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#and if he has to go through patrol you better run for your lives
sacersanguis · 2 years
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Alfred: I see you're getting ready for patrol, Master Bruce. Aren't you being... bit excessive with the eye makeup today?
Bruce, applying on his thick greasy eyeliner: I'm afraid not, Alfred. Not today.
Alfred: May I ask what's the occasion then--- oh. Oh. Is it---
Bruce, with literal stars in his eyes: Foundations of decay. Their new single after almost 10 years, Alfred.
Alfred: *sighs* well then I guess I'll have to set up your home theater speakers once again-
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zanarkandskylines · 2 months
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fem!reader has a hard time coping with the current situation. 『 ♡ - k.bakugo x fem!reader 』 tw/cw: mentions of hospital equipment, grief, angst ⋆ ˚ʚɞ — I can go anywhere I want - anywhere I want, just not home. And you can aim for my heart, go for blood, but you would still miss me in your bones. And I still talk to you when I’m screaming at the sky. -`✧ katsuki bakugo masterlist 
Walking along the pathway of the riverbank, you listened to the soft sounds of the water lazily flowing by while finding a spot in the grass. You lie back with your hands behind your head, gazing up at the sunset in the sky. The clouds were painted with beautiful streaks of peach, lavender and fuchsia, swirling into a perfect blend of tropical bliss. The colors offered a semblance of comfort after a long day of patrol - 14 hours, to be exact. The current condition of your hero suit was more than enough evidence of the grueling day. If it could talk, it would be begging to be washed. Reaching into your pocket, you pull out your phone to check the time. 5:47pm The exhaustion was creeping along your aching muscles, warning you to head home before you lack the will to do so. There’s one thing you came here to do - that you needed to be here to do.
You tap the lock screen of the phone and swipe to your contacts. In the favorites list, you click on your favorite name in the whole world.
“ 💥 Katsuki 🧡 ”
The line rings a handful of times before it goes to voicemail, beeping in your ear. Taking a deep breath, you begin to speak excitedly.
“Hey ‘Suki. Today was a busy as hell - sorry I didn’t get a chance to call earlier. I had the sweetest little girl thank me today for helping her and her mom bring their groceries to their doorstep. She came running over to me and asked for help, I couldn’t resist. You should have seen her cute little cheeks, Kats, covered in freckles around her precious blue eyes. It was only six bags, the mom was so embarrassed! I kept telling her it was no trouble, that’s what heroes do. And then…,” you pause.
“Sorry, I’m rambling again. I must be picking it up from Izuku. Anyways, I’ll be heading home in a bit. I needed to clear my head after a long day and swung by our favorite spot by the river.”
A shaky breath escapes your lips, unable to hold back the tear rolling down your dirt stained cheek.
“I’ll be stopping by to visit soon. I’m sorry for not coming by earlier this week, you know how it is with our line of work. I'll be sure to grab your favorite flowers, too. Tiger lilies, right?”
You bite your lip to swallow the sob lodged in your throat.
“I miss you…more than you could ever know. I love you, Katsuki. I’ll talk to you later.”
You click the “End Call” button with trembling fingers. A picture of Katsuki, smiling ear to ear with your face squished up against his cheek on a sunny day, appears briefly as his contact picture fades to black.
“You’re going to wake up, I know you are,” you murmur to yourself through broken hiccups. “You’re not gone…you’re going to wake up, Katsuki. You have to.”
The reality of the situation weighs on your shoulders, but that didn’t mean you had to live in said reality…not yet, anyways.
Until the faint droning of Katsuki's heartbeat monitor was silenced, he was alive.
He's just resting.
i've been listening to "my tears ricochet" too much and the 'just not home' lyric always reminds me of not being able to return to someone you love, or somewhere you loved :( ** i ended up reposting/reworking this to be fem!reader instead of bakudeku cause it just didn't feel like it worked? i like this way better lol
You can read part two here!!
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jasonsmirrorball · 7 months
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OCTOBER 14: IN DREAMS I FIND YOU JASON TODD
kinktober prompt: somnophilia | kinktober masterlist
synopsis. jason returns home from patrol. what's a man to do when you're lying there so pretty? you'll let him make you feel good, won't you, baby?
cw: f!reader, slight dubcon, brief dry humping, cunnilingus, praise minors, blank and ageless blogs do not interact
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Jason enters the apartment a little after three in the morning. You’ve left the light above the stove on for him, and where the sight would usually bring some comfort, there’s an itch under his skin that takes precedence. His gear is heavier tonight, clicking as he storms through the living space. 
He finds you in the bedroom. The sight of you curled up eases some of the burn in his chest but it’s soon stoked once more, green haze clouding the corners of his vision as his gaze traces your sleeping form. 
The lavender cotton of your sleep shorts flutters in the moonlight–how many times has he told you to close that damned window when you go to bed? In the morning, he’ll have to remind you about it. Right now. Jason is more concerned with the expanse of skin your attire bares to his eyes, drinking in the sight of your legs, the slouch of your tank top across your shoulders, material riding up as you twist yourself around his pillow. Even from the doorway, he can see the sliver of your stomach, the press of your nipples against your top. 
You let out a murmur in your sleep and his breath catches, familiarity leaving him tuned in to your every noise and movement. His cock throbs beneath his clothes. He’s dying for it. He wants nothing more than to cross the room in two short strides and drop to his knees, to pull those damn shorts down and press his nose between your legs and–
He has more self control than that. Slowly, methodically, he removes his gear, utility belt set on the floor of the wardrobe where he’ll more than likely forget about it until he wakes the next afternoon and stubs his toe. The blood on the hem of his pants is a problem for later, too–you’ve rolled over onto your stomach and his jaw tightens at the sight.
So pretty, and splayed out as if in offering for him. He’d be a fool not to appreciate you. 
It’s been a long night. Jason has spent the most of it in and out of buildings he has no business being near, casing out warehouses and drilling understanding into the denizens of Gotham’s back alleys that when he gave an order, they were to follow it to the letter. He has little taste for the stupidity of the crime lords, of the drug lords who strive to test his patience. He bears it better, usually, but tonight his self control runs thin, and all the violence has left him wanting to whet his appetite with something else.
He stalks forward, feet heavy against the hardwood, pressing a knee into the mattress and leaning over until he’s got you caged beneath him, nose pressed to your neck. He can smell the lingering scent of your shampoo, and when his tongue darts forward from between his lips, he can taste the barest hints of salt on your skin. Summer leaves you warm, always throwing the covers aside when you get too hot, and Jason finds himself grateful for it when his hands paw at the flimsy fabric of your sleeping clothes–thin, stretchy material that leaves little to the imagination.
He should feel lecherous, slipping a hand beneath your stomach to grope at the softness of your breasts, dragging his mouth along the curve of your shoulder and letting his teeth graze your skin. But he can’t find it in himself, not when you press back against him so sweetly, seeking him out even in your dreams. When you shiver, he lets out a hoarse laugh.
“Hi, sweet girl,” he whispers into your skin. “‘M home. Missed you so bad, sweetheart, can you feel it?”
He pushes his hips against your ass, rocking ever so slightly into you and groaning when you shift, letting out a sleepy sigh.
“Thought of you all night,” he mumbles. “Wish I could’ve just stayed with you–I kept thinkin’ about this afternoon, wanted to tell everyone t’go home so I could get back to my girl…make you scream so loud, baby.”
He thinks of you, ribboned in afternoon sun, head thrown back. The image of you had refused to leave his mind, sun warmed and bare and all fucking his. Your pretty little moans ringing in his ears as he’d gritted orders through his teeth. He’d felt the bite of of your nails in his back with every step he took, clothes scraping against the marks you’d left on him. 
A puff of air escapes your lips and you sink further into the mattress. Jason leaves a litter of kisses across your shoulder and neck, shuffling until he’s kneeled between your legs, nosing at your thighs.
“Shit, baby,” he rasps, a whimper caught in his throat. “Promise I’ll be good, ‘m gonna make you feel so good, doll–need you so fuckin’ bad…”
He maneuvers you onto your back, shorts coming off in a single tug before he’s pressing his mouth to the sensitive skin of your inner thigh, just a few inches south of where he intends to be. He laves at the skin, no care for form tonight, drunk on the scent of you through the cotton panties you’ve worn to bed tonight. 
You stir, and Jason grins into your thigh when he sees your lashes beginning to flutter, lips drawing into a confused pout when he trails a finger over the seam of your panties, ghosting over where your heat seeps through. 
“Hi, sweetheart,” he chuckles, nosing at the crease of your thigh. His other hand grips your thigh, pulling it up and over his shoulder. “Gonna let me make you feel good?”
“Jason…” you whisper, voice cracking with sleep. He can see your eyes are still clouded over, and you whimper when he bites–only gently, he’d never want to hurt you. 
(Not unless you asked him to, but that’s by the by)
“My pretty baby,” he murmurs huskily, licking the spot better, tongue flicking over the indentation of his teeth. The sight of it only stokes the growing need under his skin, and he’s flicking his eyes up to you. “Need to taste you so bad, angel.”
Your fingers sink into his hair and he grins, not bothering with removing your panties, simply tugging them to the side before pressing the flat of his tongue against your pussy. He revels in the lurch of your back, pain sparking at his scalp where your grip on his hair tightens but it only shoots straight to his cock and he finds himself bucking against the mattress in an effort to relieve the strain. 
“Baby, I–” you gasp, and he groans, gripping your thigh tighter. He feels like a fucking animal, slobbering all over you with no method or ceremony, tongue tracing patterns around your clit as you cry out.
