#I still listen to the music on the reg | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sommerregenjuniluft · 2 months

Text

@jegulus-microfic feb 26 - bed - 1047words - cw: drinking—aka reg picking up a drunk james from the pub<3

for laurie @itsjaywalkers because she's a gem and also i was listening to wallows typing this out mwah

James wipes a stray tear from the corner of his eye as he straightens back up, belly hurting and cheeks straining as he claps Peter on the shoulder, laughing and shaking with his whole body.

His head feels pleasantly heavy and his vision is a little blurry, alcohol warming him up from the inside and James thinks Peter isn’t far off with the way the flush on his red cheeks starts spreading along his entire face as he tries to catch his breath.

“Oh god,” James snickers, sucking in a much needed breath, chortling slightly on the way in which makes Peter send him a weird look and then in return makes James break into another fit of giggles. Everything is just so funny right now.

Peter joins right in, while simultaneously trying to take another sip of his nearly empty cup of beer, his laughter preventing him from actually swallowing.

Predictably, he ends up coughing and James pounds him on the back with one hand as the other maintains a white knuckled grip on the round bar table to keep himself upright as he tries not to piss his pants from laughing.

Once Peter got himself back in order he clears his throat violently, warily eyeing his remaining beverage, “Shit, I don’t think I should finish that.”

James snorts, “That’s barely two gulps, Pete.”

His blonde friend groans, head sinking into his palms, “I think Benji might already have my head if I turn up back home like this.”

James turns solemn all the sudden, nodding in understanding and rubbing Peter’s back soothingly. Benji loves him though so it’ll be fine, James knows that, but he still wants to be there for Peter, obviously.

The other man grumbles something into his hands that James doesn’t catch over the music and loud noise of people.

“What was that?”

Peter’s head tilts back up, “What about you?”

James blinks, trying to decipher what his friend means through the alcohol clouding his brain.

Pete’s lips tug into a lopsided smirk, “How’re you gonna get home to your loverboy?”

“Oh,” James makes, understanding now. “Regulus said he’ll pick me up.”

“Mm,” Peter grunts into his cup, downing the flat beer, “Premium service.”

James feels himself turn a little more gooey where he’s draping his full weight onto the precariously wobbly bar table, and he sighs long and dreamily, “Yeah, he’s the best.”

“Hi, Regulus,” Peter says, head tipped to the side at a 90 degree angle.

“Yeah, obviously, Regulus, who else?” James makes, nose scrunching in confusion.

“Hello, Peter,” a voice says from behind him and James thinks he might nearly break a few cervical vertebraes in his haste to turn around.

“Baby,” James gasps when he sees Regulus standing there in all his beautiful glory. Head cocked to the side slightly, arms crossed and a mild scowl on his face. He’s in one of James’ grey printed hoodies and sporting some dark green and blue plaid pyjama bottoms that always make his butt look a little bigger, according to himself. James loves Regulus ass though, he loves that it’s perky and petite and perfectly bite-sized for when James is—

“I texted you,” Regulus says in lieu of greeting James, lips pursed into a pout James also would like to bite, “And I called four times.”

Another, softer gasp punches out of James and he fumbles for his phone in his jeans’ back pocket for a second, tapping the screen to see the missed calls and messages.

James’ expression tips into a frown, a wounded noise coming from his chest as he shuffles closer with his head ducked, palms slowly reaching out to Regulus’ hips. “I’m so sorry, love,” James mumbles, tone apologetic and Regulus’ eyes narrow, “I swear I wasn’t ignoring you, I just didn’t hear.”

Regulus averts his eyes with a small tut, arms tightening where they’re crossed.

James can’t help but whine. The last thing he wants right now is for Regulus to be mad at him, “Baby, please, I promise.”

When Regulus doesn’t budge, James twirls one of his dark curls around his index, playing softly and contemplating giving into the urge of peppering his boyfriend’s face in kisses. He doesn’t want to make it worse though.

James scrambles together all his might and tries navigating through the drunken haze of his brain and body, concentrating to remind himself what usually makes Regulus fold.

“We were just talking about you, too,” James tries. “Petey can confirm that.”

“Oh, I do not want to be dragged into this, thank you very much.”

James grumbles, rolling his eyes and simply winds his arms tighter around Regulus. It elicits a small inhale and yes, that’s good and it makes James tug his lower lip between his teeth, humming in satisfaction.

Regulus eyes snap back around to him, eyelids fluttering and James slips into a victorious grin. He leans closer and lets his lips brush over his boyfriends, inhaling that distinct citrus and bergamot smell of him, before he breathes needily, “Missed you so much, Reg.”

In the next second there are palms thumping against his pecs, punching a breath out of him before he’s reeled back in by the lapel of his flannel, Regulus glowering at him, cheeks flushed, “Ok, that’s officially enough of you, menace.”

James giggles and quickly squishes Regulus cheeks to plant a kiss on his slack mouth.

They bid their Goodbyes to Peter and make sure he’s got a cab that’ll bring him home safely and then James lets Regulus tug him out of the pub with their fingers intertwined.

Once they’re outside of the crowded space James can’t help himself when he snatches Regulus around the waist and squeezes him with a happy groan.

“James,” Regulus chides, voice tight and flustered, “Let go, we’re in the middle of a sidewalk.”

“But I love you so much,” James slurs into the space between the hoodie and Regulus’ exposed neck, nose nuzzling the skin contently.

Regulus sighs and James doesn’t have to look to see the smile playing at his rosy lips, “Let’s get you into bed.”

“Aw yeah, bed,” James snickers, reaching one hand around to grab at Regulus’ butt.

Regulus yelps and James ends up with a bruise on his ribcage that throbs softly once he cuddles up with Regulus under the sheets half an hour later.

#theyre sooo sweet and annoying #jegulus #jegulus microfic #starchaser #sunseeker #james potter #regulus black #lune’s tiny fic #james potter x regulus black #regulus black x james potter #q

283 notes · View notes

meowmeowriley · 1 month

Text

Elder Emo

Ghost had been lost in thought, planning out his lessons for the following day, when he'd passed a room in the barracks and faintly heard music. Paramore? Normally he'd hear rock, pop, or occasionally something in Japanese. Not emo. Not what he'd been expecting, but a pleasant little throwback for him. He smiled to himself as he made to walk away, taking a mental note to pull up his old playlist and get lost in nostalgia later. But then he caught a bit of the conversation happening in the room.

"No she didn't tell me what it was all for, I stole it, dipshit."

"Why does she need 700 different eyeliners?"

"Are they different? Or is she just a hoarder?"

"Nah, mate. Some are like sticks, crayons, others are liquid. This one says eyeliner, but it looks like the eyeshadow stuff."

"That eyeshadow stuff is useless. Comes off too easily."

The two men were crowded around one's bed, it had been littered with a bunch of makeup, and they didn't seem to know what each was for.

"This is stupid."

"You said you wanted to finally have your emo phase, this is where it starts." The second man picked up a bottle of liquid eyeliner and leaned in close to the mirror, posed to paint his lower waterline with it. Ghost could no longer keep quiet.

"That's a mistake." His voice cause both recruits to jump, scrambling to salute. He rolled his eyes, but returned the gesture, if only to release the two.

He approached the bed scattered with makeup. Ghost couldn't say that he'd ever spoke to either of them, but he'd be damned if he didn't set them on the right path before they fucked themselves over here. "The liquid is for around your eyes, gives a bolder look than the stick. It's not for your waterline, you'll give yourself an eye infection like that." He handed the first soldier his choice in liner from the menagerie before them. "The liquid is bolder, but it smears, not smudges. If you're going for emo, you'll want a smudged look, the stick is better. Lay it on thick, and use your fingers to spread it around and smudge it out. And if it says waterproof, believe it. You'll need makeup remover to get that off." He said that last bit pointedly. If it weren't for regs, he'd let them just leave it like he had. Day old eyeliner that you slept in after a concert always looked so much cooler than when it had been freshly applied, at least in his opinion. Then another thought occurred to him. "Who'd you steal all this from?"

"Uhm... my sister... sir." The first man admitted sheepishly.

"Hmmm." Better a sibling than another soldier. "Give it back. You're in the army. You've been issued war paint, use that." He shrugged. Then added "I do."

The pair were quiet, clearly still not quite sure what was happening. "As you were." Ghost nodded and started to take his leave.

The second cleared his throat. "Uh... ahem... any uh... any music recommendations?"

Ghost turned in the doorway. He thought for a moment, and then "Well, you're listening to Paramore. If you want music from the same time, there's always Hawthorne Heights or Blink-182. You want something heavier look into Breaking Benjamin. Or more upbeat go for All Time Low. If you want something newer, Twenty One Pilots just released some new songs, or there's TX2, who draws a lot of inspiration from the greats. That's a start."

Both men smiled. The first spoke up. "Thank you, sir. This'll be a lot easier with an elder emo around."

Elder emo? Who- oh. Ohhhhh. When? How did that happen? He wasn't supposed to make it this far. Huh.

"Anytime." He nodded as he left them. He tried not to let his emotions show as he made his way down the hall, but internally he was brimming with pride. He'd made it so much further than anyone had ever thought, especially himself. It took a couple of baby emo's for him to see it, but he'd made it. He was still here. Despite the odds.

#call of duty #modern warfare #simon ghost riley #emo ghost #simon ghost riley is an elder emo #ill die on this hill #elder emo #text post #fanfic

112 notes · View notes

bellaxisworld · 3 months

Text

february 8, @jegulus-microfic prompt: headphones. word count: 634.

Regulus was sitting in the library, drawing on his iPad and listening to lofi when a very frantic James burst in, eyes wide and hands shaking. Regulus perked up, drawing forgotten and headphones tossed aside.

“Jamie,” Regulus waved him over, stamping down his panic at the sight of his frenzied boyfriend.

Mercifully, the library was mostly empty and there was nobody directly around to witness this little freak out.

James rushed over, and Regulus saw tears in his eyes.

“Baby, James, what—”

“Reg, Regu—fuck—I can’t–” James was stuttering, and shaking, and his voice trembled. He brought his hands up to press the heel of his palms to his eyes.

“James, breathe,” Regulus insisted, pulling his hands away from his eyes to look at him. “Look at me, breathe with me. Big breath in, out. In, out, just like that. It’s okay.” He squeezed his hands.

They breathed together, and James was still shaky, but he could speak now.

“Reg, I can’t—think, and there’s too much, and I can feel it all, and the fuck-fucking sounds are so loud and—”

“Okay, that’s okay,” Regulus tried to be as soothing as James needed. “Let’s go back to my dorm, okay? It’ll be quiet, and it’ll be a little better.”

James nodded, and he waited for Regulus to pack his bag.

And then Regulus had an idea.

“Jamie, can I give you my headphones? They’re noise canceling, and we don’t need to put music on, it’ll just make things quieter. Is that okay?”

