#would love to hear more about your bc clans!
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Alaska is such a cool place for clans, mine come from BC though. Because I wanted my knock off river clan to swim in the ocean and constantly get into it with sea wolves haha
Ooh that would be a fun conflict. I’ve actually had these clans for a while and originally conceived of them being near the Hudson Bay, but I switched it when I visited alaska and got to actually see a place that work perfectly as a location lol
#it’s a lot easier for me to write about places when i’ve been there i can like. conceptualize it better#resurrection bay was perfect since its got the glacier the town and the ocean all smushed relatively close together#would love to hear more about your bc clans!#ask#the-greatest-being
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Hey! Can you write a long one shot where Lo'ak/Neteyam is in a serious relationship with a human girl ( they are around 20 years old), and she hears Neytiri talking to Jake , saying that your relationship is impossible, bc you can't procreate. Then the reader sits alone crying bc she really wanted that to happen. Lo'ak/Neteyam finds her and comforts her. Then eywa sees how much they love each other and blesses their union with a pregnancy where the reader survives it? It would be more like a spiritual conception, it doesn't need to be anything sexual if you don't feel comfortable writing it. Mo'at or Ronal would be the ones to tell the news, since they are tsahik. Idk, I just wondered how this pregnancy/baby would be like. I even pictured Lo'ak/Neteyam laying their heads on the reader's stomach caressing and kissing it, calling the baby 'our little miracle'
Spiritualis Conceptio
Tags: AgedUp!Neteyam x Human!Reader, Oneshot, Avatar 2, Fem!Reader, Pregnancy, Like Spiritual??, Also Bonus Uncle Lo’ak
Warnings: Major Avatar 2 Spoiler
Years pass, and you and Neteyam have been living together peacefully with the Metkayina clan. It has always been a dream of yours to have a family, but as a human on Pandora, you know that's not physically possible when your lover is from another species.
I'm gonna be real with you, I had zero clue how to write this. I seriously needed a couple days to mull over how this would work. Would reader pull a Bella Swan? Who knows! This is lowkey a load of bullshit! Also please keep in mind that although I'm writing this, I am a minor and chose to write this non-sexually and went with the spiritual route. I think this falls under more cute domestic scenarios overall anyway so, WHO DOESN’T WANNA SEE DAD NETEYAM???
* ˚ ✦ 1767 Words • Read below the cut
╭┈─────── ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-╰┈➤ ❝ [02/01/23] ❞
You wrung your fingers together as you meandered along the beaches of the Awa'atlu village, contemplating mundane matters. One in particular that piqued your interest was something you had been thinking about for a considerable amount of time; a family.
You and Neteyam had been together for several years; you were both adults who had been dwelling with the Metkayina clan for the last decade or so. You'd left the Omaticaya clan with him, hoping to remain near to him wherever he traveled. You believed it was remarkable that he survived after being shot all those years ago, and since then, Neteyam has promised never to leave you.
And since then, you’ve felt like you wanted to further your relationship with him. To have a family with him. It warmed your heart to think of the way he would be with his children. Would he be like his own father, protective and caring? Strict yet present? Or would he let loose, and be carefree with them? These were the questions you ached to know the answers to.
It's not as though Neteyam was oblivious to your desires. In all honesty, he was thrilled that you wanted a family, but you two had never seriously discussed the crux of it beyond the concept itself. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on your behalf, but you sincerely hoped it would be achievable someday.
After a short while, you became bored and weary from strolling over the sand for so long. You decided to return to your humble home, which, despite its small size, contained many fond memories for you. Your ears perked up at the sound of a woman's voice before you could whisk the portiere aside.
Neytiri.
Neteyam had been waiting for you to return from your beach promenade, but when the curtain to your front door was swept away, he was greeted by the sight of Neytiri and his father instead, who had arrived moments before you. He welcomed them, intrigued as to why they were searching for him and bearing poignant expressions.
You hid beside the doorway and eavesdropped. You knew you shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations, but when your partner's mother was arguing with him inside your home, whom can criticize you for wishing to hear?
You subsequently regretted that decision because you wished you hadn't. Neytiri didn't take her time stating what she intended to say; she spoke it bluntly and firmly, as one would expect from someone of her character. She was always this way.
“Your relationship with the human girl is impossible.”
You felt your heartbeat quicken. What?
It seemed as though Neteyam had the same reaction as you (albeit unaware of your presence), as he immediately shot up from his seat.
“Now is when you choose to tell me that? You had years to disapprove of Y/N! What changed?” he was not happy.
Jake sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “We overheard you both, talking about wanting a family.”
Neytiri interjected. “It will not happen. It cannot, you are not even of the same species! She belongs with her own people!”
Why were they so adamant about this?
“She is a human girl! You cannot procreate, yet you talk of wanting a family?”
“And? Look at Kiri! She had a human mother!”
Jake placed a rough hand on his son’s shoulder. “Kiri was conceived from Grace’s avatar, Neteyam. No one has ever seen or heard of a human being giving birth to a Na’vi child, let alone be pregnant with one.”
He brushed his father’s hand off of him. “It doesn’t matter.”
You were devastated. You were aware that Neteyam's family had reservations about you, but were they always this antagonistic to your relationship? You opted not to enter your home, tears welling up in your eyes. You dashed away, but before you could truly escape, Neteyam pulled the curtain aside to leave. He spotted your sprinting figure as he grumbled over the discussion he had just seconds before.
He groaned as he raised his palm to his forehead. “Shit.”
Neteyam broke into a run to chase after you.
...
You hid behind some rocks, huddling into your body so that you could cry without anybody finding you. Well, almost. Neteyam emerged from behind one of the boulders you were situated in front of, and sat down carefully so as not to scare you off.
His eyebrows were knitted together in concern. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
You wiped your puffy eyes and sniffled. “I heard Neytiri telling you we can’t be together.”
Neteyam embraced you and stroked your hair.
You began to weep again as you sank into his touch. “I really wanted to have a family with you, but I don’t think that’s possible...”
Neteyam felt a wave of guilt surge through him. Perhaps you wouldn't have been crying if you'd fell in love with a human male instead. Nonetheless, he delicately nuzzled you, trying to soothe your pains.
“It’s okay. I don’t care what my mother says.”
When you glanced up at him, he planted a tender kiss against your lips to quell your sobs. You lamented the absence of them when Neteyam stood up and extended his hand for you to take.
You accepted it tentatively, finally putting an end to your sobs. “Where are we going?”
He gave you a soft smile. “You’ll see.”
...
Thank goodness Tsireya also taught you breathing exercises.
When Neteyam said he’d take you somewhere, you didn’t expect it to be the goddamn spirit tree.
You were underwater, squeezing Neteyam's hand as he approached the foliage. He had informed you beforehand that Eywa might hear his prayers, which is why you were here.
You maintained your grip on his hand in trepidation. Neteyam drew his braid over his shoulder, and nodded once more before attaching his queue to the tree.
You could tell he was begging Eywa to bless you both with a child. You sensed tingles across your skin as you felt the energy of the tree move through your lover, wondering whether your family's future was not completely lost after all.
Once Neteyam finished his prayer, he disconnected his queue and helped you swim back up to the surface.
...
You felt ill.
Seriously, terribly ill. You assumed you ate something unpleasant because you became queasy out of nowhere; what was wrong with you?
Neteyam voiced his concerns about the state of your health, and said that he would leave for a moment and bring back the village Tsahìk.
Ronal stepped inside your marui, and raised an eyebrow at your figure. Why did Jake Sully’s son bring her to you? “She is a human, what could I possibly do to aid her?”
Neteyam grumbled, then admitted to what he had done the few days prior. “We visited the spirit tree, and I prayed to Eywa for a baby. Now Y/N is suddenly sick, and I don’t know why!”
Ronal was taken aback for a time. She gazed at Neteyam, puzzled, then swiftly kneeled by your side. She placed her tools near your head, and you began to groan in agony, sweating from the aching in your body.
Ronal shot a glare towards Neteyam. “You, make sure nobody steps foot into this marui!”
Neteyam was a little slow in processing Ronal's order, but he promptly walked towards the entrance to maintain a watchful eye as she toiled. She spoke in Na'vi, and pressed her palm against your abdomen to interpret Eywa's will.
...
“This human girl, she is pregnant.”
You propped yourself up on your elbows, utterly astonished. Ronal had helped to relieve the cramps in your body, but that was overshadowed by the shock you and Neteyam were experiencing at the revelation of your pregnancy.
“I don’t know how this child came to be, but it is clear Eywa’s will has been told.”
You couldn’t help but intercede. “But, Jake said no human has ever been pregnant with a Na’vi child! How is this possible?”
Ronal sighed. “We do not know if this is a Na’vi child yet, but this is clearly some form of spiritual conception. We will simply have to wait and see how the pregnancy goes.”
...
This was not a normal human baby.
The more time passed, the more visible your bump became. Ronal had only alerted Neteyam's family about the pregnancy in case something went wrong with the baby. However, it was becoming increasingly impossible to conceal your body's visible baby bump. Neytiri was surprised at first because she couldn't believe you two had truly conceived a child.
The baby was developing well. To be honest, it was a little too fast for your liking, but it was fine. Aside from the occasional cramps and nausea, your health was excellent, and you were coping well with the pregnancy.
Neteyam was over the moon about your pregnancy. There were numerous occasions when he would lie with you, singing songs to your baby and wondered if they could hear him.
You hoped it couldn’t, because no offense, but his voice was awful. Neytiri’s singing genes did not pass down to Neteyam.
Your favorite moment of those instances though, aside from your lover's atrocious vocals, is when he would kiss and caress your belly while referring to your child as “our little miracle.”
On occasion, you two would dispute over the baby's gender or how much more Na'vi or human it would appear to be. You were certain that your daughter would seem more human, but Neteyam insisted that your son would undoubtedly look like a Na'vi. Furthermore, it was him who prayed for this! He essentially did all of the work!
You would argue that he’s not the pregnant one, and that you’re definitely having a daughter. No questions asked.
Bonus!
You had a son.
Everyone in the tribe was shocked when Ronal announced the pregnancy to them. A child who is both human and Na'vi? It was incomprehensible!
You were absolutely livid as you stood there, Neteyam snickering in the background. Eywa was truly a mischievous deity who relished in playing games.
Neteyam nudged your shoulder in silent laughter. “I told you we’d have a boy!”
You smacked his arm. “Oh, shut up! You weren’t even right about him looking more Na’vi!”
You two quietly bickered as Lo’ak held the infant. “Haha, I’m your uncle now! Look at us, we both have demon blood!”
He began to speak in a singsong voice, “demon baabbyy!”
The baby started wailing.
Someone seriously needed to take that child away from Lo’ak before he dropped it in the sand.
#↳˳💿;; ❝ inbox ᵕ̈ ೫˚∗:#↳˳🖤;; ❝ oneshot ᵕ̈ ೫˚∗:#oneshot#oneshot avatar#oneshot avatar 2#female reader#avatar#avatar 2#avatar the way of water#avatar 2 the way of water#avatar neteyam x reader#avatar neteyam#neteyam x reader#neteyam#aged up#pregnancy#but like it's spiritual#I was so confused on how to write this#human reader#dad neteyam#neteyam sully#lo'ak#lo'ak sully#uncle lo'ak#uncle lo'ak sully#lo'ak is so funny lmao
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I'm tired of being horny,I want love😭😭
can you give us some fluff headcanons with teyam,please??🥹
YES OML! I love writing headcanons sm😭
Warnings~ none! Enjoy the fluff everyone<3
★ Neteyam is the type of mate to make you stay in bed on a rainy day, no matter if you guys have things to do or not. He just loves spending time with his girl.
★ speaking of which, his family completely adores you. They’re always asking for you to come over and spend time with them(mostly neytiri and Jake saying this bc you’re literally like a daughter to them)
★ tey absolutely ADORES whenever you spend time with his family, especially his siblings and ESPECIALLYY with tuk, you act so well with all of them that it makes him want to give you a family of your own.
★ his love language is definitely acts of service, words of affirmation, and physical touch. So definitely expect to be gifted with things you’ve always wanted while he’s hugging you and whispering all sorts of praises and I love yous into your ear.
★(this hc is for human!reader) if your ovulating/on your period, he will never leave your side, always giving you whatever you need since he knows how painful your periods can be. (And also because your smell gets stronger, and he doesn’t want any of the males in his clan thinking they have a chance with you. Because they don’t.)
★ speaking of this, he definitely is extremely protective of you. Like, yes he knows you’re fully capable of handling yourself, but he just can’t help it. You’re his girl, how could he not protect you?
★ if you need an example of how far this man would go for you, just remember that one time where he came home with bloody fists and a bloody nose because he overheard a group of boys sexualizing you(lo’ak jumped into the fight too bc he didn’t want to hear you or his parents lecture him about leaving Neteyam by himself to get beat tf up😭)
★turns into such a baby when he’s tired. Poor boy will come home completely exhausted, it’s so obvious in his features it makes you sad. He’ll grumble when you ask him how his day was, hurriedly taking off his uncomfortable garments and picking you up and carrying you to the bed, placing you down on the soft pillows before placing all of his body weight onto you. You let out a little huff from the suddenness of it, but it turns into a giggle when you feel him smoosh his head into your boobs.
★“Awh, what needy little babyboy. Just needed some cuddles, hm?” You’d tease while placing a kiss on his forehead, left hand rubbing his scalp soothingly as your other hand trails down his back in a content motion.
★(hc for modern!au) you guys would definitely do a whole bunch of couple TikTok’s tg, and literally everyone loves you guys sm
★ would secretly learn all your favorite foods and make them whenever your sad/on your birthday.
★ does this thing if your walking past a group of people that make you uncomfortable, he’ll put himself between you and the group, so he’s acting as a barrier almost
★ loves the sound of your voice/laugh so much, And it SHOWSSSS. lo’ak made fun of him one time because teyams tail started wagging when you laughed at a joke he made
★ also loves carrying you/manhandling you (gently ofc) js bc he likes to see the surprise on your face whenever he does. All those years of training and building his strength being put to use frl🙌🏼 he also does it bc he has a strength kink and size kink..BUT WE ARENT GONNA GET INTO THAT!!
★he has a sweet spot in the middle of his scalp that makes him purr really loud and kick his leg slightly, you found out about it one of the many times he fell asleep on your chest. You never told him you knew about it though because you know he’d probably get embarrassed, but whenever he does fall asleep on your chest you always massage that spot just to giggle at his reaction.
★(black!reader hc..so me!) love to play with your hair and braid it, also loves to participate in your wash days. Like this mf will be more hyped to wash your hair than you are(you barley lift a finger during your wash days because he insists you just sit down and relax while he does everything)
★ made a wash day playlist with all your favorite songs on your phone without you knowing, so when you asked him where the playlist came from he just giggled at you before telling you where it came from. (You cried and hugged him because..he’s a fucking sweetheart?)
★ always talks about starting a family with you, and the look in this man’s eyes whenever he talks about it is completely adorable. You’re literally the love of this man’s life
A/N~ I need a man like teyam frl🥹 also I’m flattered you guys love my neteyam works sm, it really means the world to me<3 but could we mayhaps send in requests for different characters? I’d love to hear what you guys have in mind for them. Other than that tho, stay safe and hydrated. I love you guys sm💕
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Taglist~ @tallulah477 , @hotdsworld , @itchaboi-itchyboy , @blue-slxt , @etherial-moon-blog , @criticallybella , @rivatar , @aperiraa , @professional-yapper , @plooto
(If you’d like to be added to or removed from my general taglist, lmk by commenting on this post or sending me a dm! And if your tag isn’t working please check your settings💕)
#༄❤︎︎𝐣𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬❤︎︎༄#༄❤︎︎𝐣𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬❤︎︎༄#★𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬<𝟑★#avatar#luvv4j4ybe11#atwow#avatar the way of water#avatar 2#neteyam te suli tsyeyk'itan#neteyam smut#neteyam fluff#neteyam imagine#neteyam headcanons#neteyam x reader#neteyam x human!reader#neteyam x omatikaya!reader#neteyam x black!reader#neteyam x you fluff#neteyam x reader fluff
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Hihi! I noticed that your requests are open again, which is perfect because I, like so many others, have been stuck in an avatar fic hunt. So could you maybe write something about aonung x human!reader (bc that pairing honestly has so much potential and for some reason THERE'S NOTHING)
Maybe something where the reader is really curious of the na'vi in general and since they got to the islands, just really fascinated with the metkayina, but because they know that the clan would be uncomfortable around them and they dont want to bother anyone, they just kinda watch from the sidelines and keep to themselves, which doesn't really mix well with drama searching king aonung, but they end up getting to know and even liking each other
Thanks!! ^^
This is the second time I've gotten a request like this so might as well give the people what they want:
Pairing: Aonung x Fem!Reader
Tags: fluff, developing feelings, crushes, protectiveness, flirting, confessions, tail shenanigans, flirty Aonung, shy Reader, flustered Reader
A/N: I agree there should be more Aonung content.
Aonung always sees you on the edge of his vision, keeping to the side, not closer to the Sully's but always keeping a distance from the rest
He tries not to pay you much mind at first but he sees that you keep writing something in your book
His own curiosity gets the better of him
You don't hear him approaching and his greeting sends you falling into the water below
Luckily you do know how to swim, that doesn't stop Aonung from jumping in after you, only to laugh at you when you yell at him how he almost scared the life out of you
Your notebook is still safe and dry, which is good because he really wants to know the things you've been writing
At first he tells himself that he's only keeping an eye on you as you're even more of an outsider then the Sully family
That's what he tells his friends as well
Aonung's dad doesn't like that he's spending so much time with you but since the Sully's vouched for you he lets you stay
He doesn't leave you alone for long however, beginning to point things out about himself, and about the Sully's
Teases you for getting handsy with him while you're admiring the differences between you two, like his ears, hands, his tail
Enjoys seeing how flustered you get and decides he wants to see more of it
Often has to sneak out with you before eventually deciding to bring you along with his friends and the Sully kids
Despite you being part of the group you're still an outsider and as such Aonung takes a very protective stance when it comes to you
Stands up to many of his peers for you, even hissing and growling at them, it never escalates into a physical fight because no one wants to deal with a lecture from his dad, and frankly neither does he
Brings you little gifts, with your favorite being a necklace similar to his own which he made by himself for you
Kisses your hands and shoulders a lot
Likes to sleep with you on top of him so he can drape his tail around you protectively
Takes you out to sea at night, keeping you close to him while riding his ilu
It was on a night like this that he chose to confess to you, vowing to protect you and love you always
He was very happy when you told him you liked him too
A little hesitant to introduce you to his father is his hopefully future mate but with your hand in his he gets the courage to do so
It takes a lot of convincing, a many months of you having to prove yourself worthy of dating Aonung, many of which you've been grilled by both his dad and mom, but eventually, with some support of the Sully family, you and Aonung officially start dating
#avatar#avatar x reader#aonung#aonung x reader#avatar way of water#avatar imagine#aonung imagine#avatar x you#avatar imagines#avatar the way of water#x reader
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forever ago you mentioned in an ask post that you have a story in your head about college-aged Matt saving Frank’s kids and in return the Castle family forcibly enfolds him into their tribe. There is literal kidnapping involved, and every word in your little summary was fucking hilarious. I want you to know that that scenario has lived in my head rent free ever since—I am astounded by your brain and that concept makes me want to eat dirt (in the best way)(that is a compliment of the highest degree)
anyways! Please don’t think this is me asking “when will you write that” bc i get it, some plot bunnies are just bunnies, and time/real world is a bitch, BUT—if you ever have any little ramblings about it, I’d love to hear them :) the Castle family is Insane and I love them dearly and I am forever entranced by your characterizations of Matt and Frank
Have a good one!!
Christmas with the Castles my beloved. I love this one so much that I typed out an outline of the fic entirely. It is long. Please, take my ramblings if you want them:
It's Christmas at Columbia, hohoho, peace and goodwill to all mankind. The dorms are closed over winter break to replace the pipes and Matt's out on his ass for the holidays, so get fucked, blind little orphan with no surviving family, and God bless us everyone.
Normally the Nelson clan would have taken him in but Foggy's bitch of a Great Aunt Bertha insists on holding the entire family hostage for the holidays with the will as collateral, and she sucks in many respects but even more in the sense that she doesn't want any blind orphans schlepping around her holiday table. But the Nelson clan will risk it all for Matt, who they think is neat. They'll put the whole fucking will on the line, buddy.
Matt assures them that he's got it all under control and has a place to stay. Yes, with a person. Yes, a real one. An old friend of his dad's. No, he's not going to be homeless. Stop asking questions.
This is a lie.
His plan is to simply be homeless. Peace and goodwill to all mankind.
Except Foggy knows when Matt's on his bullshit and insists on speaking to the guy he's staying with, which means he needs to get Fogwell to lie for him. Except Fogwell knows when Matt's on his bullshit and won't let him off the fucking hook until he knows Matt won't be homeless for the holidays.
Matt unequivocally refuses to come home with him. Stop asking. He'll find someone else to do the phone call.
They compromise with Matt staying in the fucking boiler room of the gym. Peace and goodwill to all mankind.
Except Matt sort of makes Fogwell think that he only needs to crash for a few days, and Foggy's family is going to take him in for the rest. This is also a lie. He is fucking off to be homeless for the rest of the holiday season.
Peace and goodwill to all mankind.
He's swallowing his misgivings and putting up with staying in the boiler room of the gym for a few days so Fogwell won't freak out. Which he now regrets. Because it puts him right in the earshot of an active hostage situation. Are those kids? Those are fucking kids.
Anyway he tries to call the police anonymously like ten times but this just tips off the hostage takers, who apparently have a mole in the police, surprising no one. Now they're going to kill the fucking kids.
Matt can't listen to this.
Peace and fucking goodwill to all mankind.
Okay. Fuck. He's doing this now.
Fuck.
THE CASTLE'S HOLIDAY SEASON, THUS FAR:
The kids got kidnapped.
like
fuck.
that happened.
The thing is that some random NSA guy got into contact with Frank and in this AU he actually blew the whistle on the the CIA's bullshit. His family was in protective custody, until his best friend and pseudo brother stabbed him in the fucking back and sold them out. Now they have his kids.
He then kills a lot of people.
Like a lot.
But he can't find his kids. They have his kids.
They're going to kill his kids.
MATT'S NIGHT, THUS FAR:
He's an asshole in sweatpants with a t-shirt wrapped around the top part of his face and no fucking plan, and there are so many assholes with guns in there. Like. So many.
But fuck it. He's doing this now.
fuck.
He fights a lot of guys. He gets super shot. Some guy tries to shoot him with arrows. Like, what the fuck even is this, Robin Hood? Honestly, fuck this night.
Anyway, he saves the kids. Wheee.
It's sort of nice? They bond, when the crying stops. The kids like him a lot. He calls their parents. Sets up a place for them to get picked up. The boy gives him the sweatshirt he's wearing under his jacket, which is kind of him, because it's fuck-off cold and Matt's about ten minutes from going into shock. Anyway, he drops them off at the spot and fucks off into the night before their oddly bloodstained dad can stop him like the world's shittiest off-brand batman.
He then goes to exercise the right of any God-fearing American citizen, which is to bleed out in the basement of his childhood church.
Fogwell's never gonna be okay again if he finds Matt's blood-soaked body in the gym. Matt figures he can just break into that basement no one uses, steal a med kit, make a solid confession about breaking into and stealing from a church if he lives long enough, and hopefully no one will even notice he was there.
This does not pan out.
A really angry nun finds him and narcs him out to Father Lanthom and they bitch him out for "dying" and "not seeking life-saving medical attention" and drag his ass to to the hospital.
NOW THE CASTLE FAMILY, REUNITED AT LAST:
The kids' will be in therapy forever but the danger is gone, because frank killed them all very dead.
He then received a presidential pardon for All The Murder.
Peace and goodwill to all mankind.
Anyway he's testified about the CIA corruption, the government is occupying itself with the coverup to end all coverups, and his only remaining concerns is (1) taking care of his family and (2) making sure the bleeding dipshit who saved his kids lives doesn't die in the streets. He's gotta find that dumb asshole.
Then he gets a phone call from a very concerned nurse at Metro General about the bleeding dipshit that got brought in with his kid's sweatshirt. They're calling because he keeps trying to goddamn leave while very fucking shot and he had a jacket with Frankie's information written on it in magic marker. Do they know him? Can they please come pick him up? They think he's going to die in the streets if someone does not pick him up.
And Yeah. Yeah, Frank Can Do That.
Matt.
Yeah.
The magic marker, he didn't.
Didn't
Didn't see that part.
Fuck.
Anyway, Matt's On His Way Out To Be Homeless For The Holiday Season, Peace And Goodwill To All Mankind, As Soon As The Goddamn Nurses Stop Hiding The Leave Against Medical Advice Forms. He lied and said he got jumped by a lot of guys, no, he didn't see who did it, because, you know. Blind. Just a regular ol' blind guy here. Poor fucking blind orphan alone and shot for the holiday season. Just give him the goddamn form.
And then that fucking guy shows up in his hospital room. The suspiciously bloody father of the kids he just got shot over. He's here, he's insisting that Matt's one of his family's closest friends and they're paying all of Matt's medical bills, and he's not commenting on the blind bit, but Matt can literally smell his curiosity. Matt's insisting that some random guy gave him the jacket, no, he didn't see his face, because, you know. Blind. He's not the guy Frank thinks he is. Nope. Please fuck off now.
They do not fuck off. Maria Castle blows through the hospital room like a hurricane, hugs him very genuinely, cries a little, and tells him that the Castle family pays their debts, and they've never had a greater one. Then the kids show up, and they fucking recognize him. Fuck.
Matt: imindanger.exe
Matt keeps feigning ignorance. Then, he waits until they leave the room and he fucking books it.
Anyway the Castle family minivan catches up to him when he's legging it a block away. They keep pace with him, and ask to just take him where he's going, and they swear they're not going to hurt him. They just want to help him out. He saved their kids.
And he can hear that they're telling the truth.
And it's so goddamn cold.
And he can hear his own internal bleeding.
And he's so, so tired.
So he tells them that no one would ever believe them. And he gets in the car. and he gives them Fogwell's address. And he tells himself he'll crash there for a day or two and fuck off to be homeless in the streets, peace and good-fucking-will to all mankind.
WHAT THE CASTLE FAMILY DID NOT SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY:
A kidnapping.
WHAT THE CASTLE FAMILY DOES:
It's. It's a kidnapping. They do a kidnapping.
Look. Look. they pay their debts. They pay their fucking debts. It's what they do. And they get to Fogwell's boiler room and rapidly fucking realize that the guy who they owe their everything to is a terminally stupid 20-something and living in the rundown boiler room of an empty gym. And they simply cannot have that.
Frank? Frank, show Matthew back to the car, will he? Maria's going to pack up his things for him.
Matt: what.exe
WHAT MATT DID NOT SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY:
it's.
