I can text Nick and we can come up with some sort of excuse to leave so you guys can have some alone time together and maybe you’ll be able to talk with her about it?” He suggests.
“Yeah… it’s the talking that I’m scared of.” I look down and play with my hands in my lap. “That’s the problem. Like you said, I’ve never been like this with anyone before, and I don’t know how to put my feelings into words. If you haven’t noticed I’m not necessarily the most romantic person ever.” I say with a sigh.
Matt looks around the car seeing if anything might give him an idea. He sees the gummy worms in the center console from the last time we filmed a car video and picks them up to show me.
“Okay, candy? What about candy?” He says as if he just made some sort of scientific breakthrough.
“Kid, what the fuck are you talking about? Candy?” I laugh, completely confused.
“Yeah! We can swing by the store and you can get her her favorite candies and snacks, and you guys can watch a cute movie together or something? If you can’t tell her how you feel maybe you can show her through your actions.”
I thought about it for a second, and it honestly wasn’t a bad idea. I knew her favorite candy, snacks, movies, all that stuff. I know she loves comfy blankets for movie time. She also complains about not having a stuffed animal for her to cuddle when she sleeps over, and she usually steals one of Matt’s. All these thoughts came flooding into my head at once, and suddenly I had the best idea.
“Okay, I got it!. We’re going to need to stop at the store before we get her. You and Nick distract her when we get back to our place, and then find some excuse to leave. I have the perfect plan.” I say excitedly.
An enormous smile grows on Matt’s face. He clicks his seatbelt, and before he can back the car out of the driveway we see Nick striding out the door to the car. Matt rolls his window down.
“What the fuck are you two still doing in the driveway? I thought you were getting Y/N?” Nick says.
“Bro get in the car you’re coming with us we’ve gotta update you on Chris’s love affair!” Matt says jokingly making me laugh. Nick just rolls his eyes, and climbs in the backseat.
***
Y/N’s POV:
Chris had given me a call earlier to tell me that their manager, Laura, needed Nick and Matt for something at her house tonight so it would just be the two of us. She had apparently given them a call on their way out to pick me up so they were running late. Honestly, I was a little nervous that Chris and I would have the house to ourselves. I was always comfortable being alone with him in his room, and I’ve always hoping he’d take one of these nights to make a move. In my head I tried to convince myself he hasn’t made a move yet because his brothers were always home— worried they’d barge in and interrupt or something. I’ve had a HUGE crush on Chris, and I wasn’t super hopeful that he felt the same way because he’s never been a relationship type of guy. Plus, he always has girl friends, and I’m worried I probably just fall under the friend category in his eyes.
Finally, I see headlights shine through my front window and look to see Matt’s car in the driveway. I grab my purse and head out the door and open the car door to climb in the backseat. I was surprised to be met with Chris in the backseat, and Nick in the front with Matt.
“Fancy seeing you in the back. You’re never back here.” I say getting in my seat and clicking the seatbelt.
“Umm yeah, I— um.” Chris starts before Nick cuts him off.
“He was taking too long in the store so I hopped in the front.” I see Chris raise his eyebrows slightly at Nick, giving him a weird look.
“I didn’t know you guys went out. What were you getting?” I ask.
“Um just toiletries and stuff. Needed some, uh, shampoo.” Chris says shrugging his shoulders and breaking out eye contact. He seemed tense, but I brushed it off.
***
We pull into the driveway and I get out of the car making my way over to the trunk. The three boys get out and stand awkwardly behind the car with me.
“Did you want help bringing the stuff in?” I say and there was silence as the boys just awkwardly stared at each other, and then at me. “…From the store?” I continue.
“Oh no Chris’s got it. Matt and I wanna show you the updates we made to the podcast studio, come on!” Nick says grabbing my arm and leading me up the driveway to their front door leaving Chris behind to get stuff out of the trunk.
Matt, Nick, and I go inside and they immediately go upstairs to their studio, and I stop to hesitate at the bottom of the stairs.
“Should we wait for Chris?” I say. Matt turns around to look at me, and then shoots a glance to Nick.
“No he’s slow as fuck. Come on!” Nick yells. I laugh and make my way upstairs.
Matt and Nick start showing me decor and stuff around the studio. It honestly wasn’t anything that I haven’t already seen before, but I kept my mouth shut because it seemed very important for them to show me again. As they blabber on I see Chris run swiftly past the door, carrying a bunch of shopping bags, and going into his bedroom slamming the door. I became even more suspicious to his weird behavior.
Matt and Nick went on to me about the podcast episodes they were planning to film, but I was barely even listening since my thoughts were elsewhere. I’m snapped out of my daydreaming when Chris comes in and stands in the doorway.
“Okaaaay! You guys have to go to Laura’s, yeah?” Chris asks his brothers.
“Yes! Yes we do. Matt let’s get going!” Nick says to Matt and they eagerly start walking out of the room. Matt turns back and gives me a smile, “Have fun!” He says. Matt then gives Chris a pat on the shoulder before him and Nick make their way downstairs and out the door.
Why the hell were they all acting so weird?
I take a step towards Chris as he remains blocking the doorway.
“So, what do you wanna do?” I question, and a smirk creeps up on his face.
“I actually have a special movie night planned for us.” He says with that sweet smile of his I love so much.
“What makes it special?” I ask. He grabs my hand, making my breath hitch in my throat slightly at our touch. He leads me to his bedroom. Was this it? Was he making his move? I didn’t necessarily think he’d be so bold as to bed me right away, but I also wasn’t complaining. I thought to myself before he proves me wrong. He opens his bedroom door and leads me inside, and I smile big once I see what he’s done.
His bed is full of pillows from both his room and the spare bedroom, and they’re covered in a huge blanket. There’s another sherpa blanket on the bed with a cute teddy bear on my side where I usually sleep. On his nightstand is a bowl of popcorn, and bags of my favorite candies. He had turned his ceiling lights off and had fairy lights draped over his headboard illuminating the room. Also lighting the room was his TV which had one of my favorite Disney movies cued up ready to watch.
Chris steps back as I walk around the room taking it all on.
“Chris! This is so sweet!” I gawk as I jump into his bed and wrap myself in the softest blanket and he follows suit. We lay in his bed together in silence for a moment before he grabs the teddy bear and handing it to me with a smile. I take the bear from his hands and wrap it tight in my arms.
Chris’s POV:
“Chris, what’s all this for?” Y/N asks looking at me with her beautiful eyes.
I knew that she’d ask why I went all out. I had ran a couple scenarios of her possible questions in my head, and embarrassingly enough I may or may not have practiced what I was going to say with Nick in the car earlier…
“Well, it’s for you.” Duh? Chris I think that’s kinda obvious you dumb fuck. I don’t think any amount of practicing could’ve prepared me to face the prettiest, sweetest girl I’ve ever met in my life. I could feel my heart beating faster with each passing moment. She smiles, her eyes softening, and she scootches closer to me.
“You did all this for me? Why?” She asks sweetly. I knew she’d love the surprise, but also knew she’d be confused.
I really tried my best to prepare for this talk, but I was still so nervous. I didn’t know what to say.
I take a deep inhale before starting the conversation.
“I— I did this for you because I wanted to. Well I mean obviously I wanted to or else I wouldn’t have done this. What I mean is I want to show you what I think of you. Or, I mean, how I feel… and I— ugh.” I sigh and burry my face in my hands now completely embarrassed from my nervous rambling. “I don’t know how to use my words.” I mumble into my hands.
I feel a soft, gentle hand on mine pulling it slowly from my face, and I’m met with Y/N as her eyes lock on mine. When my hands are back down in my lap she reaches her hand up to gently cup my cheek, not breaking eye contact. Her eyes flicker from mine down to my lips, and back up to mine before speaking;
“Then don’t use your words…”
I bring my hand up to lay on top of hers cupping my cheek, and I lean in to her touch. I bring my other hand gently to the nape of her neck and pull her closer. Her face is mere inches away from mine. Our eyes breaking contact and moving to our lips. She slowly closes her eyes, and I pull her in fully and plant my lips on hers.
Her lips were soft. Sweet, even. They molded perfectly with mine as we kiss. The kiss is gentle and eager at the same time. I’ve only ever dreamed of this moment, and I can’t believe it’s finally happening.
We pull away from our kiss, our foreheads still touching. I open my eyes first to look at her, and when she opens hers a sweet smile creeps on her lips making me laugh softly.
“Hi.” I say in a whisper.
“Hi Chris.”
“I really like you, Y/N.”
“I really like you too.”
She pulls me in, this time with more force, and plants a passionate kiss on my lips.
We continue to kiss for a moment before I pull back.
“Will you be my girl?” I ask.
She smiles, nodding her head feverishly before bringing her lips back to mine and throwing her hands around my neck.
I’m in heaven.
**********
I honestly didn’t know how to end this and I’m kinda cringing but oh well.
Happy Thanksgiving y’all! 🦃
— Kay 🖤
#chris sturniolo#sturniolo triplets#matt sturniolo#nick sturniolo#let’s trip tour#versus tour#sturniolo x reader#chris sturniolo x reader#matt sturniolo x reader
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I have rewatched TADC many times recently and I come up with many interesting theories about Ragatha (My favorite) and I think it is great to share them here.
Theory: Ragtha is kinda on Caine’s side, or at least she is the person who always “giving”.
This isn’t intend to propose that Caine and Ragatha are “bad” or something. I’m not sure if anyone is watching the GenV series (Spoilers alert!)
and I think Ragatha is sorta a role like Kate that supports the Caine.
One thing is that when Caine is stopped by Pomni questioning about how do they leave, Ragatha immediately takes the question with a little stuttering opening, like she helps Caine when the AI is malfunctioned.
Another thing is she apologized to Pomni when glitching, says Pomni had a bad day, it looks like Ragatha took the responsibility that she should take care of the newbies.
I also noticed a very interesting detail about Ragatha's motion design. I collected all the clips of she approaching while people remaining steady. You know it usually means this person is a sacrificer in relationships.
Even when she is not in a good mood about Pomni's “abandon” . Ragatha still approaches and stands by her side.
This gives me the feeling that Caine may have demanded or asked her for help to care the new "sucker".
Additionally, the Kaufmo part also striked me a little. (It may turns out to be simply the pilot needs and my overthinking. But consider I have to wait for months to expect a new episode so why not brain storm.)
So Ragatha is the person who promts to check Kaufmo:
Ragatha: Oh, wait, we should go check on Kaufmo. And I'm pretty sure he'd like to meet Pomni.
While Kinger refuses the idea and says:
I think Kaufmo's gone insane. Last time I spoke with him, he was rambling endlessly about some exit.
After they went to the carpet, Ragatha mentioned that:
Well, we usually do, when we first arrive, but after a while you start to realize that you really can't leave and constantly chasing an unattainable goal will start driving you a bit crazy. And eventually you get to asking what the point of anything is and you completely lose sight of who you are and why you're even alive and when you reach your breaking point something really terrible can happen.
When she saw the abstracted Kaufmo and she stuttered that the creature might be the “terrible thing” refered to what she said before.
At this time I think we can assume that:
Ragatha knows the pursuing exits could drive people to the breaking point.
Ragatha knows people who breaks will happen terrible things.
Ragatha knows by Kinger (who is unresponisive but still noticed somthing wrong) that Kaufmo is unstable recently.
Ragatha knows what “abstract” is, and someone( people who came earlier than her or Caine) kept warnig/brainwashing her that “ Don’t overthink about exist or terrible thing gonna happen”.
Why Ragatha wants to take Pomni to go check on Kaufmo even she knows he is in a unstable situation?
I think it can be explained that:
She wants to form a stonger colleague relationship with Pomni by taking her to meet the used-to-be-frindely Kaufmo (who liked to tell jokes). or—
She wants to warn Pomni by letting her see “the terrible thing” to stop her from thinking about exit.
By going through all this points, I feel that Ragatha is the most positive on the concept about “No exist”. It looks like she tries hard to prove that there is no way out.
This point is also supported by Caine. And Ragatha hints in a non-obvious way through the pilot that Caine treats them with good intention:
The official site introduces the series with:
So nevertheless, I think Ragatha is still a trapped victim, and the pilot seems to show that she grows a bit Stockholm syndrome and stands by Caine’s side to defend her sanity. That's why she is described as the sweetest optimist.
ps:
I find Jax's different attitude is intersting when Ragatha and Kinger mentioned their daily routine:
Jax didn't comment on Ragatha explaining their useless sleep routine.
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A Fresh Start [17]
Din Djarin x F!Reader
Warnings: losing tempers, arguing, mentions of alcohol and a bit of binge drinking, angst, people getting drunk
Word Count: 15k (i am so so so sorry, i know y'all said you wanted long but this is probably insane. i just needed to end it in that specific place to get the theme i wanted to touch on finished😭 i think you'll like the content if you can bear through it lolol)
Summary: When you made plans for your future they never involved being hired by a Mandalorian to baby-sit his adorable, green gremlin of a child. However, after your life fell apart in the span of one disastrous night, you found it to be the only feasible option you had left. Nevarro was a far cry from Coruscant, but the thriving community turned out to be exactly what you needed. Every day you spend in Nevarro you fall more and more in love with your new life, but when your past rears its ugly head you find that perhaps peace wasn’t meant for everyone.
#17: CLOSE YOUR EYES, NER KAR'TA
"to be in love with you is to know that even on the days you make me so mad i could scream, i still want to kiss the hell out of your face." ⏤Beau Taplin. "it's the way you wrinkle your nose when you're disappointed in me."
a/n: y'all would not believe the trouble tumblr gave me in posting this smh anyways sorry again this is stupid long (i did warn y'all im a mouthy motherfucker) but hopefully it can make up for the absolutely heartbreaking episode we all suffered thru today :)
.
“If I asked you to kick Karga’s ass, would you?”
“Without hesitation, ner kar’ta.”
You couldn’t help but snicker under your breath at his quick answer. Din was lying reclined in the cot beside you with Grogu napping on his chest. It was an entertaining contrast. The soft father rubbing his son’s back as the child snored while promising immediate violence at a single word from you. The awkwardness of yesterday morning seemed to have dispersed after your confession to him. Add to that the fact that Nima was sleeping in a medically induced coma on the cot you sat on the edge of, and you were on cloud nine. There was still a ways to go and you hated that your close friend⏤ your family⏤ had been injured in such a traumatizing way, but her arm would be saved.
The bacta tank had healed what it needed to. It fixed bone, muscle, and tissue nearly 80%. You didn’t want to risk letting the tank manage the injury to the full 100%. Repairing hand injuries was a tricky thing simply because the tendons and muscles in the hand were so complicated. You’d rather set her hand the old fashioned way⏤ make sure she didn’t lose any function. Nima would be devastated if her dexterity was compromised. Her job, her passion, relied on her hands.
“Anything else I can add to our to-do list today other than fighting the High Magistrate of Nevarro?” Din asked with a hum.
You grinned at him. “I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”
Din nodded his head once. Your eyes glanced down at the hardware holding Nima’s hand motionless so it could heal properly. You had already adjusted them, applied a healing paste, then wrapped it, but you couldn't help but re-check your work over and over again. Your obsessive behavior came in handy when Karga had stepped in ten minutes or so ago to check in on Nima. Though his ‘checking in’ had turned into offering you a job once more. It seemed like every type of denial you had he had a counterpoint.