He nodded again, and Regulus reached forward to brush his hair out of his eyes and set the headphones over his ears. James let out a relieved sigh immediately, shoulders slumping and knocking his forehead against Regulus’. A wave of relief crashed over Regulus, so thankful he could help him even a little bit, and he kissed James’ nose. He grabbed his hand and led him back to the dorms. James held tightly onto Regulus’ arm, like he was afraid to let go of the buoy holding him afloat. Regulus was warmed by the thought—that he was keeping James up, that James needed him.

Back at the dorm, James was fidgeting and still looked a bit uncomfortable. “I’m feeling too many things,” he said, and Regulus wasn’t certain if that was emotional or physical, truthfully. But James shifted the neckline of his sweater and winced, so Regulus thought it was a physical thing.

“How about you take off some clothes and you can lie in bed? Less things touching you.”

James nodded, so that’s what they did. James lay in Regulus’ bed, his head in Regulus’ lap, headphones still blocking out the world, with as little clothing as possible bothering him. He finally looked at peace, lying there. Regulus wiped away stray tears and combed gentle fingers through his hair, breathing easy now that James was.

A while later—forever or hours or minutes later—James opened his eyes and smiled up at Regulus. Regulus mirrored it, fingers still moving through his hair.

“Reg,” James said, voice crackly.

“My Jamie,” Regulus whispered. “Feeling okay?”

He nodded, eyes clipping closed again, breaths deep and steady.

“Got overwhelmed. Came to find you.”

And Regulus was warm, overfilling with it, because James came to him when he needed help. He would always be there for him, every time he needed him.

“Thank you, Reg,” James said, grasping his hand and pressing a kiss to his palm.

“‘Course, baby. It’s okay to get overwhelmed. We need a bit of time away sometimes.”

James nodded, burrowing closer to Regulus.

And the next time James got overwhelmed, he took a step back and closed his eyes to breathe, knowing he had Regulus to support him, that he could slip away from his responsibilities for a little bit, guilt free. He breathed easy.

also found on ao3(multi-chapter microfic WIP): february, i'm yours

#marauders #jegulus #jegulus microfic #microfic #regulus black #james potter #ao3 #marauders era #starchaser #sunseeker #the marauders #archive of our own #jegulus fanfiction #jegulus ao3 #james potter and regulus black #bellaxis microfic #bella writes

124 notes · View notes

lulublack90 · 3 months

Text

Prompt 10 - Violin

@jegulus-microfic February 10 Word count 733

Previous part First part

It took Moody two days to return to the safe house. During that time, James and Sirius had bought a few things down to the cellar to make Regulus more comfortable. An actual bed, for one thing, and a way to wash himself. Remus sacrificed a small collection of his books, and Sirius went out and bought more cassette tapes for the Walkman.

He knew he shouldn’t get comfortable, but having James around made it difficult not to be. The feelings he had for James had never gone away, but he hadn’t realised how strong they still were.

With no one to tell him no, James had spent the entirety of the last two days down in the cellar with Regulus.

It was awkward, but they got on with it. Regulus spent most of the time trying to ignore him. He didn’t want to stoke the embers of his hopes. He listened to Sirius’s music instead. Enjoying the ethereal beauty of the violin that played on one of the classical music tapes that Sirius had mixed in amongst the multiple Bowie and T.Rex cassettes. Regulus played them all, making note of his favourites, but he definitely preferred the classical ones. So much emotion bled from each note. But they couldn’t stop his nightmares.

He’d had one the previous night and woken screaming. James, who’d been sleeping on one of the chairs, was startled awake at the noise. Then he came over to where Regulus was still panicking over the images dancing behind his eyes, scooped him up and sat with him cradled in his lap. Regulus snuggled into him, feeling the warm safety of James. His sniffles eventually subsided, but he still clung to James. It had been so long since someone had held him with kindness. It had probably been James himself at Hogwarts before he’d taken the mark.

James yawned an almighty yawn and shuffled uncomfortably on the edge of the bed.

“Sorry,” Regulus whispered.

“It’s okay. Ready to get back into bed?” Regulus nodded, and James gently transferred Regulus from his arms to the mattress. He straightened up to go back to his chair.

“James?”

“Yeah, Reg.”

“Could you lie next to me?” He felt so ridiculous asking. They’d spent countless nights in a bed together, but now. Now, it was different. James rubbed the back of his neck, and Regulus knew he was going to say no. “Please, James. Just—please.” He let whatever masks may have been protecting him slip away and let the raw sadness overwhelm his features. He saw the second James gave in. He must have looked truly pathetic.

“Budge up then.” James sighed. Regulus moved as far over as the small bed allowed, and James slotted himself between the sheets. Regulus kept his back to him, not wanting to push it. He was just glad that James was close. He heard James whisper to himself.

“Fuck it.” And then James had his arms wrapped around him and pulled him in close to spoon him. Regulus melted.

***

Far too soon, Mad-Eye Moody was barking at them to wake up.

“Potter, out!” James didn’t argue with him. He gave Regulus a quick squeeze and left. Regulus could hear every step he took and followed them with his eyes up the wall. He didn’t even try to hide it. What was the point?

“You’ve got a visitor,” Moody said almost pleasantly. That got Regulus’s attention. A smile was playing at the corner of Moody’s mouth. The door at the top of the stairs opened again. Regulus barely had time to sit up before Albus Dumbledore swept into the room. His plum-coloured robes billowing behind him.

“Mr Black,” He announced. His periwinkle eyes taking everything in, missing nothing. “Alastor has relayed to me your displeasure about your move to Azkaban.” His gentle voice made it sound as though Azkaban had been Regulus’s idea. “I believe Mr Potter and the other Mr Black share this displeasure.”

“And Lupin,” Mad-Eye grunted from the corner he’d gone to lean in. His magical eye spun to look through the top of his head and into the kitchen above.

“And Mr Lupin too. That is interesting.” Dumbledore said thoughtfully. He waited silently, his eyes never leaving Regulus’s face.

“Yes.” Regulus agreed when he realised that Dumbledore was waiting for a response.

“In that case, Mr Black. I have a proposition for you.”

Next part

120 notes · View notes

radiantrice7 · 10 months

Text

Goldenpunk/Chaipunk Headcanons

- Hobie cannot handle spice like at all but he is extremely against wasting food so he’ll still eat extremely spicy food if given to him even if it makes his insides melt

- Pav does not have a sweet tooth but put some jangri in front of him and he’d devour them in seconds (his mother made it for him a lot as a kid n it reminds him of her)

- Both H and P are people watchers , Hobie keeps it a bit more internal while Pav creates whole life stories for random people

- Hobie has been trying to get better at drinking less but it’s something that he turns too whenever he messes up or stresses out . He also smokes on the reg but does not do it around Pav bc the smell makes him gag

- Sometimes some of Pav’s belongings will just disappear only for him to find them in Hobie’s place

- Hobie’s a lot better at handling kids than Pav is

- Pavitr is way too nice for his own good n feels peoples emotions for them but it’s bc whenever he moved to his school on the scholarship he got extremely bullied and doesn’t want anyone to go through what he did

- Hobie keeps a picture of him and Captain Anarchy in one of his vest’s pockets

- Pav has always felt inferior to the other spider people but Hobie would be the one to really drill into his head the beauty in difference

- Hobie acedently broke one of Pav’s tea cups so the next day he came back with a whole box of tea cups (they were stolen) to apologize (this was very early on, like when they didn’t know each other that much)

- Hobie has a tea cup for himself in Pav’s house which he’s taken the liberty of painting all over it

- Both are extremely loud people vocally, but Pav’s motions are always quieter than Hobie’s

- Pavitr is very laid back comes to his studies becuase it comes very natural too him but gets mad whenever Hobie tells him to stop doing his homework

- When they get stressed out, both Pavitr and Hobie need space but Hobie will just disappear while Pav will at least let everyone who needs to know know

- Maya Auntie thinks Hobie is a bad influence but doesn’t tell Pavitr to stop hanging out with him becuase he had a hard time making friends and it warms her heart to see her nephew happy

- The last thing Pav needs is caffeine ; he’s naturally hyper yet insists he needs caffeine on the daily

- Pavitr thinks extremely loudly : he announces where he’s going even if it’s just to the bathroom/room to grab something and actively talks to himself

- Hobie isn’t that self conscious of his living situation and if very explicit with the fact that he does live in the homeless shelter but he will never actively invite people over to his dimension

- Hobie and Gayatri are absolute besties: they bonded over both being models and noticing some of the stupid shit Pav does . They have matching anklets

- Hobie makes woven bracelets out of pure boredom when he has the materials and Pav has a lot of them pinned up to the cork board in his room (he doesn’t like the feeling of the multiple bracelets on)

- Hobie does not have any social media, let alone a phone (actually, he has a flip phone but yk what i mean), so majority of the time whenever Pav talks about stuff trending he doesn’t really understand what he’s saying but casually goes with the flow

- Pavitr once crashed in Hobie’s dimension unannounced for a little bit to see what tiktok was like and got bored within minutes

- Hobie’s spider sense is much less sensitive than Pavitr’s

- Pavitr wasn’t really a music listener before he met Hobie, like sure he listened to random music casually but it wasn’t until Hobie introduced him to a couple of his favorite bands where Pavitr actually started forming a live for music, resulting in him putting up a lot of band posters in his room to show his support

- Hobie isn’t too keen on other people defending him in his own fights, but he will never tell someone to stop because he knows it comes from a good place

- Hobie tears up when he gets frustrated but never cries as much as he should

- Pavitr is very competitive, and while Hobie doesn’t reciprocate the same competitiveness, both will be at each others throat in a game of chess

- Pavitr is a little bitch sometimes and Hobie straight out calls him a bitch to his face bc it genuinely pisses him off

- Hobie was piercing Pav’s ears one night and Maya Auntie caught them in the act so they stopped so now Pavitr has just his left ear pierced

#goldenpunk #chaipunk #my politically correct headcanons #that was a joke #these were written a week ago i just remembered i had them #hobie brown #pavitr prabhakar #atsv #RAHHHHGHHGGGGG

178 notes · View notes

whyistarchaser · 3 months

Text

THE ONE WHERE REGULUS ALMOST LEFT

Jegulus!au, 828 words, tw: angst, light mention of legal drinking&smoking. "You Looked so happy when I'm not with you" - Save Your Tear by The Weeknd

The music was too loud, the smell of mint from the hookah, and the dazzling lights overwhelmed a now tipsy Regulus, who couldn’t handle himself any longer after that third round of shots he was coerced into. Laughter from his friends blended with distant voices, and Pandora's hands guided him to move to a song he didn't even recognize.

Regulus was having a good time, with his drink in hand and his best friend yelling in his ear incoherent words, making him laugh out loud.