It's the kidnapping.
it's that.
This fic is fundamentally founded in my premise that the entire Castle family is simply fucking insane. They're just all like that. Frank is not an outlier.
For the Castles, they're being perfectly reasonable. It's obvious that no one's taking care of this lovely young man who saved their kids, so no one will mind if they do it instead. He definitely needs it. So they sit their kids down and explain that sometimes Stockholm Syndrome is for someone's own good, which sounds perfectly reasonable to them. They then proceed to treat this like when you somewhat impulsively get a sick puppy from a Home Depot parking lot, and, well, he's a bit poorly behaved, and he keeps trying to run away, but the kids had wanted it so badly and eventually he's going to settle into his new home and then maybe you can stick felt reindeer antlers on him for the Christmas card, so you keep shoving his meds in peanut butter and forcing them down his throat and keeping the door blocked so the puppy can't slip out into the freezing new york night.
Matt treats this for what it is, which is a fucking kidnapping.
He is now fucking handcuffed to these crazy assholes' guest bed in their suburban home. It's by definition a kidnapping. they're acting like he's the unreasonable one for pointing this out. Except every time he wriggles out of his handcuffs, Frank just lugs his ass back to bed and chains him back up while they scold him. As if he's the unreasonable one for trying to escape his own kidnapping. They make him take his meds and eat three meals a day and the kids watch fucking Christmas movies with him while narrating the screen, as if this wasn't a kidnapping. This is insane. They're all insane.
Which is what he eventually tells them, out loud and to their faces.
And then Maria cries.
Stop.
Stop that.
That thing she's doing with her face. Stop that thing.
And Maria's like. Maybe they were over enthusiastic. But, being a mother, she just wants to take care of the nice young man who saved her little angels. And if that makes her a criminal, then she guesses she's a criminal. Because she cares.
Matt: shoving me into a van and handcuffing me to a bed against my will makes you by definition a criminal
maria: *cries harder*
Matt: stop
And Matt's like. Fine. Fine. He'll give into their crazy fucking kidnapping. Saves him the trouble of being homeless. Just. It's only until Christmas, and then he's gone.
maria, tearfully: and new years too?
Matt: don't push your luck
So fuck it. He's doing this now. But he's not going to like it. And he gets to come and go when he wants.
Frank: no.
matt: seriously fuck you
Except Matt's got shit they didn't pack at Fogwells. Shit they didn't realize belonged to him. His dad's shit. And he's absolutely desperate to get his dad's shit before some well-meaning janitor tosses it. So he very reluctantly agrees to let Frank go in his stead. Just. Just don't talk to people. And don't tell anyone he kidnapped matt. matt does not want to deal with that fucking court case.
Fogwell, immediately catching Frank gathering Matt's stuff for him, when he finds out that Matt sent him: are you a Nelson?
Frank, not a Nelson: Guilty.
And Fogs is just. Thrilled. So fucking thrilled that Matt has the Nelsons. Matt needs people like that, you know? People that'll welcome him home.
He's a good kid. And he hasn't had a home in a good long time. And Fogs--he's so fucking sorry that he couldn't give Matt that. And he. He.
Just tell him Merry Christmas from him? He understands why Matt didn't want to spend it with him.
Just tell him ol' Fogs was thinking of him. Tell him he really, really cares and hopes his holidays are good.
Fuck. Tell him he loves him. Just. Just tell him that. Fogs should have done it a long time ago.
What follows from there is a lot of wholesome, family-friendly Christmas activities, like:
making gingerbread houses
ice-skating
having a total mental breakdown when you get the message passed along from your pseudo-grandfather that he wishes he could have given him a home.
drinking cocoa
getting shit-faced drunk out on the town with the somewhat insane mother of those kids you saved, only to both be lugged home by a very exasperated Frank Castle.
watching Christmas movies
Visiting the grave of your dead father whose loss you've never recovered from
drinking eggnog
Confessing about your superpowers to the crazy fuckers who may or may not have given you stockholm syndrome, as well as your lasting trauma around the fact that you were child-soldierified and your soul-crushing terror that it will happen again
Making paper snowflakes
(Matt may not have meant to do all those things.)
I really like having backstories in communication with each other across my fics taking place in the same fandom? And Fogs is a great example of that. He tends to show up in all of my Daredevil fics, and he usually does something that brings Matt in from the cold in his backstory.
But in this world, that Fogs didn't do it.
In this one, he had the chance, and he failed.
Matt came to him. He ran away from the foster care system when he was a teen, and he went to Fogs as a desperate, last ditch effort. He begged Fogs to still love him the way he did when he was a kid. He begged Fogs to take him in the way he once took in Jack Murdock. He'd help Fogs around the gym. He'd do anything Fogs asked. He just wants to go home.
All he's wanted for years was to just go home.
And Fogs hugged him. He held him. He let him sleep on the couch.
And he called the police.
He wanted to do it the right away around, this time. He didn't want Matt to be hiding from the system for the rest of his youth the way his daddy once did. He wanted him to still get to go to school. He wanted him to be a kid. He wanted to adopt him proper, and didn't think of the fact that no one was gonna let him do it.
And he didn't account for how Matt would never trust him again.
He didn't account for Matt ending up on the streets, and he didn't account for matt refusing to come for him for help again, and he didn't account for Matt refusing to have anything to do with him until he hit law school and barely tolerated hanging around the gym at night again, and he didn't account for Matt not being able to stand the idea of spending the holidays with him.
There's a lot Fogs won't ever forgive himself for.
Anyway, Matt's stockholm syndrome was a great success. They fucking did it. They now have a crazy motherfucker with superpowers who's occupying this space as a the kid's new pseudo uncle. Unmitigated success. God, what an addition to the family. He's just as crazy as them.
Except Matt gets a call. From a very upset Foggy Nelson. Who says that they decided to burn the defunct bridge that was their relationship with their torrid bitch of a great aunt after she said something homophobic to Foggy's sister, and they went to go surprise Matt for the holidays, only to find out that he was already supposed to be with them. Matthew.
The thing is, foggy knows who Matt is as a person. He knows who Matt is as a person. There is such a very real chance that his blind best friend has been living under an overpass in subzero weather for the past few weeks and not telling him. He's having a heart attack and needs to come pick him up immediately before Matt starts selling his body or something.
And like, good news is that Matt was kidnapped by a lovely suburban family who have been keeping him warm and fed and dry, and they're going to be baking gingerbread today. The bad news is that Matt will literally have a heart attack if he has to explain to foggy how he got here so he just. Panics.
And hangs up the phone.
And matts panicking about how he hung up the phone, because foggy will absolutely call the police and report him as a missing person, holy shit will he call the police on him, Matt was literally kidnapped but he likes his kidnappers now and doesn't want them to be arrested, they're making gingerbread you see and that would be inconvenient to the gingerbread making. So Maria and Frank and the kids are watching this weird feral law student they forcibly adopted go through every single stage of grief in a two minute span, wonder how he made it through life so far on his own, and Maria wrangles the phone from him and calls Foggy back and politely tells him that this is Maria Castle, matts basically a part of their family and has been staying with them through the holidays, they've heard so much about foggy, won't he come visit? How about tomorrow at two? They're making gingerbread today.
Matt: MARIA
Matt is panicking. Foggy knows he doesn't have a family. Foggy is his family. Foggy has unlocked his tragic backstory. Foggy is going to wonder how he acquired a family in like a two and a half week span.
Foggy is panicking. He knows Matt doesn't have a family. He has unlocked matts tragic backstory. Matt was in their fucking Christmas cards because he has no family's Christmas cards to be in.
Maria is not panicking. They're taking a step back and making gingerbread now. Take deep breaths, Matthew.
FOGGY NELSON'S THEORIES ABOUT WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH HIS BEST FRIEND (ABRIDGED):
Matt has started a polycule with a suburban couple and is raising their children with them now.
Matt was switched at birth and that's his newly discovered real family and he just never told Foggy.
Matt has been kidnapped by a family in the suburbs and they've enslaved him to make gingerbread with their children.
Which is true, weirdly enough.
Matt is having a spiraling panic attack because while he's like, not on deaths door anymore, he's still healing and clearly beat to shit and foggys going to think the castles did it and freak out and he doesn't have a lie for this prepped. And the castles are like "okay okay but, quick point, you've even prattling on about this kid for like, a minimum of four hours per day, you are more likely than not in love with him, have you considered the truth"
And Matt doesn't know what to do with that, is the thing.
Foggy comes by. He is four hours early. He arrived immediately after he got the address. Maria is lovely and kind and welcoming. Frank pumps his arm firmly and is built like a brickshit house and sort of intimidating.
Matt is absolutely beat to shit.
Matt is absolutely beat to shit.
Foggy: AHAHAHA HEY BUDDY IMMA GIVE YOU A HUG BECAUSE I MISSED YOU AND LOVE YOU SO MUCH IN THIS THE SEASON OF GOODWILL AMONG MEN. did they do this to you cough twice for yes
Matt: oh for the love of god.
And the problem is. For a family that commits felonies. They're weirdly open about that fact.
Foggy: how did Matt end up staying with you
Lisa: oh we gave him Stockholm syndrome after kidnapping him
matt: ahahaha kids say the darndest things
Frankie: no really dad kept having to drag him off the windowsill when he tried to climb out and we had to be extra welcoming to him so he'd stop trying to escape
Matt: AHAHAHA KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS
Foggy told his cop friend Brett to be on standby before he came here and now he's rapidly wondering if he needs to actualize that.
There's a good deal bit more after that, but this is getting long. There's emotional honesty. There's homosexuality. There's confessions about superpowers that Matt may or may not have. There's discussing trauma.
There's the fucking shadow government showing up to recruit Matt.
The thing is that Frank Castle is one of the best military operatives, like. Ever. And SHIELD was interested in recruiting that. And they thought, hey, saving his kids may do that. And they sent Hawkeye to infiltrate the mercenaries that had taken them.
Except they were fuck-off guns there and while he could take them all out if it was just him, he'd have to be 90% crazier of motherfucker than he actually is to try that shit with two kids in the line of fire.
And then an absolutely crazy motherfucker showed up and did exactly that. Caught his arrow mid-backflip. Kicked his ass too. It was sort of sick as hell. He hasn't met anyone so good at hand to hand since black widow.
They couldn't not recruit that guy.
And like. They found him. They found him really easily. The castle family kidnapped him. It was kind of obvious.
So Clint and Coulson roll up with the recruitment pitch and Clints like "hey, haha, I'm Clint, you stabbed me, wow you're like, completely insane, I mean that literally and in a figurative impressiveness sense, want to be best friends" and matts a fucking centimeter from launching himself out the window and starting a new life in Mexico.
And coulson's good at what he does. He can tell that matts not at all buying what he's selling, is more than a little freaked out at the idea of being identified as enhanced, and is almost definitely a former child soldier if their background was accurate about who took him from his orphanage for a few months. He also knows that Matt's abilities are too unique and too useful to just walk away from them. Nothing can be hidden from him. And if a fucking nuke is missing and they need someone to sniff it out, they need to be able to set Matt loose on a city for it. So he makes the pitch of "what if I keep you out of all databases, tell no one your name, and have you as a strictly as needed member of the roster," to which Matt replies with something along the line of "you can go and get fucked with you fascist shadow agency bullshit, you fucking totalitarian nightmare freaks, you try and drag me off to your freak show org to be a fucking dog on a leash for your illegal agency and I'll bite your goddamn face off, the world would have to end for me to come within a hundred godforsaken feet of you," which is… a coarse but technically affirmative answer that Coulson takes to mean as "Yes, if the world is ending, I will come to your agency." He honestly tells him that he'll keep matts secret and leaves. And Matt is still considering the Mexico plan but decides that he has a family to keep him here now in foggy and the castles and decides to risk staying. And that's that.
Which leads into my semi-crack fic of Matt being in the original Avengers, which I won't subject you to here. but some highlights:
Matt misses the first day of world-saving because he took off the second the SHIELD guy came by to pick him up. He managed to hide for 27 consecutive hours before they dragged his ass to the helicarrier.
He wasn't briefed at all because they ask him if he read the files they gave him and he just tosses them on the table and asks "does this look like fucking Braille to you." He repeatedly threatens to sue them for a lack of ada compliance.
He keeps getting stuck in rooms because this nightmare space ship only uses screens for everything, including door handles.
The hulk: *is the hulk*
Matt, has a stick: WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT
Tony: in a few minutes I'll know every secret SHIELD has ever had
Matt, has listened to at least eight top secret HYDRA meetings since being locked into this fucking hell ship: MHMM
They save the day, he's in a mask, the press asks them all whats next for the avengers and he's like "well I have a day job, I'm going home" and just. Walks away.
Three weeks later he starts fighting crime of his own volition and whenever anyone mentions hey is it maybe that avenger fellow he replies to the official inquiries with "oh no you see I have a day job" which should not work but does
Of course, Matt learning about HYDRA leads into my other semi-crack fic involving Matt simply immediately telling Captain America about the fucking Nazi's, and Cap rediscovering his life's passion, which is punching some fucking Nazi's. Except, he really needs Matt to spy on HYDRA for this to work, and Matt's identity is still almost entirely secret even within SHIELD and he doesn't want to endanger that. So they embark on introducing everyone to Matt Murdock, his totally normal, blind attorney boyfriend who is not at all a superpowered ultimate spy who happens to be secretly a very reluctant Avenger. It is now a fake dating AU.
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bunny — jake sully
Description: Jake always called you bunny. You were determined to get the meaning out of him.
Pairing: Jake Sully x GN!Reader
Warnings/Tags: heavy use of ‘bunny’ as a pet name, courting and talks of mating, jake being a little shit, just fluff, angst if you squint, unedited. also tsu’tey is alive bc i said so!
Word Count: 1.9k
Author’s Note: dont like this that much tbh. been feeling kinda insecure abt my writing lately so thats not helping lol
(Dialogue in italics is spoken in English, normal text is Na’vi)
You weren’t a stranger to the language barrier that existed between you and Jake. It was more prevalent during his training period, when you had taken over after Neytiri bargained with her parents in transferring the role to you. At first, it was a burden. Teaching a dreamwalker who had no place in the clan. But you also had a soft spot for Grace, who taught you what she could about their own culture.
Eventually, it became fun. There was a point where you realized you no longer saw him as responsibility, but rather as a companion.
Now, as the clan was making great progress after the war, Jake asked many eclipses ago if he could begin courting you. You were touched by his insistence on following tradition, though it was the least he could do. Still, he learned to weave (albeit badly at first), make accessories, and most importantly, speak your language. There were even times when Norm, whom you visited occasionally when Jake did, grumbled at how much better he’d gotten—referencing back to when the marine struggled getting it through his thick skull until you came along.
But there was just one thing that perplexed you. Even though Jake adopted the Na’vi language with an open heart, there was one word he refused to shake from his daily vocabulary: bunny.
When he first said it to you, you thought it might have been a slip-up. He was just learning how to make better landings with his ikran, and when you teased that he’d never be able to keep up with you, he said, “You don’t know what you’re in for, bunny.”
With ears flat against your head at the sound of a foreign word, you brushed him off and flew away, beckoning him to chase you once more.
Then, the war happened.
You didn’t hear it out of his mouth again until he began to court you, much more recently. The second time was when he greeted you outside your kelku with a serving of fruit wrapped in a leaf, one morning. This time, he said: “Rise and shine, bunny. I got something special for you.”
“Do you take me for a fool, Jakesully?” You replied.
His eyes widened upon hearing his entire name, likely fearful that he said something wrong. After all, he was still getting used to Na’vi customs.
You snickered at his reaction, “Why do you call me that?”
“Call you what?”
“Bunny. A human word.”
He smirked, that cocky little shit. “It’s just a term of endearment. Come on, eat. I brought you food.”
You took the item from his hand and invited him in.
A few more eclipses passed—he was busy in his role, training and working with Tsu’tey to make sure everything is in order, yet he found pockets of time during the day to be next to you while you did your part.
Jake was starting to spend more and more of his downtime in your kelku. It was common for you to wake up before dawn to see Jake already waiting outside, often with food and something he made.
Gifts were already piling up in your home. Around this time, it was customary for the other party to propose an official union to whom they were courting, but it seems Jake hadn’t gotten the courage just yet. Though, you never refused a gift; the poor man was trying his best to—in his words—be worthy of you. The sentiment and his reasoning made your heart swell, but there was one problem: he would not, for the love of Eywa, let up on calling you bunny.
Whenever you questioned him, his smirk only grew. You understood that Jake took pleasure in teasing you, hell, you teased him a lot more, but you no longer wanted to give him that satisfaction.
So, you devised a plan.
-
Jake, having been used to the growing intimacy that came along with courtship like the hugs and kisses, was taken aback when he was suddenly deprived of it.
He didn’t think much of it at first. When you no longer invited him into your home because you wanted to get started on your tasks early, he commanded you for your dedication and followed your example. But it kept happening, over and over again.
Then, you didn’t grin like you usually did when he kissed you on the forehead before leaving. Though he recognized the familiar purple hue on your cheeks, he began to worry that he was too overbearing or you’d lost interest. Or both.
He and Tsu’tey were sparring as an example for the younger warriors when his opponent noticed how easy it was to defeat him that day.
“Losing your touch, Jakesully?” Tsu’tey grinned, going for a hit against Jake’s side, the other one barely dodging it in time.
“No, man.” Jake stepped it up significantly, channeling his anger into the fake fight.
They kept going, quipping back and forth until Tsu’tey was able to hold him down and say, “Tap out, Jakesully.” His knee put pressure on Jake’s chest, “If you know what’s good for you.”
“Alright.”
They continued training throughout the day, but Tsu’tey ended it early.
“What is troubling you, brother?” He pulled Jake aside away from the crowd as they left training grounds.
Talking to him couldn’t hurt, Jake thought. “You know Y/N well, right?”
“We have been friends since we were babies, so yes.”
“They’ve been…distant, lately.”
Tsu’tey laughed, a glint in his eyes. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” (In truth, you told Tsu’tey about your plan.)
After a beat, Jake stared at him with a bewildered expression. “What, that’s it? No advice?”
“You should have known better.”
Tsu’tey walked away, leaving Jake to stand there and wallow in his misery. (Misery may be a little farfetched. But it sure felt like that.)
Arriving home with a newfound determination after taking a deep breath, he trod lightly toward your kelku. He couldn’t hear you inside, but tapped on the door anyway.
“Look, bunny.” He sighed, not caring the stares others are shooting him. His dignity did not matter if it meant he could keep you. “I’m sorry for whatever I did. Can we talk? You—you know…I haven’t said it yet but I love you. I see you. Please let me in.”
One of your neighbours, seeing Jake grovelling outside your home, interrupted him.
“They are not home, Jakesully.”
He turned. “Do you know where they are?”
“They went out into the forest.”
“What? Why?”
“We don’t know.”
-
The sterile smell of the lab invaded your nostrils, your nose scrunching up on instinct and involuntarily giving one of the scientists angry eyes as they handed you a mask. You were familiar with the place, but you’d never been here without Jake.
“Where is Norm?” You tried not to run into their tiny workspaces, hissing when your foot hit the corner of a table. When the scientist didn’t answer, you took it upon yourself to wander around.
He appeared from around a corner. “Hey, what’s up?” He looked behind you. “Where’s Jake?”
“I did not bring him.”
“Alright, well.” Norm was speechless for a moment. “What do you need?”
“I need you to translate a word.”
“Um—sure, go right ahead.”
“Bunny.”
With Norm’s perplexed look, you waited patiently. Within a moment, he said, “Well…a bunny is an animal.”
“What does it mean to call someone that?”
“It depends on the context, but it’s likely a term of endearment. Why, is Jake calling you that?”
Growing impatient, “Show me this animal.” Before he can respond, “On your little touch pad.“
“Uhm. Sure. Of course.”
When he grabbed one and showed it to you, there were no words, you only stared at him for an explanation.
“Bunnies are—were—rare on Earth. They’re considered very cute because of their fur and small size.”
“But I do not have any fur. Nor am I small.”
He strained his head to make eye contact with you. “You’re right. But I think it’s just a cute nickname—“
A loud banging cut his sentence short, followed by a distressed sounding Jake saying, “Norm!”
You stayed back and watched as Norm excused himself to greet Jake at the door, disappearing into the corner. It was close enough you could hear their conversation.
“Hey, Jake, I was just—“
“I need your help.” He sounded out of breath. You snickered.
“Well let me get—“
“No time! I need to find Y/N—“
Deciding you had enough of hearing him so concerned, you strutted into his line of sight.
Jake‘s breath stuttered at the view of you. His hair was disheveled, tail swishing in all kinds fo directions. He closed the distance, then, suddenly remembering something, stayed frozen a few inches away. He scanned your figure, and satisfied, he began to breathe normally.
“I have been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been? I flew around with Bob and you were nowhere to be seen, they said you went into the forest and you—“
You placed a hand on his cheek, caressing it gently. “I am fine, beloved. I was here the whole time.”
“Here?” His voice cracked, more out of exhaustion. “But you never come here.”
“I needed to ask Norm a question.”
Jake glanced at the man mentioned for a second, who shrugged. “What for? You could have asked me.”
“That is the problem, I did ask you.”
At his furrowed brows, you explained. “I needed to know what you meant by bunny!”
“I told you it was a term of endearment.”
“But you never explained why,” you frowned.
“Look, I was coming to tell you something. Norm, can you leave?”
Relieved at no longer having to hear your lover’s quarrel, “For sure.”
Jake’s large hand snaked up to your neck, pulling you closer. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“For whatever I did. I don’t know what I did, but you can tell me and I’ll try to make it up.”
“Jake—“
“Are you losing interest? Because if that’s it—mmph!”
You covered his mouth with your hand, holding back a smile.
“I should apologize. I was just playing with you.”
“Hm?” You felt his lips purse under your palm.
“You kept teasing me with bunny, and I didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of my frustration. It was not serious, love.”
Removing your hand, he silenced you this time by slotting his lips over yours, subsequently smiling at the prospect of you not actually being mad at him.
When he pulled away, both of you were beaming.
“I have something else to tell you,” he licked his lips, your eyes gravitating toward it. “I love you. I see you. Can we—um…” He seemed to lose confidence, losing his footing in the words.
“Say it.”
“I want to mate with you. I want to be your mate. Be with you forever, please?” His eyes softened, searching yours for any sign of rejection.
Yet, he found none. He found only what he has found in you countless times, and that’s a simple emotion: happiness. At least, it was simple when it came to you. You made it that way.
“So? What do you say, bunny?”
You playfully slapped his chest. “Of course. Forever.”
—
Additional A/N: the ‘bunny’ nickname was inspired by stargirlrchive’s fic here
#jake sully x reader#jake sully#avatar the way of water#atwow#avatar#avatar twow#jake sully fluff#jake sully x you#jake sully imagine#avatar imagine#atwow imagine
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can we get another lo’ak/tsireya x reader?
maybe reader is close friends with both of them, and has a crush on them. yet after lo’ak and tsireya become a couple reader begins to avoid them bc she’s jealous (little does reader know that they both want her too). reader tries to focus her attention on other clan members to try and get over them.
lo’ak and tsireya goes to look for reader to try and confront her about ignoring them. finds reader with another boy in the clan being extra flirtatious. they drag her off and maybe angry jealous smut with dom! lo’ak and tsireya ??
(sorry i’m not good at putting my thoughts into cohesive sentences lmao)
Revengeful Thoughts
Warning: threesome, degradation, f x m x f, angst, dom!Lo'ak, soft!dom!Tsireya, mentions of jealousy,etc.
Pairing: Lo'ak x reader x Tsireya
Synopsis: You love them both but they loved each more, so you took matters in your own hands.
You always wanted to believe Lo'ak looked at you lovingly but reality would always bite you on the neck. It clearly wasnt you, it was Tsireya. You thought it would be the same like the forest. Where he loved you and only you. Where he would push away any girl that dared to flirt with him. You missed your Lo'ak. The Lo'ak now was different.
He became different and Tsireya too. It was as if Lo'ak was her breathing supply, if she didnt talk about Lo'ak for just a second, you would have been shocked. Tsireya pushed you away when he was around as pulled you close when she was sad or wanted to talk about how sweet he was. Sweet? The Lo'ak you knew wasnt sweet, he was rebellious, troublesome.
You even imagined spending the rest of your life with him. But Tsireya was always on your mind too. Who knew a Na'vi could so beautiful? Yet the jealousy of seeing them together made your eyes burn with tears threatening to spill. You had to find someone to ease your pain and frustration. You were angry. You were sad. What happened to Lo'ak only loving you? What happened to Tsireya saying she would be by your side?
Until your light bulb of thoughts shone bright. You whipped your head to the side only to see a boy weaving a net. Bingo! You've seen him around before. His eyes always locked with yourself but he looked away shyly. This is perfectly fine. After all, Tsireya and Lo'ak clearly abandoned you.
The truth was Lo'ak and Tsireya truly loved you. They wanted to talk to you about their stuation but you pushed them away claiming they were a couple and you didnt matter. "Lo'ak what if she disagrees and we lose her forever!", Tsireya exclaimed. "Tsireya have some hope. What if she doesnt disagree? Hmm. Calm down, m'kay?", he said rubbing her cheek. Her distress fell off her shoulders and they continued to walk on the shore.
Lo'ak was surprisingly calm at the moment but Tsireya, on the other jand, was panicking. Tsireya pulled Lo'ak's hand harshly over to the section of the beach you normally were. You weren't there. "Thats weird, she usually stayed right here.", Tsireya started to look around. Loak spotted you with one of the hunters of the clan.
Tsireya's eyes widen as Lo'ak's anger began to built up. He stormed over to you. He could hear how you were complimenting on his muscles and her tattoos. Lo'ak had tattoos too yet you never compliment how great he looked. You were too busy flirting with the boy that you didnt even see Lo'ak fumed towards you.
Loak cleared his throat. Your eyes widen under Lo'ak's deadly glance. "Lemme borrow her for now.", Loak stated with the fakest smile you have ever seen. He harshly grabbed your hand and began to pull you towards his marūi. You were confused. You thought ignoring the two would resolve the fact your feeble heart only beat for them and them alone.
Loak threw you down on the mat. "Be gentle with her Lo'ak!", Tsireya yelled. Lo'ak rolled his eyes. His girlfriend's words didn't matter right now. The problem was you were prancing about the village flirting with a boy who barely glanced at you. You crawled away from the couple that stood in front of you. What did you even do?
"So that's what you are? A slut! A whore! Going from boy to a boy riding their cock when no one is around!", he hissed his harsh words at you.
You feel ashamed to be called such names by Lo'ak of all people. You were on the urge of breaking down. Tsireya noticed how hurtful Lo'ak's words were. Your eyes were bloodshot red from holding back your tears. Tsireya kneeled down beside you and rubbed your shoulders. "Don't baby her Tsireya! It's the truth, the truth hurts!", he barked. Tsireya glared at her boyfriend and huffed, going back to comfort you. "It's ok, it's ok tìyawn.", she whispered in your ear.