He feasts himself on you, spit mixing with your slick as you writhe under his tongue, sleepy moans tumbling from your lips as you roll your hips upward. He’s in no better shape, steadily approaching his high from how pent up he’s been all evening, every single sound you make shooting straight to his cock. But he’s determined to please you first, lips closing around your clit and meeting your half lidded eyes as he sucks hard. 
You fall apart in seconds, voice pitching and back arching over him. He thinks it’s glorious to behold. Your face crumples and twists, and he thinks it’s the sexiest thing he’s ever seen. He follows not long after, spilling into his briefs as he tongue fucks you through your orgasm. 
In the aftermath, you cradle his head in your palms and he follows your touch, rising and becoming distinctly aware of the stickiness in his underwear but you pull him in for a kiss and he files it away for later. He clings to you, slumping against you when you let him go, with his head pressed to your stomach. Your hand finds its way to his hair once more, nails scraping against his scalp in recurring movements that make his eyelids flutter. 
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this concept has been plaguing me since mid september and all the way through my midterm assignments. i sat down every single day to get work done and i was like...jason...coming home from patrol to love on you...anyway. this isn't as long as the first kinktober fic but that i hope u enjoyed this regardless. may we all have our vigilante anti hero boyfriends return home to us after patrol, eager to please and needy for us!
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likedovesinthewindd · 9 months
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Can i request headcandons of Miguel and miles(earth 42) with a shy nurse reader? I just love the dynamic of hero/vigilante who falls over his heels for his nurse or even being protective over them, but if u don't want to make this request i understand
i love this idea sm, hope this is what you had in mind!
Miguel O'Hara
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✮ it had been lyla's idea initially. back when the spider society was fairly new and everyone was still finding their feet. she had suggested that the building require a medical center; a place where spider-people could go to to get patched up, instead of having to travel back to their universes to seek medical attention.
✮ he was very reluctant, didn't want any outsiders working at the society but after some convincing he agreed. the medical center was a great asset to the society, and it helped a lot of spider-people get help quickly and recuperate if needed. It hadn't been till Miguel himself needed patching up himself that he met you.
✮ you were quite shy, keeping any conversation brief and only doing your job, and once you were done patching him up, you gave him a small smile and went on with your day, helping whoever was next in line. against his better judgement and completely out of character, he had returned your gesture with a smile that mirrored your uncertainty and shyness.
✮ he didn't know what it was, but he found himself quite drawn to you. even though you were always so introverted around him, you would often times crack a joke or two when you were around your colleagues, or even with other spider-people you were comfortable around.
✮ sometimes when working in his office (is it his office even, what do you call that room?) he'd see what you were up to using the surveillance system that ran throughout the whole building.
✮ the more times he came to you when injured, the more you came out your shell once you realized he wasn't as mean as he looked (at least not with you). You started talking more with him, little bits of your personality slowly revealing itself as time went on.
✮ most mornings he'd make an appearance at the center to quote "make sure everything was running smoothly", but he really just needed a reason to see you, talk to you a little more.
✮ some nights when he was on patrol, he'd go to where you lived (he used poor lyla to get that information) to go and see if you were okay.
✮ God forbid anyone is even slightly mean to you when he's around to see it, because best believe he will be giving them shit about it.
✮ and when he's injured, he's never saying he's gonna go to the medical center or to the nurse, it always "I'm gonna go see (your name)" he doesn't even notice he's doing it until Jess is giving him a skeptical look about his choice of words.
✮ and he's also received a multitude of teasing from Lyla because he'd been so reluctant about the idea, and now if he wasn't in his office, he was with you.
"I'm off to the medical center, Lyla, please keep all unnecessary matters on hold 'till I'm back," Miguel said, and at once the AI appeared on his shoulder, a smile ever present on her small face. "Say hi to (your name) for me," she said with a smirk, before disappearing once again, not giving Miguel any time to argue.
Earth 42 Miles Morales:
he's aged up to 19/20 just for practicality.
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✮ miles had went to visit his mother at the hospital she works at when he saw you. it was just in passing, you had almost bumped into him and apologized profusely before being on your way once again. he didn't recognize as one of his mom's colleagues, many who he has met.
✮ so he asked her who you were. "one of our newer nurses here, around your age too," she answered with a knowing smirk.
✮ he saw you again when he was making his way back home, just outside the hospital and seemingly on your lunch break. he approached you and the two of you quickly clicked. even through your shy demeanor, he didn't miss your stunning personality and sense of humor.
✮ you became pretty close, and his visits to the hospital increased. he'd always go to his mother first of course, but always as subtly as he could slip in a little "where's (your name)?"
"working, miles," rio would reply with a smile.
✮ it wasn't until he got a little scraped up during one of his prowler-activities. and when he arrived at your apartment in the dead of the night all scraped up, you were a little taken aback to say the least. you still helped him though, no question asked and from then on, every time he got hurt, he'd always come to you to help him out.
✮ he'd still frequent the hospital, coming to keep you company on your breaks and when you clocked out, he'd walk you home, seeing as most of the time you worked till nighttime.
✮ he's always visiting you at home as well, taking you out when you had the day off or just staying at home with you when you were too tired to go out, keeping you company.
"Please sit still," you whispered as you wiped at the nasty gash just above his eyebrow. "That stuff stings," he said through gritted teeth, once again wincing with a small hiss when the alcohol touched the wound. "Then you shouldn't get hurt so much, tough guy," you said, smiling at the pout present on his face.
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rapz-rites · 5 months
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Ma Belle Chérie
Damian Wayne x influencer!book lover!Reader
If someone was to look up a bookworm a picture of you would appear. 3 times you chose your books over Damian. 1 time Damian was your only priority (yes Damian is a priority, but not without a good book in hand)
A/N: Requested by @vivi-iiis-blog
The title is French and it translates to “my beautiful darling”. At first, it was supposed to be “ma belle fille” but if you put it in a translator it might give you my daughter in law…
Word Count: 1.9K
Warning(s): Reader not putting Damian first, kissing, flirting in public
You were a popular influencer. All your followers knew you loved books. They would often say “If Y/N was a Disney princess, she’d be Belle”
1st time
You were extremely into the book you were currently reading. It was a popular romance book you saw on BookTok, so you obviously had to get it and read it.
You were reading your book in Damian’s bed as you waited for Damian to get home from patrol. You hadn’t even noticed Damian coming in and changing out of his uniform. Usually, he would change in the locker room in the BatCave, but whenever you would spend the night he’d change in his bathroom.
Damian entered his room calling your name several times, but no response. He noticed you immersed in your book on his bed, so he decided to continue his nightly routine and then return to you.
You didn’t realize Damian was even back from patrol until you felt an arm around your waist. You looked down from your book to Damian trying to cuddle into you.
“Why don’t you put your book down and cuddle with me Beloved,” Damian said softly as he brought himself closer to you.
“Let me finish this page first,” you replied to his offer. Damian hummed in response knowing it was going to take more than one page.
After several pleas and several ‘one more page’s, Damian gave up. When you were done you would cuddle with him, awake or not.
“Ok, I’m done. I’m ready to-” you stopped at the site of your boyfriend sleeping peacefully. You smiled at him softly. Putting your book on the nightstand, you cuddle back into Damian as you drift to sleep.
2nd time
You and Jason connect over your interests in books. Often when you would come over and Damian wasn’t there you and Jason would have discussions based on books you’ve both read.
Sometimes you two would pick a book and after about 2 weeks you two would meet up again and talk about it. Sometimes you two would read a book and watch the show/movie based on it.
“Elena and Katherine are blonde in the books though,” Jason started. He was pacing back and forth, running his hand through his hair.
“I know that Jason. I read the book too. But let’s be honest Katherine is better as a brunette than a blonde. It fits her personality in the show way more.”
Neither of you realized that Damian was leaning against the doorway until you turned around in frustration at Jason’s stubbornness. You smiled at him, but Jason spoke before you could greet him.
“You’re right,” he stated. You turned to look at him
“Of course she’s right,” Damian said, drawing attention to himself. “Now if you’re both done I’d like to spend time with my girlfriend.”
You smiled sweetly at him. You loved it when he called you his girl or girlfriend to other people. You didn’t know why but it always brought butterflies to your stomach.
“I think it’s Nina Dobrev,” Jason continued, completely ignoring Damian’s request.
“After this, I promise,” you whispered as you kissed Damian on his cheek. Even though he didn’t show it, he couldn’t believe it. You were choosing to talk to Jason over spending time with him.
“It has to be,” Jason whispered to himself, still pacing back and forth.
“I would have liked to see angel Elena though.”
“ME TOO!”
3rd time
You didn’t go live all that often but when you did, your fans went crazy. So crazy, sometimes after the time was up, you started a new live immediately after. This time was no different. People were checking in 100 at a time. After 5 minutes there were about 11.7k watching.
“Oh my gosh. I haven’t been on live in a fat minute. But guys you have to understand I started reading this series and I haven’t been able to put it down,” you say walking around your kitchen. You walked away to get your supplies for baking. Once you returned you saw tons of comments coming through.
“Where’s Marshmallow?” You whispered as you read the comments.
“YOU KNOW WHAT” you started to yell, waving the spatula in your hand around. You had this serious demeanor to you. “That dog is SO FAKE. I took her with me when I went to see Damian yesterday, and when it was time to go she didn’t want to leave and acted like she didn’t know me. LIKE I'M YOUR MOM”
“I am your mother, you listen to me,” Stephanie started to sing in the background. You laughed at her and your viewers found it funny too.
“Curly fries or waffle fries?” Steph asked, reading a comment someone sent. “Waffles of course. They’re just so much better”
You continued talking to your fans and replying to their comments. Eventually, you ended up playing ‘this or that’ with them. Stephanie read the comments so you could answer as you continued to bake. Some were a simple choice and others had you stumped.