So when he turned towards the table where the others were, the last thing he wanted to see was his boyfriend glued to two female bodies, laughing carelessly about something someone said.

With a sudden emptiness in his stomach, Regulus downed the last sip of his drink and sat right in front of them, trying to join the conversation.

James' arms were stretched over the sofa backs, with his legs slightly apart but not bothering the two girls he had on either side. Lily, who occupied James's right side, was almost reclined on his forearm, hair falling in soft waves over his boyfriend's skin, smiling broadly as she looked at her companion. Mary, on the other hand, was almost leaning on James's chest, with a hand on his thigh trying to listen to what someone else was saying.

Regulus couldn't ignore the discomfort it caused him, his eyes following every move of the trio. Every shared laugh, every accidental touch of their hands, pierced his heart. He couldn't help but feel jealous and it was starting to affect him.

How could his boyfriend look so happy without Regulus by his side?

Regulus tried to blame the alcohol for the anger that lodged like a lump in his throat, his eyes scanning the gleam in those brown irises that had once sworn eternal love.

Did James have that gleam when he looked at him?

Unintentionally, Regulus stood up abruptly from his seat and turned, walking towards the exit of the pub, fists clenched, and his heart pounding a mile a minute.

Almost out of the pub, a hand wrapped around his wrist, gently pulling him.

"Regulus?"

"Let go," he muttered, but the hand pulled him harder.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

And Regulus would’ve fought him right there, he would’ve told him he was a jerk for letting someone so near him. That they were over and to not contact him ever again.

Regulus would’ve done that if James were a real jerk.

But oh, the soft tone, that soft tone, and those concerned eyes made Regulus melt every single time, and he couldn’t stop himself from breaking down right there in front of his wonderful boyfriend.

“Reg”

It was James, with that soft tone that always broke Regulus down. With the palms of his hands pressing against his eyes and his back hunched, Regulus allowed himself to be embraced by his boyfriend when the emotion became too overwhelming.

"I can't stand it, James. Seeing them so close... I can't. Seeing you so happy even when it's not me by your side."

Regulus allowed himself to be embraced by James, weeping into his boyfriend’s chest.

James furrowed his brow, connecting the dots. “Reg, they're just my friends.”

"And yet, your face lights up just being near them," Regulus admitted, almost shouting and pushing his boyfriend to be face to face. “They’re just friends but one of them was your forever crush and the other one was your first kiss,”

“That means nothing, baby”

“It does to me!”

Silence fell upon them and James sighed dropping his head. Regulus waited for him, tears still falling and feeling heartbroken every second passed. James looked at him, stretching out his hand and asking for permission. Regulus nodded, and in a second, James held his face with a small smile on his lips.

"I love you, Regulus. You're the most important thing to me and what makes me happiest,"

James whispered. Regulus clung to him, allowing the warmth of his body to calm him slowly.

“I don’t believe you”

“Then allow me to demonstrate,” said James before kissing him deeply, one of his hands caressing his cheek while the other slid to take him by the waist, bringing their bodies closer. Once the kiss ended, lightheaded, Regulus exhaled.

"I'm sorry."

"None of that, darling. All forgotten," James said softly, wiping the remaining tears from his cheeks. With a kiss on his forehead, he murmured again, "Want to go back in or head home, baby?"

"Home, please."

"Whatever you say, my star," James joked, smiling broadly and brushing their noses as he gave him a peck on the lips. "I love you so much, always."

Regulus nodded, grateful for James’ patience. "I love you."

Together, they returned to the group to gather their things, and bid farewell to the others, leaving behind the jealousy and focusing on the love they shared on the way home—to their home.

@youdrewstarsxaroundmyscars suggestion, thank u baby i love you <3 i hope you tolerate this lmao

#whyistarchaser writes #james potter #regulus black #jegulus #jegulus oneshot #jealous regulus #james potter being a sweetheart #starchaser #marauders #dead gay wizards

45 notes · View notes

twinsunstars · 22 days

Text

Thoughts on The Bad Batch Episode 11 - Point of No Return - A Discussion Post

This episode. So much happened, and so much emotions. Let's relive those emotions by looking back at what happened.

(SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODES YET! all screencaps from www.cap-that.com! https://www.cap-that.com/starwars/the-bad-batch/311/)

The episode begins with Phee arriving at a station for some fuel, talking with her droid Mel (who I'm glad is rebuilt). CX-2 is nearby, unknown to Phee, as he sneaks onto her ship to gather information and figures out coordinates to Pabu. The alarm does sound, but Phee had gone into a room blasting music, making it was hard to hear it, and CX-2 managed to turn it off quickly.

On the way back to her ship, Phee feels like there is someone nearby and gets ready to attack, but CX-2 had already managed to escape. He contacts Scorch, as they prepare for an attack.

CX-2 likely found out about Phee from Cid and sought her ship to gather more information to find the Batch.

While the sun sets on Pabu, the boys get ready to pack up and leave, listening to Ventress's warning. Wrecker works with Gonky to load up the ship, and really wants two ice cones.

We finally got to see the reg kids again from Episode 2, and I love their new clothes! I'm glad they got to live a peaceful life on Pabu and got to live like actual kids instead of soldiers, and they get to eat ice cones. Batcher is enjoying her time on Pabu as well, as she has made friends with a nice lady who gives her a treat. She looks so happy.

I'm so happy to finally see Lyana again, as Omega goes with her to one of Pabu's vaults where they keep treasures, and so does Batcher. Lyana is sad Omega is leaving, but it is safer for them this way. Omega decides to leave Tech's goggles and Lula on Pabu, as they are special treasures who will be waiting for their owners to return.

Wrecker picked a small fight with Gonky while getting tired and still putting supplies on the ship. Wrecker says he'll leave Gonky behind, and Gonky argues back. Sibling banter, for sure.

Meanwhile, CX-2 secretly arrives on Pabu, and the Marauder picks up the ship's signature, but he managed to turn it off before Wrecker could see it. (A clue, since he scrambled the ship's signature.) CX-2 lands and runs around Pabu, trying to locate Omega.

While collecting supplies, Hunter senses something while the birds fly above the horizon, and Crosshair asks him what he's sensing. Hunter's not sure, but they need to leave.

The Batch says their goodbyes to Shep and Lyana, thanking them for everything. CX-2 continues to look around the crowd on Pabu, and manages to recognize Hunter, Crosshair, and Omega. It's just going downhill from here.

CX-2 manages to plant a few explosives on the Marauder, causing it to explode into pieces (RIP the Marauder 😭, it's Razor Crest pain all over again). Wrecker heard the explosives before they went off and manages to pick up Gonky and try to run. Everyone on Pabu hears the explosion, and the others quickly run down to the scene. I was expecting them to be more distraught after the Marauder exploded and Wrecker got hurt. Their ship that they considered a home is now gone. Luckily Tech's goggles and Lula were taken out before it happened, I was so scared about that before this.

Omega kneels down to Wrecker, who is unconscious. Mox, Deke, and Stak help them after Hunter gives them orders, and he senses something. He looks up to the left, and the Empire has arrived on Pabu. Everyone runs, and Omega pets Batcher, scared.

CX-2 meets up with Scorch once troopers take the grounds, ready to find Omega. Omega feels guilty since this is all happening because the Empire wants her, but Hunter tells her that it is only the Empire's fault.

The scene from the trailer with CX-2 finally happens, and he said "Search every domicile...". Another clue; who else has said domicile in the past episodes? Shep goes to CX-2 and argues with him about what the Empire is doing to Pabu, as the docks and ships were being shot down.

Omega hides with Crosshair and Batcher, and Batcher growls after seeing the nice lady who had given her a treat earlier get hurt by the stormtroopers. Omega tries to hold her back and calm her down, but Batcher runs and attacks the troopers. They shoot at her, and she runs off. Omega wants to run after Batcher, but Crosshair believes that Batcher can take care of herself.

The two run off to the room where Wrecker is being kept with AZI, who is observing Wrecker's health. Lyana is with him, scared and staying safe.

Hunter sneaks around Pabu to try and obtain a ship they can use to escape, which is difficult with many stormtroopers around. Omega sees a ship that is swerving around in the sky and asks Crosshair if that is Hunter, which he replies, "Uh-huh." It was so funny the way he said it.

Omega talks with Crosshair, deciding to turn herself in and coming up with a plan for them to track her. Crosshair is too worried about her plan, trying to talk her out of it since she'll be taken back to Tantiss, and he doesn't want anything happening to her. Omega decides that it is her choice, and trusts Crosshair to plant a tracker onto the ship when she is being taken. Crosshair eventually agrees.

Omega surrenders herself, meeting eyes with CX-2. The tracker she tried to hide on herself is found, and now it's up to Crosshair to plant a tracker on CX-2's ship.

The ship Hunter had tried to get was shot down, and he managed to swim out of the water and reach land. Batcher found him, and his face looked so sweet when he pet her. He runs off to go find the others.

Omega had looked back at Pabu with sad eyes, feeling really guilty for what just happened, and now she'll be taken back to Tantiss. While being attacked by troopers and CX-2's ship is leaving, Crosshair shoots too quickly and misses. They'll have to find a way to track Omega now. Omega breathes while on CX-2's ship, looking confident and ready for what she needs to face next.

I am too worried for what is going to happen next. This episode was a big emotional rollercoaster, and it got so dark. I was expecting Hemlock to come to Pabu since he always goes wherever Omega has been spotted, but this time he let it be with CX-2. I'm so worried for Omega, and how are the Batch going to find her now? Echo needs to be caught up too, and I hope Wrecker wakes up soon.