Lo'ak began to untie his loincloth as he walked over to your shivering body. His length and girth were more than impressive. Tsireya pulled your head onto her thighs and smiled. "It's okay baby but you must take your punishment like a good girl, okay?", she said. You nodded shyly. Lo'ak glared as he lined up his huge cock with your cunt. "Wait, please! I'm not ready!", you squealed. Tsireya peppered your face with kisses before her fingers ran down your stomach down to your clit.
She slowly increased in speed, and you feel shock waves of pleasure overtake your body. Your hands grabbed Tsireya's thigh as your back arched in her lap. Lo'ak trusted his entire length inside of you.
"Oh—oh fuuuuck!” You moaned, your ass slapping against Lo'ak's thighs as he thrusted in a quick pace. Lo'ak's large hands were on your hips, gripped you, and helped you on and off his cock. He stretched you perfectly, the head of his massive cock sending shivers down your spine when he pressed on your cervix, delivering much pleasure to your small frame.
“Your pussy feels so good.", Lo'ak groaned. "Need to feel you come around me. Going around fucking all those boys, hmm?”, Lo'ak panted as he fucked up into you, grinding you against him on his member. "Noo, i dint fuck themmm!", you whimpered. Your puffy and sensitive clit was grinding against his pubic bone.
Your cunt was sticky and messy, sloppy all over Lo'ak's cock with a mix of your juices which splattered against your thighs, staining their mat below you. Lo'ak's cock churned into you, wet squelches echoing in the room, almost overtaking your moans.
“Oh shit! Oh, my great mother! I’m gonna come, fuck fuck fuck, I’m gonna come, please! Lo'ak let me come!”
Your walls fluttered and clenched, Lo'ak was moaning loudly and his hips stuttering up against you.
“Eywa, this pussy — you’re drippin’ all over me baby. Want you to come for me, yeah?”, Lo'ak's hand slid over the plush of your ass, forcing you to grind down on him while he reached between your legs and bullied your clit until your thighs shook almost violently. "You're taking him so well, syulang! Even better than me!", Tsireya praised you through your moans.
Loak pushed his thumb inside of your mouth. “Eywa, you’re so fucking beautiful f'me, and the way you’re suckin’ on my thumb like it’s my cock — fuck Y/n, you’re so sexy.", you licked the tip of his thumb as he began to remove it from your mouth.
You shifted your hips, Lo'ak's cock slid inside of you again until it was pressed against the tip of your womb. You moaned as Tsireya's hands traveled along your now sensitive nipples. “Oh, fuck, Y/n, the way you’re squeezin’ ‘round me — fuuuck , so fuckin’ tight for me, baby.”
You tried to respond, but could barely even focus on Lo'ak's face, eyes filled with lust. “That was so fucking hot, Y/n. Looked so pretty comin’ like that, going to pound you ‘n make you come again, baby,” he moaned into your ear, he fucked you so hard into the mattress, his weight on your body, you were very sure an imprint would be left behind when he was through with you.
You should have been begging him to stop, to let your body have some peace, but you was horny. Your pussy was fluttering around his cock as he whispered praises and curses into your ear, pounding into you, using your pussy as his own, until he finally came again, filling you with so much of his seed that it spilled immediately out of you and down your thighs.
Lo'ak pulled back, breathing heavy, eyes so dark as he watched the way his cum slipped out of your abused pussy, fingers already scooping it up from your plush and abused thighs, trying to push it all back in.
“I promise I'll never do it again.,” You mumbled, Tsireya smiled at you, toothy and wholesome as if she hadn’t just watch his boyfriend fuck the life out of you.
You fell asleep in Tsireya's lap knowin you would wake up to see the two Na'vi you loved most by your side.
#loak x tsireya#loak x reader#neteyam x reader#aonung x y/n#aonung#avatar smut#neteyam smut#neteyam x na'vi!reader#neteyam x you#loak x you#aonung smut#aonung x reader#neteyam x reader smut#neteyam#atwow ao'nung#loak headcanons#loak sully#loak x y/n#loak#loak angst#loak smut
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Head Cannon ~ Human! Reader always sitting in Jake and Neytiris lap at war meetings/communal dinners - once the kids where born, it now has layers so one of the kids (prob mama boy Lo’ak) sitting in her lap while Reader sits in Jake/Neytiris 🥹🥹🥹 They get strange looks hear and there from other clan members but after a (scary) look from Neytiri the turn around real quick 🤣
Y/N and Lo’ak in Jake and Neytiri’s Laps
a/n: i hope you all enjoy!!
—-
this is just so cute omg
for an older lo’ak- about the age he is in wotw
like you just sitting on one of jake’s legs and lo’ak on the other, having a full on conversation
like acting like jake is just a chair
laughing obnoxiously right in jake’s ear
but he loves quality time so he doesn’t complain like the good husband he is
also he’s scared of you and neytiri but no one needs to know that
sometimes he tries to say something and join in on the convo
you and lo’ak just going dead silent and slowly turning to him
he’s so scared what is happening
for a younger lo’ak he is totally sitting in your lap while you’re in jake or neytiri’s
for some reason i feel like lo’ak when he was really young would just touch your face a lot
just like hold your face in his hands and babble on about his mama
gets really confused when he turns his head and sees jake and neytiri
if you turn your head and aren’t facing him anymore he’s totally gonna start crying
someone shooting you guys a dirty look
neytiri hissing and if you were sitting on her lap clutching you closer
lo’ak crying more bc WHAT IS HIS MOM DOING
neytiri getting more pissed off
the only reason she’s not attacking them is bc you’re in her lap
jake being like “it’s okay-”
*getting a death glare*
“actually you’re right neytiri”
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OHHH OK now im curious. bc of this ask: https://www.tumblr.com/bonefall/729548700508160000/could-be-like-my-cousin-shes-100-percent-deaf-in?source=share
about dovewing being deaf. do cats in the BB AU have a signed form of clanmew? or is it basic gestures/just the written form of clanmew for deaf/HOH cats?
signed,
someone who really loves languages
(hoping to god i spelled everything right/actually used the right words. ive been rewatching 3 hour psych lectures sine 6am...)
They have a rudimentary writing system! Clan glyphs be upon ye
It's not phonetic Clanmew, it's glyphs. Snowkit, before his tragic death saving Tawnykit, was actually OBSESSED with these. If he'd survived, he would have built these out into something he could use to communicate with. He was actually a really interesting kid.
But, unfortunately... that passion went with him. Whitewing is the next cat born with a hearing problem, and she's really uninterested in them. She isn't the same creative person that he was, and struggled with the fact that her family seemed to imply she had to "live the life he couldn't."
(note: in BB, dovewing is lionblaze's adopted daughter and bio-niece.)
I think there's going to be a big of a tragedy at play, here. Whitewing has figured out her own methods of communication. It's not a full language, but she's able to communicate basic intent with "rudimentary signs" she's created on her own.
She was only ONE degree of separation away from Dovewing (as Birchfall's, Dove's mentor, mate), but...everyone was forcing Dovewing into what THEY felt she needed. More hunting practice, more glyph practice, more lip-reading. Dovewing wasn't allowed to set her own pace or learn in her own way.
And her response was to bolt, taking all the possibility with her.
IT was the right choice for Dovewing, I think. She thinks that too. But, it wasn't the ONLY choice, you know? There's always things left unsaid and things you'll never be able to try when you make such a big decision. Who knows what could have been?
Maybe Dove and White would have ended up creating the start of a brand new dialect of Clanmew Sign Language, or changed the glyph system in a way that fit them better. Maybe that's not what matters; maybe they would have just been able to make each other feel less alone.
But as it is...
Every deaf, HOH, and mute cat in BB is currently disconnected from each other. They can't pool their skills except at Gatherings.
So Fallowfern, Dovewing, Whitewing, and Stoneclaw all have their own unique way of communicating.
There are tail signs which are used for battle, and glyphs which are used for writing.
Info: Those who go deaf later in life are still usually able to speak. Those who were born deaf often have a harder time. (Clarifying because this is apparently not common knowledge?)
OH! Bonus! Here's how each of those four tend to communicate!
Dovewing
She's REALLY frustrated by everyone forcing solutions on her. I think part of her actually really likes that she can say whatever and then not hear the response. It's like, "Deal with it. Show me you care with your actions if it's so important."
ZERO patience for people who just try to talk over her. She will immediately respect you if you listen to her carefully; only then will she give you the time of day to try and talk back. She kinda treats it like a privilege to talk to her, and she WILL revoke it without remorse.
People who have earned this privilege;
Heartstar. Naturally. And all of their children.
All of the Guardian cats, especially Antfur who is her best friend.
Violetshine, weirdly enough. She visits ShadowClan now and then and Dovewing is very fond of her and her wife and husband.
Strikestone and her new family
Squirrelflight
Briarlight
Alderheart and Sparkpelt
Twigbranch
Fernsong (BUT HE IS ON THIN. ICE. As Ivypool's husband.)
Her preferred method of being talked to is glyph writing. Heartstar is really creative with them, and it's super endearing. She improvises signs a lot and draws full pictures, making whole "doodle pages", even writing little "love letters" in the dirt before Dove wakes up. Literally peak romance, Dovewing loves her wife so muchhh
Whitewing
Also has low patience, but in a more "quick" way. She doesn't like people who take a lot of her time trying to phrase something simple and act awkwardly around her. Time is prey to Whitewing-- cut to the chase and communicate what you need her to do.
Interestingly, this leads to her really disliking Bramblestar as a leader. He's very inattentive to her needs when he organizes patrols on his own. She has very strong opinions and bad synergy with some of her Clanmates, and if she's forced on a patrol with them it ruins her day.
(She's really relieved when Squilf is reinstated post-BOTTE, Squilf knows about this quirk and accounts for it.)
Her love with Birchfall was actually a long time in the making. He really sees her, and something about the way they communicate just clicks. It's easy. They were friends, then partners, and then eventually mates and have been close their whole lives. Their body language just makes sense to each other.
She's been deaf her whole life and only knows a few very important words, but won't "speak" words if she doesn't have to. She does have a habit of making noises when she's happy though, beeping, meowing, and meeping when she's surprised and "not in work mode."
Whitewing is the kind of deaf cat in those videos who sees their human is home and goes "MEEEEEEEEEA." She would walk into a bathroom and wail so she could feel the vibrations on her paws. Vocalizing feels good. She is NOT a quiet person unless she's hunting.
Her preferred method of communication is mostly modified tail signs, but ThunderClan broadly uses glyphs, but she doesn't want to correct them on it. She feels bad telling them it's frustrating that they take so long to draw.
Stoneclaw
She has selective mutism. Her vigil was the night of the WindClan Massacre, and while sitting outside the camp with her temporary silence, ShadowClan attacked and killed her sister Thrushwing in front of her.
At first, WindClan thought it was nobility, that she'd "carried out her vigil to the bitter end." But it never healed. It's not a choice, it's trauma. She can speak when she's extremely relaxed but it's a really rare circumstance.
But, the legacy is to her benefit. She's the granddaughter of Tallstar (through Flylight, his adopted son), has an honorable story, and is a strong and confident warrior... in the daytime. She never hunts at night, when the sun sets, so does she.
(Clan cats are crepuscular, working in the morning and in the evening, but Stoneclaw only takes daylight shifts.)
Glyphs serve her fine, but she really dislikes using tail signs to communicate... brings up really bad memories.
She would REALLY benefit from someone making an effort to "legitimize" some sort of CSL, it would be like a support club to her. SO if it ever happened, Stoneclaw would jump at the chance to join. She's probably friends with Fallowfern though, once SkyClan arrives. Stoneclaw lives to become a very old girl.
Fallowfern
Mom of the Road Safety Man, guy who knows a million words for vehicles, Rabbitleap, and best friend and co-parent with Hawkwing, Plumwillow, Fallowfern is an old cat who ends up losing her hearing later in life like Dovewing!
I'm actually not entirely decided on her personality, but I'm feeling that she'd make a really good "glue" to hold everyone together. Like some kind of organizer-type person, someone who's very good at networking. She's really upset to be losing her hearing, it signifies a lot of really negative things to her.
She suddenly can't talk with a lot of people... even the ones who are reaching out to her are doing exactly that. Reaching out to her.
She likes being the reacher-outerer. It feels like being old and washed up.
SkyClan is a very good, connected Clan, with bonds notoriously VERY strong in comparison to the other Forest Four because of shared persecution... but
She's got this awful feeling that everyone's just coddling her, being nice to her, sending her to the elder's den like a trinket on a shelf.
"Does this mean... does this mean I'm going to lose music? Will anyone dance with me ever again? Do my babies want me to join them, or... or are they just tolerating stinky old mama <:( ?"
They're NOT, btw. Of course not. She's Fallowfern and she means a lot to them.
So I think at the VERY least, she finds a fondness for Stoneclaw at Gatherings. Elder friends, girlies who bond over making little grandma bracelets, but I'm not sure if it's HIT them yet that they can do something very cool together.
In fact it would be kind of funny if they weren't even aware of each other's disabilities at first, like they just started hanging out quietly. Fallowfern assumed that Stoneclaw just doesn't have anything to say and Stoneclaw figured Fallowfern was respecting her silence.
Like something just gravitated them to each other in the most natural, orbital way.
And then Snapstorm, Stoneclaw's wife, bumbles up like "Hey babe who's your friend :) ?" And Stoneclaw smiles, nods at Fallowfern to introduce herself, and then Fallow's like... "Oh I can't hear you, honey."
Stone: !!! (Taps self and makes a crossing motion over her throat)
Fallow: O_O "Ohhhh"
BUT, anyway,
Her preferred form of communication is unequivocally glyphs. I imagine SkyClan might have more written characters than other Clans, simply because they used them a LOT during their time apart under Spiderstar's Plan. Plus, they used to see a lot of road signs which they may have just adopted as glyphs.
Hmm... yeah, seems very cute that The Road Family's traffic theme continues, lmao
#better bones au#deafness#disability#BB!Dovewing#BB!Fallowfern#BB!Stoneclaw#BB!Whitewing#Muteness but only for Stoneclaw#Also I need to add more deaf cats to RiverClan. Going deaf and noseblind is actually REALLY common there#So it's weird that RiverClan is the only one here with none#That's what dirty riverwater does to you#Especially from Chelford that water was FILTHY#Sanctuary Lake's water is pristine. It's like that Mewtwo crater water. SpARKLIN#tw ableism
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"The Sun and the Moon"
Part1
Backround about you:
Y/n té'fiti
(beautiful art made by Eana Unil)
You are the oldest child of Ronal and Tonowari being 16 years old. You are a worrior. You are taller then most female navi your age (same high as Aonung). You have a more toughter body bc of all the swimming and treining. You have tattos of all the things you achived in your journy to become a worrior. You are a serious person, get annoyed and angry pretty easy and your very protective of your family and peaple you love.
Your relationship with Roxto:
You are the man in the relationship. You are taller, older and biger then Roxto. His here to calm you down when you get annoyed or angry, but he also alweys drags you around with get you a little annoyed but you let him cz he is your sunshine(witch is also your nickname for him and he gets pretty flusterd when you call him that but he enjoys it). You are strong on phisical touch, its a way to show your love since your not much of a person to show emotion espect for anger and annoyenc, witch Roxto is used to but he still loves you. And he loves every contact you have with him.
(let the story begin)
You where on a hunt with your father and a few other hunters to gather food for the clan,when you all hear a horn being blown signaling that something or someone is coming.
"Come on lets see what this is all about." said your father witch you all nodded and started your way back to the shore on your tsurak.
When you get closer to the shore your saw your peaple gadering around darker navi peaple witch got you confused, what are forest peaple doing here. You looked at you father alarmed, but he only nodded at you saying to calm down but you only frowned. You dont like this.
Roxto and Aonung where messing with the darker navis about there tails, Tsireya noticing you coming immediately went and told them to stop. She knew you would get mad.
Once you and you father arived to shore peaple made path for you to meet the darker navi peaple. All eyes where on you both.
"I see you Tonowari.""Jakesully" your father and Jakesully gretted eachother as you did the same gesture of i see you to Jakesully and his wife Neytiri and they both did the same.
You turned around and cought the eyes of two boys that looked around the same age as you. They both did the sighs of i see you and you did one back. They where supprised i mean you where taller then most girls they seen, stronger and you did look bit intemedated, but you where very beautiful.
Then your mother came, you knew you mother was way stricter and more harder on peaple she didnt know, to outsiders, but you where to, not as much as her tho, you where a mix of both your perents.
"I see you Ronal, tsahik of Metkayina." gretted Jakesully " I see you Ronal." followed Neytiri.
"Why you come to us Jakesully." asked father. "We seek uturu." responded Jakesully.
"Uturu?" mother said in disbelieve, i was shoked. "Yes, a refuge for my family." Jakesully said. I decided to speak up "We are reef peaple, your forest peaple. Your skills mean nothing here."" We will learn your ways. Am i right?" Jakesully asked his wife desperet. "Yes."
You mother started looking at the forest peaple touching there arms, tails. "There arms are thin. There tails are weak. Your be slow in water." mother told, i agree what are they doing here there just ganna end up dead.
Mother then holds up a girls hand showing that there are five fingers insted of four. "These children are not even true navi." "They have demon blood." mother shouted. Everyone gasped, i hissed, demons how dare they show up here. I was getting annoyed.
"Look. Look. I was born with the sky peaple, and now i am navi. Alright? We can adapt. We will adapt. Okey?" Jakesully said trying to work with the peaple to let them stay. "My husband was Toruk Makto. He led the clans to victory against the sky peaple." Neytiri said getting mad. She looked at my father who looked awey, then she looked at me but i didnt looked away i held my chin high staring down at her with narrowed eyes. She was right he did win, but why run awey then, why hide. "You call this victory? Hiding among strangers?" i asked hissing, Neytiri looked down not knowing what to say. "It seem Eywa has tern her back on you. Chosen one." mother said witch angerd Neytiri who hissed at her and my mother hissed back.
I prayed my mother awey from Neytiri not wanting things to get ugly. I was starting to get really tired from all this. I held her by her shoulder and one hand on her stomack to calm her down. Jakesully did the same getting infront of his wife apolagizing fro her behavior. I just glared at both of them.
You looked at your father seeing that he is uncomfortable about the situacion, so you decided to speak "Toruk Makto was a gread leader. All navi peaple know his story. But we Metkayina are not at war. We cannot let you bring the war here."you told Jakesully getting frastueted, you dont want youre peaple to die or get hurt just bc of them, you dont want war.
"I dont want war. Okey? I just want to keep my family safe." Jakesully responded desperet, looking at you then your perents.
You perents and you looked at eachother.
"Uturu has been asked." said Neytiri.
You werent sure, what if they do bring war here, you dont want that you want your peaple safe, your family, your loved ones.
Your mother still didnt like the idea, but your father had a strong heart. Yor mother looked at you , you nodded slowly, if that what your father think is right then let it be. It was decited. "Toruk Makto and his family will stay with us, treet them as our brothers and sisters. They do not know the sea. So they will be like babies taking there first breath. Teach them our ways so they do not suffer the shame of being useless." father said looking at the family.
The Jakesully family thanked us.
"My son Aonung, my daughter Tsireya will show your children what to do." father said. Aonung wasnt very pleased with this "Father why-""It is decited. And my oldest daughter will teach you Jakesully and Neytiri." father countinude, i wasnt pleased eather, annoyed to say, that i had to teach them. It is easy to teach babies, kids they learn faster, but with adults it will be harder, but you did not say anything it is your father desision and you must listen.
"Come me and my sister Tsireya will show you our village." you said gesturing to Tsireya to folow you witch she happely did.
"This is for you.Your new home." you said standing infront of ther merui. "Yeah, this works. This is great.Its nice right." Jakesully responded.
(later)
As me and Tsireya went back to our merui i was stopped by non other then my sunshine Roxto.
"Ma Y/n i missed you." said Roxto hugging me from behind. "Sunshine." i responded tiredly, i just wanted to sleep now. I turned around and kissed his head.
He blushed and giggled "You seem frastureted, come walk with me. Maybe it will clear your mind" said Roxto pulling me with him. I grunted, i am tired, but seeing how happy Roxto is now i just let him drag me where ever he wants.
We stoped somewhere sitted down and just sat next to eachother, his hean on my shoulder and my arm around his weist. "I have something for you." said Roxto as he pulled out a beautiful makeshift bracelet. " I made it my self." countinude Roxto as he blushed and put the braclet around my wrist. I looked at the gift, it had pearls and pretty shels it was a very beautiful gift.
I smiled and looked down at Roxto pulling his face close to mine and kissed him. It was a passionet kiss, full of love. Then i pulled awey and started kissing his neck going down to his colorbone leaving heckeys, marking him mine.
"A-ah~" Roxto moaned. No matter how many times you and him madeout it was like first time for him. He felt so good when you to are thogether like this.
It was getting darker so you pulled awey and just looked at him and he was looking at you with a huge blush on his face and a little breathless. What a pretty sigh. You held his face "I see you Sunshine." i said. Your eyes where half lidded, you looked tired but he saw all the love you have for him. He blushe even more "I see you ma Y/n." his big eyes showing the same amont of love he has for you.
"Come now i need to take you home its almost eclipse." you said pulling him up and puting you arm around his weist and started walking him home.
_____________________
Thats is for part one of "The Sun and the Moon"
hopped you enjoyed.
Also to apolagize if there is writing mistakes, english is not my first language.
This is the first time writing something like this so please no hate.
#avatar#avatar x reader#avatar the way of water#avatar 2#roxto x reader#roxto#sunshine#sunny(him) x grumpy(you)
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Back To You (Din x Reader) - Part 18
A/N: I banged this out in about a week, folks. It just flowed. I honestly did not expect it to be this long, but as the rest of this series has gone, I had an idea, sat down, and like 85,000 other things happened, too. We have so much going on, action, adventure, romance, drama, Mayfeld…. ✨ This was so fun to write, you have no idea. Based on a poll, the people have spoken. One massive chapter. (Aka: Back by popular demand: my Din Rot. 🧟♀️) Our poor reader is going through it, folks. Through. It. But we see here there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, if only we’re willing to take a look around and find it. (And having a shiny Mandalorian to point it out helps.) 😌 (Also, once again, there is some lore in this that @writerlyhabits wrote in a fantastic short, and I loved it so much, I asked if I could use it.)
(This takes place right where the other one left off and goes to the end of episode 2x7/15, The Believer.)
I do not own Star Wars or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.
Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, Grogu being the cutest thing you ever did see, * and Din is once again a warning in and of himself in this one. Typical show violence. Swearing. Space swearing. Grogu is a menace. * * (I’ll remove these warnings when hell has frozen over bc idk what you’re talking about, Grogu is perfectly safe and totally not with Gideon right now, what do you mean? 😬) Arguing? Mando’a. Show dialogue, so spoilers? (But if you’re here, you know how this works.) Lots of angst. Tears.
Word count: 23,774 (I said what I said. We are IN IT. BOOM.)
As always, thanks to @grippingbeskar for encouraging me, looking over this for me, and being the one to introduce me to Din fanfiction in the first place, getting me hooked. You are fantastic and I always love our chats.
And for @fordo-kixed-rex, you deserve so much more than a shoutout for reading all 75 million iterations of this massive chapter from start to finish, and helping me in between. You’re a real one, friend. This series would not have gotten this far without you.
Also thanks @what-the-heckin-heck for helping me try to find a place to break this into two parts, and @littlemissmanga for reading over part of it for me! And @deceiver-of-gods for helping me with the Mando’a!
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Xxx
“And then you’ll need to-”
“I’ve got it, I’ve got it,” Cara cut Din off, ignoring his huff of annoyance. “I have a little more going on up here than you give me credit for, shiny.” Gesturing to her head with a grin, she just continued to stare at Din as he met her gaze in silence, the two trading an unspoken vow.
Finally Cara turned to you. “You, however, need to come with me.”
“What?”
“I need muscle.”
“Then send him.” You pointed at Din. “Guy sees me being the strong arm he’s just going to laugh.”
“You have no idea how scary you can be, do you?” Cara mused. You cocked a brow. “Just ask him.” She tilted her head toward Din.
You scoffed. “That doesn’t count.”
“No?”
“No! We’re a clan, family, togeth-” you cleared your throat. “He is just afraid of me on instinct now.”
Despite clearly being something, there hadn’t been time for you and Din to sit down and have any sort of discussion about what exactly you were to each other. You didn’t want to assume, but it seemed pretty clear where things were left. Regardless, saying it openly in front of other people before saying it in front of the person who needed to hear it first seemed in poor taste, so when you stumbled over ‘together’ and caught Din’s amused head tilt, you rolled your eyes.
“Mesh’la, the reason Gideon still has a bounty on you isn’t because of your connection to me, although I’m sure it doesn’t help. It’s because he’s afraid of you.”
“Why would he be afraid of me?”
“Oh, maybe because every time hunters get close, they get dead.”
You simply blinked at Din for a moment before your eyes darted back over to Cara, flitting between the two as you began to protest again. “No, he’s-”
Cara leveled you with a look.
Looking to the side, glaring at nothing in particular, you groaned. “Okay, fine. I’ll go.” You turned your glower on Cara. “Just stop with this whole judgyness thing.”
She got to her feet with a smirk. “Only if you two stop with the whole, ‘I’m an idiot’ thing.”
Din stopped you at the top of the ramp down onto the planet, piles of scrap as far as you could see. The giant creature-like machines similar to what had lifted the Crest out of the water on Trask lifting junk high overhead. The memory of those days made you smile sadly before turning your attention to Din. “If he tries anything….”
You scoffed. “Cara’s right there, Din. And you’re here. I’ll be fine.”
He huffed. “No. I was gonna say, punch him. Drop him. I don’t care. Don’t kill him, but….” You chuckled softly. “Whatever he tries, you do it first.”
“Do it first, but don’t kill him. Got it.” You nodded once. “But what if he tries to kill me?”
Din sighed. “Make it hurt. I’ll make him regret it after he wakes up.”
A mischievous grin turned up the side of your face, Din’s helmet tilting to the side playfully. “I can get on board with that.”
Following Cara down the ramp, Din went back into the ship.
“You’ll have to remove your weapons,” a guard droid buzzed monotonously.
“That’s not likely to happen,” you said lowly, a quiet laugh painting your tone.
“You’ll have to remove your weapons,” it repeated. “Prisoners could grab them and start a riot.”
“You have a weapon,” you pointed out, gesturing to its baton.
“Per code seventy five, sub section two, paragraph three of the New Republic’s prison charter, I am-”
“She’s a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of her religion.” Din’s modulated voice behind you caught you off guard.
She’s a Mandalorian. She’s a Mandalorian. She’s a Mandalorian. She’s a Mandalorian. She’s a Mandalorian.