Your main one being that legally you weren’t allowed to practice medicine. You still had a license because the trial questioning whether or not you were ethically to blame for Soran’s death had ended in your favor. However, one stipulation⏤ which had come from a psychological evaluation the hospital made you go through after you were attacked⏤ was that until Kurt’s trial was over you shouldn’t be in the position of making medical decisions. It had been something you were more than happy to abide by as you ran from your life.
Karga’s cheeky reply had been that he was the High Magistrate and as such he could allow you to do anything you wanted to do. Especially if that thing you wanted to do was be his city’s physician.
A thought formed in your mind and you huffed out a sigh. You could see Din tilt his head toward you in question. You faced him, “Would I be crazy for considering taking Karga up on his offer?”
“I wouldn’t say crazy.” Din replied. “But why? I don’t want you to feel obligated because Karga won’t leave you alone.”
“It’s not that.” You said. The thought grew in your mind, a chaotic frenzy that wouldn’t leave you alone. “If I hadn’t been here, Nima would’ve lost her arm. She might have even died. I stopped that.” Din remained silent and let you think aloud. “I can keep making that difference. I have to. If I don’t then… If something terrible happens then isn’t that my fault?”
Din sat up, holding Grogu to his chest so the boy didn’t fall, “No. No, it’s not. Thinking like that, taking on that guilt, isn’t healthy.” He threw his legs over the side of the bed so he was sitting up and facing you. “Don’t make a decision based on guilt, ner kar’ta.”
“I guess you’re right.” You mumbled.
He stayed silent for a beat before reaching a hand out to you. You stood and took the singular step that would get you close enough to settle your hand in his. Din pulled you forward so you stood between his legs. The cot was on a lower setting which left you staring down at Din while he was forced to tilt his head to stare up at you.
“Take guilt out of it. Pretend like you’re one of many that Karga is trying to hire for this job.” Din said. You lifted the hand Din wasn’t holding so you could scratch Grogu’s head. His mid-afternoon nap would be over soon and he’d be awake and bouncing off the walls with energy. “Would getting this job make you happy?”
You pondered over the question. There was a thrill in medicine. One you quite enjoyed when you weren’t forced to care for the people who meant the most in the world to you. Plus, thinking long term, you couldn’t be Grogu’s nanny forever. It wasn’t feasible. Not that you wanted out of their lives. You were so entangled in the web of their lives that that was hardly an option anymore. But, if you wanted a real relationship with Din one day, you couldn’t be his employee. You’d have to find a different way to make credits and support yourself.
“I think so.” You nodded.
“As long as you're happy, then I think you should do it.” Din replied, but the sigh he released didn’t match the approval of his words. “I just don’t want you to make yourself sick with stress.”
“Worrywart.” You teased. Din chuckled and the rumbling in his chest must have roused Grogu. The boy began to rub his face against the metal he was lying on sleepily. You ran a finger alongside his ear. “Hi, baby boy. Was buir too loud? Did he wake you up?”
Grogu mumbled, then turned with outstretched arms. Din lifted him as you reached out. When you pulled the small child to your chest he leaned his head against your shoulder but you knew he wasn’t sleep based on the way he let his small fingers rub against your shoulder back and forth⏤ just like you and Din would do to him. Grogu was mumbling soft words you didn’t recognize.
“Mhmm, tell mama all about it.” You hummed.
Din’s hands had rested on your hips when he didn’t have Grogu to hold. His thumbs tracing circles over your shirt right above your belt. He nodded, “Do you want children of your own one day?”
Your eyes widened in surprise at his sudden question. It was the last direction you expected this conversation to go. Your jaw popped open slightly. “Uh, wh⏤what?”
“Just curious.” Din shrugged nonchalantly.
To be honest, you had never given it any thought. That was a future decision for future you to make. While in training, you told yourself it wouldn’t be something you needed to even think about until after training was over. Then when you were working in the hospital, you told yourself you needed to get settled in your job first. Finally, your life spiraled apart and during the last year that was hardly something that was on your mind. It was funny that you went full circle and all of that led you to standing in Nevarro’s clinic thinking about a future with children of your own.
Taking care of Grogu was an experience that had given you more factors and variables to consider, but still you weren’t sure what to say. You shook your head and spoke the truth. “To be honest, I haven’t thought much about it.”
“You’re so good with Grogu, is all.” Din replied.
“What about you?” You paused. “Er, that’s not what I⏤ Obviously you already have a child. You have Grogu.” Din chuckled at your babbling. “I meant, would you want… more?”
Din tilted his head and a very casual nod. “I think so. I like the idea of a big family.”
“Do you have siblings?” You asked suddenly. “I’m realizing just now that I don’t know a lot about your life before Nevarro⏤ other than Grogu and the bounty hunting.”
“No siblings.” Din shook his head. “Not by blood at least. After I was brought in by the Mandalorians, as a foundling, I grew up with a few other kids I considered to be siblings on Concordia.”
“Wait, you were a foundling? Like Grogu?”
“Yes.” Din nodded. “I was born on Aq Ventina, but when I was young… My town was destroyed in a Separatist attack. Battle droids destroyed everything. They… I lost my parents. I would’ve been killed myself if a Mandalorian hadn’t saved me.”
You stepped around him so you could sit down on the cot beside Din. He followed your movements with his t-shape visor. You lifted the hand not holding Grogu to settle on his knee. “Din, I am so sorry. I had no idea, I⏤ I wouldn’t have asked⏤ I shouldn’t have asked⏤”
“It’s alright, ner kar’ta.” Din chuckled and set his hand on top of yours. “I knew you didn’t know, but I wanted you to know. Besides, I started this line of questioning.” He squeezed his fingers around your own. “I know you said you were from Naboo. Can you tell me more? Do you still have family there?”
You fell into a casual conversation with him telling him about the family you still had there. Sharing a few memories that couldn't help but slip out when they came to mind. You felt bad that you were talking about happy memories when Din had just admitted to a tragedy, but he continued to ask question after question leading you into them. Which led to him sharing a few memories of his own from both worlds that he walked. Din lingered on a story about his parents⏤ a happy one he held close to his heart based on the soft tone he spoke in.
“How much do you remember of them?” You asked.
“Enough to know they were good parents.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to spend more time with them.” You replied softly.
In response, Din lifted the hand on top of yours to bury it in the hair at the nape of your neck. He leaned you toward him and set his forehead against yours. The two of you only remained that way for a moment before Grogu sat up and rested one hand on your cheek and the other on his father’s.
“Skraan.” He blurted. Din and you broke apart, laughing, but Grogu was solely serious as he repeated himself. “Skraan, skraan, skraan.”
Din knew what he had to do. The part he was struggling with was the how. Oddly, in his mind, the first step was going to be the hardest bit. Steps two through whatever included taking the N1 out to Mandalore, find the living waters, bathe in said living waters, bring back proof to the Armorer, be redeemed in the eyes of his Covert, return to you as a full fledged Mandalorian rather than Apostate, and request to court you properly. Simple. Easy to remember. Din didn’t even need to write it down. However, step one involved telling you that he was leaving Nevarro and that was going to be tough.
At first he thought he’d just bring you with him, but then you told him you wanted to try being Nevarro’s physician. Din couldn’t pull you away from your home right as you had grown comfortable enough with your past to retry medicine. So, that was out. Then, when he had worked up the courage to say good-bye, Cara quit. That one had caught Din off guard. It happened days after Nima’s accident. Cara claimed she got an offer to be part of special forces with the New Republic⏤ an offer she couldn’t turn down. She even took the time to remind him that this was never a permanent thing anyways.
However, Cara left in the dead of night without even taking the time to wait until Nima woke up. Din didn’t believe that was a coincidence. He was more than familiar with the concept of running from emotions. When Nima finally did wake up, the look of heartbreak on her features when he had to answer her question of where Cara was had been tough to handle. Din reminded himself that his plan was not the same as Cara’s. He was not leaving you to stay away. Din was not running from you. If anything he was running to you. He just wanted to be the very best version of himself before propositioning you, and Din wanted to do this right.
Before he left, he was going to explain this to you⏤ in great detail. And, if you truly meant what you said about allowing him to uphold his Creed, you’d understand. Din repeated that to himself over and over again like a mantra.
Regardless of how that played out, Din was stuck. It was one thing when he was leaving Nevarro short one marshal temporarily. Now the city would be missing him and Cara, and in good conscious he couldn’t let that be.
Mayfeld, hands laced behind his head as his feet were kicked up on his desk, called out. “Come on, Mando. What? You don’t trust me to hold down the fort while you’re gone?”
“Exactly.”
“Uh, ow.” Mayfeld complained. “You could’ve at least pretended to think about it before answering so fast.”
Din chuckled under his breath. Honestly, his relationship with Mayfeld had come a long way. How he felt now was a stark difference in comparison to how badly Din wanted to shoot him in the face when they first met. After what happened on Morak, after revealing his face in front of Mayfeld, Din truly respected the man⏤ trusted him. The truth is he would never forgive himself to leave Mayfeld here to deal with all the responsibilities alone. That wasn’t fair to his friend. All those facts didn’t deter Din from mocking and mildly bullying the man though. That was much too fun to give up.
“I have a friend flying in today to baby-sit you.”
“Nice. Got me a nanny too?” Mayfeld replied. “Hope she’s as pretty as yours.”
Din knew the man was only trying to rile him up, and he technically had picked the exact topic that could do it. But, Din didn’t take the bait. He shrugged. “He’s not really my type, but I’ll let you make the call on that.”
“Alright. So I’ll be the Marshal, and he’ll be my Deputy?”
“No. He’ll be Marshal, and you’ll still be Deputy.”
Mayfeld dropped his feet off the desk, hands falling to his side, and his jaw popped open in shock. “Hold on! The new guy gets to be Marshal before I do?? You’re just gonna promote him over me? Immediately.”
“Exactly.”
The man scoffed in response and crossed his arms like a petulant child. It reminded Din of the way Grogu would pout when you told him you couldn’t snack on cookies or cakes right before dinner time or when Din would wrestle a full sized critter out of his son’s mouth before Grogu could swallow it whole. Mayfeld shoved up from his seat to cross the room and pour himself a cup of caf. Din stayed where he was⏤ leaning against Cara’s old desk.
“You tell your girl that you’re leaving yet? Or is that still a secret?”
“I’m going to tell her.” Din said firmly.
Mayfeld slurped out of his mug, purposely trying to annoy him, “You said that four days ago, then three days ago, then two⏤”
“Keep talking and I’ll demote you from Deputy.”
“Is there even a level below deputy??”
“I can make one.” Din replied dryly. A wide grin crossed Mayfeld’s face and Din shook his head with a grumble. “Today. I’ll tell her today.” Mayfeld just stared at him from above the rim of his mug. Din pushed off the desk. “I’m going to do it.”
Mayfeld shrugged in response and Din resisted the urge to throw something at the man. He huffed and turned to leave. Mayfeld called out behind him, a teasing comment, and Din threw him a crude hand gesture over his shoulder causing the man to burst out in laughter.
It barely took him any time to get from the station to the clinic. When he stepped through the front doors he was greeted by Aayla and one other worker he wasn’t familiar with. The Twi’lek waved him in and hit a button on the desk to unlock the backroom doors. It was the sound of your voice that greeted him first.
“⏤and if you pull those staples out, you’ll be dealing with me.” You stood at the end of a bed with your hands on your hips and your face drawn in concentration. Aayla had found and wrestled you into a white coat when you started and Din would be lying if he said he didn’t like the look on you. Din especially liked watching you take control of a room. You could command a scene with voice and stare alone, and Din really, really liked watching you do it.
“Baby girl,” A vaguely familiar voice chimed and Din frowned at the nickname, “Dealing with you would be my absolute pleasure.”
Din stepped further into the room to see that a worker from the hanger, a Trandoshan man he couldn’t recall the name of, was sitting on a cot with a long cut from wrist to elbow. A line of staples was holding it closed. Din crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Yeah? How about dealing with me?”
The Trandoshan looked to him at the same time you did, and he found it comical how different the reactions were. Your face split into a bright, gorgeous smile while the hangar worker stiffened up and averted his eyes.
“Well, hi there, Marshal.” You cooed and stuck your hands into the pockets of your white coat.
“Do we have a problem?” Din asked, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.
You turned to look at your patient and raised an eyebrow in question. The Trandoshan glanced at him before looking back to you and shaking his head rapidly. You nodded and reached out to set a hand on Din’s forearm. “I think we’re okay here.”
“Can⏤ Can I⏤?” The worker pointed to the door.
“Yupp. Keep it dry. Come back in a week, and I’ll see if you’re healed enough to take the staples out.”
The Trandoshan jumped up but paused when he realized he was going to have to pass Din in order to get out. Even though Din was technically blocking the way, he kept his position so the man was forced to squeeze around him. When the man was finally out, your laugh filled the air and Din sighed in admiration. You shrugged, smile still in place, “That was kind of fun.”
“How’re you doing?” Din asked.
“I’m okay.” You nodded and then scrunched your nose once. “It’s so weird. I’m still not used to this, but at the same time I am?” You motioned around yourself. “It’s familiar, but it’s not. Am I crazy?”
Din shook his head, “Of course not.”
“Hmm,” You took a step closer to him so you had to lift your face to meet his visor, “I think you’re biased.”
He grinned under his helmet then shrugged. “Maybe.”
“So, what can I do for you, Marshal?”
“Have you had lunch yet?” He asked, and you shook your head in response. “Can I walk with you to get some? You aren’t busy are you?”
You shrugged out of your white coat and tossed it onto a cot. “That’s the beauty of working for a man who is super desperate to keep you around. I can do what I want.” Din chuckled and followed you out of the room. As you passed the front desk, you called out, “Aayla, I’m going. Just call me if any real emergencies come in. Okay?”
“You got it, doc!”
As you both stepped out, Din offered you his arm and you slipped yours through it. He nodded back toward the clinic. “Who is the new girl?”
“Miriam.” You answered. “Aayla is training her to work the front desk so I can train Aayla. She’ll be able to help me with little stuff. I think she’s got a lot of potential.” Din nodded toward a stand merchant who greeted him first. “We’ll be able to see more if I have an assistant, but we still can’t do any routine kind of work. Karga still needs to get another physician to work that side of things.”
Din hummed. “I hear he’s working on it, but I’ll… encourage him to work faster.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” You shook your head. “I can be plenty annoying on my own. You should’ve seen how much I bothered Admin back in Coruscant when I wanted them to buy the emergency department a whole set of ultrasounds.”
Din could imagine the scene and he wished he could’ve seen it. He’d have to make sure he had a front row seat for when you began to hound Karga for this. Without even discussing it, it seemed you both had the same sandwich place in mind⏤ the one that sold the cookies Grogu liked. Din didn’t bother ordering for himself. He wasn’t overly hungry. He mostly just wanted to spend time with you and make sure you took a break to eat. Din watched as you greeted the owners by name and after ordering your food you ordered a pack of cookies for Grogu as well. He could barely even pay attention to the conversation at hand because he was so busy watching you.
Even when the owners offered you the meal for free as a thank you for taking the job in town, you insisted on paying the full price. As you walked out, you frowned at him. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”
“I’m fine, ner kar’ta.” He replied. Din planned finding a bench where you could sit and eat⏤ you had commented about how much you loved the current weather this morning⏤ but the sound of his communicator made him groan.