“OMG here’s a good one,” Steph started. “Read the twisted series again for the first time or marry Damian”
You let out a gasp as you froze in place. You place the bowl of icing down on the counter and put your hands to your face.
“Oh my gosh. You guys can’t ask me things like that. ” Now you were pacing back and forth. “I’m about to say something you guys can NEVER repeat. Not even to your pastor in confessionals.”
Once you said that people were going crazy in the comments.
Y/nsbooks: oh this is gonna be good
GingerJT: I can’t wait to hear what he’s gonna say
Emswrld: I think we all should already know her answer 😭😭
“I love Damian, I really do but I’m gonna have to pick the Twisted Series. YOU GUYS BETTER NOT TELL HIM.”
Well, you didn’t have to worry about someone telling Damian. Especially if he was watching your live the entire time off of Jason’s secret Instagram, GingerJT.
Damian 1st
You wanted everything to be perfect for Damian’s birthday. Every year, since living in Gotham, he’s had a birthday gala. This year you wanted to plan a nice intimate surprise party for him the night before.
The week of the surprise party you were extremely busy making sure everything was perfect. You invited everyone in advance(minus Bart or else he would spoil it, so you told him the day of), booked the venue, ordered decorations, and got him a gift you thought he would love.
That same week Damian thought something was wrong and you were sick. He didn’t see you with a single book once. He even took a peek into your bag and saw not one book, you usually have at least 2.
“Are you feeling ok Beloved?” Damian asked, touching your face. He was checking if you had a fever.
“I’m fine,” you chuckle, removing his hands from your face. You kiss his cheek before you get ready to leave. “I have to go to my appointment. I’ll text you later.”
Damian had a feeling something was up but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
It was currently the day before Damian’s birthday. You had asked him to hang out, and of course, he couldn’t say no. He would never say no to spending time with you. You even managed to convince him to spend the night so you guys could head to the gala together. Little did he know he was falling into a trap. A trap called a surprise party.
You took Damian out for most of the day, doing the majority of his favorite things. You need to give everyone enough time to set the place up. If you and Damian ran into someone, that would mess things up.
The town you took Damian to was about an hour away. There was this animal reserve you thought Damian would love. You learned after your 3rd date that he hated zoos. Though he loved animals, he absolutely hated zoos. He thought them to be prisons for the animals.
Afterward, you two went out and did other things that Damian enjoyed. Now, you both were sitting in the car in a comfortable silence. Damian was following the GPS to his final “surprise”. You secretly messaged everyone to check to make sure everything was in place. Everything was and they were just waiting for you guys to arrive. It took less than an hour to arrive.
Once Damian stopped the car you hopped out to take the lead. Leading Damian into the building, it was dark. Neither of you could see.
“Beloved it’s dark. You should turn on the lights.”
“Right,” you said as you reached for the light switch. Once you flicked the lights everyone jumped out and yelled SURPRISE. You looked over to see your boyfriend smiling as people crowded around him wishing him happy birthday.
You watched happily as Damian interacted with everyone. His siblings and other hero’s his age were here. Even his friends from GA. Damian would never admit it because “they’re just the most tolerable people in his life”.
The party ended around 12 and you and Damian arrived at your place around 12:30. After getting ready for bed, you and Damian got comfortable and cuddled in your room.
“OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT,” you yelled hopping out of Damian’s embrace. He was confused as you hurried out of the room and returned not even a minute later. Now there was a box in your hand, wrapped in a dark green paper with a black bow on top. You got back into bed and handed the box to him.
“I told you you didn’t have to get me anything Beloved”
“I know but I wanted to,” you responded, ushering him to open the gift. You watched excitedly as he gently opened the gift. After opening the box, Damian picked up the book that was in it. It looked like any other classical literature, minus the two swords embedded on the front cover. Damian turned the box over to look at the spine. And there it was, his name, in Arabic.
Damian turned to look at you. All you did was nod at the book signaling him to open it. After silently reading a few pages, he stopped and hugged you, tackling you on the bed and peppering your face with kisses.
“So you like it?”
“You wrote me a book. Of course I love it!” He said and he continued kissing your face. You laughed. You held Damian’s face in your hands before giving him a kiss on the lips.
~
Damian held your hand as you stepped out of the black vehicle. A gorgeous dress clung to your body. Emerald matching the accents in Damian’s suit.
“Is it too late to go back? We can watch whatever movie you pick” you whispered as you and Damian walked down the red carpet. You both stopped for a picture. Instinctively, you both smile and Damian puts a hand on your waist.
“You say that every time. You need to come up with something more convincing” Damian smirks at you. You open your mouth to respond, but before you can, a photographer interrupts, “Damian, are you enjoying your birthday this year?”
“How can I not? Have the most amazing girlfriend.”
“Not as amazing as what’s underneath this dress,” you whisper into Damian's ear. He visibly goes red and you just smile at the photographers unfazed at what you just said.
“We’re leaving after an hour” Damian whispers back into your ear after processing what you just said. And with that he takes your hand, walking you inside the building. Smiling ear to ear, you bid the photographers goodbye.
WOOO! What was something alright. In so sorry for not posting in months but school comes first 😭 But I hope you guys enjoy this as I’m now going to try to write more often and in working on requests now.
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eff4freddie · 15 days
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Touch | Part Two
Words: 2.7k
Part one | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five
You have no intention of messing with the stability you have discovered in Jackson. But whatever higher power is still up there twenty years after the end of the world has other plans.
Warnings: slow burn, post-outbreak, Joel Miller is a grump and a menace, no use of y/n, eventual smut but not in this chapter, I still have no idea how many parts this will be but I’m feeling six maybe?
Maria’s words ringing in your ears, you resolved to stay away from Joel and his not-quite-adopted daughter. Having become accustomed to defending the things that mattered to you, you found yourself protective of this little community your dad would have dismissed as communist had he had the chance to see and unfairly judge it. Sleeping without your boots on, your feet rubbing over the bare cotton tucked up in blankets, had been a pleasure you had finally remembered how to enjoy.
Marla, though. Marla has always had a flare for the dramatic and surprisingly poor judgement for someone who has lived this long through the end of the world. She was a literal child on outbreak day, as opposed to your wisened 16 years, and you suspected she may have stopped developing around that point. Her complete lack of maturity, her ability to wonder blindly into abject terror just to unblinkingly fight her way out of it, was endearing so long as there weren’t clickers on the edge of the tree line. She had decided your tendency to isolate was ‘making you weird’ and every lunch time for the last four days had arrived on your front step to march you down to the mess hall. You suspected the real reason was to check out the newcomers, under the cover of altruism. You respected her tenacity, even as you resented her for it.
Four and a half days into her crusade to integrate you into any available social group, she waved a spoon in front of your face.
‘This is no good,’ she assessed, gesturing to your eyes, then your bottom lip. You sucked it in between your teeth and reminded yourself she had been the one hauling you over the sides of mountains to get you here.
‘Be more specific,’ you said and she grinned.
‘You don’t smile when you’re in here, your eyes go all squinty,’ she observed.
You felt something click in your jaw and you reached up to push hard on the condyle, the masseter tight as a bow string.
‘Just so many people,’ you said, pushing your stew around in your bowl. ‘It doesn’t make you nervous?’
‘I go through that gate most days of the week,’ Marla replied, her tone passive but somehow assuring. ‘The way Tommy runs it, no-one’s getting through that check point with anything less than a Nobel peace prize.’
Out of the corner of your eye you watched as Joel offered his left overs to his daughter, the two of them sitting alone at the end of a nevertheless crowded table. He sat hunched, favouring his right side, his arm tucked in hard against his ribs. If he leant too far over in the wrong direction he grimaced, and you noticed this all in the fleeting glances you allowed yourself while Marla forced you to ingest first your stew, and then her gossip.
‘What do you know about them?’ you asked, cringing when Marla turned her full body to peer in their direction. It wouldn’t have surprised you if she pulled binoculars out of her cargo pants to get a better look.
‘Him and Tommy spent a lot of time apart, when Tommy was a firefly.’
You sucked air into your lungs, sure for a moment they had just collapsed.
‘He’s not anymore, not for a long time,’ Marla defended. ‘He didn’t…he doesn’t follow their philosophy.’
‘You’ve been talking to Maria,’ you observed. She started plucking at the skin around her fingernails. You smiled at her, warmth in your voice. ‘Ray not the only one doing reconnaissance?’ And you rolled your r for dramatic effect, and because sometimes you could be quite funny, actually.
Marla grinned, busted. ‘It’s. It’s important for me to know, when I’m on patrol it’s about protecting? People? So I need to know about…the people.’ You wanted to give her a standing ovation, the bullshit was so exceptional. Instead you lifted a hand to her shoulder, sent affection down your arm and under your palm, where you hoped you deposited it into her muscle.
‘Maria’s not a fan,’ you said, and watched Marla acknowledge this fact, then make her way around it.
‘He’s different to Tommy, I guess. She’s made her preferences clear.’
You let that sit for a second. You thought about telling her what Maria had said, keeping his daughter in the dark, but you felt a need to keep the seed unwatered, not to throw it any fertile ground.
‘He’s hot,’ you confirmed, simply, and she blushed.
‘He is though?’ She grinned. ‘I’m going to ask Tommy to swing him onto my patrol.’
‘He patrols?’ You asked, alarmed, noting again the way he was so stiff on his right side as he pushed his chair back behind him.
‘He’s a protector,’ she replied, and you both watched as he stood from the table, waited for his daughter to follow, then shuffled off alone and away. ‘Like me,’ Marla finished, reaching for your unfinished stew.