It echoed in your head as everything else seemed to stop. Were you really? Did Din really mean that? Or was he just saying that to try and get you out of a sticky situation?
No. No, he didn’t throw around mention of the Creed lightly. It was sacred to him. Special. The code by which he lived his life and how he’d grown up. He wouldn’t just throw that around for the sake of a droid.
Glancing over at him, it was as if he could read your mind, and you supposed it must have been clearly written all over your face, because he gave you a single nod that you understood. You’d seen it a million times before. Learning to read the man under the beskar had been priority number one since coming onto the Crest…. Oh, who were you kidding. Since the day he walked into your bar.
He called you Mandalorian.
The droid’s head swiveled his direction. “That is not part of code seventy five, sub section two, paragraph three of the New Republic’s prison charter. In fact, I do not know of any rule that-”
“It’s fine, Mando.” Walking up the ramp toward him, you unfastened your belt, handing it to him. “Rules are rules.” Slipping your blaster with the mudhorn on it out of the holster slyly, you winked at him. “Keep these safe for me.” Turning back toward Cara and the droid, making sure to keep the blaster behind your back and out of sight, you tucked it into the back of your pants quickly, adjusting your top to cover it as you went back down the ramp. “Let’s go.”
Cara glanced at your belt dangling in Din’s hand, the smallest smile twitching up her cheek before her face fell flat again. She turned, beginning down the aisle between piles of junk, and you stayed a few paces behind her as she followed after the guard droid. Her face was pulled into a serious, no nonsense expression you tried to adopt yourself, but a smirk kept trying to tug one side of your mouth a little further north.
Creatures from all different species turned to watch as your little group passed by, eyes following as you turned corner after corner. They all had ankle binders on one ankle with blinking lights that reminded you of the tracker on the Crest. Your mind started to spiral for a moment, but you quickly steeled yourself against that thought. Before you could fully switch it off, though, a small pile of junk tumbled down off a nearby heap, creating a small landslide and sending a group of prisoners scrambling away.
The guard droid ambled over to investigate with a few others, all of them trying to corral the prisoners back to their stations, when Cara slid up next to you.
“That you?” She mumbled lowly next to your ear as she pretended to survey the pile of junk behind you.
“What do you mean?”
The look she leveled on you was highly amused but told you you shouldn’t be.
“We’ve all seen it the last few days. You’re hurting.”
Breath stuck in your chest, you looked back over at the scrambling guard droids as they waved their electric batons at some unruly prisoners. Blinking away the sudden wave of tears, you listened to Cara go on. I’m so sick of crying.
“It’s okay.” She lightly set a hand on the top of your shoulder, removing it just as fast. “You-”
“We’ll get him back, I know, I know, everyone keeps saying that.”
She let out a huff, pulling your attention back to her as she smiled softly. “I was going to say you lost someone. I know a little something about that.”
Your eyes zeroed in on the teardrop tattoo on her cheek, something in your gut dropping low at the realization. “Cara, I’m sorry-”
She held up a hand for you to stop, but you didn’t.
“No, here I am moaning about losing one person and you lost your whole planet, I-”
“Loss is loss,” she said softly. “The quantity doesn’t matter. It’s the quality.” Her head tilted affectionately when you sniffled quietly. “One little green magic baby is worth every bit as much as my home world. Especially your little green magic baby.” She held your gaze. “His soul is one of the purest things I’ve ever seen. So bright, and full of joy. And good.” Cara let her hand stay on your shoulder this time. “While yes, that’s something he has naturally, it’s also something that has to be nourished, and it started with just him and Mando, but then you came along….” She smiled. “You came along and he flourished.”
Her eyes looked over your shoulder, the approaching footsteps of the guard droid making your spine go rigid. “But shutting yourself off, letting whatever is inside your head that caused that,” she nodded towards the pile that had shifted in your distraction, “take root…. Don’t let it win. You’re stronger than that.”
“I don’t think that I am,” you mumbled so softly you barely heard yourself.
“I know that you are.”
The guard droid walked past the two of you and kept going, Cara pulling you along as she fell into step behind the droid. Stopping a few yards later in front of a pile of scrap and a lone prisoner sending sparks flying with some tool you didn’t recognize, the droid called them down, and you realized this was who you were here for.
Standing off to the side, one hand on your hip, ready to slide back to your blaster if necessary, you watched the exchange between Cara, the droid and who you supposed was Mayfeld. His eyes pulled over to you once or twice, something sparking in his expression as he looked at you from head to toe before quickly turning back to the droid as it threatened him with the electrified baton.
You let them continue to do all the talking as you hovered a few paces back. This was Mayfeld? He didn’t seem like much. Sidling up beside the guard droid, you tried to look intimidating, like the bouncers back on Coruscant in the higher end bars on the upper levels. Turns out you didn’t have to try very hard, one quick look at your vambraces and your hand hand drifting toward the blaster tucked into the back of your pants as you arched your brow, and he folded easily, following after Cara.
Mayfeld stumbled slightly, but you didn’t believe it for a moment, especially when he suddenly was just fine when you were a mere few steps away. “So you’re here as muscle, huh?”
“Something else I should be here as?”
He grinned slyly. “Well, I could think of a thing or two if I really put my mind to it….” Turning around the last pile of scrap, Mayfeld pulled up short when he saw Boba standing at the bottom of the ramp. “Oh.” He truly looked terrified. “You know, for a second,” he mumbled, “I thought you were this other guy.”
The guard droid turned to leave just as Din started down the ramp, emerging from inside the ship like a shadow.
Mayfeld sucked in a breath, the grin melting off his face in record time and his entire body going rigid at the sight.
As you walked past him you mumbled, “I’ll bet you thought it was him.”
Mayfeld scoffed in disbelief, watching you walk past as you smirked, passing Din at the bottom of the ramp and continuing up till the top where you leaned in the opening, arms crossed over your chest and ankles crossed leisurely.
“Mayfeld,” Din said easily.
“Hey, Mando,” the man dragged out the words with nerves. “Long time.” He chuckled nervously over the words, glancing at the other members of the party. “So what, you came here to kill me?”
Cara’s jaw ticked. “All you need to know is I bent a lot of rules to bring you along.”
Mayfeld held his ground, much to your surprise, and you watched his spine straighten under Cara’s distrustful gaze as you let your head thump back against the ship softly. “Why am I so lucky?”
She leaned toward him slightly. “Because you’re Imperial.”
Shaking his head, he took a step back, inclining his head incredulously. “Hey, that was a long time ago, all right?”
“But you still know your Imperial clearances and protocols, don’t you?” Din closed the distance between them slowly, his voice low, almost threatening.
Mayfeld looked back at the scrap yard over his shoulder almost longingly before looking back at the ship with a sigh as everyone walked up the ramp.
“I’d take the deal if I were you.”
His eyes snapped to you. “Yeah?”
You nodded.
“Isn’t that just what someone setting a trap would want me to think, though?” He grinned slightly, looking more at ease. He was toeing the line between the bottom of the ramp and the grimy soil of the junkyard planet, looking up at you where you still stood at the top.
You watched him shift his weight for a moment before trying your best behind the bar smile you hadn’t had to use in months. It put people at ease and got you the best tips. And it seemed to work like a charm yet again as Mayfeld took an easy step closer. “Do you have any other options?”
Din walked around the corner carrying your belt still laden with weapons just then. “Mesh’la, you’re going to want this back.” He didn’t spare Mayfeld even a glance, but you knew this was purely for his benefit, and it made an amused smile tug at the corner of your lips, taking over any attempt at putting him at ease.
“Thank you,” you murmured, taking it from him with one hand, and untucking the blaster from your waistband with the other. “Hold this for a second?” He nodded, taking the blaster from you while you reattached the belt around your waist where it belonged. You felt in balance again, more whole with the weights at your sides, the mudhorns adorning your hips. But not complete. No, so long as the kid was missing, so would be a part of you.
Looking back up at Mayfeld, you jerked your head toward the ship. “You coming?”
His eyes danced over each weapon hanging from your belt, his throat bobbing as he swallowed in trepidation. “Now I see why you were the muscle.”
Din chuckled softly as he finally turned to acknowledge the other man again. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Xxx
Din spun in his chair at a small console on the large deck of Boba’s ship to face your small party of five, Cara sitting across from Mayfeld and Fennec, you across from Din, and Boba up in the cockpit made it six. “We need coordinates for Moff Gideon’s cruiser.”
“Moff Gideon?” Mayfeld’s eyes went wide. “Yeah, forget it. Just take me back to the scrapyard. I’m not doin’ that.” He scoffed, slumping back in his chair with his arms crossed. You studied him. He truly seemed afraid. As he should be. Gideon was a formidable foe. But for all you’d heard of the elusive Mayfeld, the man retreating into himself before you was not what you expected.
“They have his kid.” Cara’s voice was soft, her gaze holding Mayfeld’s without even blinking.
The man hesitated before he spoke in a matching small voice, “The little green guy?”
Cara’s lips twitched up slightly. “Yeah, ‘The little green guy’.”
“Grogu.” Mayfeld looked over at you with an arched brow. “His name is Grogu.”
He turned to Din. “You pick that out?” His tone was dry, but his features were pulled tight in amusement he was trying to conceal.
The Mandalorian sighed. “No.”
You rolled your eyes. “A Jedi spoke to him in his mind and then told us.”
Mayfeld blinked rapidly as he stared at you for a long moment. “I’m sorry what?”
“A Jedi-”
“No, yeah, I got it,” he waved his hand at you, staring down at his feet. “But wait, why did the Jedi tell both of you? Why were you there?” His eyes narrowed as they flicked over your face. “You his bodyguard or somethin’?”
You couldn’t help the smirk tugging at the side of your mouth. “Or somethin’.”
Staring at you for another long moment, Mayfeld finally shook his head and turned back to Cara. “So…. I help you guys get him back, you guys let me go?”
“That’s not how this works.” She didn’t even hardly let him finish before she answered.
He scoffed lightly, narrowing his brows at her. “Well, then what’s in it for me?”
“You get a better view.”
Fennec gave him a sympathetic look before glancing your way. Understanding was written all over her face. What was her story? She quickly pulled her eyes over to Din, then the floor, schooling her features back to something neutral. Then she lifted her gaze back to Cara.
Mayfeld had simply stared at Cara the whole time after Fennec had broken eye contact with him. “All right, but here’s the thing. I can’t get those coordinates unless I have access to an internal Imperial terminal.” Oh great. This is over before it’s started. How are we- “I believe there’s one on Morak.”
Din went stiff. “Morak? There’s nothing on Morak.”
Mayfeld sighed, talking quickly. “It’s a secret Imperial mining hub, okay?” He looked down at nothing in particular, his voice lowering. “If you can get me in there, I can get you the coordinates.”
After a loaded moment of consideration, Din turned to the console and pushed a button. “Fett, punch in the coordinates to Morak.”
Boba’s voice filled the ship. “Copy that.”
You watched them all exchange ideas as you sat perched in a seat, crate in front of you strewn with blaster parts. Scrubbing at the trigger mechanism for an unneeded fifth time, you looked down to see it sparkle in the low light of the interior of Boba’s ship.
Din kept glancing at you from his spot across the way, he thought he was covert, but a man in brilliant shining armor can only do so much.
I’m fine, you mouthed the next time he looked over, snorting softly in laughter when he straightened in his seat at being caught.
He began signing to you in Tusken, the other members of the party looking on in confusion, but he didn’t seem to care a bit.
“That’s the fifth time you’ve cleaned that blaster in an hour. Any cleaner and you could cook with it.”
You rolled your eyes, setting the parts down to sign back, “Maybe that’s what I’m going for.” Your hands immediately began to cramp as they no longer held the same position, anything other than clutching at parts suddenly felt unnatural, and you glared at Din. “You did this on purpose.”
He shrugged. “Got you to take a break, didn’t I?”
“I don’t need a break….” You grumbled, picking up the cloth you’d been using to scrub the parts with, tugging at a stray fiber coming loose. “I need to…. To….”
“To what?” He encouraged softly.
“Do something!” You almost yelled. Looking around at the party wide eyed, you slumped back in your chair, lowering your voice. “Sorry. Sorry, everyone. I just…. I don’t do this whole waiting thing well. I…. Kriff. Sorry.” You turned back to your blaster, in as many pieces as you felt. “Just go on, I won’t do it again, I promise.”
After a painful moment of silence, Mayfeld quietly cleared his throat. “I do the same thing. I could probably disassemble and reassemble my blaster with my eyes closed at one point.” You looked up to meet his eyes, still fiddling absently with parts, and saw nothing but sincerity.
You shrugged. “I used to tend bar back on Coruscant, so I stayed pretty busy. I’m not used to so much downtime.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Mayfeld held up a hand. “You…. I thought you looked familiar!”
Narrowing your eyes at him, you dropped the piece in your hand in favor of focusing on this conversation.
“Lower levels? Next to the, uh, uh….” He shut his eyes, face screwed up in concentration, index finger wagging in front of him then tapping his chin in thought. His eyes shot wide open, finger shooting up triumphantly beside his head. “Next to the docks, the docking bay. The sign is broken?”
You smiled fondly, remembering the little hole on the wall bar. “Still is.”
“Yeah!” He cried excitedly. “I went there once or twice to meet up with some buddies.”
Narrowing your eyes again, you studied him closely. “I think I remember you now. Didn’t you come in with Nem?”
He pointed at you in joy, slapping his thigh with the other hand. “That’s the one!”
“Yeah, Nem and a purple Twi’lek.” Both Din and Mayfeld went rigid at the mention of the woman. “She was crazy.”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice distant. “We, uh, we parted ways not too long after. Too much for me.”
You smirked. “Had nothing to do with the fact that you’re serving time?”
Mayfeld tossed his head from side to side. “Well, that, yeah, and that she is also.” He turned to Din. “Do you wanna tell her, or should I?”
“Tell me what?”
“I already told you about the prison job gone wrong.”
“Oh that was this job?” You pointed at Mayfeld.
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Mayfeld protested, hands held up in surrender before one was pointing at Din. “It was his crazy ex that killed the guy.”
“I see,” you were trying so hard not to grin at how uncomfortable Din looked. “That part was conveniently left out.”
“I told you the Twi’lek killed a guard,” he countered.
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.”
“This is all very amusing, and we can continue this conversation later,” Boba’s voice came over the loudspeaker on the ship from his spot in the cockpit. “But can we get back to the matter at hand for now?” The doors to the cockpit opened and he appeared, coming down the ladder. “I did an initial scan of the planet.” Walking over to the nav, he pushed a button and a holo appeared. “This is what you’re talkin’ about, right?” He pointed at a spot and it zoomed in on a large building.
Mayfeld swallowed when he saw the image, but nodded, taking a step closer. “Yeah, that's the refinery right there.”
Leaning her hands on the console, Fennec bent toward the spinning graphic. “Wonder what they’re refining in there.”
Boba began to scroll through the different specifics of the information. “Looks like rhydonium. Highly volatile and explosive.”
Mayfeld snorted. “Yeah. Kinda like these two, huh.” He chuckled, gesturing to you and Cara with his thumb. When no one laughed, his features melted back to neutral staring at the holo. He glanced at you quickly, doing a double take when he saw your smile of amusement, his own small grin tugging up his cheek slightly as he focused back on the projection.
Cara reached out when he wasn’t looking and shoved your shoulder with a look.
“Anything else, old man?” Arms crossed over your chest, you took a step closer to the hologram.
Brow arched, Boba turned his head toward you slowly. “Excuse me? I’m not that old.”
“Tell that to your face.”
The bounty hunter whipped his gaze toward Mayfeld, both brows arched high. “Come again?”
Mayfeld looked up at the man with wide eyes, stuttering for a moment before he shrugged. “I said this ship is a nice place.”
Boba narrowed his eyes, flicking them between you and Mayfeld before turning back to the screen and continued scrolling as he mumbled, “They have anti-aircraft cannons protecting it.”
“And a platoon of security forces.” Fennec pulled away from the holo, turning to the group with a tight expression.
Din was having none of it. He walked up to the floating blueprint, staring at it, and you got lost as its reflection spun in his visor. “So we go in quiet. Let’s go get a closer look.”
As everyone went their separate ways, Boba to the cockpit with Fennec, Cara escorting Mayfeld back to their seats as he tried to jerk his arm out of her hold mumbling, “Is that necessary? It’s a ship, where am I gonna go? Ow!” you sidled up to Din next to the nav.
Studying the spinning hologram as it rotated lazily, you spoke softly. “It’ll work, Din.”
“I know.”
“It has to.”
“It will.”
“What if it doesn’t?”
“Mesh’la….” He reached out to put his hand on your upper arm, but you pulled back out of his reach.
“Not right now. Sorry. I just…. I….” Eyes cast down to the floor, you finally brought them up to catch the T of his visor, barely recognizing your own reflection. “I’m going to go reassemble my blaster.”
Din sighed softly, but nodded as you gestured over your shoulder with your thumb. “Let me know if you beat your time.”
Pausing for a second, you stared at him, a small smile working its way up the side of your face, before it fell once again and you went back to your crate.
Mayfeld was talking lowly with Cara off to your side. “Mesh’la. Is that her name?”
You swallowed down a laugh as Cara choked on her own spit.
“Yeah, just go ahead and call her that. It’s what she goes by.”
It took everything in you not to lift your head and glare at Cara.
The hull of the ship fell silent in the hum of hyperspace as Boba and Fennec came back down, Din taking his seat across from you as you finished the last adjustments on your blaster once again.
“What was your time this time?” Mayfeld asked, and sounded genuinely curious.
You shrugged. “I don’t know, wasn’t paying attention. Just trying to keep busy.”
He smiled easily. “Well it seemed faster if you ask me. The troopers on Morak aren’t ready for the likes of Mesh’la.”
If it was possible, you’d say the hull fell under even more silence, every eye turning on Mayfeld, wide and disbelieving.
“What?” He barked out, turning to each face, his brows drawing together. “That’s her name, isn’t it?” His voice faded along with his expression and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he turned toward Din and mumbled a quiet, “That’s not her name, is it?”
If you had to guess, Mayfeld was probably about to wet himself as Din slowly turned his head to look at him.
A glance over at Boba showed his eyebrows would have been in his hairline if he had any hair.
Jumping to your feet, you dashed between the two men silently staring at one another, your back to Din before he could get to his feet, but you felt him begin to rise behind you, the slow drift up of Mayfeld’s eyes confirming your suspicions. “You don’t get to call me that,” you said softly.
“What, is it a special nickname or something?”
Tossing your head side to side before nodding, you smiled gently. “You could say that.”
“Di’kut,” Boba muttered under his breath. (“Idiot.”)
Mayfeld’s attention turned to the bounty hunter. “What, is that another one?”
The other man nodded, not missing a beat. “Yes, it’s just for you.”
You and Din had to contain snorts of laughter, tucking your head towards your chest to try and conceal the grin that wouldn’t stop.
The gears in Mayfeld’s head were turning. “Oh. So I can tell people I have a Mandalorian name now.” He beamed with pride.
“You should definitely do that,” Fennec spoke for the first time since coming back down, a grin working its way up her face, too.
“How do you say it again?”
“Di’kut,” Din said slowly and clearly, chuckling when Mayfeld repeated it a few times.
“What does it mean?”
“It’s not really translatable,” you offered after a loaded moment. “It’s just understood.”
“So any other Mando will know what it means?”
You nodded. “Anyone who speaks Mando’a will know.”
“And probably a few who don’t.” You couldn’t help but snicker at Fennec’s mumbled comment turned toward Boba’s back and meant only for those beside her.
Turning to face the wall behind you to conceal your broad grin still plastered on your face, you tried to take a deep, calming breath, but it quickly devolved into more snickers. Din came along, patting you on the back with a mumbled, “Are you okay?” but his words bounced so severely with restrained laughter it only made you worse, and you had to tuck into his cowl to hide your growing snorts of amusement.
Fennec was chuckling quietly, her face still angled slyly into Boba’s back, while Boba smiled kindly at Mayfeld.
Cara, on the other hand, didn’t understand what the word meant, but knew it wasn’t good, and was blatantly grinning like a fool at the whole exchange, her feet propped up on a crate in front of her.
Mayfeld grinned, oblivious to the snide exchanges behind beskar clad hunters. “Wizard.”
Xxx
Standing on the top of a cliff looking down at a road on a remote jungle planet, you looked around in wonder. It was so green. And you’d bet there were fireflies here somewhere.
“There aren’t,” Din mumbled, stepping up beside you.
Peering up at him, having to squint in the bright sunlight, but also because you wanted to narrow your eyes at him accusingly, you asked quietly, “Aren’t what?”
“Fireflies. I already looked it up before we left the ship.”
Your jaw dropped. “How did you-”
He turned to look down at you, his head tilted slightly. “You’re like a book, mesh’la. Easiest thing to read.”
“Easiest thing to read,” you scoffed, turning back to look over the edge of the cliff. “I’m not easy, I’m Huttese if I’m anything.” Turning back to him, pointing an accusatory finger close to his visor, you lowered your voice further, grumbling. “You’re easy to read.”
“Even with the helmet?”
“Especially with the helmet. You have one look.” You imitated the beskar’s flat expression. “Just,” your face fell flat again. “It’s like learning Mando’a the first time.”
Din huffed out an amused laugh. “Oh, really?”
“No,” you finally grumbled, turning back to look over the edge of the cliff again, arms crossing over your chest. “But it still wasn’t that difficult.” Your weight shifted to one leg and you cleared your throat. “Had you figured out after your first few visits to the bar.”
“That soon, huh? Am I really that easy?” Din was just poking at the krayt now, with a small, small stick.
“Oh, honey, the easiest.”
You laughed at Cara’s response as she made it to the top of the hill, her arm snaking around Din’s shoulder playfully.
“What are we talking about?”
Din looked at her for a long moment before he grunted, shook his head, and shrugged out of her grasp.
“Oh, don’t be like that, shiny!””
Din rounded on her, his face inches from hers as a smirk climbed her face.
“Told ya he wouldn’t let anyone but you get away with calling him names like that. You owe me fifty credits.”
Din’s head swiveled over to stare at you, head slightly tilted to the side.
You shrugged, turning your attention to Cara. “Ah, nope. I only owe you half.” Her eyes snapped off the back of Din’s helmet to meet your amused gaze. “You called him shiny on the ship before we picked up Mayfeld, and he didn’t say anything, so….”
Din turned back to Cara, waiting on her response.
“That’s true….” She mused, eyes flicking back over onto Din, before meeting yours again. “But he was distracted.”
Shrugging once more, you scuffed your foot on the ground, “I mean, if you wanna get technical, that’s true. So I win and you owe me fifty.”
Din looked straight ahead with a sigh, his shoulders deflating in defeat.
“No!” Cara didn’t even hesitate. “No. Half is fine.”
“Is that settled?” Din’s voice was tired, making you chuckle.
“Yes. The others are here now, anyway.”
The three of you looked to your left to see Mayfeld leading Boba and Fennec up the incline, the two of them exchanging looks as he huffed and puffed from the trek.
As he stood near the edge, surveying the valley below, hands on his hips, he took a deep breath. “Wow! That is high!” Blowing out the breath on a long huff, he bent over and leaned on his knees, his face scrunching up like he ate something sour. “Let’s land closer next time.”
“Let’s not need a next time,” you mumbled, your mood taking a sour turn at the comment like his expression.
He turned to you, nodding, having the decency to look sheepish as he stood up straight again, his breathing finally back to something close to normal. “I’m not gonna need long inside, so once I get the coordinates, you guys gotta get me the hell out of there.”
Boba nodded as he stepped closer to the edge and peered down. “You get to the roof. I’ll drop in and pull you out.”
Another of the large transport vehicles rumbled past on the road down in the valley, all of your heads following it as it disappeared into a nearby tunnel to the left.
Cara cleared her throat, taking a step back toward the path down the steep incline. “All right. Mayfeld and I will swap out for the drivers in the tunnel.”
Mayfeld planted his feet, hands coming up to gesture while he spoke. “Hey. As much as I’d like to take a road trip with Rebel-dropper here,” Cara’s face twisted in a face that was not amused, “that’s not gonna work.”
“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” Her tone was wearing thin.
You stepped between Mayfeld and Cara, gesturing her back with your hand when she went to step forward. “I think what my friend here is trying to say,” you looked at her pointedly over your shoulder before looking back at Mayfeld, “is could you please give us a little more detail about why it won’t work?”
He nodded, his gesturing continuing. “Well, because these Remnant bases are set up and run by ex-ISB. If you get scanned and your genetic signature shows up on any New Republic register, you’re gonna be detected, and it’s guns out.”
Turning to Cara, you held her gaze firmly. “I’m not on any registers.” You turned to face Din. “I’ll go.”
Din just looked at you, no words needed, you all understood. No.
Ignoring your suggestion completely, Din moved on to the next subject. “We don’t have time for this. Fennec will go.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m wanted by the ISB. I’ll trip the alarm, too.”
Din sighed, looking over his shoulder at the other Mandalorian. “Fett?”
“Let’s just say they might recognize my face.”
Narrowing your eyes at the green beskar, your mind began to wander as you pondered his words…. He did look familiar. And in more than just the “I met you for five seconds when I was twelve” sense. But whenever you saw a familiar face in your memory, they were all in your childhood, on the streets of Coruscant. All in white. Troopers. Clones.
In fact you’d seen a few since being with Din on the Crest, old war veterans sitting against deserted city walls with signs asking for aid. You’d tossed a few credits when you could, a ration pack if you couldn’t, a smile and kind word if the other two were running dry. No matter what you had to offer, a smile and thanks was always waiting for you in a warm and similar voice. Kind, kindred, soft, but broken…. So, so broken. And each with the exact same face. Give or take a few years.
But Boba looked older than most of them. Could he be…. No. But…. Your head hurt.
Boba turned his visor to you just slightly, just enough to catch your eye, and tilted his head to the side knowingly.
You raised your eyebrows at him and he just simply bowed his head gently in acknowledgment, something so small anyone else that saw it would think he was just nodding off or something. All you could do was blink at him, his shoulders shaking slightly in silent amusement. Shaking your head to clear it, you tuned back in to the conversation at hand.
Mayfeld was still going on about the vehicle. “Great, so it’s me goin’ in alone.”
“Or I could go, too. It’s a good idea, Mando, and you know it.” It didn’t hurt to try again. He didn’t even bother to look at you this time and somehow that hurt more. The anger boiling under your skin since the kid was taken starting to simmer again despite your best efforts.
Cara and Mayfeld began to bicker yet again as Din used the scope off of one of his rifles to look at another truck driving by.
“I’ll go.”
Mayfeld scoffed, laughing quietly. “Hey, buddy, I might be good at fast-talking, but I don’t think I can explain away a guy in a Mando suit to Imperial guards. So, unless you’re gonna take off that helmet, it’s gonna be me goin’ in alone.” His eyes fell on you as his voice softened. “Or say goodbye to your little green friend.”