“What’s going on?” You asked.
Din lifted his vambrace to see he was being hailed to the hanger. “Oh. I have a, uh, friend visiting today. He’s here early.”
“Really?” Your eyes widened.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I have to go meet him.”
Din had begun to pull his arm away, but you kept your grip around it and briefly bit down on your lower lip drawing all his attention to the shape of the lips he loved so much⏤ the lips that haunted his every dream. You pleaded, “Can I please come with you?”
“You want to?” Din was surprised.
“Yeah!” You bounced in place. “I’d love to meet your friend. I mean, if that’s okay?”
“Always. You should start eating while we walk.” Din nodded.
You snickered. “Okay. Bossy.”
Din’s eyes snapped to you, and he chuckled. The two of you changed direction toward the hanger.
It wasn’t like you weren’t going to meet Cobb Vanth eventually.
The week had gone shockingly well. Better than you could’ve hoped, but then again your expectations were incredibly low. Working in the emergency clinic was actually enjoyable. Karga had tried to rope you into doing everything, but you put a hard stop on that for obvious reasons. Nevarro was still relatively small so when it came to emergencies⏤ there really were not many emergencies. Only a patch up job here and there like with the Trandoshan this morning. Again the bar was low considering you started this job with Nima nearly losing her arm.
Nima had been doing very well physically, but, as much as she tried to hide it, emotionally she had taken a toll. You weren’t sure why Cara left so abruptly. Din and you had talked about it in depth one night after dinner and he seemed to think it was because she had cared too much for Nima too fast. The only opinion you had on the matter was that Cara had certainly gotten on your bad side. You were loyal to your oldest friend and it irked you beyond belief that the once deputy of Nevarro had left when Nima needed her most.
“Where’s your friend from?” You asked as Din and you neared the landing pad.
“Tatooine.”
“Ah, my neck of the woods.”
Din chuckled. “Were you even there long enough to call it your neck of the woods?”
“I lived in Mos Espa for at least half a year. In Tatooine years, that feels like a decade.” You replied and the laugh that left him made your cheeks warm.
He glanced over at you, your arm still looped through his, “What made you choose Tatooine, anyways?”
“It’s kind of a depressing answer. Definitely a mood killer.” You winced. Din’s feet came to an abrupt stop and he turned so he was facing you entirely. You should’ve guessed he’d have that kind of reaction. You shook your head. “I took care of a patient who said Mos Espa was where lowlifes and runaways escaped to when they had no other world to call home. So…” You shrugged. “I went to Mos Espa.”
“Ner kar’ta⏤”
“I don’t feel that way now. A lot has changed, and I’m not the person who initially fled to Tatooine,” You said quickly, “But you asked why I went, so I said.” With your next words, you kept your voice low so only he could hear you. “I promise I’m okay, Din.”
Din gave you a curt nod. With an amused shake of your head, you slipped your arm through his once more and tugged him toward the landing pad. The Mandalorian warrior let you drag him along, and you could’ve swore he was dragging his feet on purpose to make it more difficult for you. The chuckle that left his helmet confirmed this for you.
“How long is your friend staying for?” You asked, and Din stayed quiet. “And is his visit a social call? I imagine he’s heartbroken being away from the sands of Tatooine.”
Din’s feet came to a stop once more, but this time it came as a surprise. You paused with him and gave him a curious look. He tilted his head. “About that, I wanted to talk to you about⏤”
“Mando!”
You and Din both turned at the voice. Walking in your direction was a very familiar face. Cobb Vanth? The marshal of Mos Pelgo was a far way from home, but he looked no different than the day you last saw him. His signature red scarf around his neck acting as a homing beacon for your eyes. Vanth’s eyes were initially focused on Din, but then they dragged over to you and he shook his head in surprise.
“Little lady!? Is that you??” Vanth grinned.
Din and you both snapped to look at one another again rather than the new arrival. At the same time, the same words left your lips. “You know Cobb Vanth!?”
Vanth spread his arms out as he continued to approach, a large duffel bag hanging from his back, “Well, ain’t this a surprise!”
The shock wore off and it finally occurred to you that Cobb Vanth was here. Right here, right in front of you. You let out a laugh and rushed to meet him halfway. He greeted you by wrapping his arms around you in a tight grin⏤ a laugh leaving him as well. What felt like another lifetime ago, you had met Cobb Vanth on your arrival to Tatooine. Though your plan had been to settle in Mos Espa you had accidentally ended up in Mos Eisley. In an attempt to get from one place to the other you got lost in the desert briefly after the land speeder you rented ran out of fuel halfway. It had been your fault for trusting the man you got the speeder from. Rather than dying you were saved by the man you were now hugging. Vanth had even been kind enough to get you to Mos Espa eventually.
You pulled away from Vanth. “It’s so good to see you! You look great.”
“Oh, I know, darling.” Vanth winked. “But still not holding a flame to you.” You chuckled and a hand settled on your shoulder. Din had walked over and you took a step back so you stood right beside him. Vanth motioned to the Mandalorian. “You never told me you knew Mando.”
“I didn’t back when I was with you, Vanth.” You glanced between the two men. “How do you guys know each other?”
Vanth readjusted the bag around his shoulders. “Now that, little lady, is quite the story.” He continued on talking about how Din came looking for a Mandalorian and found Vanth decked out in Mandalorian armor. He followed it by describing how Din ended up flying into a krayt dragon to kill it from inside out. A detail you did not love to hear. “We’ve been best buddies since. Right, pal?”
Din didn’t respond. You were still in awe at the coincidence of it all. You missed your Mandalorian by literal months. Din had swung through Mos Pelgo right before you had. What would’ve happened if you met him then rather than now?
“Mando?” Vanth questioned. Waving his hand once in front of the helmet. “You alright?”
“I’m fine.” Din replied and you wondered where the tension in his voice had come from. You slipped your arm around his once more and he seemed to relax marginally. He cleared his throat before nodding. “How was your trip, Vanth?”
Vanth’s lips stretched back out into a charming grin. “Hey, I can’t complain. Gotta say Nevarro looks better than I thought it would. I’m excited to explore it.” He chuckled. “The weather ain’t too bad either. I was worried I’d miss that desert air.”
“Don’t worry. These lava plains are plenty hot enough.” You replied. “How long are you here for?”
“Suppose 'til Mando here gets back.”
It took a second for the words to register in your mind, but Din picked it up much faster based on the way his entire body tensed once more. Until he gets back. Gets back? You slowly pulled your arm away from so you could turn and look at him. Before your hand could fall away entirely, Din caught it with his own⏤ holding it against his arm.
“Wait⏤”
“You’re going somewhere?” You furrowed your brow in confusion. He hadn’t mentioned anything about a trip. Din paused and somehow his hesitance irritated you. “Where?”
Din sighed. “Mandalore.”
Your eyes widened, “Manda⏤ The Mandalore that may or may not be poisoned still?”
“Um. Yes.”
“Okay.” You replied. “Alright.” You pulled your hand out from under Din’s hand and shot Vanth a quick, firm smile. “It was really good to see you, Vanth. Welcome to Nevarro! I guess I’ll be seeing you around.” Din took a step toward you, his nickname for you leaving his lips, but you took a step back. “I need to get back to work, but I’ll see you at home?”
You didn’t give him the chance to answer and turned to leave. If Din called out after you, you didn’t hear him. Your footsteps were rushed as you tried to wrap your head around the information you had just learned. Were you angry? Maybe. It wasn’t a clear cut anger though⏤ it was muddled. There were too many other emotions swirling in your head, but the main one that started to push to the front was disappointment. Every time you thought you understood where you stood with Din it seemed like something happened that made you question it all. Had he just planned on leaving the planet without telling you? Or maybe he wanted to wait until the last second and just wave to you as he took off, or hang a note on the fridge for you to find the morning of. Even if you weren’t in this weird back and forth romantic thing with him, as someone who literally lived in his home and helped care for his child you were incredibly involved in his life. If you were a team, then you needed to know the plan.
More irritation boiled up in your blood, and you found yourself changing direction from the clinic to a familiar house. Your fist was banging on Nima’s door before you fully even registered what it was you wanted to say. Nima opened the door, in her pajamas, and your eyes glanced at the metal brace surrounding her right arm out of habit.
Nima deflated and whined, “Please, please, please, please tell me you’re here to clear me for work.”
“No. Two more weeks. I’m not changing my mind on that.” You replied and she groaned. “I’m here because apparently Marshal Mando is leaving the planet and hired a replacement marshal but didn’t think to tell me any of this.”
“Come on in. I have alcohol.”
“I told you! I told you⏤ didn’t I tell you??” Mayfeld cried then spun to look at Vanth who was leaning against the wall. “I kriffing told him. Days ago.”
“Please stop talking.” Din groaned as he hung his head back while slouching in the seat. Din thought that the worst part of learning you and Vanth already knew one another would be the tight hug you literally ran to give him. Vanth had pulled you up off your toes in the hug, and the primal side of him yearned for a fight. His hand literally twitched toward his blaster⏤ his kriffing blaster. As if he was going to shoot down his good friend Cobb Vanth who left his town to do him a favor.
Din had a problem. He was a problem. Growing up the way he had, with the losses he faced, he tended to be possessive of what he considered his own. Din liked to think over the years he had gotten good at reigning that behavior in. He didn’t shoot Vanth, after all. Still, that side of him didn’t hesitate in rearing it’s ugly head in moments like when he watched Cobb Vanth hold you for what he considered to be a second too long. It wasn’t until your arm slipped through his, a soft smile on your face, that he felt the logical side of him slip back into control.
Then, of course, it all went downhill when Vanth accidentally admitted the thing he had yet to tell you. Watching that smile fall off your features, feeling you try to slowly pull away, felt like he had taken blunt force trauma to the chest. It physically hurt and left a raw, aching wound and it only got worse as he watched you walk away. Din put the pain pretty high on the list of ones he experienced, and this was coming from someone who had a job that led him to be stabbed repeatedly.
“I am sorry about that, Mando.” Vanth spoke up.
“It’s not your fault.” Din straightened his posture and shook his head. “I should’ve told her ages ago. That’s on me.” Vanth had apologized to him multiple times during the walk from the tarmac to the station. He’d do so between asking questions about the town that Din was supposed to be giving him a better tour on. Din rested his elbows on knees. It dawned on him that there was a question he hadn’t asked in his distress. “How do you know her?”
Vanth crossed his arms. “It was a couple months after you left, actually. She got lost between Mos Eisley and Mos Espa.” Din’s eyes widened at the thought of you getting lost in that Maker forsaken desert. Vanth chuckled. “Her land speeder ran out of fuel. It was by pure chance I ran into her. She stayed in Mos Pelgo for a few days then I took her the rest of the way to Mos Espa. We stayed in touch though⏤ here and there.”
Briefly, Din wondered what his life would’ve looked like if the two of you had been in Mos Pelgo at the same time. It was a curious thought but he knew both of you had been different people at that time. Even if it, in the great scheme of things, wasn’t that long ago. Less than a year. Then again, as quickly as you had wormed your way in his heart he couldn’t imagine meeting you months ago would’ve been that different. Din sighed and stood, he grabbed a holopad off the desk remembering that despite his dilemma in breaking your heart today he still had work to do.
“Yeah.” Vanth hummed. “Little lady and I didn’t see each other often, but she’d visit me or I’d visit her for the occasional hook up.”
Din’s head snapped to glare at Vanth and, in an attempt to ensure his hands were free, he slammed the holopad back down onto the desk⏤ ignoring the tell tale sound of cracking glass. Vanth’s lips curled up into a mischievous grin and Din was half tempted to drag him back to the tarmac and ship his ass to Tatooine. Mayfeld burst into laughter and Din just shook his head.
“Sorry, brother.” Vanth chuckled. “I saw how up in arms you got out on the tarmac. Couldn’t help myself.”
“Hilarious.” Din replied.
Eventually, Mayfeld and Vanth wandered out so the newest temporary marshal could get acquainted with the town and meet Karga. It gave Din a couple of hours to work though he spent most of it internally spiraling over the moment your entire face fell. He hated that he had been the cause of that⏤ just because he had been too scared to fess up. His communicator began to go off and Din answered it.
“Hi, Marshal?” A woman’s voice said. Din confirmed who it was. “This is Ms. Wynn, I’m in charge of Grogu’s class. Everything's still fine, but class ended about twenty minutes ago and I haven’t seen you or Soran. Is everything alright?”
Din shoved up from his desk’s chair. “I’ll be right there.”
On his way out the door, he called Aayla at the clinic to see if you had just gotten caught up with a patient, but the woman claimed she hadn’t seen you since he took you out for lunch. The clinic had been quiet otherwise. Din’s stomach churned uncomfortably as he hurried to pick up his son. Were you alright? Or were you so upset that you refused to even care for Grogu? Din knew the moment that thought crossed his mind that he was wrong. Regardless of how upset you were with him, you’d never take it out on the little boy. Din just hoped you were okay.
You narrowed your eyes at Nima as she downed the last of her beer, “Is this all you’ve been doing all day? Drinking?”
“Well, I can’t work, so…” Nima shrugged. When she offered you a drink you had turned it down, technically still on shift as the physician, but she hadn’t stopped from drinking herself. You had come here to rant about Din, but as it turned out you both had plenty to complain about. For hours, you and her had sat on the back porch of her house . The last thirty minutes or so you were trying to pry information out of Nima about how she felt about the Cara situation, but the mechanic would simply shrug it away. You knew she was hurting more than she claimed though. “Do the skies look gross to you?”
“What?” You blurted and slumped down in your seat.
“The sky. It looks…icky.”
You peered up best you could, and in her defense icky was probably the best word. The day had started clear, but the sky now had a greenish tinge to it. It reminded you of the beginnings of a storm, but you couldn’t see any clouds. You leaned out further to look and by doing so it gave you a clear view of Nima’s kitchen through a side window where you saw a clock resting against her wall. 3:37. Dank farrik. You jumped up.
“Karking⏤ Grogu!” You panicked. Shit, shit, shit. “Stop drinking, Nima.”
She mumbled a confirmation that you didn’t firmly believe then started sprinting back to the center of town. You had never, ever been late to pick up Grogu before. Guilt gnawed at you imagining Grogu looking for you in a crowd of parents and not being able to find you. Maker, how could you lose track of time like that? You got to the school in record time to find that all the kids were gone. Ms. Wynn was cleaning up around a room and she said Din had come and picked him up about ten minutes ago.
As much as you wanted to avoid Din for a little while longer, you needed to see Grogu so you could apologize to him. On your way in you passed Mayfeld and Vanth who were standing in the lobby. They both raised their hands to greet you and you blew past them without preamble. You were a woman on a mission.
“Grogu?” You called out, searching the room. Faintly, you could hear Grogu calling back to you and he waddled into the room a second later. You breathed a sigh of relief and knelt down to scoop him up into a hug. “I’m so sorry, baby. I am so, so sorry.”
“No sorry.” Grogu hummed giving your cheek a small pat making you chuckle.
The sound of a throat clearing had you glancing up to see Din leaning against the doorway that would lead back to his office. You were in an odd position because you were still upset at him from leaving you in the dark, but you were also ashamed and embarrassed at missing Grogu’s pick up time.