You knew, in this new world you all now made the best of, that curiosity was a dangerous thing. Remembered the young boy from two apartments down who wanted to see the sun fully set without dipping behind walls. The girl who thought the FEDRA soldier with warm green eyes might have been a softie under all the armour, all the hardship. The kid who wanted to understand why the fence was humming, and put his hand out to see what would happen. Curiosity was a dangerous, tricky, deceitful thing in a world already lousy with nasty surprises. You kept your head down and your mouth shut, and it had got you this far. You would have to be perfectly happy not knowing anything about Tommy’s older possibly homicidal but kind of limpy on one side brother. That was your plan.
It, too, failed almost immediately. It wasn’t fate or divine intervention that delivered him to you, it was Tommy, on your front porch with Joel over his shoulder, Tommy’s smile bright and benevolent and Joel’s grimace trained solely on your doorstep.
‘Evening’, Tommy said, and not for the first time you imagined him in a cowboy hat just so he could dip it to you like a gentleman. ‘You met my brother?’
You shook your head, having apparently swallowed glue sometime between opening the door and this moment.
‘He’s grumpy and he’s hurt,’ Tommy continued, undeterred by his older brother’s scoff of disapproval. ‘Not necessarily in that order.’
‘Hurt how?’ you asked, stepping forward before remembering yourself and immediately stepping back.
‘Not hurt at all,’ Joel said, and his voice was so much softer than you imagined, a gentle rumble, that carried with it years of struggle. You tried with every atom on your skin to stop the goosebumps. Failed.
‘Not recent, but acting up. The cold. The walkin’ Tommy continued. ‘Maria said you work miracles, so thought I’d give you the devil’n see what you can do.’
You smiled at Maria’s assessment, wanting to ask after her but sensing from the pure recalcitrance leeching off Joel that it would be the thing that finally made him turn and march home.
Instead you stepped aside, gesturing into the warmth of your home. Tommy smiled again, whacked Joel on the shoulder and down your front steps. ‘Behave,’ he called out behind him, to which his brother very purposefully did not respond.
You realised as soon as he was in it that your house suited Joel. It was a little shabby, a lot rough around the edges, but it smelt like warm wood and furniture oil and you’d tried to keep things ordered for the sake of appearances. He stopped in the entryway, his eyes swivelling from your lounge room to the bedroom doors, and you stepped forward and around him to get to your treatment room. ‘In here,’ you said, and turned your back so you wouldn’t see if he’d rolled his eyes at you. You felt him approach behind you, heard a floorboard creak as if it sang just for him, and held your breath.
‘The hell is that?’ he asked, and you turned to see him pointing at your apocalyptic massage table.
‘You get in the middle, the towels hold you up,’ you said, seeing it now through his eyes and dying inside, just a little.
‘Ain’t getting on that,’ he said, plainly. ‘Thing’ll collapse and take us both with it.’
You sighed. He was hot but he was also annoying. He was a perfect match for Marla.
‘You haven’t even said where you’re hurt,’ you said, and he stopped you.
‘Ain’t hurt.’
‘Where Tommy thinks you’re hurt,’ you said. You watched him cock his knee out to the side, shifting his weight to one leg and standing with his hands on his hips. He seemed bigger than the room could possibly withstand. His jaw tensed as he thought.
‘Shoulder,’ he said eventually, having apparently assessed that divulging this information wouldn’t likely result in instant death.
‘I can do your shoulder in a chair,’ you offered, and immediately regretted your choice of words. He raised his eyebrow.
‘Chair any less collapsible?’ he asked.
‘Not at all. But you’ll have less distance to fall,’ you said, and his eyes sparkled ever so slightly when he laughed.
Except that the kitchen was smaller than your treatment room and somehow you’d never noticed it, and with the table and chairs in the centre of the room suddenly it felt like Joel took up all the space. You contemplated this as he shuffled around you, how Maria at nearly eight months gone could feel petite in comparison. You realised you hadn’t seen her at the mess hall for a few days, that you should check on her.
‘I gotta take my shirt off?’ Joel muttered, with his back turned to you. When you didn’t immediately answer he turned to look at you over his shoulder, and where you thought you’d see ridicule you saw only a guarded vulnerability. For a second. Before he turned away.
‘Have you never had a massage?’ you asked, and he sat heavy down on the chair.
‘Not really my thing,’ he said, in such a way that did not engender any follow up questions.
‘You don’t have to take it off’, you said. ‘Whatever you’re more comfortable with.’
You realised then he had already decided, settled as he was with his back to you and his hands resting in his lap. He closed his eyes, almost as though he was bracing himself.
‘Go on then,’ he said.
You glanced at the ceiling. Events of the last twenty years already had you pretty much convinced there was no higher power, but in this moment you appealed to it, regardless. You had no idea what had your heart racing so fast. You flexed your fingers to try and get them to steady before you touched him.
His right shoulder was indeed tight, but you knew almost immediately that wasn’t where the pain was coming from. Over his flannel you felt along the clavicle, up to the back of his neck, swept down across his scapula. When you reached further, down towards his waist, he shifted, clearing his throat. You pulled back.
‘Said shoulder,’ he said. At this you rolled your eyes, finally having enough of the man who you were helping for free being gruff in your own kitchen. At least Maria made you tea when she came over.
‘It’s all connected,’ you said, prodding perhaps a little more roughly at his deltoid. ‘You need to think of your body like a series of links in a chain. One gets weak and the rest of them up and down from it have to compensate.’
‘Mmm,’ he replied, and you weren’t sure how but he made it sound dismissive. You felt heat on your cheeks.
‘The shoulder doesn’t just mean here,’ you said, putting your hand on the expanse of his shoulder blade. ‘Shoulder pain can be neck, jaw, back.’
‘You go to school for this?’ He asked, changing the subject.
‘I did yeah, before… Before.’
You took a step closer, repositioning yourself so that you could take his wrist in your hand and hold his arm forward, over his chest. With your other hand you pushed into the rhomboid, felt the push back of the muscle as it fought you to release.
You realised, after several seconds of holding him, that you were basically hugging him from behind. You wondered if he could feel your breath on the back of his neck. You wondered if he liked it. This close you could smell the soap he used, the sweat on the back of his neck mingling with the warmth of his cotton shirt. You released him, tension now effectively transferred from his body to yours, and he let out a long exhale.
‘You favour this side,’ you said, before you’d really thought about it.
‘Do I?’ He asked. ‘You notice things like that?’ In that moment you were glad to be behind him, so that he couldn’t see the blush storming up your cheeks.
You set upon his trapezius, then, digging your fingers into his flesh, found it more pliable than his shoulder. You heard his sharp intake of breath.
‘Tender?’ you asked, but he didn’t answer other than to grunt. You continued, suddenly realising you were dangerously close to running your hands through his hair and worse, wanting to.
He hissed then, and you stopped. ‘Sorry,’ you said, automatically, and he pushed your hand away, but not unkindly.
‘Was carrying some wood on it,’ he said, reaching up himself to poke and prod at the tender spot. ‘Tommy was there, saw me tryin’ta be a hero. Called me out on it, said I don’t know my age.’
‘Sure you weren’t showing off for the sake of your little brother?’ you asked. He grinned.
‘Not for him, but maybe for the other guys gathered round helpin’.
You put your hand on his left shoulder as you came around in front of him, pushing the table out of the way with your hip as you went. ‘Here, I just need to…’ you said, as he pushed his chair backwards to make space for you, and you used his good shoulder as an anchor when you pivoted to turn back towards him. He looked up at you, big brown eyes underneath arching brows. You saw his hands lift from his lap as if to steady you, as if to grab you by the hips and grind you down on his cock.
You swallowed. Took a second to wonder where that had come from, before you lifted your hands to his right arm and folded it again in front of him. ‘Just need to get a better angle,’ you explained, almost under your breath now that you were facing him, and he nodded quickly at you. For a moment he just gazed up at you, and you felt more naked than if he had stripped you down right there in your kitchen. You felt relief when he closed his eyes.
‘So when you say carrying some wood…’
‘Three planks, not heavy just awkward. Used to be able to do it easy.’
You cupped his trapezius, easier to get to from the front, and gently lifted the muscle up with a squeeze. Close to him like this, his face level with your chest, you felt more than heard the rush of his air as he gasped. His eyes flew open and shot straight to yours, his mouth dropping open in surprise.
You wanted to lean down and suck on his bottom lip. You felt the tremble return to your hands. A synapse, firing off randomly somewhere behind your earlobe, reminded you when the client was in pain to keep them talking. You swallowed twenty years worth of ache, and cleared your throat.
‘You a carpenter?’ you asked, and for some reason thought of Jesus, and of Joel wrapped in a loin cloth, and of nailing yourself to the cross if you couldn’t fucking get your shit together.
‘I was a contractor,’ he said, closing his eyes now that you were no longer actively torturing him.
‘What are you now?’ you asked, feeling a click under your fingers as the joint finally settled. He exhaled, the relief causing him to finally relax just a little, his whole frame leaning forward toward you, such that you worried his head would collide with your breast.
‘Old,’ he said, after a beat.
‘All fixed,’ you said, taking a step back and colliding inelegantly with the kitchen table. Later, after you’d refused any and all payment and he had promised to owe you a favour regardless, after you’d walked him to the front door and shown him out, after you’d gone into your treatment room and stood staring at your massage table as if it had any answers, you went and stood in the doorway to your kitchen. The table was still askew, the other chairs dangerously close to scuffing the walls. Your gaze lingered, though, on the chair where he had just been. You found yourself reluctant to move it, wanting to sit down in it to try and keep his warmth. You laughed at yourself, wondered what Marla would say, tried to practice how you could tell her the story at lunch tomorrow.