Din’s hand closed around the scope as he lowered it back to his side, the leather of his gloves creaking under the effort. “You’re not going alone. I’m coming with you. But I won’t be showing my face.”
Something about seeing Din under as much pressure as you, in as much pain, made your turmoil lessen slightly. Was that horrible? It wasn’t that you felt good that he was suffering, too. In fact it was the opposite. You felt the need to be strong for him. Be strong when he couldn’t. When he shouldn’t be. He was allowed to break, too.
Mayfeld ‘s expression was sour. “And big scary green Mando is out?”
Boba sighed. “Yes.”
“You sure, old timer?”
The bounty hunter’s voice had grown tight. “I’m almost as young as he is.” He tilted his head toward Din on his right.
“That’s why he keeps the helmet on.”
Both beskar clad men took a step toward the man, stopping when he slunk back around to hide behind you.
Mayfeld looked like anything else was preferable to spending time alone with Din. “Let’s circle back around to her idea,” he pointed at you. “She can go with me.”
“No.” Din didn’t even hesitate.
So neither did you. “Yes.”
He sighed, turning to you. “Stop.”
“Let the lady make her own decisions, Mando.” Mayfeld’s hands were resting on his hips.
You mimicked his posture, hands going to your own hips as you glared playfully at Din. “Yeah, Mando. You know I’m going with you. That’s not negotiable. You need me.” All around you, every member of your party looked down as little pebbles and twigs began to float up off the ground, suspended in the air while you and Din stared at one another. You let them fall abruptly after Din let out another sigh in resignation, grinning at him in triumph.
Mayfeld simply stared at the ground with knit brows for a long moment before asking bluntly, “What just happened?”
“Maybe someday I’ll tell you,” you put your hands on his shoulders and turned him to start back down the path towards Boba’s ship. “But for now we need to regroup and get ready. This needs to happen soon.”
“I mean, I don’t have anything but what’s on me now,” Mayfeld started, the twist of his smirk making you want to roll your eyes. Here we go. “The clothes on my back are all the ray of absolute sunshine over there would allow me.” He gestured toward Cara over his shoulder with his thumb. “But that could change really quickly if you wanted….”
Suddenly Mayfeld was stumbling ahead of you, and bright silver beskar catching the sun came up in your peripherals.
“What’d I do?!” Mayfeld objected, rounding on Din.
“I’m not quite sure,” Boba said from the back of the group, “but if you do it again, I have a very nice carbonite chamber you can make the ride home in when we’re done.”
Mayfeld gulped loudly, eyes going wide as his steps froze. Like the flip of a switch, his features twisted into amusement, a tense laugh bubbling out of his chest. “Nah, you’re joking. ….right?”
Boba had moved up from the back and fell into step beside you, his tone nonchalant as he continued to address Mayfeld. “It’s very real. I can have Fennec show you, if you’d like.”
Swallowing roughly, Mayfeld mumbled something about how he was fine and turned to continue toward the ship.
Inching closer to you, Boba leaned down to speak lowly next to your ear. “It’s very real, yes, but also very broken at the moment.” You smirked as he lifted his head back toward Mayfeld. “I think you’ll especially love the shuk'yc aspect of it.” (“Broken down.”)
You chuckled at the ribbing the bounty hunter was giving the man. “Be nice,” you mumbled toward the green beskar to your right, your threat clearly more of an acknowledgement of the game he was starting than an actual admonishment.
“Shuk-” After stumbling over the word, Mayfeld groaned softly. “Can someone explain that in a way I will understand?”
“I’m sure they could, but where’s the fun in that,” Cara mused as she walked past.
You shook your head. “This is osik'la.” (“Messed up.”)
Boba laughed. “It’s fun to jurkadir ti.” (“Mess someone around.”)
Mayfeld had turned back around to face the group and was walking backwards. “That’s not funny, guys.”
You ignored him, speaking exclusively to Boba. “Yes but the di'kut can’t understand it.” (“Idiot.”)
Stumbling as he continued to move backwards, Mayfeld righted himself, glancing over his shoulder as he prattled on. “What are you talking about? I heard my Mando name. That’s my name. I know that much. Are you guys talking about me? Come on!”
Boba shrugged. “Kaysh mirsh solus. What more can you do?” (“He's an idiot.” (Lit. “His brain cell is lonely.”))
“Hello!” Mayfeld dragged out the word in annoyance.
You smirked. “True.”
Boba turned to Mayfeld. “Just singing your praises.” His visor landed back on you. “Aren’t we, mesh’la?” (“Beautiful.”)
Mayfeld pulled up short. “Wait. I’m confused. Why isn’t Mando trying to murder him for calling her mesh- that name?” He stumbled over the word, stopping short when he thought better of trying to say it again. Turning to Din, hands on his hips, he raised his brows expectantly.
“I kinda like him. You on the other hand….”
Mayfeld tossed his hands up letting them come back down to his sides with a slap, a wry smile twisting up his features. “Ok. I see how it is.” He spun in a half circle away from everyone before turning back to look you and Boba straight on. “Ha ha, let’s keep Mayfeld in the dark - that’s not fair, guys! I’m a member of this group, too!”
“You’re right….” Boba mused quietly, tilting his visor down to meet your gaze. “Me'vaar ti gar?” (“What's new with you?”)
Looking up at him, you grinned. “Naas.” (“Nothing.”)
Mayfeld just stared, taking a deep breath through his nose, arms crossed over his chest, and his left eye twitched slightly. He turned to Din once again. “What are they saying?”
Din leaned in slightly and said in a dry tone, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
Mayfeld leaned back away from Din.
You laughed, bumping your shoulder into Boba’s side. “Vor'e, ruug'la jag.” (“Thanks, old man.”)
“U'tabi, ad’ika. Ori'buyce, kih'kovid gar. Gedeteya Ni guuro gar.” (“Tread carefully, little one. All helmet, no head. Be thankful I like you.”)
You turned your gaze up to his visor, finding it tilted to the side teasingly. “Gar gedeteya Ni gana jate aalan, ba'buir. Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?” (“You be thankful I have a good mood, grandfather. Are you looking for a smack in the face, mate?”)
He shrugged. “Haatyc or'arue jate'shya ori'sol aru'ike nuhaatyc. Gar cuyi copikla….” (“Better one big enemy that you can see than many small ones that you can't. You’re, cute….”)
You dropped your jaw. In Mando’a that last word was reserved for children, using it for a woman meant you had a death wish. Narrowing your eyes at him, you lowered your voice in playful warning. “Slana’pir, ruug’la jag.” (“Piss off, old man.”)
Boba laughed softly, but before he could respond, Mayfeld turned to Cara, asking loudly, “Can you believe this?”
Cara looked at him with a disarming smile as she said clear as day the one thing Din had taught her in Mando’a, “Ne shab'rud'ni.” (“Don't fuck around with me.”)
Mayfeld turned and walked off several steps, tossing his hands in the air again. “Oh, kriff all of ya!” He rounded on Boba. “How do you say ‘kriff you’ in Mando’a?”
“Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?” (“Want a headbutt, mate?”)
You choked on a laugh, turning it into a cough as you turned to the side.
Narrowing his eyebrows at the green Mandalorian before shaking his head, he turned back to the group, pointing at Boba. “What he said!” Then quieter, “I think.” As soon as he’d said that, he made his way over to Fennec, falling in step with her as you all continued toward Boba’s ship. “You know what they are saying?”
She nodded, not looking away from the path. “I know enough to get by.”
“Then-”
She interrupted him with a smirk. “Ner burc'ya…. Val bid mirdala.” (“My friends…. They are so clever.”)
“What?”
“No, I won’t tell you.”
Mayfeld turned in a slow circle, glaring daggers at all of you in turn. “When this job is done, I never want to hear another word of Mando’a ever again.”
“Koor,” you agreed with a nod, grinning when he turned his glare squarely on you. Looking at the ground to try and contain your glee as you walked past him at the bottom of the ramp, you mumbled a quiet explanation, “Deal.” (“Deal.”)
“You know what,” he grumbled, looking like a pouting child. “You can all go kiss a krayt dragon.”
Silence filled the spaces left between all of you, heavy and awkward. Sighing as you came to a stop at the top of the ramp, you turned to face your petulant new friend.
But before you could say anything, Din broke the silence with an easy, “Better than getting swallowed by one.”
Mayfeld scoffed. “How would you know?” He stared at Din, his expression quickly melting to wide eyed disbelief, his voice along with it as he mumbled a quiet, “How would you know?”
“Or being partially digested by a sarlacc.”
All heads slowly swiveled to look at Boba in silence.
After another long moment, Mayfeld turned to Din. “Oh, don’t tell me you….” Din shrugged, making Mayfeld wince before turning to Boba. “And you….”
Silence once again settled around you all, this time filled with loaded looks and amusement.
Holding his hands up by his head in surrender, Mayfeld looked at the ground, shaking his head. “I’m not even gonna try anymore….” He started up the ramp, mumbling, “I will never live up to my Mandalorian name. I’ll never be deserving of di’kut….”
Fennec walked past him, grinning as she offered, “Oh, believe me…. You already are.”
Xxx
Cara, Mayfeld, and Din left the ship to go to a spot a little further up the hill from the lookout. It was directly above the tunnel so the four of you could easily drop down onto the next transport.
“You coming?” Din stopped after a few steps, looking over his shoulder at you with a small inquisitive tilt of his head.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Once they were just out of sight, you turned to Boba as he came up beside you, taking the earpiece he extended your way.
“Are you sure you want to do this, little one?”
Adjusting the small electronic in your ear, a faint beep signifying it had connected to his comm once you had let it settle for a moment, you stared down the path where the others had disappeared. “No.” Looking up at the tall man with kind eyes, you smiled softly. “But I have to.”
Din had no idea about you taking the comm in with you. It wasn’t a big deal, all things considered, not as much as you actually going into the base with them the way you intended to. But if you got caught with any sort of communication device, any sort of interrogation you’d receive would be ten times as worse than if you just wandered onto the base. It’d look more like you were gathering intelligence, which was the goal of being here, yes, but you were just going in to clear a way to the roof as a way of escape. Din and Mayfeld were the ones gathering the intelligence. If Din knew you had an earpiece, he wouldn’t let you go, most likely.
“Channel three, if you get kicked out for some reason.”
You turned to Fennec as she spoke, appearing seemingly out of thin air on your other side. Nodding in understanding, you made sure your weapons belt was tight. “Channel three, got it. Otherwise we’re secure? Or do I need to worry about some sort of code?”
“This isn’t espionage….” Boba’s tone was highly amused.
“Actually, it kinda is….”
After an exchange of loaded looks, all three of you chuckled quietly.
“Long live the Empire,” Boba mumbled sarcastically as he turned to walk away.
“You should leave those here.” Fennec’s ever quiet tone made you pause, turning to her in question. She gestured to your belt.
“You want me to go in unarmed?” The scoff fell out of your mouth before you could stop it.
With a roll of her eyes, Fennec shifted her weight to one side before looking at you pointedly. “No. But if you go in loaded to the teeth with beskar, a loaded belt, and-”
“I’m not loaded to the teeth,” you protested, hands on your hips. “I’m not Mando.”
She huffed, pointing at each thing. “Vambraces - beskar vambraces - loaded with probably five or more weapons on their own. Saber. Blaster number one. Blaster number two. Knife….”
“Okay, okay, I get the point.”
“….Rifle on your back. Probably a vibroblade in your boot like Mando has and tries to pretend no one knows is there….”
You arched a brow. “You done?”
“….And it’s purely speculation, but you may or may not have a blaster in the waistband of your pants.”
“That was just to collect Mayfeld.”
Fennec huffed. “Please. You don’t trust him as far as you can throw him.”
“Considering my abilities, that’s actually pretty far….”
Fennec turned to leave, but you reached out, lightly grabbing her forearm to stop her.
“Wait, wait. I’m sorry. You’re right. I mean, no, it’s not in my waist anymore, but I’ve kept something on or near me at all times. But not just since Mayfeld…. Since…. Uh….”
Her features softened. “Since the kid.”
“Yes. No. I mean, not just since he’s been taken-”
“I know what you mean.” Her free hand came to rest on your upper arm softly, a kind smile pulling up her face. “Ever since the kid, period.” You nodded. “I wouldn’t understand if I hadn’t met Boba. Mandalorians are fiercely protective of anyone they deem family, beyond blood, beyond any bond I’ve ever seen.”
“Aliit ori'shya tal'din.” You mumbled the saying you’d heard Din recite to the kid time and time again, looking down at the floor before bringing your eyes back up to meet Fennec’s. “I’m not Mandalorian, though.” (“Family is more than blood.”)
She grinned. “Don’t discount yourself so quickly. Besides, that doesn’t matter. You’re family.”
Holding her gaze, your eyes went wide. “I have to get him back, Fennec. This has to work. I-”
“Then choose two weapons to take, and I’ll hold the rest here on the ship, stash them somewhere safe until you get back.”
“Two?” You whined. She arched a brow at you. “Fine,” you grumbled, turning down to inspect your belt.
In the end you opted to take the knife Din had originally etched the mudhorn on tucked safely in your boot, and the first blaster that had gotten his signet as well.
Unclipping your saber and second blaster, you handed them to her. “I’m leaving the belt on. Need my hands free.” She nodded. “Don’t lose these.” If looks could kill…. Then Fennec would be twice as deadly right now. Taking the rifle slung over your shoulders off, you thrust it into her waiting hand, watching sadly as she set it against a nearby crate before turning back toward you.
She held her hand out, waiting. After a moment of no movement, she trilled her fingers against the air. “Vibroblade.”
“Oh, come on!” She smirked at your complaint. “You’re leaving me defenseless!” Tugging the spare blade out of your other boot, you smacked it into her waiting palm. Waving a finger at her, your face turned stern. “You’re not getting my vambraces.”
“And your plan to cover them is….”
You thought for a moment. “Jedi mind tricks?” Your voice went up at the end, going slightly squeaky, and you cursed yourself silently.
Fennec’s face fell flat, her hand extending toward you once again, waiting.
“Nope. No way.” You leaned closer. “I’m Mandalorian, remember?” She took a deep breath through her nose in an effort to stay calm. “Weapons are part of my religion.”
“You’re not going to stop, are you?” She kept her voice flat, but a smile was tugging up one side of her face, betraying her true feelings.
You smirked. “What do you think?”
Xxx
“Where’ve you been?” Din wasted no time once you caught up with the small group on the edge of the cliff, quickly ducking onto your stomach on the ground beside him. You had to shove Mayfeld to the side with your shoulder, earning a grunt from the man, but he acquiesced, scooting to make room.
Before you could answer, your mouth opening as you took a breath, Din’s visor dropped down to your waist. “Where’s the rest of your weapons?”
You turned to meet the hard stare of his T, arching a brow as you waited. “You gonna let me talk now?”
A soft grunt was his only response, making a small smile work its way up your face.
“Fennec thought it best I leave most of them behind, just to be safe.”
A deep sigh in your ear had you biting the inside of your cheek to not react.
“Dropping me right in the rancor pit, I see….” Fennec’s dry tone made you want to laugh, but you just cleared your throat instead, looking down to the road below.
Boba’s warm chuckle drifted into your ear next. “Don’t worry, Fennec. I’ll protect you if the Mandalorian takes offense.”
“I can take care of myself, old timer.”
Boba groaned. “Not you, too. I saved your life, you know. You could be a little nicer to me.”
“I don’t know. Has a nice ring to it….”
Their argument continued, drowning out Mayfeld as he began to ask questions as well. Then Cara as she told the two men to butt out.
Closing your eyes to try and focus on at least one thing, you finally snapped. “Guys!”
“What?” Three voices beside you said in unison with two voices in your ear.
Snapping your eyes open, you stared ahead blankly, trying to figure out what to say that could appease all five people waiting on your response.
“Now’s not the time. Focus. Please.” You gestured down at the road with one hand. “We have a small window in which to do this.” The ground began to rumble beneath your palms. “And here it comes.”
The four of you exchanged looks as the transport drew closer, dropping down onto the roof once it began to pass into the tunnel.
Keeping low until the top of the ceiling opened up enough that you could stand hunched over, then making your way to the front. Once you were over the cab, you flung the hatch open and held it back for Cara as she dropped down, catching the drivers off guard.
After a few grunts and the sound of a fist colliding with cheap armor sounded a handful of times, you stuck your head down into the opening. “Need any help?”
Cara pushed the limp body on her right to the side and grabbed the lever directly in front of her, yanking it back with a loud huff. “No, I’m fine, thanks.” She stumbled a bit as the vehicle lurched to a stop.
“Just making sure,” you lilted teasingly as you pulled back from the hatch, gesturing Din and Mayfeld forward from where they had stayed in the back to keep watch on the road. Cara calling your name drew you back into the small cockpit. “Yes?” Everything was upside down from the way you were perched.
“Actually, you wanna help me get these guys outta here?”
You just blinked at her for a minute, confused, until she huffed again, lifting her hand and wiggling her fingers teasingly at you in the way she did when she talked about the kid and his powers.
You sighed, rolling your eyes as you flipped over yourself, dropping into the small space beside her.
“Thank you,” she sang happily, a wide grin on her face as she yanked the drivers door open to reveal Din and Mayfeld down on the ground already waiting. She tried to shove the body with her foot, but it hardly budged.
“Safety belt, genius,” Mayfeld mumbled, reaching out to click it open, the body collapsing further forward without the restraint.
Cara grumbled at him, gesturing him around to the passenger side with a jerk of her head.
When he didn’t move, Din gave him a gentle push around the front of the transport. “Go around. I’ve got this one.”
“But I wanted to drive,” he grumbled as he made his way around.
You unclipped the passenger side safety belt, the unconscious body slumping forward into the dash as Mayfeld opened the door. “You can, but let’s get them out of the uniforms and tied up first. We’re on the clock.”
Mayfeld wiggled his eyebrows. “Kinky.” He tried to yank the body, not making much headway, and looked across to see Din and Cara not even attempting to touch the bodies. “A little help here?”
“Step back,” you tried to wave him away, but he stood close to the door, making you sigh in frustration. “Di’kut, step back.”
A grin slowly spreading across his face, he stepped to the side with his hands held up in surrender.
“Finally,” you mumbled, lifting both hands to your sides and flicking your wrists outward as if you were shooing a bug, making the bodies fly out of their respective sides and onto the ground. “I’m not helping to get them naked, that’s your job.”
Din was already pulling the whipcord from his vambrace to bind the guard at his feet.
Mayfeld rolled his guard over by nudging his shoulder with his boot. “Hey, Mando. Got any to spare?”
“I do.” You stepped to the passenger side, pressing a button on your vambrace to let the cord spool onto the ground.
As the two men set about taking care of the troopers, you stood behind Cara as she messed with switches all over the console. “This thing going to explode when they put it back in gear?”
She snorted a laugh. “No. The rhydonium is still stable, and the engine is all in order, no fail safes that I can see.”
“No trackers?”
She looked over her shoulder at you, smiling gently. “No trackers.” Leaning closer, she whispered, “Hey, by the way, what does that mean anyway?”
“What does what mean?”
“Hey, look! Who am I?” Both of you turned toward the sound of Mayfeld’s voice to find him in the trooper helmet, his voice dropping ridiculously low as he monotonously said, “This is the way.”
“Idiot,” Cara mumbled, shaking her head.
You grinned and said lowly, “If you already know, why’d you ask?”
Her eyes shot up to yours, a laugh barking out of her chest before several more came out to meet it.
“Mesh’la?”
Turning at the sound of Din’s voice out the driver’s door, you saw him holding out a hand toward you to help you out of the vehicle. Taking his hand, you jumped down beside him, looking up at him with raised brows.
Mayfeld came around the corner dragging the other guard before tossing him beside the one Din had stashed in a nearby corner for Cara to deal with once you all left. He threw the uniform at Din, stooping down to pick up the drivers set off the floor of the transport where the Mandalorian had left it before disappearing behind one of the massive tires to change. After a moment, his shirt came flying from behind the huge wheel, landing squarely on Cara’s face.
She whipped it down, glaring at the tire, then at you, rolling her eyes when you held your hands up in surrender. Turning, she jumped back into the cockpit.
“Mayfeld is gonna die someday and no one will question anything because everyone will know it was Cara.” Turning back to Din, you chuckled softly as you asked, “I’m assuming you want me to stash your armor in the bag as you go to save time?”
He nodded. “It’d help.”
You returned the nod, following him to a secluded outcropping of wall he could step behind for privacy before taking the large bag he offered you and turning your back to him. Both to keep watch, and out of habit knowing he’d be removing his helmet.
Quickly and efficiently he removed each piece of beskar, handing it to you over your shoulder to set delicately down in the bag, making a mental note of the order. They were in such a way that they nestled into one another, stacking neatly.
Next, his flight suit was passed to you. Setting the bag down by your feet, you folded it quickly but neatly.
Placing it in the top of the bag, you shook your head. “You know, come to think of it, I’ve never seen you fold anything.”
“I know how to fold.”
“Name one thing you fold on a regular basis.” No answer. “This must have been before me, because I have only ever seen you remove your cape, and when you do, it’s in a ball shoved in a corner somewhere on the Crest.”
Din grunted.
A piece of material brushed your arm before disappearing, then reappeared along with a sigh from the Mandalorian behind you.
Turning toward the cloth you saw his cape and cowl, folded into a nice…. Ball. You grinned as you narrowed your brows at the wad of fabric in your hand. “How….”
He chuckled. “Years of practice.”
Tilting your head before you took a deep breath to ask another question, he cut you off.
“Not one word,” he grumbled, his voice bouncing as he stepped into the trooper flight suit.
“I didn’t say anything!” You protested, taking his gloves as he handed them to you over your shoulder. “Will you switch your helmet so I can help you with this shit armor, please?”
Din sighed.
“Is there a problem?”
“It…. smells.”
You couldn’t help but start to laugh, the sound growing when Mayfeld contributed.
“You, too?” His voice echoed off the walls of the tunnel from a few yards down where he sat in the opening of the drivers door, tying the laces of his boots. “Oh, my God, this guy reeked! His gloves are still wet…. Ugh!”
Screwing your face up in disgust, you turned around to face Din, doing up the top of the flight suit he still had open. “Okay. Well, then, let’s just get done what we can, and do that last. How’s that sound? We need to hurry, though, so I’m sorry, but you won’t get long.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” he mumbled, one ungloved hand coming to rest on your hip, lingering there before he gently pushed you to the side as he reached for the trooper armor behind you.
Jaw dropped in shock, you shoved his shoulder. “Fine. Do it on your own.” Turning to march off dramatically, you were stopped by a finger in the collar of your shirt as he laughed softly.
“Help me, please. I’m sorry.”
Grumbling, you grabbed the chest plate. “I’ll help you,” you mumbled. “Put this on upside down. See how that helps.”
Once each piece was settled, all that was left was the helmet.
“Okay, take a deep breath while you can, then put that ugly bucket on.” Closing your eyes, you held out your hands, waiting to take the beskar dome when he was ready.
A hiss of the mechanism sounded before it was placed in your hands, another mechanism quickly reengaging.
“Mesh’la.”
Opening your eyes, you came face to face with a trooper, and despite expecting it, you jumped. “Scary.” Din huffed. “You sound different.”
“I’m trying not to breathe too deeply.”
You grimaced. “What does it smell like?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Setting his helmet in the bag, you didn’t like seeing it staring back at you without Din inside of it. Cinching the bag tight, you went to lift it, but there was no way you’d ever be able to, it was too heavy.
“I’ve got it,” Din said softly, swinging the bag over his shoulder as he walked back toward the transport. He hadn’t taken two steps out from behind the wall when Mayfeld began to chuckle.
“Look at this. Oh, the shame. Now, that right there is worth the price of admission.”
Din ignored him, continuing on to Cara, stopping a few feet in front of her as if to say, “Well?”
She grinned, her voice tight from trying not to laugh. “Wish I could say it looked good on you, but I’d be lying.”
Mayfeld was still chuckling softly from his perch in the drivers side door, so you made your way over there, by all appearances, nonchalantly, while Din and Cara continued going over the plan once again. When you were close enough, you peered up at him, enjoying the way his chuckles began to slowly fade. “What’s so funny?”
“Are you not seeing what I’m seein’?” He pointed toward Din.
Looking over your shoulder before turning back to him, you arched a brow. “I see two men wearing the exact same uniform.”
He scoffed. “Well then you’re not seein’ what I’m seein’. He-” Mayfeld was cut off by an unseen force tugging him precariously close to the edge of the doorway he sat in, and it was a several foot drop to the ground below should he…. fall.
Taking a step closer to his flailing form, you leaned into him a bit. “You were saying?”
Wide eyes landing on yours, Mayfeld swallowed roughly. “He looks great. That’s what I was gonna say. Fits him like a glove. Second skin. Anything else?”
You pulled him forward about an inch, smirking when his eyes screwed shut. “I haven’t decided yet….”
“Mesh’la.” The Mandalorian’s tone was flat, and unamused.
“No, let her finish,” Cara added quietly. “This is my favorite part.”
“Hey, guys.” Mayfeld sat up and glared at you, the expression faltering when you arched a brow at him. “Still on the clock.”
As Din walked past the drivers side to get to the passengers side, Mayfeld tisked. “What would they say on Mandalore?”
“Di’kut, for one,” you grumbled under your breath, turning to face Cara.
Fennec and Boba had been largely silent since you had asked everyone to focus, thankfully, but this comment sent warm laughter into your ear from the earpiece.
“Whoops, sorry, ad’ika. Bumped the button on the comm while I was moving something,” Boba’s voice came through softly. “But as long as I’m here, just know we’re listening and ready to help if- when you need.”
You scoffed quietly, turning so Cara wouldn’t question you. “When I need it? Your confidence is overwhelming.”
Boba’s tone was amused, the sound of his pilot’s chair creaking and you could just picture him leaning back in it lazily. “Just call me optimistic.”
“I’ll call you something, old man, but it won’t be optimistic-”
“Did you say something?”
Turning to face Cara, finding her brows raised at you in question, you coughed, patting your chest a few times as you shook your head.
“No. Just swallowed wrong or something.”
Boba chuckled in your ear. “Careful, ad’ika. You need to be better about this whole covert thing, you’re about to be in a base filled with troopers. What are you going to do then? Start sneezing?”
Rolling your eyes, you took a step closer to Cara. Before you could bid her goodbye, however, Mayfeld began talking again, ribbing her as he climbed into the drivers seat.
“You know, it’s a shame you’re not comin’ along with us. You got such a sunny disposition. Can’t imagine how much fun you are in one of these.”
Nodding to Cara, you turned to head for the transport, but her hand on your elbow stopped you. A quick glance at her face showed this conversation had violence in mind.