“Hi.” You mumbled awkwardly.
“I’m sorry.” Din blurted. Your eyes narrowed. Was he not going to address the ‘you abandoned Grogu’ thing first? “I should’ve told you sooner that Grogu and I are going to Mandalore.”
You slowly stood up with the cooing child in your arms. “You and… You’re taking Grogu?? To Mandalore??” If he heard the rising anger in your voice, he didn’t show it. “The planet that, again, we don’t know is even habitable?”
“Of course. Where I go, he goes.” Din shrugged nonchalantly. You blinked once, and Din finally seemed to catch onto at least one of the thoughts you had. “I want you to go, but I can’t pull you away from Nevarro. Not when you just started working in the clinic, and if I did choose to leave Grogu here that would just be added stress for you.”
Right. Because worrying about Din and Grogu on some wasteland of a planet wasn’t a stress factor. You locked your jaw and let out a slow breath through your nose. The boy in your arms seemed to latch onto the tension faster than his father did based on the worried looks he was bouncing between the two of you. Finally, you found your voice, “I forgot Grogu at school. I lost track of time. I⏤”
“It was an accident, I know. I’m not mad.” Din said calmly.
He wasn’t mad. Din wasn’t mad, and somehow that made you even angrier. A part of you wondered if he was purposely not showing any anger in an attempt to keep you from being angry. One mistake for another mistake. Tit for tat. Maybe he was trying to make up for the fact that he knew he upset you, but you hated the calm demeanor he still seemed to carry. It occurred to you then, that you wanted him to be angry. You wanted to argue. The Mandalorian in front of you was the picture perfect example of composure and it pissed you off.
“You’re not angry.” You enunciated each word.
“Of course not, ner kar’ta.” Din shook his head. He drifted closer. “We should talk more about this trip⏤”
“Why?” You shrugged and pasted a large smile on your face. If he wanted to be composed then you’d be composed too. “I should check on the clinic one last time before heading home. I’ll take Grogu with me. Get as much time with him as I can before you boys go on your little adventure.”
Din shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a nervous tic you usually only saw at home, “Yeah. I might be late getting back. It looks like there might be a volcanic ash storm rolling in soon. Nevarro hasn’t seen one since before the guild left here.”
“No problem.” You said. “I’ll see you at home.”
Din began to take a step toward you, but you turned on your heel to leave with Grogu. You knew you were being petty, but right now you didn’t really care. If the two of you were playing mistake for mistake then this seemed fair too. You were petty to him and he didn’t tell you that he planned to leave you alone on this planet without him or Grogu. Tit for tat.
Din watched you leave with the sinking feeling that the interaction between the two of you had not gone well. Mayfeld stepped in with an incredulous look while Din continued to just stand with his arms crossed over his chest.
Mayfeld scoffed and motioned behind him, “How in the hell did you make it worse?”
Din mumbled a string of curses in every language he was familiar with and pushed past Mayfeld to leave. The man fell into step beside him. As much as he wanted to chase after you, he needed to help get the city prepped for the oncoming storm. Mayfeld, never able to take a hint, shook his head, “I mean, geez Mando. How is it you can string up a quarry in seconds, but can’t figure out how to apologize to a woman?”
“Where is Vanth?” Din asked, ignoring Mayfeld’s own line of questioning.
“Walking your girl to the clinic then home.”
Din locked his jaw. That was good to hear. He wanted to be the one to walk you and his son back to the safety of your shared home, but considering the circumstance he was just glad you weren’t alone. Din ordered Mayfeld to take the eastern side of the city and warn all citizens to bring in or tie down their outdoor belongings while he took the west.
He didn’t get it. Had you wanted him to be angry at you? Din was a little peeved, it’d be a lie to say that he wasn’t. He had to leave work to pick up Grogu despite you taking on that responsibility this morning. Since starting at the clinic, you and him had taken turns, but Din liked to know beforehand so he wasn’t just up and leaving the station. If an emergency happened, where you were needed with a patient, that was more than understandable, but that hadn’t been the case. You had just lost track of time. A very human mistake to make, and honestly it was your first when it came to Grogu. So, yes, Din was a little peeved, but he wasn’t angry.
Din pushed it out of mind. You knew the truth, and he could better explain himself tonight when he got home. Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.
According to Karga, the volcanic ash storms were quick but deadly. The closest volcano would spew out a hot and devastating breath of ash. It’d roll over the city, blanketing everything in darkness, but it usually was blown away and gone in a matter of hours. Din had heard plenty about them, but they had never occurred while he was planet side. As long as there was proper prep to begin with then it should be a smooth transition. Karga, ever the planner, had built the city buildings with proper metal shields to roll down over windows and doors in the case of a storm. Everybody would stay indoors for a half a day, and then they’d spend the rest cleaning up.
Din wondered if his helmet was equipped to withstand the ash. It should be. The beskar and his flight suit would keep the hot ash from burning his skin, and if his helmet worked correctly then the filter should keep out most of the dangerous ash. He only wondered in case he needed to venture out to save a citizen or two. They were making the rounds to tell everyone that staying indoors was an order, but Din knew with his luck one or two people would ignore the warning.
It took hours to ensure the entire city was ready to be locked down and make sure that Vanth found his place and that it worked for the man. Din had simply housed him in Cara’s old place. It was still furnished and it wasn’t like Vanth needed anything permanent. The storm was still being estimated at being 24 or 36 hours out. It would give Din, Mayfeld, and Vanth time in the morning and afternoon to run through the city once more for final checks.
“Hey,” Din called out as he stepped into the house with a sigh. When he rounded the corner he noted that you were in the kitchen alone and cleaning up. He glanced around, “Grogu?”
“Bathed and in bed.” You replied without missing a beat. “It’s late.”
“Yeah, sorry, getting the city prepped took longer than I thought it would.” Din groaned. “How was⏤”
“I have leftover dinner for you.” You interrupted him and motioned to the stove. “But I figure you’ll want to clean up first.”
Din nodded in relief, “Thank you.” You gave him a tight nod, a smile that didn’t reach your eyes painted your lips, and he paused before heading back to the shower. “Hey, you’re not going to bed are you? I wanted to talk.”
“I’m not going to bed.” You shook your head.
“Good.” Din turned and hurried off. From the moment Vanth let slip that he was leaving, Din had been craving to sit down next to you and explain everything. He wanted to take your hand in his and reassure you that everything was going to be okay, they wouldn't be gone long, and it killed him to leave you behind. Din wanted to explain that he was leaving to find redemption and revenge. Though, he wasn’t quite sure how you’d handle that information.
As Din washed the day off of him, he wondered how you’d feel about that? If he told you the absolute truth that he planned to find redemption in part so he could court you. If he told you that he planned on tracking down Daelar to rip the man’s throat out. He wasn’t positive how you’d handle either fact, but he was positive that he needed to tell you. Din was human, he made mistakes, but he made it a mission in life to not make the same mistake twice.
After getting dressed, Din carried all his armor, sans his helmet, into the room to set aside. He paused long enough to check in on Grogu and tuck the blanket thrown haphazardly around the hammock around the boy’s small body. “Nuhoy morut'yc, adi’ka.” Din readjusted the stuffed frog in Grogu’s hammock with a smile and left the room as quietly as possible. A nervous energy settled along his skin and he rolled his shoulders once, “Ner kar’ta?”
The kitchen was empty and Din titled his head in confusion at the finding. His eyes landed on a plate of food waiting for him on the island counter and drifted closer. Sitting beside the plate was a small note with the most passive aggressive of all smiley faces he had seen drawn.
‘Went out with Nima. Don’t wait up’.
Din aggressively tore his helmet off and the only thing that kept him from slamming it onto the counter was the knowledge that the sound would wake up Grogu. His nervous energy melted into irritation. Sure, he hadn’t clarified that he wanted to talk when he asked if you were going to bed, but Din knew his intentions had been clear. That’s why you had deliberately answered his question in such a specific manner. His hands clenched and unclenched as he took a slow and steadying breath.
He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t. Din repeated this under his breath in an attempt to convince himself of it.
It was funny. The last time you sat in this cantina with Nima, in these exact chairs, the two of you had also been talking about Din. The subject last time was how awkward it was to tiptoe around him in his own home. Mashal Daddy, is what Nima had called him last time.
“Marshal Dickhead.” Nima scoffed before taking the shot in front of her. She pushed your shot glass closer to you and you tossed it back as well. The liquid burned the entire way down and you grimaced. It had been ages since you drank to this degree⏤ you were a light weight now. “That’s what he is.”
You shook your head. “No, he isn’t.”
“Okay, I need you to work on your shit talk.” Nima pointed at you. “Defending the person you’re complaining about is kind of redundant.”
You tapped your glass and the bartender wandered back over to pour the both of you another shot which you took without hesitation. Nima tried to get them to pour another, but you shook your head and ordered two mixed drinks instead. At least those had something other than straight liquor in it.
“I’m pissed at him, but I don’t wanna shit talk him.” You replied.
“Then what do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.” You sighed. “I want to fight.” Nima gave you a questionable look and you shook your head. “Not physically. Maker, I don’t have a death wish.” Picking to tussle with a Mandalorian could possibly be the stupidest choice in the galaxy. “But I want to argue with him.”
Nima narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Because I⏤ I⏤” Your words got caught in your throat and you tried to wash it down with a large swig of your drink, to no avail. It was dumb to want to argue, wasn’t it? Couples tried to avoid that. Not that the two of you were an official couple. You groaned and buried your face into your hands⏤ already feeling dizzy from the drinks. You wanted him to be upset with you, to feel comfortable enough around you to show that he was upset. Up until now, the two of you hadn’t had any real arguments. Sure, there were little tiffs here and there about nothing important, and it typically always ended with Din conceding the point with a shrug. Despite what most people seemed to think, you knew that towering wall of beskar had emotions. He had a lot of kriffing emotions, and you wanted to see all of them. Even the negative ones.
“I think I get it. The ‘wanting to argue’ thing.” Nima said softly. You lifted your head to look at her and she gave you a small smile. The Twi’lek reached out to set her hand on your shoulder with a comforting squeeze. “You want to have hot, angry make-up sex.”
Despite the sullen thoughts weighing you down, her words made a loud laugh slip from your lips. Nima look affronted that you were laughing at her theory, but you just shook your head and let the laughter die down to chuckles.
“I was serious.”
“I know you were. That’s why it’s funny.” You replied and took another sip of your drink. “But, I think I want to have not angry sex with him before I go for the other stuff.”
Nima’s eyes widened, “Wait, you guys haven’t⏤” You shook your head. “What the kriff are you waiting for!?”
“I don’t know.” You admitted. It was a fair question. “I think we’re going slow.”
“But, why?” Nima replied. “It’s obvious the two of you wanna jump each other’s bones. Half the city thinks you’re already married to him.”
You furrowed your brow, “Yeah, why is that? I get that the evidence stacked against us is damning, but to just assume we’re married?”
“Oh, I’ve been telling everyone the two of you are married.” Nima replied.
“What? Why??”
“I don’t know.” Nima shrugged. “Seemed fun. Figure it’ll be true one day.”
You scoffed, “Well, it won’t be if he disappears on the cursed world of Mandalore.”
The words fell out of your lips with more pain than you meant to convey. Nima’s face fell and you lifted your drink to knock back the rest of it. That was a possibility, wasn’t it? Din and Grogu leave you to never return. Then what? You live in the house you shared with them alone? Listening to the ghostly echoes of where they used to be?
“Shots.” Nima called out to the bartender. “We need more shots.”
The two of you were four more shots in when a familiar face wandered toward you. Vanth leaned against the bar on your other side with a smile that you could tell was concerned. “Hey there, ladies.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy!” Nima drunkenly lifted herself from her seat, nearly toppling over, and pointed at Vanth. “We aren’t interested. She’s married,” Nima pointed to you then pointed back to herself, “And I like pussy.”
Vanth’s eyes widened and you dragged her back down into her seat. “First, stop telling people I’m married. Second, stop announcing to the bar that you like pussy. And, third,” You motioned for Vanth to take a seat beside you which he did, “This is Cobb Vanth. He’s a friend from Tatooine and the replacement Marshal while Di⏤ Mando is gone.”
In your own tipsy stupor, you had nearly said Din’s name aloud. Luckily, Nima was too gone to notice and Vanth didn’t seem to care. He leaned over to over his hand in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you…?”
“Nima.” She replied curtly and held her hand out like a queen offering it to a peasant. You rolled your eyes, but Vanth just changed the position of his own hand to take hers with a small shake.
“Nima.” Vanth said. “Can I buy you two drinks?”
“I insist you do.” Nima nodded and pulled her hand away.
You chuckled with a shake of your head and tossed back the rest of the one in front of you so Vanth could get you a fresh one. Nima was babbling about something mechanical that you couldn’t follow along with and directing her words to anyone who glanced her way.
“I’ve already apologized to Mando, but I feel like I owe you an apology too.” Vanth said. “I’m sorry about what happened on the tarmac.”
You snorted. “It wasn’t your fault for assuming Mando wasn’t keeping secrets.”
“I don’t know if I’d call it a secret.” Vanth shrugged, catching the bartender’s eye and holding up three fingers. He turned back to you. “I think the poor guy was just scared.”
“Mandalorians don’t feel fear.” Nima blurted out from behind you, apparently a part of the conversation now.
You shook your head. “I don’t care if he was scared as long as he tells me that he is.”
“Fair request.” Vanth shrugged. The drinks were brought over and you took a small sip of yours. The tipsy buzz floating in your skull was slowly shifting to just plain drunk, and a sadness crept in alongside it. You suddenly wished you were at home curled in bed⏤ curled in his bed. Listening to the soft snores of both him and Grogu. “So,” Vanth’s voice snapped you out of Din’s dark and safe room and back into the noisy cantina, “Where does that leave the two of you?”
“She’s dropping his ass.” Nima barked.
“Nima⏤” You whirled on her.
“You don’t need him! He’s abandoning you!” Nima cried and you took in the way her lower lip quivered for just a moment. “We don’t need either of them! They can⏤ They can go explore the kriffing galaxy or join the New Republic’s special forces team or whatever it is they want to do! We don’t care. We’re better than that. We don’t need them.” She turned and shook her head before taking a large sip of her drink. “I’m better off without her.”
You reached out, wordlessly, and pulled her hand away from the glass so you could hold it. Nima tangled her fingers with yours and squeezed once⏤ hers eyes glistening with unshed tears. You knew she had taken Cara’s departure worse than she wanted to admit. Nima was right. She didn’t need Cara. Nima was strong and beautiful and smart and incredible. Cara had been a friend but she had also been a bump in the road. She left selfishly when Nima needed her most, but Nima was going to rise above it. However, she had been wrong about you.
You did need Din. That’s why the thought of him leaving Nevarro was so jarring and painful. Coming here had been a way to escape your past and hide out, but you had never expected to find someone who would grow to be so important. Honestly, it was a bit scary if you thought about it for too long, but the truth was that you needed Din in your life. Him and Grogu. Without them, you’d have a gaping hole in your heart and you weren’t sure there was anything else in the universe that could fill that. Din hadn’t fully explained his reasoning, you hadn’t given him the chance, but you knew he wasn’t leaving you. Nima had been blindsided by Cara and left with nothing. Maybe it would’ve taken him forever, but Din wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye and you knew⏤ deep, deep down⏤ that he’d fight tooth and nail to return to you.