You flicked the light off before you went to bed. You’d move the chair back tomorrow. Maybe.
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wingedjellyfishflight · 7 months
Text
Abandoned
Ghost x König x Reader
CW: Smut, attempted non-con, blood, naked burly men, slight yandere vibes, but darling reader is on board with it
Working on behalf of a charity in the Middle East village you are working with is taken over by Al Qatala. One faction wants to kill you, and the other wants the improvements promised before they kill you. Many months of serious negotiations pass without an agreement being made. A US military squad moves through one day, shooting those who shoot them, seemingly on a random patrol.
You have been working on getting the placement for a new well pinpointed during this time, which was the goal of the charity on this trip, and now is one of the only reasons you still live. All of your possessions have been taken save for the shoes on your feet, soft-soled, so you can not escape, and your niqab which clothes you from head to toe, with a small opening for your eyes. Oh, and a single pair of underwear that has definitely seen better days.
A US soldier in desert camouflage near the edge of the village grabs you when you try to escape, and you think you are saved. Instead, he chuckles and decides he is going to have a little fun with a local woman, dragging you into a nearby empty house. He rips at your niqab, tearing your clothes from you blindly. It is only when your face is uncovered that he realizes that you are not local and not even Arabic, but an American like him.
As he continues to tear at your clothes, there is a noise at the door and a surprisingly warm, Scottish voice says, "Whatcha doin' in ere?" The soldier freezes, then glances next to him where his rifle is just out of easy reach. Before he can even fully make his decision, there is a metallic noise from next to you.
Another voice, cold and British this time, says, "Don't give it a thought." When he turns to face this second man, a set of hands gently clamps down on your arm and shoulder and pulls you backward against his body with a quiet but firm, "Danke." Your head barely reaches his shoulder, despite being tall for a woman at 5'10". In a smooth motion, he passes you over to the man at the door who wraps his arm and most of his body around you as he guides you to the alley between the houses. Just as you cross the threshold, you hear the US soldier say "Kilgore" in the most terrified voice you've ever heard.
There is screaming, yelling and some rather gruesome sounds of what, you don't quite know floating from the house. The man who led you to the alley tries to distract you, introducing himself as Soap. He asks you your name and other questions you struggle to answer, including why you are here in such a dangerous place alone before the other two men join you. You don't hear them walk over so much as you feel their gaze, the hairs on the back of your neck rising up in a primal warning.
When you look up from the much too interesting patch of dirt you have been focusing on, you see two tall men advancing, both wearing face coverings to rival the one you were wearing just minutes ago. The shorter man is wearing a neoprene type mask with a skull design. You snort internally at the idea of a man over six feet tall being considered short, but the sheer size of the mountain of a man next to him dwarfs even a six feet frame. Said mountain of a man has a curtain of fabric covering his face. It is black with two red streaks running down from the eyes. The former is introduced as Ghost by Soap. Ghost gives a brusque nod before turning away to speak into his radio.
The taller man you realize is the one who passed you off to Soap in the house. As you step closer to thank him, you realize that he is covered in blood and bits of...what is that?! You blanch, but with a smile pasted on that is much too toothy for the situation, you say, "Thank you, a-all of you." Soap is clearly weirded out by your deranged grin, and you say through clenched teeth, "Sorry. Tying not to puke." A look of understanding crosses his face. You glance back at the blood and viscera coated man, but he turns away from you. Soap says quietly, "That is König. Now, we need you to stay put so we can finish what we came to do and then you will evac with us." You nod, managing to control your stomach with enough swallowing.
The three men head out, each glancing back when they think the others aren't watching. As they leave, you find a small spot to hide and curl yourself up into the tightest ball you can to not be seen. It feels like hours of listening to guns firing, men yelling and screaming, and worrying if you will finally be able to escape when they finally return.
"Schatzi. Mein Schatzelinchen, where are you?" Surprisingly, it is König calling quietly for you as he and Soap enter the alley.
Soap exclaims, "Schatzi?! What the hell is a Schatzi? She has a name, you know." König shrugs.
"She is Schatzi to me. Ich liebe mein Schatzi," he replies in a possessive voice.
"Leibe? What does that mean? Lo-" Soap jumps in surprise as you wiggle out of the tiny hiding spot you found, and König blocks him from bringing his gun to bear, seemingly having already known you were hiding there and that it would surprise Soap.
"Come on, Schatzi. It is time to go." He holds out a hand, which you hesitantly take. It squelches in your grip, which you try very hard not to react to. The sound and feeling of it distracts you enough that you don't notice the loose sand near the edge of the road and trip into König's side. "Scheiße Schatzelinchen. None of that now. We must hurry to the evac." He picks you up and cradles you to his chest like a fragile bride. Soap eyes him hard, but hurries to keep up when König takes off in a sprint to join Ghost at the evac.
Ghost is waiting impatiently, and you see his eyes widen behind the mask as he sees you being carried, covered in blood. Soap calls out, "She just tripped. Blood is all from the big guy's 'work', and he decided we needed to leave like the hounds were after us wee hares." Ghost's shoulders drop as he lets out the breath he was holding. A chopper drops down just as they reach the evac point. You bury your face into the copper-scented vest of König's gear to keep the sand out of your eyes and try to ignore the sticky feeling it leaves on your forehead.
They throw themselves into the seats, and you end up between König and Ghost. They lean hard against you as the helicopter takes off, and you can feel your shoulders creaking. After a minute of this and the helicopter stabilizing the path it takes back to base, you lean back as far as you can in your seat. Ghost and König lean with you, still pinning you between them. They both yell in surprise when you jerk forward, and they knock heads together behind you. Soap belly laughs as they both sit up and rub their heads, glaring at each other over the top of you. Your quiet giggles go unnoticed by all three men.
Ghost apologizes quietly in your ear, and you immediately sober as a shiver passes through you and your cheeks redden. It seems an eternity later when you finally land at the base they are working out of. Soap takes the lead, and you walk between the two giants through the base until you reach a building off to the side. You freeze in the doorway when you realize it is a large communal locker room and showers full of men in various states of undress.
Ghost pushes you through the doorway and says, "Just follow Soap. We need to clean off this blood and...stuff." You hurry up to Soap and grab his vest, then shut your eyes tightly, trusting him to lead you safely. He brings you to a quiet and empty corner. You glance around carefully, looking for a washcloth or something only to slam your eyes shut and bring your hands to cover them when Soap starts to quickly undress in front of you. The sticky feeling your blood covered hands add to your face is even less pleasant than before.
Soap jokingly says, "What? Never seen a naked man before?" At the shake of your head, he goes quiet, and when you peek up at his face, his mouth is hanging open in surprise.
"No, this is...I've never..."
From behind you, you can hear the quiet shuffle of clothes, boots and gear being pulled off and Ghost drawls "Well, glad we can be your first and ruin you for all other men, but we still need to get the blood off." You glance back at them and get more than an eyeful of both Ghost and König before turning a deep shade of red. You realize that they have kept on their masks and guess that their anonymity must be deeply important to them.
"Fine, I'll just...umm..." You stare down at your torn and disgusting clothes. With a sigh, you shed your clothes quickly, piling your torn niqab, underwear, and shoes on a nearby bench.
"That is all you were wearing, mein Schatzi?" König sounds a bit out of breath behind his mask.
"Yeah, they took everything else months ago," you say shyly.
Soap tosses down a set of sandals for you to put on. "Well then, let's go rub me all over and clean up," Soap jokes, trying to break the tension. The looks of horror and disgust let him know that his joke hit perfectly, and his laugh echos through the room. You stare at your sandals, trying hard not to look at anyone as the three men walk nearly touching you in a bid to keep your nudity hidden behind their large bodies in the tight quarters of the communal shower. Soap finds a quiet corner and gently pushes you into it. "There's the soap, hun. Lather up really good, and then we will all rinse off together so nobody bothers us."
"Thanks." You shoot him a smile and quickly get to work rubbing the lather across your body. As you scrub down facing the wall, you try to get every bit of your body clean after nearly 9 months of bare minimum cleaning due to the village's rationing of water. You jump at the feel of hands on your back. Glancing back, you see König rubbing soap across your back, cautiously. You slowly relax as he gently scrubs the areas you can't reach. When he stops, you shyly gesture for him to turn around so you can scrub his back. The crinkle around his eyes that you can see makes you blush lightly, but you scrub his back anyway, returning the favor.
Ghoat seemingly pouts, at least you think so based on the glares he is sending König. You gesture for him to turn around after you finish with König. He groans as you gently rub the lather across his shoulders and back. You feel his breathy moans in your core, and when you look up, König is watching you like a hawk. You think he is mad, but he just says, "Good girl."
Soap has a baffled look on his face, looking between the three of you. After a minute, he just shrugs as if to say, none of my business and guides you to rinse off nearby, declining your offer to scrub his back. As you wash the soap out of your hair, you hear a man clear their throat nearby and open your eyes to see a stranger has worked his way near you while the men are focused on rinsing off quickly.
"Gonna scrub my back now?" He leers at your body unashamedly. You get your first view of an angry König as he claps a hand down hard on the man's shoulder and drags him backward.
"Leave my Schatzi alone, fotze." König moves to stand just inches from you as he rinses off. When he closes his eyes, you can't help yourself and take a peek down his body. A dark chuckle brings your eyes back up to meet his, and you quickly turn away to wash your hair again. The image of his cock is burned into your brain. You had no idea they could be that big and it was still soft. How big could did that thing get?
Clean but wet, your hair feels lighter than it has in months, and you've never been so happy to have a shower. Ghost turns you to face him, giving you a quick once over with his eyes. He uses his hand to scrub a few spots and splotches of blood off your face that you missed. Finally clean, you follow Soap back to the lockers with your eyes focused on his sandals. König and Ghost glare at anyone who dares to even glance at you.