“Hypothetically,” she began, licking her lips as she took a deep breath before going on, “if I were to…. Dispose of Mayfeld, could you - hypothetically, of course - use your Force powers to reanimate him so I could do it again?” She trilled her fingers on Force powers like she always did, making you snort.
“Hypothetically?” You turned to look at the man in question settling into the drivers seat, Cara’s gaze following along and glaring daggers as she nodded.
“You have twenty seconds to give me an answer before this is no longer hypothetical.”
Tilting your head to the side, you crossed your arms over your chest as you continued to study the man behind the controls. “And if the answer is no?”
She shrugged. “Then he had a nice life.”
Shaking your head, you tucked a laugh into your chest. “I know it pains you, but I need his help right now, Cara.”
“I know, I know, I was only kidding.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
You put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get through this, then we can revisit these…. Thoughts.”
“Promise?” She asked hopefully, but you knew she was teasing. She’d never actually follow through on the threat.
“I will do no such thing.”
“I thought you were my friend!” She called to your back as you climbed into the vehicle.
Din reached out a hand from his spot in the passenger seat to help you up. Taking it with a smile up his way, you hauled yourself up and called back over your shoulder, “Friends don’t let other friends commit atrocities!”
“They do if they love each other!”
Turning around to face her, you cocked your head to the side as you ducked down to see her through the opening. “Is that what you’re doing right now? Loving me by helping commit atrocities?”
Her face was comically screwed up in mock offence. “Hell no! This is for the kid. There’s nothing more of a just cause in this galaxy than that.”
“Are you two done?”
You glared at Mayfeld’s mumbled question, tripping as you turned to climb the rest of the way in, knocking his seat forward slightly.
Cara was glaring at him from her spot beside the transport, and she quickly turned to you. “Just give me two minutes.”
One of the guards tied up beside her began to stir, and without looking, she hit him in the back of the head with the butt of her rifle, sending him slack once again.
“You have a job to do, Cara. And so do we. Go.”
As the door sealed shut, you saw her roll her eyes through the viewport, hoisting the bodies in each hand and dragging them in the direction of Boba’s ship. What was going to happen to them? You had no clue.
Mayfeld was staring at the console looking a little lost. “What’s goin’ on here? Power coil, motivator….”
You leaned forward, reaching over his shoulder and flipping the proper switch to start the engine.
He glared up at you as he grumbled, “I was gettin’ to that.” Pressing a large lever forward, the transport lurched forward, the light at the end of the tunnel getting closer. “And we are off.”
Xxx
Mayfeld couldn’t let the silence sit for long. Turning to Din as he adjusted some controls, he tilted his head back slightly. “Hey, how’s it feel?”
Din, of course, was silent. He stared straight ahead, not moving an inch aside from the bumpy road jostling you all slightly, and it made you grin.
“Huh?” Mayfeld prodded after a moment. “I mean, c’mon, man, you still get to wear a helmet, right?” When Din still didn’t respond to him, he shook his head. “All right, you know what? I’m takin’ this thing off.” Reaching up he tugged off the helmet. “I can’t see anything.” He set it between him and Din and stared straight forward at the road, something in his voice going softer than before. “I don’t know how you people wear those things. And by ‘you people’, I do mean Mandalorians.”
Shortly after leaving the tunnel, your earpiece buzzed quietly with Fennec’s voice. “Phase one, complete. We’re in.”
Boba came next, all business. “Copy. Standing by.”
They went quiet after that, and you were thankful. You needed this time to try and get your head into the right mindset before going into the base.
Mayfeld kept glancing over toward Din, almost nervously. Finally he offered a quiet, “Feels better when it’s off,” gesturing toward his head where the helmet had been.
Din finally turned toward him slightly, looking at him, and the smile Mayfeld offered was nothing but relief. A smile that said, “Thank you for not killing me, I'm just trying to make conversation.”
After that Mayfeld must have been content with that response, because the cab was silent for a long while. You watched the green scenery pass by outside in a blur, startling at Din’s voice on your right.
“Mesh’la?” He wasn’t looking at you, but you nodded for him to go on anyway. “Go over the plan again for me once. Please.”
Mayfeld huffed in amusement, shaking his head as he mumbled, “The Mandalorian says please. Someone alert the Senate! Something big is goin’ on.”
Ignoring him, you leaned forward between their seats, bracing a forearm on each headrest. “We get in, I sneak to a supply closet for a disguise and get to the roof, clearing a path for the two of you….”
Leaning further forward as you trailed off, all three of you peered out the viewport at the hulls of burned out transports much like the one you were in sitting on the sides of the road. Not only were they burned out, it looked like they had exploded. Twisted metal and tires sitting in heaps.
The vehicles comms clicked on and a man’s voice said, “Juggernaut Four, you’re running a bit hot. Be sure to watch your cargo heat limits and speed.”
Another male voice clicked on, “Copy that, Three. We hit a couple bumps. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Don’t worry about the rhydonium.” Din’s voice was one he used on the kid whenever he would fuss. It seemed to work on Mayfeld as he glanced up from studying the read out for the haul. “As long as you drive steady, you’ll get us to the refinery.” Din turned his head to look at you. “Clear a path for the two of us to….”
You shook your head. “Clear a path, that’s it.” You met the gaze of his imposter helmet. “Once I’m on the roof, I’ll let Boba know, and-”
“How will you let Fett know?”
You winced as Fennec’s voice filled your ear. “Just so we’re clear, that was all you.”
“Yes, thank you, Fennec, I am aware-”
“Fennec?” Din’s voice rose as he went to get to his feet but you pushed him back down by his shoulders.
“Stop.”
“Are you wearing a-”
You tapped your ear with a small smile, keeping one hand on his shoulder. “It was my idea. I knew I’d probably need help in the base, and that way once I was up top, things could run smoother. Fennec and Cara are going to be focused on taking down any troopers in the way, they don’t need to be worried about comms. Let me worry about it.”
He went to stand again, but you wouldn’t let him, needing very little pressure to keep him seated in the awkward position of the cockpit. “Mesh’la, if they catch you, and find that earpiece, they won’t just send you to some max security prison. They are going to think you’re a spy and torture you first. You may not even make it to a prison.”
You can hear the pain in his voice. He’s scared. There wasn’t much in this galaxy that could frighten a Mandalorian, but somehow you managed to mash it all up into one situation and throw it at him when he wasn’t looking. He wasn’t just scared, you realized. He was terrified.
“I already lost the kid. Don’t make me lose you, too.”
Holding his gaze as long as you could, you appreciate somewhere in the back of your mind that Mayfeld has been quiet for so long.
“You’re not going to lose me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Mesh’la-”
“I kick ass, remember?” You tried to smile, but it was wobbly. The world began to swirl through unshed tears you tried to rapidly blink away. “I learned that from a good friend of mine. A good, good friend.” Lowering to your haunches, you took his helmet in your hands, tilting his forehead against yours. Swallowing a wave of emotion down, all you could manage was a whisper. “I learned that from you.”
Shuffling closer to him so your knees were touching his, you leaned into him a little harder, his forehead still firmly pressed to yours. “I need you to trust me. I need you to have a little faith, because I know I can do this. I need to do this. For the kid. And for me.”
Din took a deep breath in but you started talking again before he could. “No. This once, I need you to listen. I’ve done what you’ve asked since coming on the Crest, and before you start, I know, I know, you’re just trying to keep me and Gro-” You couldn’t say his name. Clearing your throat, you swallowed roughly before trying again. “To keep me and the kid safe. Now it’s my turn.”
With a sigh, Din slumped forward, his shoulders rounding in defeat. “I don’t like it.” He sighed again. “You’re right, but I don’t like it.”
“I’m sorry, did you just admit I was right?” Leaning back to look at his visor, you smirked. “Can I hear that again, a little louder please?”
Din groaned as he sat back in his chair. Bringing his hand up to rub his forehead in exasperation, he let his head thump back against the headrest then rolled it slowly to look at you. “No.”
You grinned at him. He wasn’t happy, but he was on board. Patting his knee, you pushed off of him to stand up. “Channel three. When you’re done and you need to know how to get out, channel three.”
Mayfeld kept glancing between the two of you and the road.
“What, di’kut?” You sighed, one side of your mouth quirking up when you saw Din’s shoulders shake in gentle laughter.
“Ah, nothin’,” he waved you off, returning his focus to the controls before glancing your way again. When he saw your quirked brow, he rolled his eyes. “You two together or somethin'?”
Neither you nor Din responded.
“No kiddin’!” He looked forward. “I was just joking, but,” he shrugged, “hey if it works, it works.” His fingers drummed against the controls. “The last person I had a sort of relationship with was a crazy Twi….” He grinned, his eyes darting toward Din briefly before returning to the road. “Then again, you were with her first, so what does that say about you?”
Din turned his visor on Mayfeld for the second time since getting in the vehicle. “It says the same thing that it says about you,” he grunted out. “Only difference is I corrected my mistake as fast as I could.” He turned slightly to glance at you before looking back at Mayfeld. “And luckily she was willing to make a mistake by choosing me.”
“Was it?” Mayfeld asked after a moment of silence passed, and you realized he was talking to you, face turned slightly your way to keep his eyes on the road. “A mistake?”
“I think it’s the easiest decision I ever made.”
Mayfeld huffed. “Stop dodging the question. Was it a mistake?”
“I don’t think you can make a mistake when you’re following what’s clearly the way to go.”
“Being shot at and, this is just me speculatin’ based on what I know of Mando, but spending days at a time in silence, hopping from planet to planet…. You sure that’s what you want?”
“No, that’s not what I want….” You grinned. “Good thing that’s not how it is.”
“Paint me a picture then.”
Din turned his head slightly to look at you, but didn’t say anything. He was curious what you had to say, too.
“We aren’t being shot at because we’re too busy shooting at them, for starters.” Mayfeld scoffed but you went on. “Some days I wish for silence, especially about hyperdrives, because get this man started,” you gestured to Din with your thumb, “and he won’t stop until he’s finished.” Din gently shook his head in amusement. “And as for planet hopping, yeah, that’s true. But I love that part. I’ve seen more in the last few months than in my entire life.”
“Is that it?” Mayfeld ribbed, looking over at Din quickly. “That’s all you’ve got going for you?”
You leaned over toward his chair, bracing your arms on the back near his head as you got close to his ear, talking in a low voice. “Not even close. But I don’t think that's any of your business now, is it?”
He swallowed roughly. “No, ma’am.”
You patted his shoulder lightly, making him flinch slightly as you smirked. “Good man.” Instead of standing back up in the back of the cab, you lingered near the back of his chair, leaning on your elbows on the headrest.
After a long moment Mayfeld turned to Din with wide eyes. “Look, Mando, I’m so sorry. Can we just forget about this? If I had known-”
“Would it have changed anything?” Din sighed.
Mayfeld turned back toward the road, eyes flitting between it and Din nervously. “Well no, but….” Din sighed again, making Mayfeld flounder. “Well, I would have been more sneaky about it, at least. I would have only done it behind your back, I value my life.”
Din turned to look at him slowly. “If you valued your life you would know it’s not me you have to worry about.”
Glancing up where you still leaned on his chair, Mayfeld’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly, hanging open when you finally spoke.
“Could you have been more sneaky about it with me, please? I’d rather not be privy to it either.” You didn’t bother to look down at him, staring out the viewport in boredom.
He slowly turned his head up to look at you. “Mandalorians are mean.” Shaking his head in disbelief he turned back to the road. “No, you know what? I have more to say. I….” He trailed off when he looked at you over his shoulder, spying your blaster hanging on your belt, a rifle taken from one of the drivers on your back, his eyes widening as they drifted up to find you floating a random manual hand tool from a compartment you’d found tucked beside you. He scoffed. “Oh, I’m so scared. What are you going to do, float me to death? Make me fly?” You smirked at him broadly, unhindered as the tool spun lazily above your palm. Flinching, he mumbled ‘I’m sorry’ rapidly a few times under his breath as he adjusted his weight in his seat. He faced forward again, clearing his throat before he spoke normally again. “Point taken.”
Letting the tool come to a stop, you set it back in the compartment it came from as you peered through the viewport, a small village coming into view. It reminded you of one of the first places you ever went with Din, the small town of Mos Pelgo on Tatooine.
Building’s barely bigger than the transport you were in lined the road for a short distance on either side, a handful of people milling around, going about their daily lives. While Mos Pelgo obviously had echoes of the Empire still clinging to its remote walls, this village was still steeped in Imperial influence.
No one looked happy, nothing looked cared for past the best of their abilities, which you knew was limited because of the chokehold the Empire kept them under.
Thinking of your time on Tatooine brought back memories of the kid, and any pleasant mood you’d found yourself in quickly began to melt away. Your stomach sank more as you watched Din’s head turn to watch a group of young children sitting on the edge of the road, his mind obviously somewhere along the same lines as yours.
Of course, Mayfeld couldn’t let the silence sit, but for once, you were thankful. It offered a distraction from the spiral you found yourself slipping into.
“Yeah. Empire, New Republic. It’s all the same to these people. Invaders on their land is all we are. I’m just sayin’, somewhere someone in this galaxy is ruling and others are being ruled. I mean, look at your race. Do you think all those people that died in wars fought by Mandalorians actually had a choice?” He looked over at Din, but when he didn’t actually get a reply, he went on. “So how are they any different than the Empire?” He scoffed. “Look. If you were born on Mandalore, you believe one thing, if you’re born on Alderaan, you believe somethin’ else. But guess what?” He reached out and softly tapped Din’s arm with the back of his hand. “Neither one of ‘em exist anymore.” Din actually turned to look at him, and he shrugged. “Hey. I’m just a realist. I’m a survivor, just like you.”
Din’s voice was low. “Let’s get one thing straight. You and I are nothing alike.”
“I don’t know. Seems to me like your rules start to change when you get desperate. I mean, look at ya. You said you couldn’t take your helmet off, and now you got a stormtrooper one on, so what’s the rule? Is it that you can’t take off your Mando helmet, or you can’t show your face? ‘Cause there is a difference.” When Din once again said nothing, Mayfeld went on, happy to continue talking. “Look, I’m just sayin’, we’re all the same. Everybody’s got their lines they don’t cross until things get messy.” He glanced at you over his shoulder, holding your gaze for a moment before his eyes fell to the floor then he turned back to the road and went on softly. “As far as I’m concerned, if you can make it through your day and still sleep at night, you’re doin’ better than most.”
The man’s voice clicked on over the comms of the transport again. “Control, this is Juggernaut Three. We might be comin’ up on some route interference…. Control, control! We need a new-” Blaster fire sounded over the comm before he was cut off by his own screams. They filled the cabin, bouncing off the walls of the small space before stopping all together.
Alarmed, Mayfeld sat up straighter, turning toward you then Din. “What was that?”
A female voice soon filled the cockpit, calm despite the situation. “Please stand by for reroute.”
No sooner was her voice gone than a giant fireball exploded not too far in the distance ahead of the transport.
“Juggernaut Four has been destroyed.” That same female voice, calm and collected once again announced.
Scooting forward in his seat, Mayfeld’s eyes were wide. “‘Destroyed’?”
You clutched the back of Din’s seat tightly, your fingers digging into the headrest as a wave of loss washed over you. Not for anyone you knew, but whatever had happened to cause that explosion, it sent a ripple through the Force, and almost brought you to your knees.
“Juggernaut Five, maintain speed and course. Proceed with caution-”
Mayfeld scoffed loudly, speaking over anything else the woman said. “‘Proceed with caution’? Is she serious?”
The man’s voice returned over the comm. “Control, this is Juggernaut Three. Requesting…. Abort! Abort!” Screaming once again filled the space, along with blaster fire over the comms, followed by another explosion, and this time you couldn’t help but lean forward with a small groan.
“What’s wrong?”
You waved Mayfeld off.
“Mesh’la?” Din wouldn’t let you push him away like you had your other companion. “Tell me. What’s wrong?”
Taking the rifle you’d taken from the original transport guards off your back, you tossed it to the side with a clatter. It suddenly felt too heavy. Too hot, like it was burning your skin. “I’m fine. It’s just…. Loss. So much loss. I didn’t expect to-” You stumbled as Mayfeld swerved to miss the fiery remains of a transport in the road, Din reaching out to try and stabilize you from his seat, and the rifle skittered across the floor.
A thud on the back right of the transport pulled all three sets of eyes in the cockpit that direction, Mayfeld deciding to stare that way instead of at the road as he barked, “What the hell was that?”
Din looked at the little screen showing a rear view of the vehicle. “Pirates. Keep driving. I’ll take care of it.” He got to his feet and lifted the window portion of his door up. Chatter in a language you didn’t recognize drifted in from the rear of the transport where Din aimed his blaster and began shooting.
Mayfeld kept looking between the road and the Mandalorian. “Are you seriously shooting a blaster near rhydonium?”
Din must have realized the risk because he stopped shooting and just watched before pulling back into the cockpit, closing the window before he headed to the ladder. “They have thermal detonators.”
“Terrific.” Mayfeld’s dry tone made your lips quirk up.
“Of course they do.”
“Just keep it steady.” Din started up the ladder, popping the hatch once he was at the top.
“Get these guys off us! Get ‘em off us!” Any calm, cool and collected Mayfeld had disappeared and was now replaced with frantic and chaotic Mayfeld.
At the top of the ladder Din looked down at you as you started to follow him up. “No.”
You scoffed. “That gets funnier every time, Mando.”
His top half outside of the hatch, he shot at one of the pirates, and it must have landed, the thermal detonator flying off with him and detonating, sending the back of the transport swaying from side to side precariously, and setting off all kinds of alarms. Mayfeld finally got them all back within normal ranges, the red readouts finally going green once again.
“They’re trying to blow the rhydonium,” Din called down.
Mayfeld rolled his eyes. “You think?” Then as an afterthought, “You should have left me in prison!”
Din started to come down, closing the hatch as he went, but stopped short when more shouts in that same alien language sounded from the back of the transport, opening it once again. Several impacts sounded as you assumed multiples of them landed on the vehicle, making Din spring into action, climbing back up.
He paused, looking down at you where you’d begun to climb the ladder once again. “Stay.”
Looking up at him with wide eyes, you just stared for a moment before proclaiming loudly, “I am not a tooka!” But he was already gone, out on the roof, so you crossed your arms and did as he asked.
One blaster shot went off followed by multiple clicks of a blaster failing. “Oh that is not a good sound.” You’d never scrambled up a ladder so fast. You got to your feet on the roof of the transport just in time to see Din throw the faulty blaster at the pirates.
In an almost comedic moment of silence, both Din and the pirates were frozen, staring at one another, then they all leapt into action at once, two of them trying to pry open a back compartment while the one in front charged Din.
They collided in just a few steps, Din reaching out and wrestling the staff out of his enemy’s hands, using it to knock him forward with a well placed swat to the back. The pirate stumbled towards you, and you tried to step out of the way just as Din kicked him in the lower back, sending him careening the rest of the way to you. The pirate tripped over your foot that was a split second too slow getting out of the way and rolled down the front of the transport, under the wheels, making the vehicle bump violently as it ran over him.
You and Din met each other’s gaze in silence.
“Well,” you said finally. “That went well.”
Din groaned, rolling his head as he turned back to the remaining pirates.
Closing the distance between you, following him to the end of the transport, you went on, “See? You need me.”
Din turned to look toward the front of the vehicle when it hit a large bump, blocking your view of the back, and neither of you saw the pirate coming up behind him until he was smashing Din’s left pauldron with his staff, then the vambrace, making Din drop to his knee. When the pirate went to strike again, Din reached out with his left hand to catch the staff, and you took the chance to strike, punching the thug in the face.
The pirate began to wobble, looking up at the sky like he was seeing stars in the middle of the day, and Din took the opportunity, letting go of the weapon with his left hand and instead using that arm like a bar, bracing it against the thug, his other hand flipping the body up and over his shoulder, and off of the transport.
There was one left.
Reaching down to pick up the staff the last one had dropped, you flipped it in your hand to face the right way. “Hey, Mando.”
He turned to you, catching the staff when you tossed it to him, orienting it properly, then throwing it at the remaining pirate. It hit its mark, leaving the roof of the transport trespasser free.
The pirates on their little hovercraft following along behind let out a war cry.
Din turned toward the hatch, calling down to your reluctant travel companion. “Mayfeld! Pick it up. Drive faster!”
The transport lurched as Mayfeld did as he was asked, Din reaching out to help stabilize you with a hand on your elbow, and you did the same, both of you stumbling closer to one another.
“It looks like they had the same idea,” you yelled, watching as the hovercraft quickly closed the small distance you’d gained. Soft alarms blaring from the cockpit got your attention, and you took a few steps toward the hatch. “What’s going on?”
Mayfeld answered quickly, “I don’t think faster’s a good idea!”
Din tilted his head at you from where he was standing further from the hatch, as if to ask what was said.
Lowering to your haunches by the top of the hatch, you repeated, “It’s not a good idea!”
As Mayfeld slowed the transport down, it lurched once again, sending you leaning precariously, and you had to rise to your feet to get the better of the momentum pushing you toward Din.
“What are you doing?” The Mandalorian barked toward the hatch.
“Bad, bad idea,” you reiterated under your breath, catching sight of the pirate ship closing the last few feet left between them and the transport.
Din readied himself, lowering into a fight stance, sending his fist into the gut of the first pirate who approached before moving onto the next.
The momentum sent the pirate hurtling toward you, and without thinking, you slid between his legs and popped up behind him, elbowing him in the kidney like Din had taught you - well, you hoped that’s where his kidney was, they weren’t humans, but they were humanoid - and it sent him stumbling further forward.
“Get down! Down and right!”
You didn’t think twice, just did what Din said, side stepping to the right and ducking your head, and not a second later the pirate was on the ground after Din had smashed one of the staves over his head.
“Don’t you have a blaster? And what about your knife?”
You grinned. “Now where’s the fun in that?”
Out of nowhere, Din turned and punched a pirate in the face, but the one he’d knocked out in front of you was back on his feet and tackled him from behind, knocking him to the ground. As he tried to get up, the one he’d punched swung their staff at Din, and he was just able to avoid it. When they tried again, he ducked, and they ended up hitting the other pirate square in the face, each reaching out for the other to avoid falling. Once Din got back to his feet, he headbutted the one with the staff, and elbowed a third, turning to punch the one that had knocked him over off the transport.
He turned to the side and couldn’t see you. “Mesh’la!”
“I’m right here!” You yelled from right behind him, making him whirl around, sighing in relief. “I have to get out of sight. We’re getting close to the base. They’ll notice someone out of uniform.”
He nodded. “Go. I’ve got this.”
Your eyes went wide. “Duck!”
As he dropped to the ground in front of you, a staff came hurtling through the air, narrowly missing him even in his crouched state. Leaning back out of the way, you avoided being hit yourself, pulled it out of the ground by your feet, and charged the pirate quickly closing in on you. Whacking him in the head once, you spun to avoid a vibrio blade he pulled, bringing the staff down on his hand to make him drop it. Spinning the other way, you swiped the staff against his legs, knocking them out from under him and sweeping him down onto his back with a thud. As he tried to scramble back up, scooting back on his elbows and pushing with his feet, you stood up and gave him a shove with the staff, sending him flying off the edge of the transport.
Turning to Din, your eyes wide, you rolled your head sarcastically. “Yeah. You’ve got this. Clearly!”
Before he could get to his feet, a pirate came up behind him, grabbed him, and flipped him onto his back, holding his head over the edge of the vehicle.
“Where are you all coming from?!” You grumbled.
You took a few steps toward Din, but he stopped you, pointing behind you as he struggled against his captors. Turning, you saw a lone pirate prying open the rhydonium storage at the end of the transport and setting a thermal detonator.
You sighed. “It never ends.”
Din started struggling more and headbutting, one of his captors going flying over the edge, so you focused on the lone man at the end.
Breaking into a sprint, you closed the distance in a few quick strides, using the Force for a little extra and launching, taking the pirate down like you did the guard on Corvus, wrapping your legs around his shoulders and using the momentum to pull him down. Grabbing the thermal detonator in the process, you sent the pirate flying with a kick to the back and threw the detonator after him.
The fireball sent each hovercraft into another explosion, a chain reaction of heat making the transport veer wildly.
The blast sent you and Din back, both of you landing in a heap of limbs, you against his chest. “I’m so glad you’re not in beskar right now. That would hurt.”
He was groaning. “I had it under control.”
You rolled your eyes. “Obviously.”
“Uh, Mando, I gotta stop. I can’t cross at this speed.” Oh yeah. You’d forgotten about Mayfeld.
Din was pushing you to your feet just as more hovercrafts appeared, all of the pirates clicking on their thermal detonators and letting out war cries. “Go. Go!”
You pushed his hands away from you. “I’m not leaving you!”
Grabbing your wrists, he stopped you, and made you look at him straight on. “No, you’re not. Now go.”
Nodding, you pulled back toward the hatch, taking one final look toward Din over the edge before you’d let yourself drop back in.
He sighed and stood up, lowering into a fight stance just as green streaks rained down from the sky, making him jump and duck his head, the scream of TIE fighters following soon after.
You ducked into the cockpit as the TIEs flew overhead, turning to watch them through the viewport.
Mayfeld let out a cry of triumph, pumping his fist in the air. “Whoo!”
“Woah, woah, hands on the controls, di’kut.” You patted his shoulder condescendingly, grinning at his annoyed glare shot your way that quickly melted into a grin to match your own.
As the base loomed large in front of the transport, you peered up at its massive walls, swarms of troopers pouring out of every opening to aid in the recovery of their haul. Melting back into the shadows of the cab, you watched troopers of all types manifest before your eyes.
Din dropped down beside you. Making his way to his seat slowly, his movement stilted, he groaned with each step, and let out one long moan when he finally sat.
Mayfeld looked at all the troopers with awe. “Never thought you’d be happy to see stormtroopers.” Maintaining his cover, he offered them a salute.
“Never thought they’d be able to hit something.”
Both men chuckled at your response, Din moaning with the effort.
Reaching out you put a hand on the back of Din’s shoulder to keep your hand concealed to anyone looking through the viewport, focusing on his pain, his injuries, letting your energy flow into him and pulling on the negative energy radiating out of every wound. You could feel him slowly relaxing as each bruise healed, skin knit back together, and bones found their way back to their original positions.
Until his breath hitched in his chest. “That’s new,” he mumbled lowly.
“Ahsoka mentioned it while you were sleeping. Explained how Gr- the kid did it, so I thought I’d try. Never quite been able to, but I’ve been practicing. Especially since…. Since he….” You swallowed roughly. “Since Tython.” Patting his shoulder once, you withdrew your hand, stepping further back in the cockpit. “Something clicked.”
Pressing all the way to the back of the cab, you mumbled into the earpiece, “We’re in. I’ll let you know when I’m at the top. Have to wait for a clear spot to get out of here and then find a disguise.”
Boba’s voice came back all business. “Copy that.”
“Got it. We’re in position, ready when you are,” Fennec added.