“I’m sorry to ruin your night, Vanth.” You said, “But I think we’re gonna call it quits.”
“Don’t be silly.” Vanth shook his head. He tossed back his drink before rising himself. “I’ll walk you ladies home.”
You gave him a thankful smile knowing you were in no state to navigate to Nima’s house in the dark, put her to rest, then find your way back home yourself. Vanth chose to help Nima walk considering you had at least a little better control over your legs. The three of you stumbled out of the cantina into the warm night air⏤ it was time to go home.
Din didn’t have the time to put all his armor on, it was nearing one in the morning when his communicator went off, so he had simply thrown on the upper half of his flight suit, gloves, and boots. It left him in one of the more ridiculous outfits he wore considering his sweatpants did not match any item he adorned, but he just needed to get the door.
When he swung it open, Vanth stood on his porch with you in his arms sleeping soundly. He nodded toward your figure, “She was wide awake when we dropped off her friend, and was doing decent on the way here, but by time I reached the end of you street she was dozing off on her feet.”
“Thank you.” Din mumbled. He was quick to step forward and take you into his arms⏤ not enjoying the way you were snuggled into Vanth. Though he did appreciate the man bringing you home. “I really do appreciate this.” You shifted so you could bury your head into the crook of his neck and Din sighed. “Was she… How was she when you found her at the cantina?”
Vanth didn’t answer at first. He stared at Din for what felt like a long moment before looking at you then back to him again. Vanth chuckled, “I know I’m new to town, brother, so take this with a grain of salt.” He shook his head. “But it’s obvious she cares about you as much as you care about her. A fight now and then is normal, but don’t let it go on for too long. You don’t get time wasted back.”
“Thanks for the tip.” Din mumbled.
Vanth gave him a quick nod before turning on his heel and leaving. Din shut the front door with his foot and carried you through the quiet house until he reached your room. The thought that you spent the night drinking until you were too inebriated to get home yourself bothered him more than he wanted to admit. You were a grown woman who could do what you wanted, but you had gone to specifically avoid talking to him. He found that incredibly annoying.
It was like you were purposefully trying to rile him into lashing out, and that’s the last thing Din wanted to do. Din had a temper, but back during his bounty hunting years that was easily handled. He’d get angry, he’d go hunt a quarry and burn that emotion right out of himself. Now, he was in a setting where he didn’t have an outlet and he worked hard to keep that temper under wraps. Din had lashed out at Karga a time or two since his arrival, but that was expected and Karga was no stranger to his anger.
Din settled you on your bed and began to carefully take off your boots followed by your socks and pants. He kept his gaze off your lower half as his only goal was to make you more comfortable. He stood and pulled your covers up to tuck you in. Din paused for a moment before pulling his helmet off and tucking it under one arm. He ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. Maker, you were driving him up the wall. You had no idea the kind of fire you were playing with. It’s not like you were in danger, Din would tear his own heart out before hurting you, but he didn’t want to yell at you.
“Ni aalar sha yaim ti gar.” Din sighed aloud. A reminder. He leaned forward to press his lips against your temple. Din would not lose his temper with you because he could not afford to lose you. He turned off your automatic alarm sitting on the night stand by the bed and wished you the same farewell he had to Grogu earlier in the night. “Nuhoy morut’yc, ner kar’ta.”
The headache you woke up with was nasty, and you swore in that moment to never drink again. Probably a fruitless promise to yourself, and not the first time you had claimed it, but right now you were miserable. You groaned and rubbed your face in your pillow before sitting up with a grunt. There was a weird amount of sunlight in your room and not just in ‘my poor hungover eyes are overly sensitive’ kind of way. You rubbed your face, glancing around, and it was then you realized the alarm sitting by your bed was off.
“Shit.” You breathed and jumped out of bed. The sheets tangled around your lower leg and you hit the floor with a curse. First you forgot to pick Grogu up from school and now you’d be late to taking him to school. Maker, you were so stupid. As reliving as it had been to drink and talk to Nima last night, it hadn’t been worth it for this. The speed in which you got dressed was startling and you burst into Din’s room to find it empty.
Your hungover brain realized much too late that this could’ve been bad if Din were in here with his helmet off. “Grogu??” You hurried out of the room and into the hall. When you stepped into the kitchen you were met with the smell of food and the sound of babbling. Grogu sat in his high chair eating with his father right beside him dressed and ready for work. “Grogu.”
“Ma!” Grogu greeted briefly before diving back into his food.
Din turned to stare at you and you rubbed your face in embarrassment, “I’m sorry. I don’t know why my alarm wasn’t on.”
“I turned it off.” Din shrugged. “Vanth brought you home late. Figured you needed to sleep in.” Din rose from his seat and began to try and clean Grogu up from the mess he had made of breakfast. “You’re fine. I can take Grogu to school this morning.”
“What?” You gaped in disbelief.
“What?” Din echoed.
“You hired me to take care of Grogu while you worked and I am failing at that right now.” You spat.
Din scoffed. “Failing is a bit dramatic. You made a mistake. It happens.”
“I show up passed out from drinking on a work night, and your response was to tuck me in and turn off my alarm??” You said as your voice began to raise. “Seriously??”
“Wasn’t a work night.” Din replied calmly. “I wasn’t on schedule.”
You groaned in frustration, “That’s not the damn point, Din!”
“Then what is the point?”
“The point is you’re supposed to be upset! You’re supposed to be angry!” You snapped. Grogu cooed nervously from his seat and you bit back as much of your anger as you could. “It’s a normal human response. Why can’t you just admit that you’re angry at me!?”
Din set his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Why do you want me to be angry at you so badly?”
“Because I want you to be human around me!” You snapped.
Din stiffened, and as much as you hated the way you worded that, you thought maybe it would be the line that pushed him over the edge. Instead, he just gave you a tight shrug. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I wasn’t being human around you.”
“Really?” You laughed in broken disbelief. “You’re not even going to react to that shitty thing I just said?” Din remained silent. “Whatever. I’m taking Grogu to school.”
“You don’t have to do that⏤”
“Actually, I do.” You replied sharply and scooped the boy up from the chair. Grogu reached up to set a hand on your face and you sighed⏤ momentarily finding peace. When your gaze lifted up to spot Din once more the peace fell away. “It’s my job. Remember? Might as well do what I was hired to do while Grogu is still in Nevarro.”
Din didn’t respond. He stood stock still. Enough so that a stranger could walk in and confuse him for a droid. On your way out, you scooped up Grogu’s bag by the door and hurried out. There was a sharp, acidic tang in the air that greeted you and you flinched at the smell. The sky was uglier than it had been yesterday, but you were already late so you pressed on.
The entire rushed walk to school, you spent it apologizing to Grogu for yelling at his father in front of him. You shouldn’t have lost your temper in front of the child. As if he understood the situation entirely, Grogu babbled along with you and continued to give your face small pats of reassurance. Right outside of the school, Ms. Wynn stuck her head out to greet you.
“Hey, Wynn. I am so sorry about yesterday and for being late this⏤”
“Hurry, get in.” She grasped you by the wrist and tugged you inside. She shut the door tightly behind you and you glanced around the room to see all the children being kept busy by the other school workers. You gave Ms. Wynn a confused look and she sighed. “The storm is coming sooner than everyone thought. The watch people are estimating it to hit city center in the next twenty minutes or so. You can’t be outside.”
You shrugged, “I can get to clinic in fifteen.”
Grogu wiggled and whined in your arms so you set him down so he could run off to play with his friends. Ms. Wynn shook her head. “No. It’s not worth the risk. Volcanic ash storms are incredibly dangerous. The entire city is locking up right now.” You still thought you’d be able to make it, but before you could argue further your communicator began to beep. “I’ll let you take that. I need to start class.”
You nodded and watched her walk off before activating your communicator. “Hello⏤”
“Ner kar’ta?” Din’s voice crackled to life⏤ panic evident. “Where are you and Grogu??”
“At school. Wynn just locked us in for the storm.”
“Good.” You heard Din breathe out a breath of relief. “Just stay there until the storm passes. It should be over by this evening.” There was an awkward pause of silence before he cleared his throat. “If you need anything, call me. Please.”
“I will.” You replied. Then added, “You’ll be safe at home, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” You hummed. “I’ll, uh, talk to you later.”
The call ended miserably and you wandered to the side of the room where you could drop into a chair. The good news was you wouldn’t have to worry about Grogu like some parents probably worried about their kids. Minutes later, the sound of strong wind and debris rattled the metal sheet covering the window you sat by. It made you jump in alarm and you silently thanked Wynn for stopping you.
That had come much sooner than twenty minutes.
You had to applaud Ms. Wynn and the other workers for their tenacity. The storm outside sounded miserable and terrifying, but the kids seemed nonplussed by it with the way the teachers distracted them. Around the end of the first hour, Aayla contacted you to ask about a few people who had wandered out into the storm and then stumbled into the clinic. Most of the injuries had been superficial⏤ the exposure short term as they came from nearby buildings. You walked her through how to mix some paste for burns.
It was during the second hour that the patients got too complicated for Aayla.
“I don’t know what to do, Doc.” Aayla’s voice shook. “I keep having him use his inhaler, but after a few minutes he ends up needing it again.”
“I’m worried he’s scorched his lungs. His asthma making it that much worse.”
“Do I mix a paste? Or⏤ Or make a solution?”
You sank in your seat. It was a solution that needed to be made, which you trusted Aayla to do, but that fluid then needed to be aerosolized. That way the patient could breathe it right into his lungs. Working with the machine that did so was tricky and even you weren’t the best at it. You hated the idea of getting Aayla to attempt it only to make a mistake and take on that guilt herself. She was still new to medicine. That kind of guilt shouldn’t be weighed on her conscience considering she hadn’t been trained for this.
“What’s his oxygen status right now?” You asked.
“It’s in the mid-80s and that’s with an oxygen mask on.”
Dank farrik. He might not make it to the end of this storm. The patient could crash much sooner than that. You gave Aayla a few orders to keep the man stable then pushed to stand. You caught Wynn’s attention and the woman drifted closer after helping a child with a small task. She gave you a warm smile, and you returned a skeptical one.
“Hi. So, I need a jacket, scarf, and some sunglasses.”
Wynn warned you against your idea, but you were dead set. You had no choice. So, ignoring her advice, you pressed on. You soaked the scarf in cold water then wrapped it a few times around your mouth and nose to use as a makeshift filter. The glasses would hopefully at least protect your eyes a little, and the jacket was to cover up the remainder of your skin. You were thankful you hadn’t worn shorts today.
You had traveled to the back door to leave that way none of the ash would slip into the same room as the kids. It would take you 15 minutes to get to the clinic. It was now or never, you supposed.
Din was furious. His temper running hotter than the volcanic ash whipping around him. As it turned out, his helmet would keep out the dangerous conditions surrounding him. Grogu’s teacher had reached out to him to let him know that you had traveled out into the storm to reach a patient. She had done so to ensure that someone else was aware of the situation. Din had thanked her before rushing out himself.
He asked one thing of you today. One.
He just wanted you to stay inside the kriffing school with Grogu. It wasn’t asking a lot considering the literal fire and ash raining outside. It was common sense for someone to stay inside. Din was literally just asking you to follow common human survival instincts, yet you still left. You left, not protected in beskar as he was, but rather dressed in a wet scarf and jacket. As if that was going to help a karking thing.
Din tried to hail you over the communicator but it never got through. He told himself it was because of the storm. If even a little ash got into the communicator it’d glitch. That had to be it. Din refused to believe anything could have happened to you. Still, fear mingled with his rage, but he chose to ignore that for the time being.
Black and gray wind swirled around him, whipping his cloak in every direction, as flickers of burning ash drifted in the air. It was so thick that he could barely see a few feet in front of him. If he wasn’t careful, he could step right over you on accident and not even know it. The thick ash was beginning to settle on the ground in thick piles like the snow of Hoth. When he reached the clinic doors, he saw the metal shutters were down. Din didn’t hesitate to slam his hand against the metal as hard as he could.
If nobody opened the door soon he’d break through the shutters. Sure, ash would collect in the clinic lobby, but he’d deal with that problem later. Luckily for everyone, the shudders cracked open and Din quickly slipped through. Miriam, the new girl, had opened the door for him. Din didn’t mean to blow her off, but he sped past her. She was clever enough to open the second set of doors without him having to have asked.
Inside the room, were a few people sitting on the cots or against the wall with a pink paste rubbed into splotches on their skin. Aayla stood in front of an older man who was struggling to breathe. A nebulizer, the same kind of machine that blasted a mist of medicine for Grogu, was being held up in front of his mouth.
“Where the kriff is she?” Din snapped.
Aayla nervously stiffened in place. She pointed out of the room, “There’s a small break room down the hall. She’s⏤She’s in there.” Din spun to leave, but Aalya called out to him. He nearly ignored her until she spoke again. “I think she’s more injured than she lets on. There’s some leftover pink paste from the last batch for her skin burns. Right now, she’s using the other nebulizer.”
Din huffed out a small thanks before snatching the jar off a side table and following her instructions out of the room. He wasn’t familiar with the back halls of the clinic, but he didn’t need any more clues to find you. Halfway down the hall he could hear a barking cough. Din picked up his pace then threw the break room door open hard enough that it slammed into the wall.
You startled where you were sitting at a table with a nebulizer mask held in front of your face. Your eyes widened in surprise and you opened your mouth to begin to say his name only for you to begin coughing violently. Just for a moment, his anger subsided. Din hurried over and set a hand on your shoulder to evaluate your injuries.
“Injuries. What’s wrong?”
“Just⏤ Just some burns.” Your voice was hoarse. “Worst of it⏤,” You began to cough again, “Lungs. In my lungs. Medicine will help.”
You took a few more deep breaths of the nebulizer and Din let his eyes trace your exposed skin. There were patches of mildly burned skin on your hands and on your forehead and upper cheeks. The pattern made it clear to see the shape of the sunglasses you had worn. Din tore off his glove and threw it aside rougher than he intended. Your eyes widened but you didn’t say anything. Din dug his fingers into the paste and began to rub it over every single burn he could see on you⏤ no matter how small.
When he was appeased that he got every single injury, Din shoved the jar aside angrily and huffed, “Are you out of your damn mind?”
“No.” You replied. Your voice already sounding better. “It’s not like I had a choice.”
“Excuse me?” Din narrowed his eyes at you.
“I had a patient who needed me.” You shrugged. Then, you had the audacity to roll your eyes and mutter under your breath, “Just relax, Din.”
Din pushed to stand so fast that the chair he sat in went sprawling back and you jumped at the sound. He set his hands on the table and leaned toward you. “Relax? Did you just tell me to kriffing relax??” You stared at him silently, and Din took a step back with a shake of his head. He scoffed. “Relax.” Din felt his blood boiling under his skin. “Bic ni skana'din.”
“Din⏤”
“No.” Din snapped. “You’re going to sit there, and you’re going to listen to me.” He leaned in once more. “You wanted me angry? Well, now I’m angry! Dank farrik! What the kriff were you thinking!? I told you to stay in the school. I made myself very clear.” He slammed a hand down onto the table in frustration. “Do you realize how badly that could’ve ended?!”