Ghost hands you an oversized towel to use when you reach the lockers. It smells like manly and you wonder idly if that is what Ghost smells like all the time. Inspecting your clothes, you realize that none of them are fit to wear at this point. They are ripped, worn, and covered in blood, not to mention dirty from near continuous wear for nearly six months. You sigh and slip on your shoes, but just stare at the rest of the pile, trying to convince yourself to climb into them temporarily.
Suddenly, you are awash in a sea of clothing. As you struggle to get your head out, you feel calloused hands tugging it down your body. Your head pops out the top of the dress and you look down to realize it is a shirt. It smells like König, not Ghost, though you don't know how you are able to identify them so quickly. "Thank you, König," you say as you turn toward him, sliding your arms through and tugging a bit at the hem.
"You're welcome, Schatz." Your mouth goes slack as you realize he has literally given you the shirt off his back. His hairy chest and naked abs are on full display, a small trail of hair dipping down into his pants. You see a multitude of scars and a few fresher injuries, maybe even from earlier today. When you finally tear your gaze off his torso, he seems more than pleased to see you wrapped in his clothes from the look in his eyes.
The shirt barely reaches your thighs, but it's better than nothing, you decide. König disdainfully throws your old clothes into a trashcan, and you can't regret the loss at all. Ghost balls up your towel and throws it into the nearby laundry bin as you follow Soap back out, eyes trained studiously on his back. As the door shuts behind you, voices rise as many talk about what they had just witnessed, and one man checks the blossoming bruise on his shoulder, lamenting to his friends. They just shake their heads and tell him he was lucky to have gotten off so easy messing with a woman belonging to The One-Four-One.
Soap leads your group to a set of buildings seemingly on the opposite end of the camp. As you near the entrance, a frowning man in a hat waits. His voice booms out, "About time. (Y/n) with me." He walks off without checking to see if you're following. Ghost and König follow as well, while Soap heads off elsewhere within the building with his gear. Price stops at a door and turns to gesture you inside, stopping when he sees the two tall men flanking you still. "No, just (y/n). You can debrief later."
König grasps your hand with his free hand and staring into your eyes, says, "Goodbye for now, my Schatzi." You blush and croak out a goodbye as he walks away. Ghost shoots a glare at Price before turning to you and saying, "See you soon, Love." Price seems frustrated at how quickly you have charmed two of his best men and slams the door shut before gesturing at the open chair wordlessly. He stomps to the window behind his seat, looking out into the base. After several tense minutes, he turns back to you, gripping the top of the chair.
"Who are you, really?" Then, silence. As though he expects your answer to change now that you are alone. You stutter out your full name and his face changes from frustrated to angry. He slams his hands on the table. "I said, what is your real name?" You whimper and say it again, breaking eye contact in fear. He growls in frustration. "Then why the fuck can't I find you listed as missing?!"
You freeze in shock. "But... but... I've been a hostage in the village for... six months. I swear, I work for Blue Hope. I was here trying to get a well built for the village before they were taken over by those extremists."
"Well, Blue Hope has no record of you working there. Hell, whoever set up your cover must hate you because I can't find much of anything that says you ever existed at all." His glare somehow intensifies as you cower and try to think of a way to prove yourself with no I.D. or really anything connected to your life at all.
"I... I can prove I exist. I have an apartment that Blue Hope leased for me as part of my compensation in New York!" You sniffle a little as you try to keep your emotions in check, but it's difficult with your tendency to cry when you're frustrated.
He drawls, "they leased it, so how does that prove you exist?" He sits carefully in his chair, watching your every move carefully.
"I broke the rules of the lease and installed cameras. Bit of a nervous person, being away from there constantly, so I wanted to be able to check in, ya know."
"I don't, but how will cameras prove you are who you say you are?"
"I have two bachelor degrees on the wall of my office from Bandern University. They have my name and my majors and-and my minor. One is in environmental science with a specialty in water resources. The other is a political science degree with a specialty in international affairs. I'm still working on my Ph.D. in hydrology. That's why I'm working for Blue Hope instead of a private company. Nobody will hire a hydrologist without a Ph.D." Your voice strengthens as you explain your accomplishments; you're very proud of them for good reason. "I can show you on the computer. It's just a login on LinkUs to see the whole place."
"That doesn't seem secure at all for cameras that look into your whole house." He is definitely less angry and more surprised now. Captain Price navigates his computer to the website in question and puts in the login information you share.
"Yeah, I know. I turn them off when I'm home, but I know that isn't much of an excuse. I'm hardly ever there, so I wasn't as worried about it as I probably should be."
He frowns as the videos load on his screen. "Do you normally live... like a pig?" His try at diplomacy fails spectacularly as his shock slipped through. He turns the screen so you can see.
"Uhh... what?! My house isn't always the cleanest, but I don't live like a pig! Let me - oh god! What happened?!" The video feeds show nearly everything overturned and every drawer dumped on the floor. "I... I think I've been robbed! Umm... there. There is my office. If you click."
Price clears his throat and clicks on the office feed. "Ahh, does this? Yes, it does zoom. And there they are with (y/n) on them and the degrees you said. I'm still not 100% convinced, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now." He exits back to the main feed. "I need to investigate why you weren't-. Is anyone supposed to be there, a caretaker?"
"No. I should have hired someone." Your voice drops to a whisper as he clicks on the living room feed. "Wait, can you see someone?" Together, you listen to the man talking on the phone.
"Done. We haven't found it yet. I will have the full report once it is clean and empty tonight, but I don't think it is here." The strange man listens to the phone intently. "When will her body be recovered? We may need to intercept it, just in case she had it on her." He pauses. "Hopefully it was lost then because a local with computer access could be just as dangerous as an employee with the recording. Anyway, all traces will be gone..." The voice gets quieter as he walks away and out the front door.
You sit in shock. All traces gone. Does that mean what you think it means? Like, all of your things just gone forever? Price turns toward you with a careful look on his face. "I've never had someone exonerated so clearly and quickly before." His attempt at a joke falls flat.
"When." Your voice wavers, and you clear your throat trying to hold back tears. "When can I go home?"
Price looks decidedly uncomfortable now. "I don't know if you can, to be honest. I don't think it would be safe." The stress of the day seems to be finally catching up to you, and your sniffles turn into full-blown sobs. Price is now so uncomfortable that he can't sit still, jumping up and rushing to the door. "Where did those damn giants go, now? You!" he points at a man walking by.
"Me? Wait, is someone crying? Who's crying? I don't do crying." The soldier is quickly backing away quickly, looking nervous.
"Just go get König or maybe Ghost for fuck's sake, Roach!" Price snaps at him as he withdraws, missing the look of shock on Roach's face. He sidles along the wall toward his desk, watching you sob. The look of relief in his face when the door opens stops Ghost in his tracks. "Fix it, please," he says as he sits heavily in his chair, face in his hands.
Ghost stares at him, uncomprehendingly. "How the fuck did this happen? She was happy when we dropped her off." Despite the frustration in his tone, he moves to comfort you. He wraps his arms around you and picks you up. Ghost sits and settles you in his lap with your head tucked under his chin and shushes you gently. The glare he aims at Price is very short of comforting for him, though.
"Her home was wrecked and it sounds like it was the same company that stranded her here in the Middle East. She can't go home," Captain Price quickly shares.
Ghost perks up a bit, but keeps comforting you. Suddenly the door slams into the wall and König bursts into the room. "Mein Schatzi! Hands off her - she's mine!" He grabs you tightly and yanks you out of Ghost's embrace. Ghost tries to pull you tight to him, but there is truly no contest when König is running on adrenaline, so he lets you go. The giant of a man pulls you tight, tucking you against his chest, much like Ghost had and muttering in German about all the things he is going to do to Price in revenge.
You nestle against him, feeling safe encased in his arms and finally manage to rein in your sobs after a few minutes. König switches to muttering what he wants to do to comfort you, his fingers playing with the hem of the shirt. Your quickly spreading blush stops him in his tracks. "Uhh...sprichst du Deutsch?"
Your shy "ein bisschen" in response makes him groan and you're sure the skin around his eyes is red with embarrassment. When a throat clears behind you, he jumps and his entire body tenses, ready to fight.
"Sorry Schatzi. I shouldn't have wrestled you away from comfort." König gently sets you back in Ghost's lap. You grab his hand when he begins to back away toward the office door and settle yourself so you can keep hold of him. Ghost wraps an arm around your torso and pulls you flush to his chest before focusing on Captain Price again.
"Well, uhh, now that the crying is done. What are they looking for? What did you stumble on?" Price tries to get everyone back to the problem at hand with slim hopes that the other men will forget this.
"I overheard and recorded a confusing conversation working late one night just before I left the country. I guess it was way scarier and more important than I thought. I just remember thinking it was really weird for them to be talking about bribes when we are supposed to be an above the board charity. I only recorded it in case we get audited or something, because I didn't want to go down with them. I didn't want anyone to know what I'd heard, because I knew it would screw everything up for me and the village. I just wanted to get a well put in for them so they always had water."
Price rubbed his temples. "Did you hide it in your apartment or leave it in the village, then?"
"No, neither." He looks up surprised. "I put it in a cloud server...or three. I wanted it in case we got audited or something. It's easiest to listen to on my SoundLight storage because you don't have to download it."
Price's jaw has fully dropped by this point and the quiet "attagirl" growled in your ear makes your eyes glaze over and a shiver pass through you. You lean forward and pull it up on the computer, hitting play before settling back into Ghost's lap. The hard cock pressing against your ass surprises you, but Ghost's only reaction is a shaky exhale in your ear. König takes your hand again, making you glance up with a smile. He squeezes gently and you turn back to Price as he focuses on the recording.