#star wars #the bad batch #the bad batch crosshair #the bad batch hunter #the bad batch omega #the bad batch wrecker #the bad batch spoilers #the bad batch season 3 #tbb #sw tbb #tbb s3 #the bad batch batcher #phee genoa #the bad batch tech

24 notes · View notes

i-think-too-loud · 4 months

Text

saw this and agree with everything, but also…reg being the exact opposite?

some silly little thoughts i need to get out of my head before they consume me

-never gets caught pranking people because he’s convinced a detention is the worst punishment in the world (knows even one mistake would give his parents enough reason to disown him, too)

-smells like lavender (bc of the hc that he needs sleeping potions to be able to sleep and not have nightmares) and coffee and maybe flowers

-hates fire and will sit as far away from it as possible even if he’s shivering soooo badly (hc that he used to love sitting in the rain and swimming before the whole cave incident and he’d come into the common room soaking wet and shivering and still refuse to sit near the fire) (evan and dorcas mother-henning him bc they’re genuinely concerned with this habit)

-his day will go absolutely horrible if he doesn’t make his bed in the morning or his schedule gets interrupted (is he on the spectrum? probably)

-he and panda (all the skittles really)smoke all of the time, r does it because he has Anxiety and it calms his nerves

-was a big fan of Poe and Dickens and all kinda of muggle authors (he’d sneak out of Grimmauld when he was little and buy books from muggle shops. he just never got caught or told anyone, unlike Sirius who was very vocal about it) (he also borrowed some from Remus or Lily at times)

-also learned about love and marriage from watching his parents and for the longest time didn’t think love actually existed and that it was only a tale for children (like the tooth fairy or something) (forgot until editing this that Cupid exists, so he probably assumed it was a story like that with the love arrows)

-i don’t know many 70’s bands but he would have LOVED lana and conan, i’m convinced. (J would be such a swiftie tell me i’m wrong)

-doesn’t smile much but when he does it’s absolutely perfect (j absolutely melts when he sees it. R knows this and will absolutely use it to his advantage)

-doesn’t doodle but he writes poetry, often in the margins of book or on scraps of paper or whatever is closest to him. sometimes he’ll just lean over to james/panda/barty/whatever love interest you hc him with and scribble a little poem on their arm or hand just so he can get it out of him (see: Non-Stop from Hamilton)

-usually only wears black or green in public (but secretly loves when he and j are in private and he gets to wear all of j’s clothes, which are so loose and colorful and the complete opposite of the ones his parents allow him to be seen in)

-doesn’t dislike mcgonagall, but hates how pushy she can be about him joining ECs or whatnot (also hc that r, who’s favorite subject was potions and would even brew in his spare time, used to help make healing potions or sleeping droughts and whatnot for Pomfrey since she was always busy and never have time) (he would never admit it to anyone where he was going everyday when he was brewing them, though) (probably also how he realized Remus was a werewolf was because he was always around the infirmary helping out) (r would have been a healer in another life. one where he wasn’t expected to harm instead.)

-wouldn’t like most muggle sports (hates the rich people ones like golf or tennis but also hates how violent hockey or football could get) but he’d like ice/figure skating and ballet, and he would LOVE music (not so much listening to it, that’s j’s thing, but playing it. the piano or the violin, maybe. something delicate and pretty and requires precision)

-gay. the gayest little guy you’ve ever seen. (he and panda/dorcas tried hooking up just once while they were Realizing and it was so embarrassingly awful they both decided never to mention it again)(also Reg and barty/remus being fWb because….well, bc i said so)

#regulus black #slytherin skittles #marauders #slytherin #jegulus #harry potter #barty crouch junior #pandora #pandora lovegood #pandora rosier #pandora lestrange #dorcas meadowes #starchaser #sunseeker #moonwater #bartylus #starkiller

36 notes · View notes

padfootagain · 10 months

Text

Where We Kept Our Magic (I)

How We Met

Hello everyone ! I know what you are all going to think ‘holy shit, Carole is back with a new series AGAIN how many of these does she have?!’ The answer is simple : a) I have no self -control whatsoever hence the numerous series, b)there is no excuse, I’m simply a very messy writer. However, so far, I’m keeping up with all the series, so… let’s see!

This series is a little peculiar, because it is not meant to be a real series. This will be made of scenes and snippets that are independent from one another (more or less) taken at different moments in an AU. But there isn’t one major plot binding the whole series together. The concept is simply to explore the idea of Sirius dating a muggle reader, nothing more. Each chapter = one moment in their lives. I’m starting off with how they’ve met, but the following chapter might not even be posted in chronological order, we’ll see. The idea is really to just have a collection of moments, that’s all.

Also, a huge thank you to @damalseer and @reg-arcturus-black because we’ve talked about this fic together, and I have listened to their amazing concepts for this.

Now, that being said, I hope you all like this cute concept! Let me know what you think!

****

Pairing: Sirius Black x Muggle!Reader

Warnings: none for this chapter (one mention of weed and none of the characters smoke) except for extreme fluffiness that might lead to cavities or a melting of the heart.

Summary: You and Sirius meet when you’re still young, and yet you fall head over heels for each other. But everything gets complicated when you learn that Sirius is a Wizard! Now, your whole world has to be reimagined. -This series is made of many independent snippets taken from Sirius and Muggle!Reader’s lovestory –

Word Count : 3747

Masterlist for the series - Sirius Black's Masterlist - Main Masterlist

The music is loud, maybe too much so. Banging your head under the neon lights, you get dizzy after a while. It’s hot, full of people, an underground concert somewhere in Soho. Your friend has dragged you here, and you’ve sneaked out of your parents’ house to come. They will kill you if they notice your absence.

You’re sweaty, but you can’t say that you care. Your make up is smeared by now, eyeliner getting away from your eyes, and you don’t mind. You bang your head to the music still, some rock band you didn’t know before coming here. Still, they’re good enough, they make you jump up and down like a mad woman and that’s exactly what you need. You’re seventeen, you’re young, you want to be free. And as you let the music in, let it shake your body and echo with your heartbeat, you do feel like you’re breaking barriers, even if it can’t last beyond this night.

Your friend is shouting, and screaming along the song even if she doesn’t know the lyrics, and you laugh at her. It feels good. It feels liberating… Rock’n roll and Soul and the blurred scent of weed.

“I told you it would be awesome!” Jackie shouts, sending a wink your way through her pink heart-shaped glasses.

“It is!” you nod in agreement, screaming above the music while jumping up and down some more.

“Worse getting in trouble?”

“I’m not thinking about that right now!”

“No?”

“Right now, I’m enjoying myself! I can worry on my way home!”

“Now! That’s the spirit! You know what? You deserve a beer, rebel girl!”

You laugh at that, and let Jackie disappear through the crowd to get some beer from an illegal bar at the back of the room. You’re seventeen, you’re way too young to drink, and you don’t give a damn.

The beat drops, it makes your ribcage tremble, it shakes your brain, you’re dizzy again. You don’t wait for Jackie to be back, instead, you jump and clap along to the rhythm of the song. You only slow down when you have a strange feeling, like someone is staring at you…

And indeed, when you turn around, you notice a guy looking at you, a couple of rows behind.

Tall. Long dark-hair. Even from afar he seems extremely handsome, but the cold kind of beauty that fits better to a statue than to a living thing. Unreachable. Yes, that’s what is painted all over his features. Someone to admire from afar. A leather jacket, a Queen t-shirt. You can’t see his legs, but you bet on some dark jeans. He looks like trouble. An awful lot of it… And as he stares at you, you can’t help but find him intimidating.

But then, he notices that you’re looking at him, and his lips curve into a small, crooked smile. And you kind of like it.

You turn away again, though, and Sirius averts his gaze as well. This is ridiculous, anyway. He’s in Muggle London, at an illegal concert, getting drunk with James, Remus and Peter and this… You’re probably a Muggle, like everyone around him except for his fellow Marauders. He’s spotted you through the crowd: with your woollen crop-top, your flared jeans, and the bandana in your hair, you look like a hippie.

But he’s a Wizard, you’re off-limits. Too complicated, especially for him.

Instead, he raises his cup to drink some beer, but he finds the glass empty. He mumbles some insult under his breath.

“I’ll get some beer,” he tells James, his friend nodding but too busy dancing to properly answer.

And Sirius smiles bright at the sight of his best friend, his brother, grinning and having the time of his life, sweaty and hair even more dishevelled than usual, glasses lopsided upon his nose.

They’ve been back from Hogwarts for a couple of weeks, it’s their first night out since they’ve come back to the Potters. It’s Sirius’s first summer having a real home. And so far he loves it, and tonight more than ever. They’ve sneaked out of the Potters’ house to get on the Knight Bus and travel to Soho for this concert Remus had heard about through a Muggle friend of his. And Sirius loves it. Every second of it. His friends, the beat of the music through his ribcage, the lights, the shouts, the guitar screaming, the banging of his head to the rhythm… He loves it. He feels free. He’s been feeling that way since he ran from his parents the previous summer. It hits him with full strength now that he’s out of this mess, that he can be whoever he wants. He’s broken free, it feels a lot like flying, same exhilarating feeling.

He moves across the crowd to get a drink. He’s seventeen, too young to drink, but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about anything tonight. Tonight is for fun, only. His problems, the struggles of his world… that can wait for tomorrow.

The bar is at the back of the same room as the concert, the music is still as loud as it was when he was in the middle of the crowd, dancing. He points at his empty plastic cup while mouthing another beer to the waiter. The middle-aged man doesn’t ask questions. He’s smoking something, and Sirius isn’t sure it’s a mere cigarette. Sirius admires the tattoos on the man’s arms, intricate details painted with black ink. He wants to look like that. He wants to be tattooed, he’s been thinking about it for a while. He’ll get his first one during the summer, it’s decided…

He thanks the waiter and pays for his beer, but Sirius doesn’t get very far. He’s barely turned towards the stage again that someone bumps into him, and half of his beer is now wetting his favourite t-shirt.

“Oh fuck! Dick! Can’t you watch were you’re…”

But he looks up and his voice dies out when he falls into your eyes.

He’s only looked at you from afar, but he recognizes you in an instant. It’s weird. Like… like he knows you already. Like he’s drawn to you, for some reason.

His voice is much lower when he speaks again.

“…going.”

Your eyes are wide-open, you apologize profusely. You almost seem afraid of him.

And you are, for a part. Sirius is even more intimidating up-close. And his voice is deep and cold, and yet you love it. You love the deep, tumultuous sound. And his eyes are of a deep grey, like a summer sky before a thunder-storm, almost black under the blinking light of the concert. He’s much taller than you, it doesn’t help with the cold calmness that oozes from his frame, a feeling of something dangerously beautiful, almost aristocratic.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry…” you keep on saying that, and it takes Sirius a moment to finally react. He has to blink a couple of times before that.

Because you look beautiful like this, under the blinking lights. You are a hippie, you have the complete set of clothes, and he loves it, you look adorable. There’s something wild and determined in your gaze too, he doesn’t really know what it is, but it makes him feel safer anyway. You’re almost intimidating, in a way…

“No, it’s me. I’m sorry,” he mumbles, and he wonders why he’s acting almost shy now, he can feel a blush spreading across his features.

You notice his reddened cheeks, and you can’t refrain a smile. He looks cuter this way, almost kind.

“I… I’m sorry, I’m clumsy as fuck, sometimes,” he speaks, but the music is too loud, you can’t catch all the words.

“I’ll pay you another drink,” you offer, speaking loudly so he can hear you, but he shakes his head.

“No, no! It’s fine.”

“I’ve ruined it.”

“Not at all. I mean… kind of. But it’s fine. You didn’t mean it.”

You’re staring at each other, and it is very strange because… because you can feel that he’s trouble and yet you can’t seem to look away. He’s a good kind of trouble, you reckon. Not the classic bad boy, there’s something more layered into these dark eyes, and you want to know what it is all about. You don’t know why you feel like you know him, already. Like… like you’re drawn to him.