As the transport pulled into the base, you tucked back into the shadows of the cockpit. Pulling on something you’d never thought to try before, you manipulated the air around you to make you only appear as a shadow to anyone taking a closer look. It seemed to be working as one stormtrooper did a double take, looking right at you before moving on, satisfied that he’d only seen a trick of the light.
Din pretended to be fiddling with something between him and Mayfeld, messing with his armor, and taking a step closer to you as his companion disembarked the vehicle to rounds of applause. He looked right at you, standing directly in front of you and reaching beside your head with his right hand to fiddle with a panel, appearing busy to anyone looking in. He was too smart to be fooled by your shadow play, able to see you plainly, tilting his head slightly when you looked up to meet his gaze through the trooper helmet.
“I’m assuming you’re doing something so they can’t see you?”
You nodded. Concealing your form was one thing. Hiding your voice was another.
“Will you be able to maintain it?”
You only hesitated a moment before nodding, but he caught it, and sighed heavily.
“Mesh’la….”
Opening your eyes wide, pleading with him to trust you, you reached just a little further, speaking into his mind for only a moment.
“Everything will be fine, Din.” His breath caught in his chest at the sound of your voice in his head. “I can do this. Now go and find the kid.”
Din leaned forward just enough to touch his forehead to yours briefly, making your breath hitch.
“Do that again when you’re back in beskar. This is just…. Weird.”
He chuckled softly at your voice once again lilting into his consciousness. When he pulled back, withdrawing his hand from the panel beside you, he lightly trailed gloved fingers over the top of your shoulder and down through the ends of your hair. “I’m gonna go find our kid,” he mumbled. “Don’t get caught.”
Our kid. I’m gonna go find our kid. Our.
You couldn’t help the grin pulling up the corners of your mouth. “See you at the end, Tin Can.”
Xxx
It didn’t take long for the crowd to disperse once Din disembarked the transport. They all moved around Mayfeld and the Mandalorian as one body, congratulating them on a job well done for the Empire, giving you ample room to slip out unnoticed and make it to a dark corner, still using the Force to help conceal your presence.
It was the same principle as causing misdirection with sound, only this was misdirection with visual cues, causing shadows and light to bend a little differently than they normally would, making a person's mind fill in the blanks with something they expected to see instead of what they actually saw.
Not difficult to do, but a long one to maintain. Which is why you needed to find a disguise fast. You had already felt a large drain when you had healed Din, plus all the little things to show off and mess with Mayfeld, your battery was starting to run on low…. But there wasn’t time for that. You couldn’t stop, not until Grog- the kid was safe.
You’d almost said his name.
For the third time today alone you’d almost said his name.
Sure, when you were with other people, it was fine, you could distract yourself, forget about it, and move on.
But by yourself….
By yourself, here, in the camp of the enemy that held him…. With nowhere to hide and no one to hide behind, no one who understood, or tried to and said they did….
That made everything bubble up in you all over again, everything you had been working so hard to tamp down, to ignore for days…. It was just under the surface again, and it was angry.
Suddenly a new wave of energy washed over you, and you felt your jaw set determinedly.
This was for the ki-
For Grogu.
Let’s go.
You saw someone walking nearby. Stepping into their path, you held your ground when they stopped, pulling their gaze up to meet yours. "I need your help.” The woman looked alarmed, her face quickly screwing into anger when she realized you weren’t base personnel. Reaching out, you put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay calm."
"I'm calm." Her voice was monotonous, her features flat as she fell under your suggestion.
"You're going to show me a supply closet with uniforms then forget you saw me."
"I'm going to-"
"Now!'
"Now."
Boba began laughing over the comm in your ear as you followed the soldier with your head down. “Oh, that's gotta come in handy. Have a few people I need you to meet….”
You rolled your eyes.
In just a few short steps you were at the supply closet, about to send the officer on her way with no memory of your encounter. But then you realized all of the spare uniforms were troopers, none with a high enough ranking to get you where you needed. Turning to the woman, you saw her high level clearance badge and made a split second decision.
“Get in the closet.”
She did what you asked without question.
“I need to borrow your uniform and clearance card.”
The tiny space, close quarters, the unneeded pressure on you knowing their exit counted on you getting a coat…. Everything started to spin slowly.
The officer wasn’t moving quickly enough for you. “Hurry!”
Your control must have slipped in your haste, because the officer suddenly stopped, shaking her head as if to clear a fog, and looked at you with wide eyes. After a short stare off she reached for her comm, but only was able to click it on briefly. “This is Officer Leraay! I need help in the supply closet on level one! I repeat, I need-”
But she stopped, dropping the comm and suddenly clawing at her throat with eyes wide as she gasped for air. It wasn’t until her wild gaze fell on you that you realized you were the one causing her to choke.
“Officer Leraay? Are you there? Which supply closet, there are a few….” The comm buzzed a muffled reply on the floor.
Leaning close to the officer's face, you spoke quickly and quietly. “I’m going to stop, and you’re going to tell them it was a false alarm.”
The officer's eyes were defiant, but she nodded.
Releasing whatever hold you hadn’t even realized you’d had on her, she gasped for air, scooping down to pick up the comm. “F-” she coughed wildly. “False alarm. The door was ajar on closet three, I thought we had some mischief makers, but I checked it out. All’s well.”
“Want me to send backup to guard the door in case it was someone and you just scared them off for now?”
Officer Leraay looked into your eyes confidently once again. “Yes. Please do. Long live the Empire.”
The comm clattered to the floor as she reached to grab at your forearm that was now wrapped around her neck from behind. She scrambled against your chokehold, gasping for air, and…. Laughing?
“You rebels are so….” She grunted. “So stupid. It’ll never work.”
“I’m not a rebel,” you hissed in her ear. “I’m a bartender.”
You let her fall to the floor in a heap when she finally passed out. “And it’s working just fine.”
Fennec’s laugh filled your ear. “Wait, that story you told Mayfeld was true? You’re actually a bartender?”
Pulling the uniform off the officer, you sighed. “Yup. Born and raised on Coruscant, and worked in that bar since before I was old enough to legally serve alcohol.”
“You owe me a drink sometime. It’s been a while since I’ve had an honest to goodness drink I didn’t want to throw in someone’s face instead of enjoy.”
“You got it,” you huffed, pulling on the regulation cap. Poking your head out of the door and checking both ways, you mumbled as you started down the hallway, “I almost said Mandalorian instead of bartender.”
“Why didn’t you?” Boba’s voice made your steps falter for a moment before you pressed on, turning left to go up a set of stairs.
“Uh, because I’m not?” Stopping at a dead end with two options to turn, you sighed. “I need directions. Left or right?”
A moment passed as the beep of the holo projector sounded from Boba’s end. “Left.” Turning that way, another set of stairs appeared and you took them, winding up higher and higher toward the roof. “What makes someone a Mandalorian? Beskar? You’ve got that. A signet? Got that, too. A clan? A purpose? Tenacity? A sense of honor and a Creed?”
“You can stop anytime….” Another dead end. “These bases are laid out like a womp rat’s brain…. Left again?”
“Right.” You started to turn to the left but pulled up short when Boba huffed in amusement. “No, right.” Rolling your eyes with a sigh, you turned and went the opposite way.
Boba chuckled softly to himself, mumbling about your womp rat's brain comment. Some more beeps. “This right, then another, then stay straight until you see another staircase and that one will take you to the roof.” You nodded even though he couldn’t see you, walking past a group of stormtroopers. “I’m just listing things I know about you, ad’ika.”
Turning the next right, you came face to face with two troopers guarding the door to the hallway you needed, making you pull back and lean against the corner you just came around, your head thumping back against the wall. “Hang on. Gotta take care of something.” Adjusting the uniform, you held your head high and went to walk straight through the doorway.
“Halt.” One of the troopers held out a hand, stopping you from going any further. “Authorized personnel only.”
You scoffed. “I’m aware, trooper. Which is why I’m trying to get through. I am authorized personnel.”
“Gonna need to see some ID. Chain code?”
Nodding, you went to lift your arm for him to scan, but right as he brought the scanner down, you twisted and gripped his forearm, turning your body and slamming your back into his chest.
He hit the wall next to the door with thud, his armor letting out an exaggerated hiss from the impact, almost a high pitched whine, and it made the corner of your mouth quirk up briefly. The trooper let out an oomph but it was cut short when you flipped him over like Din had the pirate you’d punched on top of the transport, and he landed at your feet in a moaning pile of limbs.
“Stop!” The other trooper was shouting, aiming and taking shots with his blaster, but thoroughly missing you every time.
“Knew it was too good to be true,” you mumbled as his fifth shot ricocheted off the wall feet from your head, the next two bouncing safely away from your sides as he continued to miss from mere steps away.
Flicking the blaster out of his hand with a wave of your own, you turned on him, pushing him back into the wall and keeping him pinned there with an unseen force.
As the first trooper tried to get up, drawing his blaster, you swiped it from his hand before whacking him on the back of the head with the butt of the weapon, and sending him crashing to the floor in an unconscious heap.
Turning to his friend still struggling against the wall, you got close to his face. “Are there any more guards stationed on the way to the roof?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Oh great, a personality.” You pressed him further into the wall, taking a step closer yourself. “Are there any more guards?”
“I-”
“Ah-ah-ah,” you scolded playfully, a sly smile turning up your features as you wagged a finger in front of his helmet in admonishment. “Be completely honest, now.”
“I will be completely honest,” he droned.
You gestured for him to continue after a moment of silence. “Go on.”
“No.”
Smiling sweetly at the trooper, you nodded once in approval. “Thank you.”
Releasing your hold on him, he slumped down the wall, stumbling forward and leaving himself perfectly open for you to reach out and smash him in the back of the head with the butt of the blaster like you had the first, sending him down beside his friend.
“Are you done?” Boba’s dry tone made you roll your eyes.
“Would you have done better?” He chuckled at your sarcasm. Getting back to the conversation from before, you tugged the troopers just out of sight then continued down the hallway. “I have no Creed, old man.”
“I’m not that ol-” He sighed heavily, making you grin as he went on. “You’ve sworn to protect your Mandalorian and that child, have you not?”
You stayed silent, taking the last turn and set of stairs.
“As I thought.” Boba’s amused tone made the corner of your mouth twitch up. “You’ve sworn your own Creed. You are Mandalorian. Just like the shiny one said.”
Fennec chimed in quietly, her tone smug. “You’re also more than a Mandalorian to Mando, but that’s another discussion we don’t have time for right now.”
“She has all the time in the world. She just has to make it to the roof. Please, go on.”
Their quiet laughter filled your ear as you took the last hallway, staying straight and flying up the last set of stairs. “Now guys? Really? Can we do group therapy later?”
They just kept laughing, making you shake your head as you pushed open the door to the roof. “I’m on top.”
“Is it clear?”
“It’s about to be,” you mumbled, pulling off the officer’s uniform and rolling your shoulders once you were back to your base layers, glad to be back to yourself.
“Can you do this without any weapons?”
“Oh, absolutely, old man. The question is, what will you give me?”
“Won’t you simply enjoy the pride of a job well done?”
“No,” you said simply, kicking the uniform to the side. “I need-”
Alarms started blaring around the base, a male voice monotonously announcing over the speakers, “Security to main commons. Security to main commons.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, you let your forehead fall onto your forearms where they were braced on the wall you crouched behind. “Really guys?”
“How do you know it wasn’t someone finding the troopers you left behind that set off the alarm?”
Slinking up behind a group of troopers who still hadn’t scrambled into anything resembling a formation, you got close to the nearest one, tapping him on the shoulder. “When I get back on your ship,” you punched the trooper when he turned around, dropping him to the ground. “I’m going to hold you down,” sticking out your right leg you swiped the legs of the trooper next to the first before he could react, “and show you how a bartender expresses annoyance.” Pulling your arm back forcefully, you elbowed the trooper trying to sneak up on you, sending him to the ground.
Boba laughed. “Can’t wait.”
Another trooper got the jump on you, wrapping his arms around you from behind and keeping yours pinned at your sides. You tried to shrug out of his hold, but it wasn’t working. Reaching your leg up you twisted just enough to pull your knife out of your boot and swipe at the troopers forearms. He recoiled with a yelp, letting you go and you whirled around to face him, blinking rapidly when he dropped suddenly.
Fennec’s soft voice came over your comm. “You’re welcome.”
You never even heard the shot. How far away were they?
“Thanks,” you mumbled, tucking the knife back in your boot. “Now, old man, back to what I was saying.”
“You mean threatening?”
“Did Mando ever tell you about the time I blew up an alley?”
“That’s not a threat, nau ki’bas’ika, that’s amusing.” (“Little light bug.”)
Growling in aggravation, you charged another trooper, taking him down like the last pirate on the transport. It was your new favorite move, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Din kept making comments about it. Nothing at all, you thought with a smirk.
Leaping into the air at the last minute, you wrapped your legs around his shoulders, pulled him down, took his blaster and flipped it to stun before you dropped another three troopers nearby.
“That still counts as a weapon.”
“No. No, it’s not one of mine so it doesn’t count.”
“That makes no sense, nau ki’bas’ika, but okay. By those rules you used your knife, so….” He tisked.
“Kriff,” you muttered, throwing the blaster on the ground out of the reach of the troopers. “Dank farrik.”
“What? What did I miss?” Din’s voice crackling over the comm made you stop in your tracks, everything else falling away as you focused on the sounds of his breathing. It was labored, there was blaster fire, and Mayfeld was screeching like a drowning Wookie, but they were alive. “Mesh’la?”
“Nothing. Everything.” You smiled. “I’ll fill you in later.”
“Your little riddur has just lost a bet,” Boba explained gleefully. (“Partner.”)
Another shot whizzed by you, making you spin to follow the bolt, a trooper dropping mere feet away from you. “South wall, halfway up.”
“Fennec!” You cried exasperatedly. “Thank you, again, but can you give me a little warning please?”
“Don’t keep getting caught, then.” It sounded like she was trying not to laugh. “Drop.”
You did as she said with a groan of annoyance, ignoring the chuckle she finally let loose as a trooper thudded on the hard ground right beside you.
“They’re like bugs! Where are they all coming from?!”
“Stay down.”
You’d begun to get up but dropped back onto your stomach, covering your head with your hands. Several shots fired in succession, then silence. Turning to look over your shoulder, you thought better of it and stopped, shaking your head as you got back to your feet. “I’m not even gonna look.”
“You’re welcome…. Again.”
“Yeah, yeah, I owe you a drink, Fennec, I know.”
“A good one.”
“The best.”
All the joking fell out of her tone. “We’re on. Start your run.”
The beeps of the console and the engine firing up filled your ear as Boba confirmed, “On my way.”
“Fennec, you and Cara focus on them. I’ve got it covered up here.”
“Well, we’ve got it covered down here,” Din’s voice countered.
“Too bad, Tin Can. Fennec, help them.”
“Sorry, Mando. She’s promised me a drink.”
Din groaned in understanding. “Can’t argue with that.”
“Sorry you didn’t get to take the quiet way out,” you offered Din, running to the edge of the roof.
He huffed out a laugh. “That’s okay. We’re taking the scenic route.”
“The scenic route?!” Mayfeld’s voice boomed in your ear, making you wince. “Was this always the plan? Because I was not included in these discussions.”
“Oh, you mean like I wasn’t included in that whole thing you just pulled down there in the main commons?” Din’s tone was dry.
Mayfeld chuckled nervously. “Look, I got us out in one piece, didn’t I?”
“That’s still being proven,” you mumbled. Helping Din and Mayfeld up over the edge onto the roof, you all ducked when a new wave of troopers began shooting at your small group.
One of the troopers tried to sneak around to the side but was quickly dropped by your friends sniping on the ridge.
“Osik! Di’kut!” You hissed. (“Shit!”) (“Idiot!”)
Mayfeld turned to you. “What?”
You looked at him wide eyed. “Oh. Sorry, no I-” you waved your hands as you explained, ducking further below the outcropping the three of you had dodged behind as more shots bounced off the top. “I meant ‘shit, these troopers are idiots’.”
He nodded. “Oh.” Then shook his head and stared at you. “What?”
It took you a second, but you stood up once the blaster fire slowed, running for the edge when you heard Boba’s ship approaching. “Have I ever mentioned how smart you are?”
Mayfeld’s steps stuttered. “Huh?”
You stared at the tree line far below with wide eyes before schooling your features and turning back to face him. “Yeah! Mando mentioned you thought of that plan to stall in the main commons. Brilliant move, di’kut. Brilliant.”
He smiled. “Oh, you liked that, huh?”
You turned back toward the edge as Boba’s ship flew over, the ramp lowering. “Mmmm…. It was a plan.” Running at a full sprint, you stepped up onto the edge and leapt across the gap onto the lowered ramp of Boba’s ship.
Turning once you found your footing, you held out a hand toward the two men, yelling over the roar of the engines. “Jump! I’ve got you!”
Din was the first to jump across, not even hesitating.
And to his credit, neither did Mayfeld, but he did let out a terrified yell the whole way across. Din helped him up and further into the ship as Boba began to fly off.
Mayfeld paused, turning back to the base with a haunted look before motioning toward Din. “Hand me that cycler rifle.”
You knew that look on Mayfeld’s face. You saw it every time you looked in any reflective surface lately. He was fighting his demons.
Din handed him the rifle leaning just inside Boba’s ship, and looked at you with a shrug.
You watched as a Mayfeld lifted the rifle, braced it against his shoulder, and took aim.
With a single shot he took out one of the transports filled with rhydonium parked on the roof, making it explode in a ball of fire and causing a chain reaction that left the base in flames.
“Nice shot,” Fennec mused in your ear, and you could hear Cara’s bewildered hum of agreement from somewhere beside her.
Mayfeld turned to head into the ship, pausing in front of Din and meeting his visor. “We all need to sleep at night.”
Din turned to face you, finding you staring down at the base with your arms crossed over your chest. “Come on, mesh’la. We need to go and strap in.”
“It’s my fault.”
He took a step closer, his chest brushing along your shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“The officer I got the uniform from, I…. I knocked her out, left her in a closet. Now with the base going up, I…. She may have gotten out if she wasn’t unconscious, or at least had the chance to run, but because of me…. If I hadn’t….”
“Hey, get your asses in here and strapped down.” Mayfeld yelled to be heard over the roar of the wind rushing around the open ramp. “They’ll be sending TIE fighters soon.”
Turning, you walked side by side with Din, his hand on your lower back as you went to the first two available seats, Din beside Mayfeld and you across from both of them, quickly strapping in.
Boba’s voice came over the comms, “We got company.” Alarms were blaring. “Hang on.”
As the ship took a sharp turn, Din grunted, his arms flailing comically in the abrupt gravity shift.
“It’s not your fault,” he ground out.
“What’s not?” Mayfeld asked.
“She thinks that if the guard she got the uniform from dies in the fire you set because she was unconscious and unable to move, that it was her fault.”
Mayfeld turned to you with knit brows, groaning as Boba took another sharp turn. “No, no, that’s all me. It would be my fault. I set the fire.”
“But I-”
“Doesn’t matter,” he cut you off. “It’s mine. You can’t take it from me. I own that.” The ship evened out, and he sighed in relief. “You worry about that little green guy. Yeah, him and brown eyes over here.” He jerked his head toward Din. “Let me worry about that other stuff.”
“Brown eyes, huh?” You narrowed your brows at Din.
“I’ll explain later,” he said so lowly you barely heard him.
Xxx
You stayed in the main area of the ship, reattaching your weapons to your belt while Din and Mayfeld changed back into their own clothes.
Of course Mayfeld was ready long before Din was, since he didn’t have all the armor to put back on. He sidled up to you with a small smile, watching you polish your blaster before seating it back in its holster.
You opened your mouth to say something but stopped and shook your head.
“What?” He asked curiously.
“No, no, never mind.” You waved him off.
“What?” He laughed over the words. “What is it?”
“You said you didn’t want to hear Mando’a ever again.”
“Yeah, well,” he shrugged and rolled his eyes, “it’s grown on me.”
You grinned. “Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman.” He narrowed his eyebrows at you. “You want me to translate?” (“A friend during danger is a true friend.”)
He thought for a moment, looking down at the ground before he smiled. “Nah.” Pulling his eyes up to yours, it was the first truly friendly, open, and honest expression you’d seen on his face since meeting him days ago. “Nah, I’m good.” He leaned in closer to you, his voice lowering near a whisper. “I think I get the gist.” Standing up straight, Mayfeld’s face took on a mischievous look. “Hey, Mando! Your girl here just professed her undying love for me!” Sending a wink your way, Mayfeld was grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah?” Mando called from around the corner where he was still attaching his armor.
“Yeah! What are ya gonna do about it?”
“Well….” He came around the corner, adjusting his vambraces. “Killing you sounds like the obvious first step.”
“Me?” Mayfeld asked in shock. “What about her?”
Din shrugged. “Everybody makes mistakes.”
Glowering at Mayfeld, you reached out and shoved his shoulder. “That’s the last time I’m nice to you.”
“No, don’t say that,” he grinned, starting down the ramp. He paused, turning to face you one more time. “But, just…. Will you answer me one thing that’s been bothering me?”
You sighed. “I’ll try.”
“Why’s the little green guy so important to you? I mean besides him?” Mayfeld pointed at Din.
“She’s his buir,” Boba said, walking past from the cockpit and down the ramp. He paused halfway down, turning to clarify, “He’s her son.” (“Mother.”)
Mayfeld’s head snapped back from Boba to you, looking you up and down quickly, eyes wide. “Your…. Are you a changeling or somethin’?”
Boba came back in, hooked a finger inside the front of Mayfeld’s shirt and dragged him down the ramp.
“So how old are you really? ‘Cause I could have sworn….” Mayfeld trailed off when Boba turned to him with an arched brow. “….that you didn’t look a day over….” The second brow shot up. “….the weather is great here, isn’t it?”
“I take it back,” you mumbled, watching Boba pull him down the ramp. “There may be some disagreement over whether it’s Cara or Boba that ends up doing him in.”
As his voice trailed off once they were near the bottom of the ramp, you turned to Din. “Why’d he call you brown eyes?”
Din sighed the heaviest sigh you’d ever seen him give. “I had to remove my helmet for the scanner to scan my face.” He just stared at your wide eyed expression before he went on. “Then one of the higher ranking officers roped us into drinks before I could get it back on. To cover for me, Mayfeld said everyone just called me brown eyes.” He saw the smile starting to turn up your face, and held up a finger in warning. “No. Don’t even start.”
“Oh, yes. That’s going into my rotation.” You reached out to place your hand on his forearm. “But, Din…. You showed your face. What does that mean?”
“I…. I don’t know. Technically the machine isn’t a living being, so it doesn’t count, and if you want all the loopholes, it wasn’t my helmet, all the others who saw me are dead-”
“Except Mayfeld.”
“I can fix that.” His hand went to his blaster.
You laughed. Really laughed, head tossed back and eyes shut for the first time in weeks. “No, Din.”
He groaned in annoyance. “He handed me the helmet back at the end and told me he never saw my face, so I guess I owe him, anyway.”
Both of you started down the ramp. “So how were drinks with an Imp?”
Din grunted, making you laugh. “Didn’t even get to finish my drink.”
You smirked, thinking back to all the times at the bar he’d slide you his drink when his contact would never show. “That’s nothing new.”
Cara was talking to Mayfeld a few feet from the bottom of the ramp.
“The saber get you?” Cara laughed.
Mayfeld just blinked at her. “What saber? Did you see the look she gave me? Also, she must be a changeling, because scary green Mando said-”
Cara whacked him on the back of the head. “She’s a Jedi, you idiot.”
“Oh, great, a Mandalorian and a wizard. What a lovely couple.”
“Gets the job done,” you mumbled close to his ear, making him jump in surprise. “And no, I’m not a changeling, di’kut. Not all families are made. Some are found.”
Nodding, Mayfeld turned to Din. “Well, looks like it’s back to the scrap heap.”
Din sighed. “Thank you for helping.”
Mayfeld turned to you, pointing at the Mandalorian. “You’re good for him. Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing. You make him better.” He looked back at Din with a grin, lifting his hand to scratch at the back of his neck. “Yeah. Uh, good luck gettin’ your kid back.” Turning to Cara with a smirk, he held out his hands cupped together like they were bound. “All right, Officer, take me back.”
Cara’s expression was tight as she studied him for a moment. “That was some nice shootin’ back there.”
Arching a brow at Cara, you made your way back up the ramp, leaning on the opening at the top like you had at the junkyard.
“Oh, you saw that? Yeah, that, uh, that wasn’t part of the plan.” He shrugged, a pleased grin tugging up one side of his mouth. “I, uh…. I was just gettin’ some stuff off my chest.”
Letting out a huff through her nose, Cara rolled her eyes as she turned to face Din, making it look like the sarcastic movement of her eyes had set her body in motion. “You know, it’s too bad Mayfeld didn’t make it out alive back there.”
Din nodded. “Yeah, too bad.”
Looking between them, Mayfeld looked alarmed. “What are you talkin’ about?”
Cara glanced at him and sighed heavily before trying again, her tone tight as she spelled it out. “Looked to me like prisoner number three-four-six-six-seven died in the refinery explosion on Morak.”
His eyes shot open wide. “Does that mean I can go?” He looked between them. “Huh? ‘Cause I will.”
You started laughing softly before yelling at him playfully. “Oh, get out of here already!”
Mayfeld turned to look at you, grinning at your raised eyebrows before turning back to the other two, and taking a step back when Din jerked his head to the side to motion him away. “All right. Okay.” He chuckled, walking gingerly at first, as if they would take it all back, then his steps turned stilted for a few strides before he broke into a brisk walk. He looked over his shoulder once, meeting your gaze with a confident grin as he came to a stop. “Bye, mesh’la.”
Din took a step toward him, hand on his blaster, making Mayfeld take another quick step away, holding his hands up in surrender as he smirked.
“I’m goin’, I’m goin’.” Looking at you one more time, he winked, then turned and started walking quickly again.
“Bye, di’kut,” you called after him.
He froze, shaking his head gently, but didn’t turn around, just kept going and disappeared over the ridge.
You turned toward Din, finding him looking at you with his head tilted in question. “What? You know what it means.” You smirked, pushing off the wall and heading into the ship. “He still doesn’t.” Laughter began to bubble out of your chest. “But I wish I could be there when he finally does figure it out. I would pay good money to see the look on his face.” You walked past Fennec. “Now about that drink I owe you….”
Xxx
It was the end of the whole mission. You had the coordinates, and were on your way through hyperspace to recruit more help.
But for now, you just needed to rest your eyes…. Just for a moment…. All the little uses of the Force today had caught up with you, and the physical exertion of fighting a wave of troopers….
“We’re recording,” Boba said softly, pushing a button on the small control panel Din had been sitting at on the way to Morak.
You let your eyes drift shut as you listened to Din’s voice while he recorded his message to Gideon. His threat to Gideon. His promise.