The frown on the Captain's face intensifies as the recording plays and you feel Ghost's erection flag quickly. The tightening grip of König's hand just adds one more layer to the realization that what you overheard is much more serious than you could have ever guessed. When the recording ends, Price looks happier. "This is a serious matter. We will need to take action on this immediately and with this recording, we have some great leads."
You perk up. "Does that mean I can go home soon? Maybe save stuff from getting tossed?" Price shakes his head no.
"It isn't that easy. We have to thoroughly investigate before we commit to direct action or we might risk only getting part of the operation. It could easily be another six months before we have enough to act on. Even then, you might need a whole new identity. I'm truly sorry."
"What am I supposed to do then? I don't have anything to my name... or do I even have my name now? Do I go into Witness Protection somewhere?" The sharp "No" and "Nein" from both Ghost and König surprises you and gives you butterflies in your stomach.
"As your body guards have said, no. Witness Protection isn't safe enough. You'll stay here in our protection. I'll organize a room for you and we'll get some clothes together so you don't have to wear the cast offs of your dubiously generous friends." You're sure that König has a possessive grin under the curtain of his mask as he looks at the shirt you wear again.
"She won't need a room. We have that handled." Ghost slides you off his lap gently and guides you toward König and the door. "The clothes would be appreciated, though. And toiletries. And anything else, Love?" You shake your head, too overwhelmed to think very hard about what you need now that you truly have nothing, not even the niqab you wore for so long.
"I'm grateful for anything right now. I have more questions for later, but-" The yawn is sudden, but not unexpected. Price nods and waves you out without a word, already typing away on his report.
Ghost hangs back for a moment. "Debrief, Captain?"
"Tomorrow. This report can't wait." He pauses, having switched back to the camera feeds. "They found one of the cameras. We will have to keep this as quiet as a church mouse if you want her safe." Ghost nods and jogs to catch up.
König, unsurprisingly, has picked up (y/n) and is carrying her with her head tucked into his shoulder. Ghost sighs, not wanting to fight König verbally, but knows they need to hash out living quarters. "So, my room?" He tries lightly.
"Nein, no. She needs to be safe. That means she needs a room none will enter. That's my room."
"Nobody goes in my room" Ghost immediately protests, only to groan when he sees Soap walk out. Soap spots the three of you and takes off quickly in the opposite direction, having intended to sneak in and back out without being seen.
"See? No one dares to enter my room. She will be safe there when we go on missions. And...I would not mind you being in my rooms. Besides, Colonels get bigger rooms." The last was a bit of an unnecessary jab, but a good point all the same.
"Fine. Your room. Just no throwing fits if Johnny shows up at the door, alright."
"No promises." König's pace falters as your stomach growls. "Verdammt! We must take care of our Schatzi better. First crying alone and now starving." Ghost chuckles as König about faces and hurries to the kitchen. "We will find you a good meal before bed."
Upon entering, Ghost pushes the two of you toward the table and quickly puts together a meal. "Luckily, I just finished eating before Roach screamed at me to get my ass over there. Seems crying women can panic most of the crew." You blush and bite your lip.
"Sorry. It was just too much." König sits you on his knee and starts trying to feed you. "I can do it myself, I promise." You grab the fork from his hand and hunch over your food, eating quickly. The men sit watching you and talking quietly as you struggle not to shove the food into your mouth. The moans you make at the taste of the food have them adjusting their pants. "Oh, this is good! I haven't had anything this good in so long!"
With your plate emptied and your stomach full, you finally sit back. König pulls you close as he stands up. "Let's go to bed, Liebling. You can sleep off your feast." Ghost cleans up quickly and the three of you leave for König's room with a quick stop at the bathroom, which luckily was empty at this late hour. Ghost stops off in his room for a moment to grab some gear and half-jogs to catch the door to König's room before it shuts, locking it behind him.
After tucking you in the giant bed, König quickly strips off all of his clothes, leaving just his mask. "Some warning before you strip down, mate," jokes Ghost. König ignores him and climbs in on the far side of the bed, wrapping an arm around you. Ghost shakes his head before taking off all but his pants, carefully folding his shirt and trousers to sit on a chair near the door. He flips off the light, climbing into bed carefully to not jostle you. "Goodnight, Love...König."
"G'nigh Ghos, Köni," you mutter, falling toward sleep quickly.
"Schöne träume, Schatz, Geist." Arms wrap around you from each side and you curl up happily between them, feeling safer than you've ever felt before in the arms of two killing machines.
You wake up to a hand gently caressing your face. The skull on Ghost's mask is the first thing to come into focus. Even though you know it has inspired fear in the heart of many men, you smile, looking deep into his eyes. He seems surprised to see you smile, but you can tell somehow that he is smiling back. "Good morning, Ghost." Behind you, a hand tightens gently on your hip. "And König."
"Good morning" they say at the same time, making you giggle. You reach out and run a finger along the edge of Ghost's mask, catching the stubble there.
"Can I touch you?"
"Yes," he breathed out as you ghost your fingers down his throat. König's hand on your hip slides up to your ribs under your shirt. Your hand continues to slide down Ghost's body, running through the coarse hair on his chest, then back up and over his arm. Goosebumps rise up in the wake of your fingers and Ghost sighs as you caress each scar and imperfection on his skin.
"C-can I kiss you?"
"Yes, Love." He leans forward and you kiss him through his mask. Ghost gently turns you toward König who also kisses you through his mask. You run your fingers along the hem on it, making him tense.
"May I?" You feel even more nervous at his nod, but steel yourself and gently lift the fabric, sliding your fingers up his neck to his cheek. The column of his neck is revealed, then his chin and finally his lips. Leaning forward, you kiss him hesitantly, melting into it when he passionately kisses you back.
"Mein Schatzi," he groans as you pull away slowly, feeling flushed. "Would you like to touch me, Liebling?" He waggles his eyebrows down at you and smirks.
"Yes, sir," you cheekily answer back, kissing your way down his neck instead of using your fingers. The long, low moan he lets out goes straight to your core, encouraging you. Ghost presses his cock against your ass and runs his hand up to your breast, struggling against your shirt. He palms it gently. In response, you kiss König's nipple, giggling as his grip on your hip tightens, encouraging you.
You kiss every scar on König's chest and arms before he turns you back toward Ghost, again. Together, they tug off your shirt and it's only when they both press against you that you realize that Ghost has taken off his pants, leaving all of you completely naked, but for the masks. Ghost slides his mask up to kiss you deeply and König lifts your thigh up to nestle his cock against your core. The head rubs directly on your clit when he presses your leg back down. He smirks as you gasp into Ghost's mouth with his first thrust between your thighs.
Ghost pulls back and slides down your body, kissing his way to your breasts. "Is this ok, Love? We can stop if it's too much."
"It's so good."
"Good, that's a green light then. If you need us to slow down or pause, that is a yellow light. And -"
"Red means stop?"
"That's right, sugar. Red means stop and we will stop and take care of you, ok?"
"Yea, don't stop. Too good." He chuckled darkly as he went back to sucking and biting at your breasts. König kept thrusting against your channel, driving you closer to an edge you've rarely visited.
"Braves Mädchen," he murmured in your ear. "Good girl." You melted against him and he changed the angle of his thrust to press against your opening, stretching you wide as he gently pushed. He paused at your whimper, gently petting your hip and wrapping his other arm around your shoulders. He pulled you tight against him without choking you.
Ghost was quick with his "Color, sugar. Tell me what your color is."
"G-green. Mehr." Your casual slip into his mother language had König kissing your shoulder as he pushed in a little more at a time. Ghost kissed you again, sliding one hand down to tease your swollen clit and whispering encouragement in your ear. König carefully stretches his way deeper, trying to let you do most of the work as you move your hips back and forth in your excitement.
When König bottoms out deep within your core, you groan. Ghost smiles against your lips. "Did your greedy little cunt take that huge prick? Attagirl. You're goin' t'cum on that cock, aren't ya?"
You nod silently, whimpering as König pulls back then pushes in deep again, his thighs clapping against your ass. "König! Fuck!" You brace against Ghost as König moves faster and harder behind you, driving toward his own orgasm. "I'm gonna cum on you, König!" Your whines and whimpers are driving him on. "I'm cumming!" König bites down on your shoulder as he cums with you. His cock throbs deep inside your core with little thrusts that grind him deeper and deeper. Your squeal and clenching sleeve make him twitch harder inside you.
"Good girl. Good girl cumming all over me," he croons. After a few moments, he pulls out and turns you onto your back to catch your breath. Ghost rubs his hands against you, still worked up. You smile up at him and pull him close. He smirks back, kissing you deeply and spreading your legs to wedge his hips between them.
"Is this ok, Love? Color?"
"Yell-no, green. Green."
He stares at you for a moment, trying to gauge your honesty. You slip your hand down to wrap around his weeping cock and gently tug him toward you. "Want you to cum, too. It feels so good." He chuckles, but abides by your wish, pulling your legs to wrap around his waist as he enters you. König caresses your body and kisses your neck as you take Ghost's cock to the hilt in one sharp thrust. From this position all three of you are able to see the bulge in your stomach when he hilts himself into you. In response, your body clenches down on him to his delight.
"Sugar, not gonna last long with you milking me," he groans. You boldly reach down and push on his cock through your skin and clench at him again. His hips stutter, then he is pounding into you and pinching your clit as punishment. You squeal and König takes advantage of your distraction to gently bite your nipple then lave it with his tongue in revenge for your earlier cheekiness. The mischievous slant of his lips tells you that is just the beginning as they work in tandem to bring you over the edge again.