He's opened his mouth to speak again when Jackie shouts your name, grinning as she spots you, and you turn towards her.

“I was looking for my friend over there. She went to get us drinks.”

“I see.”

“Sorry again for the beer.”

Before Sirius can add anything you’ve turned around and you’re disappearing through the crowd, following Jackie, and Sirius remains standing there, with his glass half-empty and his wet t-shirt stinking of beer…

It takes him a moment to shake himself out of his thoughts, to look for the guys in the crowd again, to join them once more.

He’s barely reached the group that James turns to him with a mischievous grin that clearly means trouble.

“So… found a pretty lady, Padfoot?”

Sirius rolls his eyes.

“She bumped into me and now…”

He shows his drenched t-shirt, but James is not fooled, and neither are Peter and Remus, who are shaking their heads at their friend.

“That’s why you were blushing, of course,” Remus teases him, earning himself a punch in the arm.

“Fuck off, Moony!”

“He’s right, though,” Peter adds with a chuckle. “You were mesmerized!”

“I was not!”

“You should ask her out!” James encourages his friend. “She’s over there!”

Sirius follows the direction his friend is pointing, and you’re there alright. You’re dancing again, struggling a little because of your drink. You throw your head back as you laugh at your friend… you’re charming, really, even from afar…

But Sirius shakes his head, drinking some beer instead.

“Muggle,” is his only answer, barely audible above the loud music, as Sirius is more careful now.

But his three friends roll their eyes in unison.

“Come on, Pads!” Remus encourages him as well.

“Too complicated,” Sirius shakes his head.

“It doesn’t have to be anything serious! It’s summer! You could have a fling, for a couple of months,” Peter argues.

And Sirius is hesitant now. His friend is right. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can merely be a fling… nothing serious…

“Besides, maybe she isn’t even nice!” Remus jumps in again, still rubbing his painful arm. “You should talk to her, while you still can.”

While you still can… Why does Sirius feel such an urgency all of a sudden? As if… as if he has so much to lose, when he hasn’t, really. You’re a stranger. He doesn’t even know your name…

He wants to know it though.

He heaves a sigh, one last hesitation, before he downs his drink in one large gulp, and strides across the crowd towards you.

His heart is beating so fast, and he doesn’t even know why, because… he doesn’t know. There are no stakes whatsoever. So, why is he nervous?

You don’t notice him until he’s right by your side, and Jackie frowns at him, wondering who the hell he is.

You freeze when you turn to him.

“Hey.”

“Hey?”

Your voice is too shy, he can’t hear you, but he guesses what you said by the movement of your lips.

“I… I was wondering… would you like a drink?”

He’s cursing himself for not looking as confident as usual. He’s never stuttered like that in front of a girl before.

You seem to hesitate, and he shoots you a crooked smile. It’s charming, but it still looks a little shy. You really love that…

“I’ve kind of changed my mind about the beer,” he jokes, and it’s enough to make you smile.

Behind you, you feel Jackie’s finger poking at your side, and you know what she means without looking at her. You can hear her voice, what she would say, her exact words.

Handsome bloke who seems to be our age. You’d better say yes!

And you’ve come here tonight to feel free. No consequences for now, no trouble, you’ll think about those once you try to sneak back into your parents’ house. For now, you’re in this crazy concert, under blinking neon lights, this guy is gorgeous and there’s something pulling you to him and… and it’s enough. At least, it’s enough for a drink.

“Alright, but I’m the one who owns you a drink. So, I’m buying.”

He grins at that, agreeing with a nod, and you walk towards the bar again.

You buy Sirius his drink, but the music seems even louder than before, and when he tries to speak to you, you can’t hear a thing.

After a second try, he leans closer to speak into your ear. So close, you can smell cigarettes, leather, beer and something of citrus on him. Your head spins a little…

“Mind stepping out for a minute?”

He reads on your face that he’s scared you away. You look up at him with worried eyes, and he curses himself for it.

After all, he still looks intimidating, with his cross earing, the pentagram pendant around his neck, his charming smile…

Is he simply a teenager? Or a psychopath? No one can know, after all… and you’re just seventeen, and he’s a stranger, and you ought to be careful.

He leans closer again, and you force yourself not to breathe his scent too deeply, not to close your eyes when you feel his breath graze the skin right behind your ear.

“We can stay by the door. But it’s too loud here.”

As if to prove a point, he points at his ear, then his throat. And he’s right, of course. If you want to talk, even for five minutes, you can’t do it here.

You slowly nod, going on your tiptoes. He bends a little to bring his ear to your level.

“I’ll warn my friend then.”

He nods with a smile, lets you cross the crowd.

You warn Jackie, she tells you she’ll check on you in ten minutes, just in case. And you’re grateful for it.

Meanwhile, Sirius throws a glance towards his friends, and they all give him some thumb-ups and some ridiculous grins, and he rolls his eyes.

You come back after a mere minute, and you let him guide you upstairs again.

It’s the end of spring, the beginning of summer, but the night is still fresh, cooled down by a small breeze. It sends shivers across your skin, but that’s a nice feeling. It clears your head a little bit. After the loud sound of the concert, the lights, the crowd, the shouts… it feels good to step outside in the quiet of a night in London.

A car drives by, there’s the rushed whisper of the wind in nearby trees, but that’s about it, really. A few people are taking a break from the show too, gathered in small clusters all along the backstreet where you stand now. As a reflex, you step closer to a lamppost, looking for the light. A lost moth in a dark street…

Sirius takes a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket, and offers you one, but you decline. He lights one up for himself.

“Do you like the concert so far?” he asks after taking his first drag.

“Yeah, it’s fun! I didn’t know the band before tonight though, so… not great to sing along!”

“Didn’t know them either. I came with a friend, he’s the one who knew the band. They’re good, though.”

“Yeah, they are.”

“You came with a friend too, right?”

“Yeah, with Jackie! She kind of… dragged me here, to be honest.”

“I’m grateful she did.”

There’s flirt in his tone, and you can’t help but shy away. And you look adorable like this, Sirius loves it. But then again, you don’t seem comfortable yet, and he wants you to be so.

“We can go back whenever you want, you know? It’s fine if you prefer to find back your friend,” he offers.

And you genuinely consider accepting, walking back inside and run away with Jackie but then again… you don’t really want to. Because Sirius is beyond handsome like this: smoking, tilting his head to the side a little as he waits for an answer, his face bathed in the golden light of the lamppost.

And you love his voice. Deep, much warmer than before. More welcoming. Charming…

“It’s okay, I’m just… not really used to going to concerts like that and… this…”

He smiles at that, a smile more earnest, brighter too, and you like it. He doesn’t seem so scary now…

“Neither am I, to be honest.”

“You look like the part, though,” you joke, pointing at his leather jacket, his t-shirt, his combat boots. He laughs at that, and you find that you like the sound. It’s brighter than you expected it would be.

“True but… let’s say that I didn’t often have the opportunity to come to this kind of things. Besides, I’m still young. Plenty of time to catch up with that now.”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

You seem to relax at that.

“I’m seventeen too.”

He raises an eyebrow, his smile crooked again, near a smirk, and you like it. You really do.

“Are you still in high school?” you ask him, and he nods.

“Yeah, huh… boarding school.”

“Oh, I see. It must be nice to see your parents during the summer.”

But he merely smiles, and doesn’t answer. You silently curse yourself for obviously touching a nerve.

It’s alright though, Sirius doesn’t mind. He doesn’t reckon that it’s a conversation fit for such a night though, so he changes the topic and guides it towards you again, and finally asks for your name.

“Y/N,” you answer with a smile, and he finds that he adores the sight of it; it’s infectious, he wants to smile too now. “What about you?”

“Sirius. Sirius Black. I know, weird name.”

“Pretty though.”

You exchange a grin, but the gesture is shy for both of you.

Damn, Sirius’s throat tightens, and he’s a ball of nerves, really. He doesn’t know what it is about you that just… makes him lose his cool. But he loves it. It’s endearing. And you’re worth it. He can feel it.

He guides the conversation towards you again, and ten minutes fly by, and you forget all about Jackie who’s supposed to check up on you. Sirius is on his second cigarette, and you don’t even notice her when she smiles at the sight of the two of you and decides to leave you alone and head back for the end of the show.

You talk for a long time, actually. You’ve relaxed as the minutes flew by, you feel good now. You don’t cling that much to the light of the lamppost, you’re turned fully towards Sirius instead. Another source of light, even if this one seems more complex.

You talk for a long while, so long that people start flooding the street as the show ends. You’re both running out of time… and neither of you want to say goodbye just yet.

But it’s late. Very late, the night is heavy and the moon is declining. You must go home, and so does he.

He takes a deep breath, before diving.

“Would that be too much to ask for, if I wanted to go on a date with you?”

But you’re not so hesitant anymore, and you grin up at him.

“That would be nice.”

Sirius grins, his heart skipping a few beats.

“What about some dinner?” he offers, remembering an Italian restaurant where Remus has taken them before. “On Friday?”

But you can’t afford to take the risk of your parents saying no, and going out with a stranger on a Friday night is a lot to ask for…

“What about lunch, instead?”

Sirius merely shrugs.

“Sure. Okay. Let’s do that. There’s an Italian restaurant a couple of streets away. Let’s meet there at noon.”

“Okay.”

The two of you exchange a grin, that turns into shy chuckles.

“Alright, I’ll see you at noon next Friday, then, Y/N. And… thanks again for the drink.”

“I owed you one.”

“Still nice to be offered drinks by such a pretty girl.”

He expects you to shy away but you laugh instead.

“Wow, what a lousy line!”

He’s a little taken aback, but he likes it. You fire back; he likes that.

“It was an amazing line!”

“No, it was terrible. All it was missing was a good old wink…”

Sirius shoots you a grin and flirtatious wink in response, and you hate yourself for letting your heart miss a beat at the sight, but you can hardly help it. You laugh harder still, the sound infectious, so much so that Sirius chuckles too.

“Well, for our date, please, work on your flirt,” you tease him, and he decides that he adores this side of you…

“Very well, ma’am.”

You exchange one last smile, but you can’t buy yourself more time. And Sirius knows that he’s staring a little too much, but he can’t help it. He just wants to remember you perfectly, waiting for this date.

“Goodnight, Y/N. Be safe to go home.”

Your smile grows fonder.

“Thank you. Same to you, be careful, it’s very late. Goodnight, Sirius.”

He wants to bend down and kiss your cheek, raise his fingers to the edge of your jaw to touch your skin, judge how soft it is by himself. But he’s afraid to go too fast, to scare you away again, so he doesn’t. He looks at you as you walk towards Jackie instead, as you walk down the alley and disappear by the corner. The boys are waiting for him, amused smiles on their lips, but Sirius doesn’t notice them. He merely stares at you instead.