You set down the nebulizer mask, “Din, I had to⏤”
He reached out to snatch the mask from the table where you set it and forced it back into your hand. Din shoved your hand up so it was holding the mask by your mouth once more. “No, you didn’t. Those patients look fine in there.”
“The old man wasn’t.” You snapped back with a glare of your own. “He might not have made it till the end of the storm.”
“Was there a chance he could’ve?”
“I mean, I guess, but there was just as equal of a chance that he wouldn’t. I⏤”
“Then that’s the risk that gets made.” Din yelled. “You don’t risk your life like that ever again. Do you hear me!?”
“I’m a physician!” You cried. “What would you have me do, Din? Risk him dying⏤”
“Yes.” Din reached out and wrapped his hand gently on the side of your face. Din was breathing hard, his rage making him shake, but he kept his touch soft as he forced you to face him. “That’s exactly what I would have you do. I don’t give two shits about him, but you I can’t live without, ner kar’ta. Is that not clear to you!?”
You shook your head. “You don’t mean that. You wouldn’t risk him dying.”
“Wouldn’t I?” Din let out a harsh laugh. He wouldn’t risk one of the citizens of his city dying. In your shoes, he probably would’ve done the same thing⏤ but that wasn’t the point. Din sucked in a sharp breath trying to get back to the point he was making. “If I tell you to stay put, in order to keep you safe, you will listen to me. Do you understand?” Your eyebrows furrowed deeper and Din understood the immediate distaste for his words, but he didn’t care. “I said, do you kriffing understand?”
The nebulizer stopped on it’s own and you tossed aside the mask before standing up with a scoff, “I understand, but I’m not promising you I won’t do the exact same thing again.” You tried to walk around the table, out of his reach, but Din mirrored your movements and met you on the other side to block you in. You shook your head. “This is my job. Helping people is what I do. I’m not going to put people at risk just because you don’t trust me to be competent enough to succeed.”
Maker, you were the most frustrating woman⏤ Din’s hands found his hips as he leaned into your space. “You think it’s a trust thing?” He barked out an angry laugh. “All it takes is one mistake, one miscalculated step, and that’s it. It’s not about competence or about trust. It’s about gambling, and I’m not going to let you gamble your life away for a stranger.”
“As if you’ve never gambled your life for a stranger before?? I highly doubt that.” You spat. “Din, you’re a good man and if you think⏤”
“No.”
You narrowed your eyes. “What?”
“I said, no. I’m not.” Din said through clenched teeth. You were going to be the death of him. He was vibrating with frustration. Fear grabbed control of him at the realization that this was who you were. You were good, to your core, and this was going to keep happening. It was clear on your face that you didn’t believe his words. You weren’t getting this, and Din wasn’t good enough with words to get you to. Resolution settled in his mind, determination, and his next words came out in a low growl. “Close your eyes.”
You blinked almost owlishly. “Huh?”
“Close your eyes, ner kar’ta.” Din demanded, his hands traveling to his helmet without pause. Your eyes widened in alarm before shutting tight. It scrunched your features up. Din tore his helmet off and slammed it onto the table before closing the space between the two of you.
Din had never kissed someone before, which seemed ridiculous considering the other acts he had performed, but the idea of it seemed easy enough. His hands found your jaw and he tilted your head up enough that he could press his lips firmly against yours. Din held them there until he felt your entire body slowly relax. He pulled back just a bit and opened his eyes to see your features had softened though your eyes remained closed. Din’s nose brushed against yours, unable to bring himself to pull away from you any further. He mumbled the next words out, exhausted, but tightened his grip around your face in hopes to get his message across loud and clear, “I am not a good man. I’m a selfish man, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do⏤ no line I wouldn’t cross⏤ to keep you and Grogu safe.” Din leaned his forehead against yours and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I kissed you without asking permission. I just… Ner kar’ta, I cannot lose you and I didn’t know how to…”
“It’s okay.” You mumbled. “I‘ll forgive you on one condition.”
“And that is?”
“Kiss me again.” You breathed. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling yourself up to your toes, and Din didn’t hesitate to meet you halfway. His lips pressed against yours once more, but this time it wasn't so simple. It was messy, for lack of a better word. Your lips moved against his, furiously, and Din mimicked every action. It was as if the anger of your argument had shifted and transformed into this moment right here. Teeth clashing against teeth, tongue pressing against tongue. The kiss was desperate and felt like a battle. You versus him in a competition to devour the other, and Din was never one to back away from a challenge.
He hooked his arms under your legs, lifting and turning, so he could set you on the table. Din’s hands shoved aside the nebulizer machine that sat in the way and he heard the device clatter against the tile floor. He’d buy the clinic a new one. Din pressed into you forcing you to either catch yourself by reaching back or continue clinging to him. You chose to keep your arms around his neck, wrapping around even tighter, and Din had to readjust and wrap his arms around your waist to keep you both from collapsing onto the table.
Din took a chance by nipping on your lower lip and the moan that left you was the perfect reward. He licked into your open mouth, a similar action you had done to him, and it deepened the kiss once more. Finally, breathlessly, Din was forced to pull back just enough to get air. You were panting as well⏤ the only sound in the room being the heavy breaths you shared between one another and the howling storm outside.
“I’m sorry I forgot to pick up Grogu.” You said and the disappointment in your whispered words made his chest ache. “I’m sorry I left last night instead of staying to talk. I’m sorry for yelling at you this morning.”
“No, I’m sorry.” Din replied. “All of this could’ve been avoided if I had just told you about Mandalore. I also promise to get more angry at you if you promise it’ll always end like this.” The soft, breathy laugh that left your lips was like a reassuring melody. You were safe. You were in his arms. You were okay. Din let out a breath of relief. “Ner kar’ta…”
You tilted your mouth against his to let a soft kiss linger against his. The exact opposite of the kind of kiss the two of you had shared. You sighed, “Why did it have to come to this? Why wouldn't you just admit you were upset with me?”
“I… I was worried about scaring you away if I lost my temper.” He admitted. “Things felt so good between us, so perfect, I didn’t want to ruin it.”
“Telling me how you really feel is never going to ruin anything, Din. I want that. I want to know what you’re thinking.” You replied. “Fighting isn’t always a bad thing.”
Din pressed his lips softly against yours once⏤ twice⏤ three times. “I can see that.” Maker, maybe taking his helmet off was a bad idea. After getting to feel your lips against his it was going to be twice as difficult to maintain his control. “I need to put my helmet back on, ner kar’ta.”
You chuckled and set a soft kiss against his cheek before releasing him. Din took one more second to stare at you, unhindered by his visor, and he loved the way your lips were swollen from his. He grabbed his helmet and tugged it back on. When it was back in place he let you know. It was cute the way you peeked out of only one eye, just in case, before letting both open.
“I think I’m ready to talk about Mandalore now.” You shrugged. “Unless, you have something better to talk about?”
Din chuckled and gave you a small shrug. “We can talk about how you were my first kiss, if you’d like.”
“I am?” Your eyes widened. “Seriously?” He nervously gave you a small nod⏤ face burning under his helmet. “Oh man, I am so sorry. If I had know I would’ve⏤ would’ve⏤ I don’t know. Been gentler?” Din laughed at the concern drawn all over your face. Your lips twitched up but you gave him a small shove. “I’m serious! Maker, I was basically going for your tonsils…”
Din lifted a hand to hold your chin. “I’m not complaining.” He leaned his cold forehead against yours. “And by the way, I am proud of you. I’m so proud of everything you do. I… Can you promise to at least call me before you do something risky?”
“Yeah.” You nodded. “I can promise that.”
Din would take the victory where he could.
mando'a translations:
Nuhoy morut'yc, adi’ka
Sleep safe, little one.
Ni aalar sha yaim ti gar
I feel at home with you.
Nuhoy morut’yc, ner kar’ta.
Sleep safe, my heart.
Bic ni skana'din.
Expression of being angry or repelled, i.e. ‘that really ticks me off’
@aheadfullofsteverogers @yyiikes @kneelforloki @c-ms1ut @sgt-morgan @luthienaliceisilra @fawn-kitten @missbabyjay @coldlamaspersonspy @dilfsaremyfavourite @jamesbuckybarnes @yorkeylover @teawrites01 @emily-roberts @djarinxore @impala1967666 @shelbyteller @faithrenner @dindjarindude @dankfarrick29 @rh1nestonecowg1rl @garbo-lesbo @anythingforattention @tearfulsolace @onceinamando @catharinaroxastovaova @uwu-i-purple-youu @modiddys-blog @harriedandharassedd
@stagerightlauren @mini-bees @xxinvisblexx @adoringanakin @sagegreensensei @spidey-3 @sydney-1209 @thepascalofus @hrtsforpascal
#the mandalorian#din djarin#din djarin x you#din djarin x reader#mando#mando x reader#mando x you#mandalorian fanfic#mandalorian x you#mandalorian x reader#female reader#reader insert#angst#angst then comfort
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Headcanons about Khan?
I just think he's neat-
OH BOY DO I HAVE SO MANY FOR YOU. I'm so glad you asked me about one of the characters I'm genuinely so autism about you have NO IDEA
Khan Doorman Headcanons
Bro does not sleep
Used to be more of a fighter before Nori’s death, hense his knowledge of what to do immediately after J blew up the landing pod (this actually has evidence to back it up now let’s gooo)
His obsession with doors is a coping mechanism
The sort of "confidence" he shows around other worker drones is a front he puts up. The worker drones see him as an idol since he's the guy who led them to safety; he can't show weakness
He loves Uzi a lot actually, he's just really shit at showing it
That "how to parent" guide is actually really helpful
Rarely listens to music, but when he does, it's either blues or rock and there is no in between
His psyche is so fucked up and traumatized that he has a permanent stress line under either eye (And, as of episode 7, his stress has doubled tenfold due to his missing daughter and everything with the Dissassembly Drones that he has two stress lines under each eye)
Cannot flirt worth his life, he has no idea how or why Nori fell in love with him but he's glad she did. Also yes, she did most of the flirting, and yes, he would absolutely melt. I'm not immune to this representation of their relationship and you aren't either
Originally kept all of Nori's kooky crazy insane stuff to cling to the memory of her, but recently realized she was right about everything going on and looked at them again to see if there was further instructions on what to do against whatever threats were coming. He just wishes he could apologize for not believing her.
Probably has PTSD
Was absolutely stressing and panicking when Uzi dissapeared, because the last time he saw her she was with N and V and they were leaving the Doorman hab in a rush after Doll came by and literally threw him into a wall, and she also left in a rush, and he remembers her from prom and the way she and Uzi fought and
Probably has some scars from the past. Nori liked to trace them with the tips of her fingers
He added the wrinkles on his forehead because he thought it would make him more intimidating
He and Ron are old friends and one of the only drones he'll open up to
After Nori's death - and after he'd completed the doors to keep them safe - he retreated into his hab for a solid 2 months and got Ron to babysit Uzi, who was still just a pill baby
He was also friends with Doll's parents and got along with them well, though it was rocky with Yeva at first since she was slightly protective over Nori
When Nori died, he relied on Yeva and Misha and they would grieve together (i headcanon that Nori and Yeva are sisters.) And when those two died? ...Yeah, you can imagine he wasn't okay.
After Yeva and Misha's deaths came another solid month of Khan retreating into his room, which only made his neglect toward Uzi worse
Usually really smart. He acts stupid on purpose as a coping mechanism. And it also kind of has to do with the, y'know. Sleep deprivation
SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!! HOPE YOU ENJOY!! Also sorry a lot of these are Khori, I think about them a lot
#murder drones#murder drones headcanons#murder drones khan#khan doorman#Nori doorman#murder drones Nori#serial designation j#uzi doorman#murder drones uzi#murder drones j#khori#khan x nori#murder drones ron#murder drones yeva#murder drones yeva's husband#murder drones doll's dad
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My new favorite thing on tumblr.com is the discourse around how hard it is to leave the order you guys, they leave their members ‘with no life skills’ etc etc, ONLY THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS, it’s so darlingly melodramatic that I’m low-key picturing some kind of ritualistic drumming out ceremony, possibly involving the knights chanting ‘shame,’ ‘shame,’ ala game of thrones, while every single council member gazes down upon them from on high, faces carved from judgmental stone, culminating in the poor sod spending their first night in rags sleeping at the foot of the temple steps,
okay, I am getting distracted. What I’m actually amusing myself with is picturing what Ahsoka, 16 years of age, can put on her CV. It’s a lot. Now I hate CVs so like I’m not about to write up hers but. It includes military command, references from at least two GALACTIC SENATORS who worked with her, references from at least two HEADS OF STATE. Engineering, piloting, teaching, combat, military command, special ops, investigation, geo-politics....... She is 16. This is an objectively insane CV.
Her level of education is so respected that a head of state invited her to guest lecture at their top academy when she was 14, to kids her own age, and she was poised and confident throughout. Her schooling gets outright called out as privileged by her coruscanti friends. Also like, please let me know when the standard US high school curriculum comprehensively covers shit like astronavigation.
Every time she is depicted with non-jedi kids her age she is depicted as generally more worldly and prepared than them. The mandalorian kids. Lux, Trace, etc. She’s never encountered deathwatch or the Pikes directly before she’s rescuing her friends from them, but she immediately knows what’s up because she is simply. Well informed. Unlike her friends. It’s not like she doesn’t also learn things from them in these episodes, but. She just knows a lot.
She also left the order with at a minimum multiple contacts in the senate, a friendship with the king of Mon Calamar (I think?) and the duchal family of mandalore, as well as some shadier contacts.
(Now it’s true that tcw never answered, or even asked, what kind of financial or otherwise situation the temple itself provides to help a jedi who wants out to find their feet. That’s not a question you can ask in Ahsoka’s case without also asking: where the hell was Padme’s support? Why wasn’t Ahsoka sleeping on her couch? That’s her sister-in-law! Actually this is a trick question because Ahsoka tells Anakin she needs to figure this out on her own. Without the council, and without him. So we’ll never know. Until disney churns out yet more content that may or may not contradict previous content.)
(Absolute props to Ahsoka that is 100% what I would have done at 16. That’s just what being 16 is like. Bad things happen and then GOODBYE I AM PUTTING A SANDWICH IN A HANKERCHIEF AND TYING IT TO A STICK AND WALKING INTO THE SUNSET I AM GOING MY OWN WAY I WILL SLEEP ROUGH I WILL GO WHERE THE WIND BLOWS THIS WORLD IS STRANGE AND CRUEL AND I MUST RELY ON MYSELF GOODBYE)
(and obviously like canonically the door was 100% open to her returning, anytime she saw them they were like so... any chance you’re done with your walkabout?... we still have your room ready... your frog grandpa feels so bad he literally had a bad trip vision quest where you were like dying and asking him why he abandoned you and we had to commit him he is very sad. except maybe we’re not actually going to say this because that would sound like a guilt trip.. but... lightsabers ? :3)
(Generally the disaster lineage are a deeply ridiculous dataset. When Obi Wan was contemplating leaving the order he was contemplating becoming the Duke-Consort of Mandalore. Anakin not only married money but was offered a job by the Chancellor at 12 (comics). I mean ANAKIN RUN but also imagine being 12 and the president of the galaxy says well if you don’t like it with your dad I’ll give you a job)
Ultimately when Ahsoka left she tripped and fell into job as a mechanic, immediately found herself bailing her new boss out of trouble, and was headhunted like a week later to be on the command team for a counter coup of a whole system. She was still 16. The rest of us can only aspire to these kinds of job opportunities.