“Moff Gideon. You have something I want. You may think you have some idea what you are in possession of, but you do not. Soon, he will be back with me. He means more to me than you will ever know.”
Xxx
Turning, you strode out of the cantina, ignoring Din’s calls at your back.
“Mesh’la!”
Finally a gloved hand wrapped around your elbow, pulling you to a stop, but not before you ripped your arm out of his hold.
Rounding on him, you turned to stare at his visor with a flat expression. “What?”
But you found no one there. Instead you were in a black void, surrounded by mist creeping in all around, the thick haze closing in on all sides as you turned to try and find a way of escape.
As the fog curled around you, its tendrils wrapping around like fingers, it took on a soft green glow, and a faint hum you couldn’t quite place filled the air.
It dawned on you just as the haze parted to show you a tiny little silhouette you’d recognize anywhere.
A saber. The hum was a saber.
“Kid!” You called, running toward the shadow, but just as you reached him, bending down to scoop him up, the figure evaporated into more green mist, falling through your fingertips as you stared at your empty hands.
A gloved hand on your shoulder pulled your attention away. You turned to Din, but you wouldn’t look up. Somehow you knew his helmet was off, so you screwed your eyes shut and kept your face turned down just to be safe.
“Open your eyes, mesh’la.”
You’d heard his voice unmodulated many times, but for some reason, this time it caught you off guard, and you couldn’t find the words to respond.
You pulled away just a bit, mouth opening and closing but nothing came out. Your eyebrows narrowed in confusion, eyes still tightly closed.
Din reached up and put his gloved hands over yours on his face gently, pressing them down, threading his fingers through yours and clutching them tightly, the leather of his gloves creaking as he did. He spoke quietly, his voice almost a whisper as he said it again, almost pleadingly.
“Open your eyes.”
Taking a deep breath, you let your eyes flutter open, finding the courage to lift them.
The world began the shake gently, Din evaporating in front of you just like the kid had, turning to mist between your fingertips.
“Mesh’la.”
How could you still hear his voice? What-
“Mesh’la, wake up. You’re going to get a stiff neck if you sleep there.” A hand on your shoulder shook you gently.
Blinking your eyes open, quickly squinting under the low lights of the hull of Boba’s ship, you groaned softly, screwing them shut once again as you lightly shoved Din away with a hand on his chest. “Go away.”
He chuckled softly, scooping you up and carrying you with one hand under your knees, the other around your back. “Good thing I’m not deterred so easily.”
“I was having such a strange dream….” You grumbled into his neck as you tucked your face further into his cowl to hide from any remaining light trying to wake you up.
“Want to talk about it?” He sat on the floor in a secluded corner of the main hull with a groan, his back leaning against the wall as he situated you in his lap, holding you close.
You smiled as memories of the early days of your adventures came back, almost exactly this same position against some rocks on Tatooine.
“It was green, and foggy, and…. You were there. The kid, too. But not really. You were both apparitions. You took off your helmet and told me to open my eyes….” Din froze underneath you, his thumbs lightly tracing patterns on your arms stuttering before beginning their lazy draw again. “I’m sure it was just a weird manifestation of everything that happened on Morak. Just my brain processing everything…. Brown Eyes.”
Din huffed out a laugh. “Probably.”
You yawned. “I’m going to go back to sleep now, if that’s okay.” Burrowing further into his neck, you frowned when you felt him adjust your head slightly, but smiled when you felt the cool touch of beskar lightly kiss your forehead before he tucked your head back where you’d had it.
“Sleep, mesh’la.” His voice was low, and almost there himself. “Sleep.”
Xxx
Tags to come!
#din x reader#din djarin x reader#din djarin fanfiction#star wars imagine#star wars reader insert#mando x reader#mando x you#mando x y/n#din x you#din x y/n#din djarin x you#din djarin x y/n#star wars x reader#star wars x you#star wars x y/n#din imagine#din djarin imagine#mando reader insert#the mandalorian#star wars#din djarin#mando#grogu#grogu x reader#the mandalorian reader insert#the mandalorian imagine#the mandalorian x reader#the mandalorian x you#the mandalorian x y/n
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hope you don't mind the rant but argh i finally realised why i feel so disconnected to survivor in comparison to how close jfo is to me
spoilers for those who haven't played survivor
but i really dislike major decisions made and i'm gonna babble on a little (i've had like eight panadol and two sleeping meds as of the last hour n a half so if this doesn't make sense that's why)
one that's been swirling around my head ever since i played us that it really felt like they brought cordova back JUST to kill him off. this also ties into my next point that i find bode's betrayal hard to believe as well. every role he had in the story could easily be replaced by someone such as cere, and i felt like the only reason he was there was to have someone for bode to kill to show how really evil he was but respawn didn't want to kill any of the main cast off. he's such a useless character in the plot that killing him off didnt effect anything LMAO
my next major dislike is, understandably, about bode :,) yes i know this can come off as making excuses for a character i was attached to since the trailers dropped but the more i think about it the more i really cannot understand both the timeline and the motive that was behind bode's betrayal. i kind of get the idea he was lax about betraying them UNTIL cal mentioned using tanalorr for the hidden path but according to the echoes you get after the game bodenis plotting and scheming the whole time... plus, you think that his whole motive relies on creating a safe place for kata on tanalorr where no one can find them but also like. you have two (technically three) jedi, a nightsister, and a whole clan of anchorites that kick the empire's ass every day. "will you be able to protect her when the empire comes?" fuckass have you SEEN cal use a lightsaber?? kata is safer with cal then she is bode
dagan was hella underwhelming too which disappointed me tbh i was excited for this high republic jedi to show us all this cool stuff only for him to die in like three seconds 😔
ANYWAY i hope this ain't too long but i'd love to hear your thoughts/criticisms on js bc i love the game and all the little bits are amazing but some of the decisions made have me a bit hrghh
Okay, friend, you asked for it ;)
The decision to bring back Cordova was an unexpected one, but the sight of him makes me cry happy tears every damn time, so it doesn't bother me at all. I take your point re: Cere being able to do everything he does, but part of Bode’s betrayal also hinges on him betraying Cere to Vader, who clearly wants vengeance after Nur (which is SO IN CHARACTER for Vader I can only lol. Petty bitch.), so Bode killing her wouldn't have had quite the same impact.
Because I was so convinced he was dead that him *actually* being dead didn’t strike me as ‘brought back only to die’. I would argue that killing him off did put them at risk of not being able to reach Tanalorr and defintely drove Cal to Nova Garon, but yes… Cordova's character probably lacks development and definitive purpose compared to the others… Although even as I say that, I find myself thinking of the logs he left behind in the various ruins on Jedha and the words of advice and I just can’t get mad. Plus there's that teeny hint that he's been unwell when Merrin asks how he's feeling. I see your points, yes, but I'm not too fussed by any of it.
Moving onto Bode...
So, here’s my interpretation of Bode, based on the post-game echoes and the little nuances that take on a totally new light on a replay. Bode is playing Cal from the very beginning. They are never friends from Bode’s perspective, and he is a master manipulator. He’s a textbook abuser – he lovebombs Cal with compliments and praise to cement their relationship, and does the same with everyone in his family. Plus, he used his knowledge of Cere’s location to further his cause with the Empire.
There’s also a power dynamic at play here because Bode was a Jedi Knight during the war while Cal was still a Padawan. Bode is older and more experienced with the world than Cal. He knows Cal longs for friendship, and he wields that against him more effectively than any weapon. Every action, every word, every choice Bode makes is solely to dig in deeper with Cal so he can and Kata can escape the Empire. Had Cal agreed that Tanalorr would just be for them, *maybe* Bode wouldn’t have betrayed him the way he did, but Bode is well on his way to the dark side because of his attachment to Kata. And Cal very nearly follows him because of his attachments to his family.
To me, this is what the Jedi Order meant by 'no attachments'. Jedi are allowed to love, but when that love becomes all consuming, when it becomes an obsession, that’s when the attachment becomes dangerous. Bode’s story is very similar to Anakin’s, he’s just not as powerful. Hasn’t got those Skywalker genes 😉
Bode’s motive to me is clear – he *thinks* everything is about Kata, but actually it’s all about him. It’s about his grief and rage and fear because of his wife's death the terrible choices he made. Denvik promises that if Bode gives him what he wants (Cal and Cere), he will reveal which Inquistor murdered his wife. Bode is already in it for revenge, not his daughter's wellbeing. His choices are very pre-meditated. He is a parent, yes, and I can understand that overriding love of a child, but he is also a grieving husband who is so broken by his loss that his love for Kata has become too possessive. He is terrified of losing his daughter, and it eclipses his love for her. Kata is aware of this, and her love is also turning to fear. Bode is neglectful (he's always leaving Kata behind) and bordering on abusive at the end. He trusts no one but himself, and he even asks Cal at the very end if he can protect Kata. Cal says nothing because he knows he can’t – he’s tried protecting so many people, and he’s lost nearly all of them. He won’t make a promise he can’t keep, and that’s what completely breaks Bode. Bode doesn’t believe anyone *but him* can protect Kata because he has become completely consumed with fear and anger. Cal gave him a chance to make a better choice when he disarmed him. In fact, Bode had *so many chances* to make a better choice, and he didn’t. So, when Bode responded by choosing to try and kill Cal, Merrin *and* very nearly his own daughter, Cal had no choice but to put him down – hard. That second shot took my breath away both times I played the game because Cal knows he cannot save Bode and protect the people who matter, and by showing Bode mercy, more people will die. It's also about control - Bode tries to control everyone. Cal knows he can't, so he takes the only option left - killing Bode. Honestly, the more I think about that finale, the more intense it becomes. It's an astonishing moment.
I do wonder if the reason people struggle with Bode is because he is so nice, and he fits in so well, but it’s all fake and it’s all an act. Whether you saw it coming or not, that hurts. Cal – and the player – want so badly for Bode to be better than he is, and that’s the tragedy. Bode’s not capable of that. He has suffered losses just like Cal, but he couldn’t overcome them. It’s a lot to deal with emotionally!
And as for Dagan, I quite like him! Mostly because that final battle with him incorporates my favourite Star Wars thing – WEIRD FORCE SHIT. He’s also a mirror held up to Cal – this is what you could become if your obsession takes over you. I also think his relationship with Santari Khri is meant to show Cal the potential pitfalls of his relationship with Merrin if his attachment overcomes him… but we’ll have to see what happens next…
Gosh this got long. It's always fun to see other people's perspectives and share my own! Hope you've got some rest and feel better soon :)
#jedi survivor spoilers#star wars jedi: survivor#jedi survivor meta#answered asks#bode akuna#cal kestis#dagan gera#eno cordova#long post#breakfast tea has THOUGHTS and FEELINGS#times like this I wish i had a youtube channel el oh el
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If we are talking hcs.... I hope you don't mind but in one of your fabrics you wrote about Hanzo and Kuai Liang meeting when they were younger and there was a failed attempt to bring him and Bihan to the Shirai Ryu. What if it succeeded? How would they get along with others? I've been really curious about this idea ever since I read your work so I'd love to know your hcs about it!!
Honey, I never mind getting an ask about my hcs or my fics, don't worry about that
(also, I've been dying for a chance to ramble about this)
Bi-Han is protective of Kuai Liang, we all know that, but he's even more so in an unfamiliar place. He will not let Kuai Liang out of his sight and glares at anyone who tries to talk to them
It's also hard for them bc they're in the home of their ancient enemy (in the fic I think you're talking about Jiahao, their father, was killed by the Lin Kuei alongside their mother and sister) and no one here knows that they are Lin Kuei, they think that they are the children of some kind of mafia family from overseas, given their lingering american accents
So they're hiding their origins and powers at all costs, no one can ever find out bc they are both terrified they will be thrown out and if they are the Lin Kuei will find them and kill them
But, going too long without using their powers hurts them so they still train in secret in the middle of the night, but it isn't enough to keep them from getting ill.
Hanzo does find out at one point, by accident, when he catches them practicing while trying to sneak in to see Kuai Liang
Bi-Han, pinning Hanzo to a wall with an ice knife to his throat: Why were you trying to sneak into my brother's room in the middle of the night!?
Hanzo, Kuai Liang's boyfriend: Oh, gee, I wonder
Hanzo is quickly sworn to secrecy and agrees to help them hide their former clan affiliation, leading to him and Bi-Han becoming reluctant allies even though they don't get along (they fake it for Kuai Liang tho)
Kaede and Eiko (Hanzo's parents) immediately take Kuai Liang and Bi-Han in, they are as protective of the two cryomancers as Bi-Han is, which shocks them both.
The first time that Eiko gives Bi-Han a hug he cries bc it feels so much like his mom's hugs
Eiko and Kaede realize that the boys are Lin Kuei on day one and help cover for them without revealing that they know, wanting to wait for the boys to feel comfortable telling them in their own time
Bi-Han ends up training as a warrior under Osamu alongside Hanzo, which they both hate but put up with, while Kuai Liang trains under the grandmaster
That's all I can think of rn but lemme know if anyone wants to hear more about this
#Sub-Zero Brothers Get Rescued AU#that seems like a decent enough name#kuai liang#hanzo hasashi#subscorp#bi han#mortal kombat#mortal kombat x#mortal kombat 11
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hi ! i miraculously stumbled upon your account and can i just say wow ! its super organised and very entertaining , lets keep going okay ? i was hoping to request vox x gn or male , which ever you prefer. the idea i had was for vox and reader to do it for the first time in their relationship ? just for them to take another step and get to know each other more :) kink wise i suppose vox would be more of a teasing dom but still gentle with his lover. sorry if this is so long !! i hope this finds you well :D have a great day ! i hope we can be friends bc once again wow 🤩 okay ٩(ര̀ᴗര́)ᵇʸᵉ
so i kind of went completely off request here and made it trans m!reader instead. hopefully thats alright.
“my pretty little human boy!”
pairings: vox akuma / trans m!reader
summary: you're sad again. vox wants to show you that you are loved.
tw: afab!reader. self hate, internalized transphobia (?), daddy kink, exhibitionism, groping, size difference. fluff.
notes: its rare for me to write something this sappy, but i havent had the best day today. writing this was a good outlet. i hope someone enjoys my word vomit.
also, i appreciate the kind words! thank you for sending a request.
she/her + she/they + fem aligned/women DNI.
you stared at your body in the mirror, fingers pinching at the extra skin on your tummy that formed the soft rolls your boyfriend loved to grab. however, unlike his hands, yours were not filled with adoration or love: they squeezed and scratched at your skin with hate and frustration. your lover was waiting in the bedroom for you to come out - and possibly take your relationship to the next level together -while you were nearly at the brink of tears in the bathroom a few feet away from him.
you couldn't comprehend how your boyfriend could love such an average looking human like yourself. the voice demon could have anyone he chooses, and yet for some reason, his eyes laid on you. no matter how many times he reassured you that you were the most beautiful being on earth to him, your brain couldn't process the idea at all.
your hands wandered up to your chest, your face scrunching in disgust as you groped yourself. vox said he didn't care about your chest, telling you it didn't make you any less of a man. sometimes, he'd tell stories about people in his clan who also identified the same way just like yourself. while hearing his fond retellings of the people dear to him that he had lost thousands of years ago, there was a pit in your stomach that only grew whenever you looked at your body for too long. of course, vox admitted that while he would never be able to understand the feelings you were going through, he would support you with whatever decision you'd make. your boyfriend really was the greatest. you didnt deserve him. he deserved a real man to be by his side, not whatever hot mess you were.
"are you alright, honey? you've been in there for a while." vox knocked on the bathroom door, snapping you out of your thoughts. the huge mirror in the bathroom was both a blessing and a curse. eyes glued on your reflection, you didnt have time to react quickly enough when vox turned the doorknob and let himself inside. you cursed under your breath - of course you forgot to lock the door. how stupid could you be? the taller mans eyes widened, even though you had pulled your shirt down as fast as you could his sharp eyes caught everything.
"why did you have your shirt up before? having fun without me, hm?" vox joked with a smile on his face, but it quickly faded when he saw your frown. "hey, whats wrong? is everything alright?" the man cupped your small face in his hands, thumb swiping the stray tear that rolled down your cheek. you had no choice but to look up at him, every bone in your body screaming at you not to start sobbing in front of your partner. now that would be something you'd never be able to live down.
vox pulled you in for a hug, shushing and cooing at you. because of your height difference, your face was pressed against his chest, his arms gently holding you close. he hated seeing you like this. you were his little dove, his treasure, and seeing you on the brink of tears made him sad too. you sniffled a bit, the urge to cry stronger than your self restraint as you sobbed into his haori. "sshh, its alright darling. let it out." vox had rubbed your back lovingly, cradling you close as if you would break.
after a few minutes of silence, you finally pulled away from his chest, quickly wiping away your tears. the demon looked at your reflection in the mirror, causing you to look as well. his arms had practically engulfed your form, a small smile on his face. if it weren't for your tear stained face, it would be the perfect mirror picture of you two. "im sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. i didn't mean to get caught up." vox could sense the guilt filling your heart, squeezing your shoulders affectionately.
"dont worry about it, really. im more concerned about you, dear. what happened?" vox's hands started running through your hair, scratching at your scalp with his long nails just like he knew how you liked it. you had started to explain how you were trying to get ready before going back to him (he chuckled at your inability to say you two were going to have sex, but decided not to tease you further), but had stopped to look at yourself in the mirror. your thoughts got the better of you and you ended up becoming engrossed in staring at your body, which you usually did. vox had turned you both around, your body in the same position it was when you were alone, except now he was behind you. seriously, when did he get so tall? "sometimes i feel like i dont deserve you. youre way too nice to someone like me.."
"y/n, shush. as much as i love hearing your wonderful voice speak, that is not true at all. i love my cute boy very much." he had turned your head to stare at the both of you in the mirror, blushing a bit when his hands started to wander. they landed on your hips first, holding you snug against himself. "you have the cutest hips. so what if they dont look like a model on a magazine? theyre gorgeous, and perfect for me to hold." vox emphasized his sentence with a little squeeze, making you laugh softly. your hips were a bit curvier than a mans, but vox didnt seem to mind.
he continued, hands squeezing the small chub of your tummy gently. he grinned, resting his head atop yours. "my boy's cute little tummy. so soft and perfect for me to lay on. abs are overrated anyways, i dont understand why you humans are so obsessed with them." you could feel the adoration spilling from his fingertips with every squeeze and caress he had given your body, and embarrassingly enough, it was turning you on.
"and these.." vox slowly and carefully squeezed your chest, not wanting to hurt or upset you. you couldn't help the whimper that left your lips, the demons affection making your head spin. ".. are just as perfect as the rest of you, baby boy." he pinched your nipples with his fingers, your body on display in front of the mirror for him. he would spend the rest of his days showering his little pet in all of the affection you wanted, worshipping you every hour. "my handsome little man. you're beautiful even if you don't think so."
vox kissed the top of your head, still slowly massaging and playing with your chest as you whined. you didn't know why your brain did stupid things, but you were glad your boyfriend whisked those worries away. for being a demon, his heart was pure and made of gold. vox made a mental note to contact a certain sorcerer friend of his and see if theres any magic that could help with your appearance. while he loved you as you looked now, he'd love you just as much, if not more after any surgery you wanted to have. he ironically trusted taboo sorcery more than whatever doctors roamed the earth in this decade.
he chuckled when he noticed you rubbing your thighs together, nipples perky from all of the attention he had been drowning you in. "needy, baby?" you nodded, maybe a bit too enthusiastically but you didnt care anymore. watching vox toy with you this entire time, and seeing his devilish smirk look at your squirming body felt like torture. he laughed, hand slipping underneath your boxers. "let daddy show you how much he really loves you, okay?" you hummed in response, yanking his shirt collar and kissing his cheek.
god, he loved his little human so much.
#vox akuma x male reader#vox akuma x m!reader#vox akuma x reader#vox akuma#luxiem x you#luxiem#luxiem x m!reader#luxiem x male reader#luxiem x reader#my fics..#nijisanji x reader#nijisanji en x reader#nijisanji en#nijisanji#nijisanji en x m!reader#nijisanji en x male reader#male reader blog#male reader#mlm x reader#mlm blog#trans reader#ftm reader#trans!reader#vox akuma x ftm trans!reader#luxiem x trans!male reader#vox akuma x trans!male reader#nijisanji en x trans!male reader
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vines I am staring at your MY canon divergence au and would love to hear more about it!!!
OKAY SO.
This AU exists for two main reasons:
1.) A lot of fix-it fic for JGY seems to focus on him being "saved" from his canon fate via romantic relationship, and that simply doesn't cut it for me. You really want to free him from the destructive weight of his misplaced filial piety in a way that doesn't just handwave it all away? You save his mom. You save his mom and enable them both to know JGS is a lost cause from the get-go and give them the means to forge a different path.
2.) WQ and MY are my faves and I want them to hang out!
As I said, I will almost certainly not write the whole thing out. I did post the inciting portion where MY actually arriving in Qishan and WQ starts treating MS, but as you can see, I did not finish it over the summer as intended, because I am the world's slowest writer. But I think about the ways it could go a lot! It's a little thing--just pushing a canonical event earlier in the timeline and changing the impetus--but it has SUCH impact. Aside from what I mentioned in the tags of that other post:
-MY no longer has any ties to Qinghe. He and NMJ can still clash (since MY is for all intents and purposes a Wen), but it's not personal in quite the same "I lived in your household for a substantial amount of time" sort of way
-WQ has someone she can talk to who's in similar straits! This is all based on CQL canon foremost, and what's striking to me about her is that she never gets to be a kid. Even at Cloud Recesses, while her peers are having a silly goofy time, she's on high alert doing WRH's work. WN's behavior suggests that he knows the vibe is weird, but he doesn't seem to understand exactly how fucked things are, which in turn implies that WQ is deliberately shielding him from it. That's so much stress that she's bottling up! With MY there in the same situation of abetting atrocities to protect beloved family members, at least she has someone to confide in (while their situations are juuuust different enough to conflict).
-MENG SHI REACTS TO: EVERYTHING. Those five sentences of information about her are so interesting. She's clever! She's shrewd! She's also compassionate, I feel, because MY had to get his altruism and his loyalty to those who show him kindness from SOMEWHERE, and he certainly didn't get it from his dad, WRH, or anyone else he grew up with. I have a whole backstory for her that I cannot write because hooo boy the effort required would not be worth the reward, but I want so much to explore how she'd respond to the fucked-up situation of being beholden to the Evil Regime. On the one hand, she knows the Wen clan under WRH are doing horrible things, and I don't think that would sit well with her. On the other hand... MY inherited his survival drive from somewhere, too. What does MS feel she owes to society when that society abused and degraded her?
-MS and WQ would also have some things to talk about on the "making great sacrifices for family" front, I think.
-Less seriously, XY meets MS and probably calls her a slur to be edgy, and she hits him right back but in a way that he finds fun rather than takes personally, and now she's on XY's list of People He'll Murder For On The Slightest Provocation.
-MY and/or MS might know about the core transfer and that sure is a fun piece of information for more people not named Jiang Cheng to possess!
-I think MS gets to date WZL firstly on account of WZL being a total catch who respects smart women going by his ??? with YZY, secondly on account of them both getting a lot of shit from society for their work (though the one who voluntarily disables people for a living is treated more respectfully by far bc this is a horrible garbage world!), and thirdly because MS is going to have to bear witness to Xiyao and Chengqing and she deserves something for herself there.
-I mentioned "what about after the war?" in the tags of that other post, but ahhh the Optimal Outcome here fixes EVERYTHING. JGS offers to legitimize MY. MY kind of wants to tell him to fuck himself, but realizes that his and MS are in a highly unstable position and he needs to go all-out on convincing people He Was A Good Guy All Along. (WQ and WN don't have that luxury with their Wen surname.) He accepts on the condition that prisoners are treated with mercy and MS is also granted security. JGS provides exactly neither of these things, as MS is either shunted off to a prison camp with the Wen remnants or she's isolated within Jinlintai as a means to keep MY compliant. How do we solve this? Unclear! Maybe XY finds out JGS is being a dick to Meng Shi, A Person He Likes, and he impales him about it. Regardless, we have MY and the Jiang sibs (plus Jiang-in-law Zixuan) all conspiring together, and in an ideal scenario, I believe in them.
-There are also a lot of sad messed-up ways this could go, but. I do not want it to this time. At least not for my two faves and MS. Everyone else........ debatable.
Again, I cannot stress enough that this is not ever going to be an actual longfic. I have written one (1) longfic ever and it was three years ago and not even that long. But it has POTENTIAL.
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Wondered if you wanted to rant a bit about Merrill x Solas? Honestly never thought of the pairing before and I would like to hear your thoughts if you wanted? You'd don't think they'd argue?
oh! hi anon! yes i would love to rant about these two :')
it's a relatively new idea for me, too, and i do think they'd argue at first - solas is soooo condescending about the dalish and that would really bother merrill. but at the same time, she's a bit of a pariah within clan sabrae and would imo understand better the mixed feelings ppl could have about the dalish. not to say she'd roll over and accept his insults, but she'd consider his pov more than others might before arguing it, and i think that consideration would throw him off his stride a bit
and nicely, her use of blood magic would be a total non-issue, which i think would be kinda an amazing experience for her? to have another mage, another elf, even a non-dalish, accept her type of magic without blinking an eye or saying she's doomed to be possessed or whatever would be comforting. she doesn't need anyone's approval and has gone for a long time without it, but to get it, at least on that front? yeah, it'd be a pleasant surprise
and solas' disdain for the dalish tapers off when he realizes a dalish inky is willing to listen to his pov. he still holds them in some contempt but he's no longer as hostile about it, so i think if they could get past that initial rocky stage, and i imagine they could, then they'd find a lot to be interested in with each other.
merrill is extraordinarily powerful. within canon her immense skill is kinda undermined by the other character's perception of her, including the perception of her own keeper, but the truth is that merrill restored a blighted eluvian from a single shard. if solas learned about that? he'd be hella impressed and would question her all about it, but in an interested, engaged way rather than a condescending one. and i think she'd open up a lot when she realizes she can have a Mage Friend who is non-judgmental about her methods
imo a relationship btwn them would be something she pursues, bc he's still hung up on everything, same as he is with a dalish inky. and i honestly don't even think merrill would be upset that he's fen'harel? upset that he didn't tell her, yes, but not upset that he's the trickster/deceiver/etc. - she's very dalish, but like i said earlier, she's also somewhat removed from the dalish, a pariah amongst her own people who's had to forge her own path in many ways. and living among the city elves for so long would have broadened her perspectives on what it meant to be an elf. she wouldn't have painted him as a villain immediately or rejected him out of hand, but she would press him for the truth, bc just like him she wants to learn everything
nerds in love, frankly, is their dynamic in my head :')
#merrill#solas#merrill/solas#solas/merrill#solarrill?#merrilas?#idk#anyway! ty for the ask! love gushing about these two ;u;
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