And you want to go on your tip-toes and kiss his cheek, rest a hand on his shoulder to see if it’s as strong as it seems to be. But you’re afraid to go too fast, to scare him away, so you don’t. You turn around instead, looking for Jackie, and you walk away, leaving Sirius alone under the light of the lamppost. But then you disappear, and he steps out of the light.

**************************************

Taglist : @reg-arcturus-black @hells-escapees @omgrachwrites @wolfmoonmusic

#sirius black #sirius black x you #sirius black x y/n #sirius black x reader #sirius black fanfiction #sirius black series #fanfic #writing #fanfiction #the marauders #marauders era #hp marauders #marauders #marauders fanfiction #hp fanfic #hp fanfiction #hp fandom

101 notes · View notes

floralembarrassment · 1 year

Text

Tiny Dancer (1/1) (jegulus)

"Mummm, come on" James complained.

"Please Mrs Potter don't listen to him. James hush," Regulus gently swatted James arms as his posh slightly French accent filled the room.

"Reg," James pleaded.

"No no. I want to see these too," Sirius said, a grin spread from ear to ear.

James groaned as Effie pressed the tape into the vcr. It was grainy, and James covered his face. He could here the soft music of the recital and Sirius began to laugh.

Regulus however giggled, and started cooing. "James, oh my goodness, you were so cute," he said and the sweetness in Regulus' voice made him look up.

"Yeah what happened!" Sirius teased.

While James had seen the tape too many times, and he did live it as it was of him, he remembers the tiny little slippers and being sad he wasn't allowed to wear the skirts with the other kids in his class (all girls). Monty narrates all of this too the Black Brothers, and Sirius points at the screen as it flips from the class to the recital and says - "but he is in a tutu there!"

"Yes well Monty couldn't handle James' tears really," Effie chuckled.

"No it's because my son will wear whatever he wants. He wanted to do ballet and wear the tutu then he can!" Monty said, with just as much passion all these years later that he had when he fought for James back then.

"James, you actually have good technique for a 5 year old," Regulus commented. He was leaning forward, closely watching him dance. Everyone looked at him a bit curiously. He turned to face them all, "sorry, I didn't know ballet was something all pure blood kids do."

Sirius smacked his forehead and James sputtered "wait you did ballet as well?" His tone didnt even try to hide his shock. As Regulus surveyed the room, it was clear he had made a mistake. "Well yeah, Sirius and I did right up until we went to Hogwarts," Regulus explained.

"Reg shut up'" Sirius said through gritted teeth. "Oh no no no, we were prima ballerinas James. I bet we can still do our duet," Regulus laughed.

Effie and Monty, the heathens they are, clapped as they both began a chant of "du-et, du-et, duet!" Which of course got everyone laughing, and Sirius conceded and pulled Regulus to his feet.

And all of a sudden James was watching his best friend and boyfriend perform in his living room. James couldn't have predicted this at all but he was happy, and he could see the joy on everyone's faces. He was so pleased that even his tiniest worries about bringing a boyfriend home were quashed. He never had any doubt his parents would love Regulus but he was so happy it was all going well.

Regulus and Sirius finished in beautiful curtsies, never having missed a beat.

#jegulus #marauders #starchaser #james x regulus #fanfic #harry potter #regulus black #james potter #marauders era #regulus arcturus black #james fleamont potter #sirius black #effie and monty #the potters #marauders fandom #fluffiest fluff #training for the ballet potter

305 notes · View notes

nikolai-alexi · 9 months

Text

For @jegulus-microfic Prompt: Savour WC: 890

Tags: bipolar James, manic episode, very unreliable narrator, bipolar Barty Crouch Jr, psychosis hallucination, mild violence, James is extremely touch adverse during a mania episode like this, Regulus is Going Through It, James gets the wrong impression eavesdropping on Reg/Barty/Evan’s conversation while they think he’s asleep, Reg is overwhelmed and guilty, James is Unwell, Evan is over everyone’s shit and really doesn’t like James’ friends, Barty is a good friend, Sirius/Remus/Pete don’t just abandon James in this they’re there and they probably went to go get help but James has no clue what’s going on around him really so they just aren’t featured, Evan still holds a grudge against Sirius specifically and (though he won’t admit it) he feels angry on James’ behalf because none of them realised he was struggling so he’s an ass to them, apparently manic episodes are a lot harder to write when you can’t remember what your own are like when you have them

James is aware he shouldn’t be laughing. He’s aware of the stares branding their way under his skin. He feels acutely every disgusted look thrown his way and he hears every scoff. He’s aware he shouldn’t be laughing. But he can’t stop.

Someone has turned off the party’s music. Unfortunate, that. If they kept it going maybe he could pass it off that he’d just drank too much. It’s worked for him before. He still can’t stop laughing. His lungs burn for oxygen and his stomach is cramping and his vision is blurry and his skin is crawling and he can’t stop fucking laughing.

He can’t tell how long it takes until his hysterical laughter subsides into maniacal giggles, “Savour it,” he chokes out, still giggling, “Perfect fucking Potter isn’t so perfect!”

He throws his arms wide and spins a circle in the middle of the common room, still giggling, “Someone ought to call the Prophet! Let them know that the only thing James Potter actually is, is fucking crazy!”

He thinks he’s lost his glasses, because whoever is standing in front of him is unrecognisable with how blurry everything is.

“C’mon, J,” they say. Oh! It’s Barty! Barty knows alllll about being batshit fucking crazy, doesn’t he?

His glasses are set back on his face with very careful movements. Barty knows what James can be like like this. He probably doesn’t want another broken nose. James isn’t sure he’d feel it if someone broke his nose. Would he feel it if he broke his own nose? Or would he only think he felt it because he knew it was coming?

“No one is going to break anyone’s nose, James,” Barty says, sternly, in a voice that sounds eerily similar to Regulus’ ‘shut up and quit being stupid’ voice. He must have spoken aloud. Oopsies.

A shadow appears behind Barty, and before James knows it, his body is flying through the air. Is he trying to run from it? Fight it? Who knows. He doesn’t. But he can’t stand that stupid fucking shadow starring at him. There’s a sharp pressure on the side of his head and everything goes black.

Next thing he knows, he’s hearing hushed voices to the side of him. He doesn’t have the energy to open his eyes, so he just stays still and listens.

“Why the fuck would you knock him out, Barty?!” Regulus’s voice is high, despite being quiet. He must be really upset about something.

“Reg,” Barty sighs, it sounds like he’s been repeating the words for a while, “He went to attack, what I assume was, one of his hallucinations and came after me as a result. You know we can’t restrain him. He just panics and hurts himself. The only thing I could do to get him out of there and keep him safe was knock him out.”

The breath seems to exit Regulus’ chest in one swift ‘whoosh’, “Yeah,” he sighs, “I know,”

A chair slides roughly across the floor, “It’s not your fault, Reg,” Barty murmurs quietly.

Regulus scoffs, “I should have seen the signs. I should have known he was going to have an episode,”

“Bullshit, Regulus. You’re in the middle of your OWLS prep. You’ve been holed in the library for the last two weeks. How many times have you even gotten to see him in the last month?”

Someone stands up and begins pacing, James reckons it must be Regulus. He always paces when he’s agitated, “That’s just the thing, Barty! I haven’t seen him more than once or twice since the Quidditch match with Gryffindor and Slytherin. I’ve been too damn busy to notice anything was wrong!”

A new voice chimes in, “Sit the fuck down, Regulus,” Ah, Evan’s joined the fray.

James can nearly see the death glare mixed with a pout that Regulus sends Evan as he plops ungracefully into his chair.

“Potter is not your responsibility. No, shut the fuck up and listen to me, Regulus,” James wants to chuckle, because only a Rosier can talk to Regulus like that and get away with it, “Potter is not your responsibility. You both discussed how stressful these next two months were going to be for you. He understood and respected your need for space, and other than making sure you’re taking care of yourself, he hasn’t pushed. You haven’t seen him more than a couple of times, how would you have noticed anything was wrong?”

Regulus makes a distressed noise, but doesn’t interrupt.

“Potter is not your responsibility. If anyone should have noticed something was wrong, it should have been your brother, or Lupin, or Pettigrew, or hell, even McGonagall. But they didn’t. And that’s not your fucking problem. That’s on them.”

“You’ve said it yourself, Reg,” Barty says, quietly, “James is really good at hiding this from people. He kept it from his best friends, his teachers, and classmates for six years. Hell, I deal with the same shit he does and I didn’t even connect the dots until the beginning of this year.”

There’s a resigned sigh from Regulus. James thinks he might be scrubbing a hand down his face like he does when he’s stressed. The thought makes guilt pool in his gut.

“I know you’re right,” Regulus says quietly, “It’s just…a lot. Right now. It’s all just a lot to deal with right now,”

And James can’t stop the sound that’s something between a crushing sob and hysterical laughter bubble out of his throat. Here I go again, he thinks, destroying everything good in my life because I’m too fucking much. He blacks out again.

#jegulus microfic #regulus black #james potter #evan rosier #barty crouch jr #jegulus #james potter has bipolar disorder #barty crouch jr has bipolar disorder #under 1k words

58 notes · View notes

half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk · 2 months

Text

Louk's Bad Batch rewatch part 19 AND 20 😳

straight into it again batchers 🤟

The Bad Batch 1x15

Crosshair coming to visit Hunter how sweet 💕

Echo teaching Omega to stay focused while being stressed 🥺

every time I see Rampart I wanna smash his face in a little bit more

Omega with her secret base 🥷

her wet droopy hair 🥺

Tech looks like Korkie rn he's a ginger in the light

Echo checking in on Omega 😭

Crosshair you need to listen to Hunter he's right

Hunter: "we didn't have a choice" Crosshair: "and I did?" 😭😭😭😭😭

Omega: "experimental unit 99 began right here" Wrecker: "is that true?" Tech: "how could I possibly know that?" 💀

where are all the other clones "reassigned and transferred offworld" ??? op what does this mean

"guess you were wrong about that" lmao Wrecker

Crosshair listen here you sassy little-

siblings always know when you're lying 🤭

Crosshairs whole speech in the training room....

"I'm going to give you what you never gave me ...a chance" 😭😭😭

"we're not like the regs, we never have been" - this line sounds the most like a reg Crosshair has sounded was this on purpose ??

Crosshair cutting the binders with Hunter's knife AJDJSKAJFL

Tech spotting the discs and silently telling Wrecker !!! I'm jumping over my couches

BDIWOANSHWUAALLDNFIWIANFJEK WHEN CROSSHAIR SHOOTS ALL THE OTHER SOLDIERS WHEN HE- WHEN I- I'VE GONE INSANE-

Crosshair never wanted to kill them he wanted them back 😭😭😭😭😭

THEIR FACES THE MUSIC THE ENTIRE SCENE THEYRE WORKING TOGETHER IVE SURPASSED INSANITY

Tarkin 🤢🤢

Crosshair's holding his head 👀 Chips still there !!

them fighting about the chip 😭 Tech scan his brain pls

Omega hugging Hunter 🤲🥺😭🥰

the completely empty rooms I can't

the regs who open fire 👀 Slip???