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I'm still reeling from the episodes but something about Gicheol being suspicious of both Junmo and Euijeong, desperately wanting to believe otherwise. Gicheol giving him his suit to wear, asking him, as gently as he can manage, to not let him down. Junmo going on a "date" with Haeryun, both of them unable to keep Gicheol's name out of the conversation. "He also had a tough childhood like me." Junmo wanting to ask Gicheol's permission before finalizing the deal. Junmo seeing Euijeong, while in Gicheol's clothes, while Haeryun kisses him. "You'll be fine without Mr.Jung, right?" Junmo immediately racing off towards the office, frantically calling Gicheol. The heartbreaking eye contact between Euijeong and Junmo. Gicheol holding her hand and prioritizing her safely above everything else. Junmo seeing red everywhere and finally letting himself go, staining his...Gicheol's pristine beige suit the deepest shade of crimson. "Why do you go to such lengths?" "Because I have someone I want to protect" He looks at Euijeong, but Haeryun looks at Gicheol. They both look at Junmo through the stained glass. What does this mean? Was it really just Euijeong that Junmo was trying to protect? Junmo going guard dog again in the Jaegeon office, one look from Gicheol and he's slicing the guy's achilles off. Sitting in silence, together, in the ER. "Seungho, are you okay?" "Sir, are you okay?" "Are you hungry?" "Yes" "Then let's go eat" Both of them worried about Euijeong. "I can't stop here. I have to see this through" Gicheol taking Junmo to his fucking home, like he only did with Taeho. Sleeping in the same room together, Junmo remembering how fiercely Gicheol protected Euijeong. Him looking at their high school pictures while Minju strolls in and asks him to take care of her brother. Them going back to work only for Gicheol to take matters to the heart while Junmo tries to rationalize. Junmo going to insane lengths and partnering up with Haeryun to see this deal through—for the mission? for Euijeong? for Gicheol? for himself? He's not sure. Actually, these days, Junmo is not sure of anything anymore.
#Why does he care what happens to Gicheol? He could've let Jaegeon take care of him and let Haeryun lead him to the crux of the drug trade.#His mission would've been completed regardless of whether Gicheol lived or died.#he didnt even know that euijeong was still with Gicheol when he left for the office#he went there for Gicheol ready to kill for him and euijeong just fuelled that simmering fire that was already burning underneath his skin#he doesn't even know who he's doing all of this for—everything is a blur#he could kill gicheol but there's something flaring inside him that wants to kill for him instead#and it disgusts Junmo how twistedly close it is to what he felt when he looked at Euijeong through that window#the worst of evil#man...what a fucking ride
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DS9 S4 E11 Homefront & E12 Paradise Lost, slippery thoughts
Wow....let me catch my breath. That was a wild and tense ride. Nice scenery too. Obviously these are just my opinions, but I wanted to share them because Star Trek makes me happy and passionate. I want you to be happy and passionate too!
Given the intensity of these two episodes I completely forgot it started off with Jadzia pulling off the most specific pranks on Odo.
Jadzia: I sneak into my coworker's private quarters and move his furniture by 3 cm every couple of days.
Quark: That's weird. They would not even notice that change.
Jadzia: Oh, no no no. He sees it every time and it drives him insane.
Audience: Oh you silly worm!
And I loved that we got to see these two besties playing pretend. We need more Miles and Julian aviation adventures. Super cute pals.
R.I.P. Clive
Playtime is over now because the changelings have basically infiltrated Earth and are ruining everything all the time and it isn't fun anymore....or are they? They are, but are they? Possibly. Probably. Perhaps.
To me this kind of episode is the pinnacle of what Star Trek writing has always been about. We see a complex evaluation of choices in conflict. It is not about an obvious "right" or "wrong", but one decision versus another. This is a battle between perspective and reason. All sides contain some merit. This episode also shows good intentions taken too far and taken beyond the ethical reasoning that initially inspired the action.
If this episode were to have a villain it would be fear and paranoia itself and not any particular character.
Vice Admiral Leyton was an amazing character. It was brilliant to establish that he had a close professional history with Sisko early in the episode because it immediately made me trust him. You sneaky writers!! But that was the whole point. The story that was unfolding to the audience purposefully made us feel betrayed with Sisko. We co-experienced in real time the feeling seeing a close friend commit treason.
Enter the most powerful man on Earth. He can move the most stubborn hearts, calm the most irrational mind, and fill up the most starved stomach. Replicated foods beware of Grandpa Sisko. I see where Jake gets his style too! It was so believable that these three were family. You could see how cadences, mannerism, and behaviors in Granddad Sisko were passed to Ben and then passed down to Jake, but in their own naturally developing ways in each generation.
*Spoiler Alert* Grandpa Sisko also saves the day.
Just when I thought this episode had all the ingredients for perfection Nog the keeper of all things pure and innocent shows up. Look at that smug Ferengi. He knows that he is the best thing at the Academy and so do we.
A great thing about these two episodes is that every character acts as an essential part of the story. Nog will lead Ben on the chase with his talk of the Red Squad. A+ Nog!
This ain't your normal seagull. This one loves Bajoran women.
Around this point we have all the main details of the episode. Admiral Leyton and Captain Sisko are working together to protect Earth from a suspected Dominion infiltration and invasion. The President of the Federation is against the proposed worldwide security changes but reluctantly allows their implementation.
With security personnel, blood tests of all crucial Starfleet staff and family members, and martial law practically in effect everywhere we are ready to repel any Dominion attacks. After all, the wormhole was winking at DS9 a lot so perhaps a cloaked invasion fleet is on Earth's doorstep.
HERE WE GO! Papa Sisko challenges Daddy Sisko's paranoia. Ben is seeing changelings in his sleep and not the Odo kind either.
So we start to see the episode present one of it's many challenges:
How far should we trade individual autonomy for protection?
And THIS is why I love Star Trek. Grandfather Sisko is absolutely correct!! And yet, Ben Sisko is also correct. Both want to protect what they love, life ad they know and perceive it.
We search for the highest good in each situation. Ben wants to secure and save everything he loves on Earth. He wants to protect his family, his home, and everything therein. Grandpa Sisko wants the EXACT same thing. The methods to achieve their shared goal is in conflict.
DS9 writers have a candy bar on me. Well done!!! (engage smooching sounds)
This very moment is crucial for Ben. His paranoia is pushing him toward the type of dictatorial control that Admiral Leyton is calling for, but Ben has found that not only is something odd happening in the background but this entire movement smell stinky.
Nog is such a good cadet. I love him with all my little heart. He provided critical information about Starfleet Academy's unofficial super special secret mean girls club Red Squad. This little snack of information sets Ben Sisko on the trail of breadcrumbs leading to the smorgasbord of treason committed by Leyton.
Smug Shapeshifting O'Brien is a gift. Enjoy every second of this hilarious goop boy. Colm really did a great job. We do see that there is a Dominion changeling on earth (saw it earlier in Homefront as well). We understand how real the threat of their activity can be. We especially see how terrifying a changeling can be when Dominion version O'Brien has a little chat with Ben. It might only take one hostile changeling to completely destabilize an entire world.
I do wish we figured out how the fake changeling blood was created to trap Sisko. Clever girl, Admiral.
I felt bad for Leyton. He is someone caught in a difficult position of authority and personal fears. His own paranoia drove him to the utmost extreme. I imagined that maybe he has a cute little family with a kid back home. I imagined what it might be like in his shoes. It would be hard to live thinking that your lack of effort led to the death of your child or friend or family member or significant other. It would be hard to go to bed knowing that the person you once shared it with prematurely died because of that you thought you failed to do. Even in much of the two episodes his facial expressions show a man full of internal strife and conflict. It is as if he kept questioning his actions as he made them.
What if his fear of failing his community drove him to radical dictatorship? He wanted to keep all that he loved safe, but he betrayed everyone he loved. He demanded that all his loyal friends trust him. Trust is a two way exchange though. He abandoned trusting his friends and confidants. That was the beginning of his downfall.
Leyton wanted to protect society at the cost of society itself. He could not see beyond his fear of losing society to war and enemies abroad to the point of blindness. He became an enemy of all he cherished, and I honestly think that he knew that too. He was just so scared that he desperately dug in to the one aspect of his life that he thought he could control, which is so relatable. We all can act irrationally under stress and pressure. This is not justification or approval. This is accepting that life may not have as many villains in it as we are told to believe. People are just trying to be people, meet their obligations and responsibilities while preserving what little bit of life exists to enjoy.
We are all prone to brash behaviors in order to protect what we love, but sometimes it is healthy to set down the admiralty bars and accept that you can't do it all, especially alone.
Remember that everyone in this episode wanted the same thing. Leyton wanted to protect life. Sisko wanted to protect life. Grandpa Sisko wanted to protect life. Everyone held the same belief and motivation.
I appreciated how solemnly Leyton gave in and how respectfully he surrendered. It actually felt less like defeat and more like he was relieved of a burden that he was too overwhelmed to carry alone. He didn't need to carry it alone but chose to go alone. In a symbolic way by removing the admiral bars he set down his fear and moved on.
The amount of time taken for these shots impressed upon me the symbolic significance of it. Sisko also lets go and moves on with Leyton. By setting the phaser down he too lets go and agrees it is time to move forward from this conflict. He is still betrayed and disappointed, but he is not stuck or trapped in the past. He sets down his weapon and joins Leyton in facing a reality outside the oppression of their own paranoia.
I loved that Paradise Lost ends with the restaurant opening up again. It is the resolution these episodes needed. It was closure showing that being open to others and not letting the world cloud you of the humanity in others is fundamental to life.
Despite the many differences in all these characters, regardless of where they were in the progress of their own lives, no matter the goal or intention, we all essentially desire the same things.
Star Trek is the future I hope for!
If you made it to the end of this post and are reading this then 10,000 sweet kisses to your forehead. If you didn't make it then I am still giving your forehead tender kisses, you are just not aware of it.
#pictures courtesy of trekcore.com#love you @trekcore#star trek deep space 9#ds9#DS9 gang#slippery thoughts#benjamin sisko#miles obrien#julian bashir#worf#jadzia dax#kira nerys#odo ital#nog#quark#morn#admiral leyton#i am not going to add any more tags
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I might be able to finish tonight so I'm doing The Summit. We're getting closer to The Episode.
I haven't rewatched this episode since it aired so this should be interesting knowing the ending of it.
I'm curious about Echo's contact specifically that apparently knows what Hemlock is doing but doesn't know where Hemlock's base is.
The thing is that I didn't realize at the time obviously but this whole thing is a complete side mission, it doesn't need to happen in order to move the plot. They don't manage to complete the mission, so it didn't need to happen to find Mt Tantiss, it literally is a two episode side trip dedicated entirely to dropping Tech off a tram car and injuring Omega, so the whole 'there had to be consequences!' simply doesn't hold up to me.
Also I just don't think we're going to validate Hunter's opinion that they simply shouldn't go
Love how aggressively NOTHING gets resolved by this moment with Phee and Tech. If they had spoken to each other about their feelings and decided that they felt something and wanted to explore it when he gets back that is evidence that he would be doomed immediately.
"Don't run off with any pirates or smugglers while you're gone" come on this feels like the most heavy handed foreshadowing ever. But the way that they had a full bit to... NOT resolve the narrative line they started with him is insane to me.
Also still remembering how much people lost it over this extremely tame scene because no one can just be normal about Phee.
"Just like old times" Wrecker it's been probably a couple months not 5 years
Every part of Eriadu that we actually see the ground of is covered in trees, so it's probably similar wherever Tech landed - notable mostly because we saw that Hunter slowed down significantly when he fell due to the tree cover.
This is I think our only glimpse through the clouds and most of what's directly underneath them is obscured by... more clouds. Looks rockier down there but they could have some further trees down there.
"We must be precise" *EVERYONE LOOKS AT WRECKER* I love when some of the most devastating plots have the funniest moments.
Love to see them infiltrate when they know there are no clone troopers because suddenly they begin to MURDER INTENTLY.
GOD I HATE HEMLOCK. HATE. THE WAY HE TALKS ABOUT CLONES.
I admit it is a little harder to watch this episode knowing all they accomplish is tossing Tech off a tram car.
LOVE ECHO'S IDEA OF A DIVERSION and also Wrecker stomping that poor mouse droid
Saw time!
One thing I find interesting is in Aftermath the only two that Saw talks with directly are Hunter and Tech, and here Saw only encounters the two of them. I really am growing more and more attached to the idea that Saw somehow found and got a hold of Tech, leading to Hemlock only finding the glasses. Saw challenges their viewpoints, but Tech could challenge him back I think.
Interesting that Saw's view is 'sacrifices are necessary for the greater good' too given what Tech does shortly after. Literally I want to see Saw and Tech throw things back and forth without the imminent risk of death or capture.
Human shield is fine but again, can't show Tech's body, because kids, sure.
We do see Saw blow the place from the shuttle but I don't think we see where the shuttle goes from there, not in this episode at least.
It's getting late so I guess I'm actually doing Plan 99 right after work tomorrow, which is probably a good thing I do need to sleep tonight.
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As someone who has been a fan of the boys since the beginning of Buzzfeed Unsolved when Ryan was doing his little PowerPoint presentations and reading from a single sheet of printer paper, this entire Watcher fiasco is insane and was definitely not on my 2024 bingo card.
Back when Ryan and Shane announced that they were leaving Buzzfeed to start their own entertainment company with Steven, I was excited! I wanted to see what new, fun, interesting, and creative content they would put out without Buzzfeed holding them back. I'm a huge fan of Mystery and Ghost Files, Puppet History, Are You Scared?, Too Many Spirits, Top 5 Beatdown. Loved Spooky Small Talk before it was scrapped. I watched every new ep that came out, even the ones I didn't like that much like Steven's food ones, and liked and commented because I wanted to support them as much as possible. I rewatch all my favorite episodes. I have a dedicated playlist of Ryan and Shane content because it helps me fall asleep at night. When I didn't have much I at least had Watcher to keep my smile on my face and continuous laughter going when I didn't feel much like going on.
I got the notification 3 days ago about a new Watcher video and was stunned at what I saw. Sure I can watch episode 1 of new shows and watch some trailers, but I'm gonna have to sub to yet another streaming service to watch anything more. A streaming service that doesn't even have an app, so if I want to add anything to my sleep playlist, I'm gonna have to leave my phone on all night.
Anyways, I immediately went and checked the boys' socials and see what they posted for any additional info. Thousands upon thousands of negative comments all saying basically the same thing:
I can't afford $6/month/not everyone has $6 laying around, and it can really make or break someone financially.
Been a fan since Unsolved, guess I'm not a watcher anymore.
This is a bad move.