I can't deal with watching tipoca city fall 😭

I can't deal with them watching it fall 😭😭😭

THE OUTRO-

The bad batch 1x16

the silence after the blast knocks them down

Crosshair woke up as they slid and I think Echo was out 🥺

that poor reg with the status report I wanna hug him so bad 💔

oop they were all out not just Echo

Tech: *can't hack the door* Wrecker: "I can" kinfe knife knife knife knife

Tech is pulling the door with his fingers 🥺

Wrecker gently catching Omega and passing her to Echo who just holds her for a bit 🥺🤲🥰💔😭💕

then Crosshair just slides into Hunters foot lmaooo

I don't think Crosshair knew what the empire was planning ?? he just wakes up and blames the boys for it ??

them all stopping to look at the water filling up in the baby clone room with all the empty tubes 😭

Omega catching AZI 🥺

DID CROSSHAIR JUST CATCH ECHO 👀

the last time they're all in their room together 💔

lmao Echo with the smell 💀

SHE just saved your ass Crosshair settle down

sibling squabbles turning into heartfelt convos 🥲 Wrecker missed Crosshair so much

theres always a bigger fish

they're all just sitting together to catch their breath 🤲

all back in the lab together 🥲

mhm Crosshair she's your BIG sister show her some respect

CROSSHAIR THIS IS NOT OMEGAS FAULT YOU BUTTHEAD

you sound an awful lot like a clone with an inhibitor chip rn buddy 👀

also sounds like Saw Gerrera which is never a good sign

"all you'll ever be to them is a number" ~ Hunter, then Crosshair's head immediately starts hurting hmmmm 🤔

I think it's still in there and its starting to stop working similar to Tup... possibly bc he got a little fried on that side of his head...

ptsd for Echo being in that tube 🥲💔

Omega doing the blasting instead of Wrecker !!

They're hugging in the tubes I know it

Omega's worried voice 🥺

"I'm going after AZI" 😭

CROSSHAIR 💕💕💕💕

Hunter's nervous hands tapping waiting for Omega to come up 🥺🥲

then him picking her up out of the water and his "I've gotcha" 😭😭😭😭😭

Crosshair handing over his rifle while the other three are ready to shoot him 🥲

Hunter holding Omega's hand- I'm gone y'all

Crosshair refusing to look at them while they're looking at him 💔

the sun shining on kamino after all of that, like the calm *after* the storm... which is unsettling bc it's usually the calm before the storm

Hunter picking Omega up again 🤲 he's so gentle

them all just staring at where their home used to be 💔😭

Wrecker holding AZI like a baby 🥺

they all look so dad (I tried to type sad but both works)

Hunter's soft smile telling Omega it's time to go 🥰

Hunter watching Omega and Crosshair talking

"you're still their brother, Crosshair. You're my brother too." star wars wants me to never stop crying as if I'm not already dehydrated enough

not thinking about how that was the last thing he heard for how many weeks??

FKN TANTISS

all the clone commandos everywhere 👀 the rest of delta squad when

WE DID IT !!! WE FINISHED SEASON 1 💕

Now I'm going to speed watch s2 in the next 2 days omg my emotions won't survive lmao

thanks everyone who's followed along and interacted so far I love seeing love for tbb so seeing people enjoying my responses makes me super happy 💕 I hope tbb3 is good to us 🙏

17 notes · View notes

levi-venn · 3 months

Text

The First Toothpick

Chapter 2: "Misfire"

Gen Fic - Mentor/Protege

Characters: Cad Bane, Crosshair (the kid), Tech.

Summary: Cad Bane teaches Crosshair how to be a sniper. The kid picks up some other habits as a result.

Chapter Summary: Crosshair can handle his first jump to hyperspace...until he can't.

Available on AO3 here

Chapters: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch7 | Ch8 (Coming soon)

Crosshair knelt beside his bunk, packing his bag quietly.

The bag had actually been packed for months now. It was a standard bug-out bag filled with provisions, jumpsuits, a short-range comm set, and a first aid kit. Still, he moved the contents around. Checking and rechecking the inventory list. Drawing it out for as long as it took for Fett to look for him.

Behind him Hunter and Wrecker threw each other to the ground on the training mat, punching and tickling each other, challenging the other to say “I surrender” first. Half the time this game ends in exhaustion and no victor…or tears from Wrecker and Hunter relenting to calm him down.

Pulling out a small box hidden at the foot of his bunk, Crosshair looked through his Max Reebo discs, deciding which ones to bring. Would he have time to listen to music? It calmed him down during the worst storms on Kamino. Where was he going? Would it be loud? Would it be bright?

Am I being punished?

“Where are you going?” Said a clipped Core World accent that his brother, Tech, had been practicing for weeks.

Crosshair didn’t turn around. “Out.”

“That…is evident,” Tech huffed, kneeling beside Crosshair. “Don’t take the discs. If you break them, they’ll be gone forever. It was hard enough smuggling them in.”

Crosshair put the discs away, and instead pulled out a small, torn poster of Figrin D'an And The Modal Nodes. Written in silver marker were the words: “To Crosshair, the best sniper - Figrin D’an”. Tech said the personalized autograph was authentic, but Crosshair recognized Tech’s handwriting when he saw it, the too-neat s’s, the perfectly circular o’s.

It was his prized possession.

He refolded the poster and tucked it into his pocket.

“They’re sending me away to train with a bounty hunter.”

“Well, that sounds exciting.”

Crosshair grunted quietly.

“Is it not exciting?” Tech pressed.

Crosshair recounted his ration bars.

“Crosshair?” Tech asked.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Well I’m not using what the Regs call you. It’s not accurate.”

“Yeah?” Crosshair snarled, defensively. “I knew your eyesight was bad, but even you saw how shitty I did in the last test. I dropped my rifle! It fell thirty meters and blasted a hole through the scoreboard.”

Tech flinched a little at the eyesight comment. Crosshair flinched, too.

“My sight isn’t the issue and your name isn’t ‘Misfire’. Mistakes happen. Everyone makes them.”

“Not Regs, apparently. Just me. I’m the reason they call us the Bad Batch.”

“That isn’t true. They call us that because…” Tech frowned as if searching for an adequate answer. The longer he stalled the worse Crosshair felt. “...Jealousy for one,” Tech said, finally. “ And I heard on some planets people say ‘bad’ when they mean ‘good’. ‘Badassery’ is a word I’ve heard the seasoned clones say many times.”

“You’re making that up.”

Tech tugged at his new goggles magnifying his eyes three fold. “I never make up fun facts, you know this.”

Crosshair didn’t answer right away.

He didn’t trust his voice not to crack.

Blinking away tears was second nature to Crosshair, especially recently with the slew of mistakes he’d been making. He blinked rapidly at Tech, then threw his arms around him in a gruff hug. “Take care of yourself while I’m gone. Don’t let Wrecker push you around. If he gets too rough, tell Hunter.”

“I can fight my own battles,” Tech huffed. “...But I’ll miss you too.”

The door slid open and Crosshair immediately let his brother go.

“Let’s go, CT-9904,” Fett said.

Crosshair gave Tech a gentle punch on the arm. “See you soon,” he lied. He had no idea when he’d be back. Maybe months or years .

What if I never see him again?

“What? Crosshair’s leaving?” Hunter asked, voice muffled through the headlock Wrecker trapped him in.

Crosshair walked out behind Fett, clutching the straps of his bug-out bag and sniper rifle tightly. He didn’t look back.

“Where’s he goin’?” Wrecker asked as the door closed behind him.

It was hard not to stare at the blue alien walking alongside him. His eyes were perfectly round glowing bulbs set behind mean, narrow slit eyelids. He had no nose, his lips were thin and grim, fangs razor sharp, and his brow was one long ridge that raised and lowered dramatically with his mood. The left ridge raised at Crosshair.

“What’s the matter, kid? Never seen a Duros before?”

Crosshair looked away. A Duros. He committed this to memory so he could tell Tech all about him when he got back.

If I come back…

The docking platform’s doors opened and suddenly the Duros was the second most interesting thing Crosshair had seen that day.

Ship designs were an important part of Crosshair’s daily studies, mostly how to take them down in a dogfight. He’s seen hundreds of ships in his lessons. He’s never seen any ship like this. It reminded him of the scorpions of Tatooine, the engine raised like a threatening stinger, wings spread like they’d sprout claws to grab unsuspecting prey.

He almost smiled.

The Duros must have noticed. “Welcome to the Justifier , kid.”

The ramp came down and Crosshair all but ran inside. His squad had been in simulation pods, but only Reg cadets were allowed trips on dropships. Hunter said they’d have plenty of time to fly in ships later, one day they’d have a ship of their own. For special missions. Crosshair remained skeptical. Hunter said a lot of things.

If Tech were here, he’d probably tell Crosshair exactly what kind of ship it was, the specs inside, how quickly it can prep a jump to hyperspace, the brand of the main compressor and what year it was made.

“Have a seat and strap in. Make yourself comfy, but not too comfy. This here’s temporary lodgings until we get to the ranch.”

Ranch? What’s a ranch?

Crosshair said nothing.

Cad hit the control panel and the ramp shrank back into the ship’s belly, the door sliding shut. Crosshair thought - too late - to take one last look at Kamino before it was gone. By the time he turned around, the door was shut. That was it. No goodbyes.

There was a small puddle at his feet where the cool, crisp rain had collected.

He put the toe of his boot in it.

It rippled.

“Strap in, kid. This ol’ girl gets a’might bumpy at Jump. Don’t reckon Jango’ll pay me if you’re a splatter on the wall.”

There were four seats in the common area with proper straps. Crosshair climbed into the largest one. There were claw marks on the edges of the armrest.

“That’s Bossk’s chair,” Cad said, grabbing the buckles and straps, handing them to Crosshair. “He ate the last person who tried to steal his spot.”

Crosshair snorted.

Cad wasn’t laughing.

Crosshair’s face fell.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell him who sat here last,” Cad sneered.

While Crosshair strapped himself in, Cad watched, as if to make sure he did it properly. It was a four strap system that fastened to a disc over his chest. The disc was new, but the straps looked ancient. They didn’t fit crisply like they did in the simulation pods.

“Need help?”

“I know how to secure straps,” Crosshair said, irritably.

“Yeah? All I see are fumbling fingers. Hurry up, before the storm pushes us off the platform.”

Crosshair rolled his eyes, his vision hitting a snag when he noticed the chair across from him was covered in small cuts, the leather melted as if assaulted by a vibroblade. “A.S. Wuz Here.” was carved in the chair back.