From what I've seen across reddit, Twitter, tiktok, Instagram, and Tumblr, the negative far outweigh the positive. The only "positive" comments I've seen haven't really been "oh this is a great idea! I'm gonna go sub right now!!" It's really been more, "well it's their business, they can do what they want with it." Or simply bashing other people because they cannot afford $6 a month or $60 a year, which really comes off as boomer ideology. You know, the old "if millennials would stop eating avocado toast or buying Starbucks maybe they can afford a house!" While completely ignoring the global economic crisis we are all facing. It's completely out of check with the fact that there's so many of us not just in America, but in the world who are barely living paycheck to paycheck. That there are so many people who WISH they could get a Starbucks coffee in the morning but often times have to skip meals because they cannot afford food if they want to keep a roof over their heads, you know the ridiculous amount of money that we spend to rent a small space. Never gonna forget the one apartment I looked at that was $800 a month, no utilities included, no parking, no pets allowed, and I could lay flat on the ground and have my 5'4" length reach comfortably in every single room. Wasn't even a kitchen or room for a single size bed (mild tangent rant, I now pay $1300 for a 2 bedroom apartment, most utilities included, but bad parking)
And for Steven to say that anyone can afford $6 is just so factually wrong. Has anyone checked the foreign exchange rate for $6? Some threads I've seen on Reddit are insane. For some people 6 USD translates to someone's entire rent or a week's worth of food. If I recall the comment correctly, one person said that in their country, Netflix comes out to $2 USD, and is considered a luxury item that only the upper class/wealthy have.
Maybe I'm just being bitter. Maybe I'm just overreacting to a piece of content I loved and cherished being pushed behind a paywall. It just feels like a slap in the face to fans who have spent countless hours soaking in their content, recommending them to friends, making new friends over a shared interest, and now feeling like they didn't matter at all. That we were just dollar signs. To hear them going from thanking dedicated fans for helping them get to where they are to but now you gotta give us more money if you want to keep being fans and now we are going to ignore your backlash just feels disingenuous and heartbreaking.
#watcher#i dont know#not to be parasocial on main#but this month has just been so difficult#and to get hit with this just really broke me.#made me think what if all the people i watch on yt make this same move#i want them to succeed but at the same i dont want them to be an example to others yk?
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The day when tiva shippers won: an unneeded and unrequested reaction chronicle by theonewithval
February 28, 2024.
I'm about to have dinner, when I start seeing THINGS on my tl on twitter. Apparently the big bomb is about to drop. I've been on the edge of my seat for more than a week now, IS IT ACTUALLY HAPPENING TODAY?
TICK.
I can't. My heart is pounding. My mom keeps talking about a million other things and I just can't focus, I can't even understand what she's saying. I feel like I'm gonna pass out. Everybody on twitter is having the same reaction, I'm not the only one whose anxiety is over the roof. It's something that is going to change my life, of that I'm certain. I need to get whatever they're planning to tell us NOW.
My mom calls me: dinner is ready. What if something happens while I'm eating and I miss it? I'm feeling so nervous, my legs are shaking and I feel weak, and I don't know whether it's because I'm hungry and need to eat, or because of the thought of the big news I might get today.
I finish eating, I pick up my phone, immediately checking twitter, again.
TICK.
WAIT WHAT IS THIS TICK TICK BOOM THING? I'M LOSING MY MIND. I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER. I FEEL LIKE TONY DINOZZO WHEN HE GETS OUT THE CAR IN JUDGEMENT DAY AND YELLS. YES I'M ABOUT TO YELL.
My mind starts racing: what if something happens when I'm sleeping and I'm not here to see it? I WOULD MISS THE CHAOS. NOPE. NOT A CHANCE. I CAN'T SLEEP LIKE THIS. I hop into bed, switch my tv on. I need to get my mind off this or I think I'm gonna pass out. Seriously. Italia's got talent is on tv, I'm gonna watch that.
*checks her phone and twitter every two minutes*
What if they drop the bomb at 9est? My god, I can't live like this. THIS HAS TO HAPPEN NOW. I CAN'T SLEEP WITH THAT THOUGHT IN MY MIND. IT WOULD BE 3AM HERE, AND NOW IT'S 10PM.
I text @sweetsouldhavernas: I need support. At this point, it can either be any minute now or in a couple of hours. We kinda start losing hope, maybe we're going to have to wait more, BUT WE CAN'T ANYMORE.
*prays and cries in italian*
I switch my tv off, at this point I'm not even paying attention to it. People on twitter have completely gone crazy, posting old tiva pics, hoping for a miracle. I furiously refresh my tl every two seconds. Yes, literally. And then...
BOOM.
THE BOMB DROPS. THE MIRACLE HAPPENS. A tvline article on my tl, with a pic of Tony and Ziva stuck in the elevator, at the end of season 9. I THOUGHT THE EARTH MOVED. YES, EVERYTHING IS MOVING, SPINNING AROUND ME. MY HEART IS BEATING SO FAST I CAN'T CONTROL IT. MY HANDS AND MY LEGS ARE SHAKING. THANK GOD I'M IN BED OR I WOULD FALL ON THE GROUND. TONY AND ZIVA. TOGETHER. IN A SPIN OFF. THE BIGGEST THING I EXPECTED WAS A CAMEO, BOTH OF THEM IN THE ORIGINAL SERIES. LIKE ARE WE SERIOUSLY GETTING THEM, FOR TEN EPISODES, BEING A COUPLE, BEING A FAMILY, RAISING THEIR DAUGHTER, LOVING EACH OTHER? INSANE, JUST INSANE.
*starts typing nonsense*
*completely loses control of her hands, uncontrollably shaking, not being able to type properly*
*rants in italian*
I feel like we won the world cup. We did it, my friends, we did it tiva nation. And it feels so freaking amazing. I keep watching us slowly finding out what the future holds for us, and we have never won like this. It's so incredible, I can't believe it. Time passes and I don't even realize it's 1am here, I won't be able to sleep, I've got a headache but I don't care, it's been so worth it.
Jokes aside, it's been a lot to process and I think I haven't 100% realized what happened, still feels like a fever dream, but what I can say is that this has literally been one of the most important moments in a fandom, one of the happiest. I've been in this fandom since 2012, twelve years and still counting. I want to hug 17 years old me and tell her it's gonna be okay, that we're gonna have them back, that she's still gonna scream and lose her mind because of them. This girl was 17 when she first saw them in under covers, her first episode ever and fell in love with them. This girl back in 2013 thought they were never going to see each other again, that she lost her most important ship ever. This girl, when family first aired, spent the whole morning after the episode aired, crying in bed for one of her favorite fictional characters ever, because not only she lost her, Ziva, but she lost her ship again, one more time, this time in such a terrible way. They had a child, yes, but they didn't have the chance to be together and I was furious. It was a sensitive subject, every time the reruns aired on my tv every year and I missed so much it hurt. But then, in 2019, we found out there was still hope after all. Ziva was still alive. She reunited with Tony in 2020, with their little girl, finally free to love and to be loved. And now we're here? About to witness them being a couple, a family, raising their daughter, bantering like an old married couple, flirting, working together, getting what everybody of us has always wished for, but thought it was too big of a thing?
If this is a dream, then don't wake me up. It's gonna be amazing, I know that, for sure.
#Just had to write this somewhere#I know this is nonsense I don't expect people to read this#I'm gonna come back here and read this every time I want to remember this ICONIC day#Always in our hearts#Don't mind my awful english#tiva#Tiva spin off!!!#WE WON#ziva david#tony dinozzo
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CHAPTER 16 IS ONLINE on AO3
First things first: Thanks again to Cookies93 for beta reading. Who put in another late shift yesterday so that you can get your new chapter this morning.
Then maybe a few words about the current status. Chapter 25 is almost finished. But it was almost midnight yesterday and fatigue overwhelmed me. That's why I didn't manage to finish it. I'm currently at 130,000 words. And still in episode 5x11. There's a lot to write about there too.
By the way, I had to laugh a little. I had just finished writing the scene when Lucy asks Tim for tips for the Citizens' Academy. The scene where “Nothing” comes. When Tim is asked from Nolan what he did the night before. And if you look at Lucy while Tim is talking about the academy...well, she's gone and doesn't hear anything about what Tim actually says. And I just worked that into my chapter... shortly afterwards there is a post on Tumbl with exactly the same scene and the same comment. Sometimes it's nice when others see it that way too.
Sneak Peak:
Lucy wakes up the next day with cramps and immediately aware of the reason of said cramps. It’s her period. She always has these cramps on the first day. So, her the first she thinks is "Shit."
The second thought is "How did I ended up in bed?" And the third: "Where's Tim?"
One issue at the time Lucy! She jumps up from the bed and rushes into the bathroom, or rather straight into the shower. As the warm water runs over her body, she tries to work out exactly what happened yesterday. Did she fall asleep? She remembers that they were watching some documentary on the tv. She was in Tim's arms and then? Then nothing … She doesn't remember anything at all! Only that she got insanely tired at some point. Oh boy. Apparently, she fell asleep on a date with Tim. AGAIN! How incredibly embarrassing. She just can’t help it, she always feels so safe in his arms and somehow her heart must be saying "Just sleep Lucy. You are safe." It has never really happened to her before. She never fell asleep on the couch in her boyfriend’s arm.
But actually, it makes sense, because she's usually super tired the days prior to her period. And the last few days of dating, going to the bar and the overnight stakeout have probably taken more out of her than she thought. She was clearly behind on her sleep.
But that doesn't explain how she got to bed. She had just finished taking a shower and is in the process of drying off when she hears the front door open. It takes her about three seconds to finish drying before she starts to panic. SHIT! When Tamara sees the state of the couch and the two teacups, she will instantly know that someone had been over, and she will need to come up with a cover story.
Lucy quickly wraps her towel around her body and hurries out of the bathroom. As she enters the room, several things register in her mind all at once. Tamara is standing facing away from her, opening the fridge. The cups have been cleared away and the blanket is neatly folded over the back of the couch, while all the cushions are back in place. Oh, thank God for Tim and his tidiness.
Tamara turns around to sound of Lucy storming out of the bathroom, crossing her arms and lifting her eyes up and down in response at the sight of her.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. How was the party?"
"Very good, I'd say."
Then Tamara points at her with one hand and waves it. "What are you doing?"
"Showering."
"I can see that. But what are you doing here?"
"Ehm. Tea... I uhh… I wanted to put some the kettle on."
Lucy goes to the kettle, picks it up and fills it with water, then switches it on.
In the meantime, Tamara has turned back to the fridge and taken out a bottle of juice. Then she glances at Lucy again.
"And you just came up with that spontaneously in the shower, did you?"
#archive of our own#chenford#chenford fanfic#lucy chen#the rookie#tim bradford#tim bradford x lucy chen#chenford fic#tim x lucy#chenfordsource#ao3 link#lucy and tim#ao3
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episode 3 - Doubt Thou the Stars
major spoilers for the show and books, swearing, I go feral on multiple occasions, spent most of this simping for cam/lockwood and I'll apologise now for some of the things I've said (multiverse of George I'm blaming you for a couple)
I would just like to reiterate that this is not a proper analysis of the show, this is my immediate reactions to what happens in the show. barely anything constructive is actually said in here 👍
a ring is what we're looking at
Georgie I love you
hands (oh dear starting early)
hands again
"which you stole illegally" honey-
you have me in a chokehold lockwood
hehehe fairfax
"George, this... negativity, it's why I don't tell you things in advance" first of all I am weirdly obsessed with the way he says that, second of all I wanna give George a hug
hands
ok but who gave cam the right to look that good
"miss Kingston got her hair done special" George I love you
"straight into the office. that's a classy move"
omg I love lucy's jumper
his cheeky smile omg
hands
ring
"you lie like a politician" yeah bc he has to
you can do any job for me lockwood
hands and ring
absolutely we have a deal I'll do anything for you
hands (omg I need to stop)
they're children how did they get alcohol
bottle opener thingy scene
omg Georgie in his apron and gloves 😭
so sad we didn't get the "nice... towel" scene
barnes is so sinister sometimes
I love lockwood and george's friendship, just yelling at each other about cleaning
ooo green lighting when she's taking the keys
tut tut
"I visit my gran in Sidcup" "...sidcup is in London"
"you've got a real hard-on for him, haven't you" "well, if... you wanna put it like that"
"I'm practically a serf" aw lockwood honey
all I can think is the Traitors castle even though I know it's not the same
lockwood's so pretty
oh lord what the hell was that look lockwood don't lower your head with that intense gaze wtf
"apart from anything else, we've got much better flares" 😂
don't you just love it when someone who doesn't have any clue about your job tells you how to do your job
lots of smashing
he's fishing (where tf did he get a fishing rod from)
hands
his grin omg
oh crikey this boy needs sleep I can see his eye bags even though the lighting is dim and my room is bright
"What, and deny us all this... beautiful moment?" you're a beautiful moment- wait that doesn't make sense
his smile I am on the floor
aaa suspense I don't like it
omg we get to see George's Touch again I love that
ew cobwebs
hands
well that was silly
oh no
you can disrespect me anytime woah what is happening to me holy shit
EXTREME CLOSE UP
ewwww cobwebs
I could never be an agent I have arachnophobia
ok those special effects were awesome
"probably wanted to warn us not to go down there" *proceed to go down there*
Lockwood say what's on your mind
ok I get why Ali said that the monks were terrifying that chanting haunts me still
turn your torches off you'll see the ghosts better
ohh I don't like this
Lucy no
LUCY NO
LUCY NOOOOOO
aw the boys saved her
hands
"make a wish" I wish for you to marry me and we live happily ever after
slap
"my cheek hurts"
husband calls out pathetically for wife after waking up, she crawls over and he reaches desperately for her hand
"oi, where's his slap?" fair
hahaha the way they just drop to the floor
you look so silly in those goggles
lockwood's voice is doing Things to me
I love that you can see Ellie rethinking as Fairfax goes on
"we don't travel round with it, we're not insane" *while focused on Lucy*
"you're just a performer too, aren't you?" we love a masking king
MICRO-EXPRESSIONS!!! CAMERON CHAPMAN THE MAN YOU ARE
"She stole it again, Lockwood" yep
I love that you can sort of make out the flowers on her dress
oh christ that was scary
ew old man burning
hands
heavy breathing lockwood (I blame the multiverse of George chat for that)
"I'm working with maniacs" got room for another one?
why did Ellie think it would be a good idea to try and run straight through the middle
"Shut up!" their faces afterwards
kipps pls stop sounding so smug
dw I believe you lockwood
punch me like that wall pls
barnes looks so sad
omg he's being a protective dad
hands
ohhhhh lockwood in a proper suit 🪣 (bad timing for it I know)
"do you know my name?" George I love you
"that's a shame, she was a fool but... she really fitted in there actually" *lockwood nudges him* George I love you even more and I think we would be the bestest of friends
I love the lavender in the pockets of Penelope and Ellie
hands
omg Lucy's drawing! like she said her hobby was in the books!
hand + ring
*George casually pulls out stolen evidence*
I want lucy's jumper
the way lockwood's sat on the chair has me weak
"You belong here" *stares at her with heart eyes*
hehehe
hehehe
oh dear
why does he keep sprawling on the chair
I don't want to talk about the sound I just made at that one frame of lockwood
"She's good, and... she's finally starting to get me" aw Georgie I love you
"she's a lot tougher than you think" *thumps as Lucy passes out*
I DONT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE SOUND I JUST MADE AT THE OTHER ONE FRAME OF LOCKWOOD (YOU ALL KNOW THE ONE) - "Luce?" shgisuhuigjd
seriously who gave him the right
#belle's episode commentaries#lockwood and co#lockwood & co#anthony lockwood#lucy carlyle#george karim#quill kipps#montague barnes
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