“Who is A.S.?” Crosshair asked, securing the fourth strap after a bit of adjusting. It popped out as soon as he let go.

Cad knelt down and batted Crosshair’s hand away, securing each strap then tightening them until Crosshair felt like he was part of the chair. “That’d be Aurra Sing. Be thankful Jango asked me to train you and not her. She hates kids.”

Crosshair raised a skeptical eyebrow. “And you like them?”

“No. Not really.”

“Me neither,” Crosshair said, thinking of the Regs whispering and snickering at him whenever he walked by.

Cad snorted or maybe scoffed. It was hard to tell. “Well, we’re gonna get along just fine then.” He tilted his hat up, his glowing red eyes seemed to give off a menacing heat, or maybe Crosshair was just nervous.

I want to make people nervous like this. With just a look. A mean look.

“I got two rules on this ship: Stay out of the cockpit. Stay out of my quarters. Everywhere else is fair game. Follow that n’ we’ll get along fine. Break a rule, you get a trip to the airlock. Sound good?”

Authority figures often threatened him and his brothers with punishment whenever they broke a rule, but this was the first time Crosshair actually believed an adult would follow through on a threat.

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Don’t sir me. Bane’s fine.”

Was Fett the only person allowed to call him “Cad”?

Crosshair decided not to ask.

“Yes, Bane,” Crosshair said.

Seemingly pleased, Bane gave a final tug to Crosshair’s straps and stood up. “Brace yourself.”

Brace himself? What did that mean? Panic was starting to sink into his bones. He had never been on a ship before. He had never been in hyperspace before. The clone troopers had armor for a reason when flying their ships. The g-forces could kill them without it. And Crosshair was in a jumpsuit. He wouldn’t get armor until he graduated to adulthood.

He shut his eyes as the ship started to hum and whirr all around him.

Tech wouldn’t panic.

Tech would adjust those new goggles of his.

What would Tech say?

Probably say something snarky like…“Obviously, you don’t need armor if Cad Bane is wearing clothes pulled directly out of a ‘Fistful of Credits’ holodrama.”

It made him feel better…

…for all of five seconds.

There was a high-pitched squeal like a broken valachord, the pressure hitting his chest like Wrecker was sitting on it.

Two Wreckers maybe…

…three…

Dark space clouded his vision.

I’m fine. Tech would be fine. I’m going to be f-

He passed out.

“Another black eye?” Tech asked, not looking up from his datapad.

“Same eye, just more black,” Crosshair sneered, climbing past his own bunk and onto Tech’s. “What’re you reading?”

“Who hit you?”

“Does it matter? Regs are all the same.”

“Hmm,” Tech flicked the holoprojector mode on and a planet, infected with an uninterrupted mass of buildings, floated in front of them. “I’m studying ecumenopolises.”

“What are they?”

“City-planets. Denon, Coruscant, Axxila, they cleared away the natural history of the planet making way for cities built upwards, the height depending on the population growth and class systems in place. Oftentimes the lower-income citizens are relegated to the lower levels of the city, or sent to the hemisphere opposite of the wealthier sectors. Weather patterns on these planets are regulated and usually temperate.

“Looks loud,” Crosshair said, not really understanding what he meant.

“Does it? Hmm…” Tech never made fun of Crosshair’s short, blunt statements, always considering each word carefully. Crosshair felt heard around his brother, even when he didn’t think anyone was listening. “That makes sense. Your eyes are designed to be sharper than most clones. As a sniper it’s an imperative feature. The bright flashes of lightning are too much for you. ‘Loud’ is a poetic way of looking at this planet. Yes, these cities are loud, especially Coruscant with many reflective solar-powered surfaces on their buildings. I’d hate to be stuck in traffic at dawn or dusk. I can only assume they have polarized shields for their speeders.”

Crosshair gingerly touched his cheek. It was swelling up. “Think we’ll see Coruscant one day?”

“I’m counting on it. It’s the heart of the Republic.” Tech looked up at Crosshair, brow knitting. “If Coruscant turns out to be too loud, tell me. I can construct polarized lenses for you until you grow used to it.”

Crosshair rested his chin on Tech’s shoulder, watching the planets cycle by. “Thanks, Tech.”

“Kid?”

Five more minutes, Techie…

“Hey, kid. Wake up.”

Wake Wrecker up first...

There was a click and a sudden relief of pressure on his chest. Crosshair snapped awake with a gasp, muscles tensing, his hand reaching for his sniper rifle’s strap which…wasn’t there.

When his vision cleared, two glowing eyes stared at him under a furrowed brow. Bane was sneering again. “Welcome back. Y’know, Jango coulda warned me you’ve never made a jump to hyperspace before.”

“I’ve been in sssimulations,” Crosshair hissed.

Bane shoved a water bottle into Crosshair’s hands then plopped himself into Aurra Sing’s chair, leaning back. He rested his boot on his ankle, slouching like a holodrama blasterslinger.

Crosshair slouched too…but his legs were too short to pull off the same position.

“Drink.”

Crosshair did, not realizing how thirsty he was until the cold water hit his throat. It’s never cold in the facility. Everything is room temperature. Even the food.

“Guess they don’t add artificial G-forces to the sims, huh? I reckon, this old ship’ll probably hit ya harder than any government-issued starfighter would.”

“It’s no big deal,” Crosshair hissed again, his irritation showing through with the small impediment.

Bane tilted his head, amusement spreading across those thin lips. Somehow, the expression wasn’t as infuriating as the sneers the Regs threw at him. It felt…knowing. Maybe this was a normal reaction to someone’s first hyperspace jump.

“We’ll be on Dantooine in a couple of hours.”

Crosshair perked up. A location. Dantooine. It sounded familiar.

“Is that a…” Crosshair frowned. “An…Acutetopolis?”

By Bane’s blank stare, Crosshair knew he pronounced the damn word wrong. “Nevermind.”

“A what?” Bane asked, brow ridge raised.

Crosshair felt his ears grow hot with answer. “I sssaid nevermind.”

“Starsdamn, kid, you really give up too easy. You wanna know somethin’, just ask again.”

“Is it a city-planet?” Crosshair tried again.

“Ah, an ecumenopolis,” Bane said. “And no. It ain’t. The opposite actually. We’re goin’ to one of my old hideout for yer training. Somewhere you can get a real lesson of what life’s like outside yer little sterile world. By the time we’re done, you’ll be able to snipe shit off a fly’s back.”

Crosshair was a little disappointed it wasn’t a city-planet, but then again Tech hadn’t made him his special goggles yet. And with the promise of being a better sniper? Maybe this wasn’t a punishment after all.

He took another sip of water.

“So…” Bane reached into his belt and pulled out a toothpick, popping it into his mouth. “You've never been off-planet, but you know about ecumenopolises. What else did they teach ya about the galaxy at large?”

“That’s classified,” Crosshair responded automatically.

“Ya sound like yer old man.”

“My what?”

“Yer dad. Jango Fett.”

“We don’t have parents. I’m a copy of Fett. Engineered to be an elite sniper.”

Bane snorted a laugh. “Well ain't that some rote kraytspit.”

Crosshair wished Tech could tell him what “rote” meant. He stayed quiet.

“So is that why you look like that? Why you sound like that?”

Even the Regs had asked him why his voice was modulated. Someone said he sounded like a rabid rattlesnake. It wasn’t supposed to be a compliment, but Crosshair took it as one. “I’m engineered to be quiet. So I’m quiet.”

“Can’t call out for help then?”

“We have comms.”

“What if you need to shout, though?”

“My blaster rifle shouts for me.”

“Heh,” Bane cracked a smile. “Got an answer for everythin’, huh?”

Crosshair didn’t answer that.

“You ever meet Boba?”

“Who?”

“So…Jango keeps his precious little son away from the soldiers. Figures…”

“I’m not just a solider, that’s what the Regs are,” Crosshair snarled. “I’m in an elite squad. I’m built to be spec…special .” It was a shitty time for his voice to crack, but Crosshair hated that word. “Special”.

But it’s the word the trainers used. It’s the word the scientists used. If he wasn't Special, he was a failure.

Bane dropped his leg and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. He noticed that slip-up too. “Special, huh? Best of the best?”

“Look out, here comes Misfire.”

All the Reg cadets hit the deck, then rolled over laughing.

“It’s just what they tell me.” Crosshair murmured.

“So ya don’t think yer all that special?” Bane asked.

“The bad batch! Why do they look like that? Why does he hiss like that? Were their tubes cracked? Bet they don’t last past year five.”

Crosshair shrugged, clutching the empty water bottle now. He picked at the label.

“That’s yer problem, kid. Ya lack conviction. No spine. Too embarrassed to ask about city-planets because you fucked up a mouthful of a word like ‘ecumenopolis’, ya get frazzled seein’ droids swarmin’ yer bell tower. Bet your head’s tellin’ ya all sorts of things. A whole heap of voices cloggin’ up your focus. Or maybe it’s not your voice…maybe it's the other kiddos? They got nicknames for ya, kid?”

“My name’s not kid,” Crosshair growled, the bottle crinkling in his grip.

“Oooh,” Bane sneered. “There’s a lil bite to your bark. Alright, fine, but I ain’t callin’ ya by a bunch of numbers. What’d ya wanna be called?”

“Crosshair? Nah, you’re Misfire. And that’s because “Shaky Sniper” is too long.”“We could call him Shaky.”

The whole table erupted in laughter.

Crosshair stopped at the table. He handed his milk to Tech. He calmly placed his sandwich and apple on the table, then tested the weight of the tray.

Satisfied, he slammed the tray into the laughing Regs’ faces. One, two, three Regs fell off the bench seat to the ground. The fourth Reg ran away reporting to the Lieutenant on duty.

The sight of Regs crying usually cheered Crosshair up, but he was branded “Misfire” now.

No one was going to see him differently.

“CT-9904,” he tried.

“Nope. 'Kid' it is,” Cad said, standing up. “Get some rest. Find somethin’ to eat. Soon as we land we’re gonna be up to our eyeballs in fabools. Better be ready.”

What’s a fabool?

Crosshair opened his mouth…could hear Regs laughing at the hiss in his voice...then shut his mouth again.

“Fuck’s sake, kid, stop bein’ yellabellied and ask me.”

“What’s a fabool?”

Bane sneered. “You’ll see.” And with that he climbed up the ladder towards the cockpit, shutting the hatch behind him.

Crosshair grumbled. “Cheeky prick.”

Whatever a fabool was, he hated was gonna hate it.

And I’m not yellabellied either , Crosshair thought. Whatever that means.

#bad batch crosshair #the bad batch #cad bane #star wars the clone wars #tbb tech #tbb crosshair #bad batch tech #The First Toothpick

9 notes · View notes