Ghost suddenly leans down and bites at your earlobe. "Who's fucking you so good the whole base can hear you? Say my name, (y/n). Tell everyone how well Simon is fucking you."
"S-Simon! You're gonna make me cum! Green? Fuck...Simon!" He thrusts harder, his balls slapping against your ass as he tries to make you cum before he does.
"That's it, (y/n). Tell everyone how good it feels."
"Cumming, Simon" you shout as you squirt cum all over his cock and abs. The sudden wetness shocks you and nearly ruins your orgasm, but the look of excitement on Ghost's face when he looks down keeps you cumming.
"Attagirl. Attagirl. Gonna cum in you, Love. Gonna fill you up!" The look of bliss on his face has you more convinced than anything he could have said that he isn't disgusted by what happened in any way. He collapses down onto you, still praising you as he tries to collect himself. You brush a kiss to his temple and shyly glance over at König to see the biggest grin on his face.
"Good girl. You are perfect." You blush and pull him over to kiss you, too. When he pulls back, he pulls his mask back into place and relaxes in a boneless heap with one arm possessively wrapped around your stomach. Ghost slides off of you, half asleep already. Your giggle wakes him back up some, but the best he can do is a cheeky grin as he cuddles into your side.
It feels like just moments later there is a pounding at the door. Both men are immediately on high alert with König pushing you toward Ghost and preparing to leap out of bed. It's only the voice on the other side of the door that makes him pause.
"Simon! Simon! Answer the damn door! I need to talk to you! C'mon Simon! I know you're in there!" Soap's voice has Ghost dropping his head back onto the pillow in frustration. "Come to the door already!"
"No fuckin peace around here. Can't even enjoy the afterglow." He huffs and puffs, debating on ignoring the jackass at the door.
"Answer the door. He's here for you and clearly not going to go away. I will cuddle our Schatzi while you are gone." König sounds almost mocking as he brushes kisses across your shoulder and you gently push Ghost out of bed.
"What in the bloody hell do you want, Johnny?!" Ghost yells as he answers the door dressed in only his mask.
Soap yelps and covers his eyes, "Jesus Ghost! Put on some pants!"
"No, you pulled me out of bed with (y/n). Now you gotta deal with the consequences, ya knob." Ghost stands with his feet planted shoulder-width apart in a mock parade rest. Soap refuses to look at him, choosing to stare at the ceiling instead and thrusts a canvas bag at Ghost.
"I was just bringing by some clothes for her. Price said she needed some that actually fit and that he better not see her bare-assed running around in just König's shirt again." Having passed on the message, Soap abruptly about faces and takes off down the hall.
"Thanks, mate," Ghost calls after him as he closes the door. You blush as he turns back and says, "Well, won't be needing these anytime soon, will we?" He tosses the bag of clothes onto the chair with his clothes and jumps back into bed, his crown jewels flopping about.
König chuckles and slides out of bed. "I need to piss. I'll be back." You sigh and hold his hand loosely, trying to keep hold as he walks over to his clothes without a trace of shame in his bare body.
"I'm losing all of my cuddles," you sigh. Ghost grumbles and tucks you into his side.
"I'm back, Love. We can cuddle all day." You smile and trace a line down his chest, lazily. He growls, "Or maybe skip the cuddles and go right back to making you scream my name."
"Hurry back, Köni. I already miss you," you call as he leaves. You catch a hint of a blush around his eyes as he carefully shuts the door. Turning back to Ghost, you smile lazily.
"You're getting awfully bold for someone who had never seen a cock before yesterday. I like it, Sugar." He kisses your forehead and relaxes against you. "I'm happy to share you with that giant if it means cuddles whenever we are home."
Your sigh catches him off guard. "I don't know how one of the worst days of my life led to this, but I don't think I've ever been happier and more contented than I am right now, Simon." Hearing his name, his real name, sends a shiver down his spine.
"When König comes back, let's get you dressed and have some breakfast... well, probably lunch by now, sugar." You can feel his grin under the mask and nod sleepily.
"Food sounds good. Very... good..." Your voice trails off as you start to drift to sleep. Ghost jostles you gently.
"Nuh uh, sleep after food or you'll wake up feeling sick with hunger. C'mon up ya get. König has a surprisingly too comfortable bed. And I honestly don't think I have ever seen one this big."
From the doorway, there is a deep laugh. "That's what she said. I abuse my body too much on missions to sleep on a shit bed, though. Let's see what Soap brought, hmm?" König dumps the clothes out onto the bed, quickly sorting out a set of clothes for you. "Here, (y/n). Put these on and I'll air out the bed a bit. Can't sleep on sweaty sheets." Ghost practically dragged you onto your feet before going to get his own clothes on.
"I hate these clothes," you mutter to yourself, grimacing as you pull the shirt over your head.
"Why's that, Schatzi? I hate to see you cover yourself up, but why would you hate them?" You blush, having not intended for them to hear your griping.
"They smell like other people. I don't like when my clothes smell weird," your petulant tone belies your deep discomfort with the perfume-scented clothes. "I have no idea where or who Soap got these from, but they smell... gross."
"Easily fixed, my Love." Ghost gently pulls you into a hug and rubs his body all over yours. "Your turn, König," Ghost says as he shuffles you into his arms. König happily rubs you with his hands, then picks you up and squeezing your ass, grinds you against himself.
"Yes, that is an easy fix," he says with a gleam in his eyes. You huff, but can't hide your grin as he sets you back on your feet. "Let's go eat, Liebling. Then, we can eat you later." You duck your head and groan, realizing how much König loves his double-entendres.
"Don't worry, Love. I won't use dirty innuendos to make you blush in front of everyone." Ghost whispering in your ear has you biting back a moan. "I'll just say dirty things in your ear so you blush and fidget over things no one else can hear and hope no one else overhears."
"Kommen, you two. Time to eat before we get called to attention again." You giggle at König's teasing and caught up to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. The smile you flash back to Ghost is full of promise. The sharp look in his eyes in return sends a shiver through you.
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atinylittlepain · 11 months
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June - Part One
joel miller x f!OC
series masterlist
warnings | 18+ dark themes surrounding suicidal ideation and attempt, eventual smut, angst
a/n | well, I'm a bit nervous to share this one. as I mentioned before, this is going to be quite different than anything I have put out before. Each part is going to be much shorter than my usual fare - anywhere from 2K to 2.5K. Again, please take care reading this, I am touching on very tender topics. I also need to thank @wannab-urs and @jksprincess10 and @beskarandblasters for supporting me through writing this, so much gratitude for you both.
....................................
Cheer up, honey, I hope you can
There is something wrong with me
My mind is filled with silvery stars
Honey, kisses, clouds of fog
"Radio Cure" by Wilco
....................................
She’s a difficult woman. When she wants to be. And he supposes she does. He supposes she’s angry at him. She had made that clear enough. He had taken something from her, a choice, an escape, a way out. But she had taken it from him too. They hold each other’s lives between their teeth, waiting for the other to bite down, to show mercy, to bleed out.
They won’t let her go outside the gates anymore, no patrol shifts. And they have her staying with one of the doctors in town, a watchful eye. From what he’s heard, it isn’t going well. From what he sees, it isn’t going well. Joel isn’t sleeping these days because she isn’t either. He follows her, a shadow, not daring to get too close lest she decides to snap at his presence. 
Most nights, she circles her cage like a despondent animal, fingertips running along the wall that keeps her from doing it again. And he follows after her, willing her to turn over her shoulder, to look at him, to offer him anything. He would take anything she’s willing to give. 
And then he does something to upset her even more. It comes up between him and his brother on patrol. The doctor she’s staying with is at her wit’s end with her. Coming and going at strange hours, silent and snarling. So he offers up the spare room in his house and suddenly she’s stomping up his porch with a backpack and a scowl.
“What exactly are you trying to do?” He has to admit, it’s a good question. One he’s not sure of the answer to.
“You need somewhere to stay, and I have the space.”
“Because your kid doesn’t want to live here anymore?” 
“She ain’t my kid.” 
“Yeah right.”  He’s just content to have her looking at him again, even if she is trying to dig her claws in. But her eyes flicker away fast.
“It’s only for a month. Then they’re gonna let me have my apartment back.” “Whatever you say, June. Your room is upstairs, second door on the–” 
“It’s not fair, you know.” “What’s that?”
“The only difference between you and I is that I got caught. And now I’m stuck in a fucking cage. You may have played hero, but I know why you were out there.” She doesn’t give him a chance to respond, shouldering past him into the house and trudging upstairs. 
For the first time since Ellie left, he starts cooking. Mostly because she’s not eating. Or at least he never sees her eating, no trips to the dining hall, and she only passes through the kitchen to get upstairs. So he starts cooking, albeit simply, leaving plates outside her closed door, happy to see them cleared in the morning. His pants start fitting better again, belt not done on the tightest notch anymore. And he’d like to think she starts looking different too, a little brighter after a few weeks of square meals. 
She doesn’t wander at night anymore. He’s always waiting on the porch to see her come home. She’s even started to mutter a low goodnight when she passes him to go inside, something beating and flickering inside his ribs when she does. 
He knows from Maria that she’s started working at the garden, and one night she comes home with a basket, a few ears of corn, pale and silky in their husks, and strawberries bright enough to make his mouth water. She sets the basket down at his feet, her eyes not meeting his, though she gives him a curt nod before going inside, the light click of the screen door shaking him out of his stupor. 
Sliced into bleeding slivers, how Sarah liked them, with a drizzle of honey where he would have sprinkled sugar, how Sarah liked them. But instead of setting the bowl down outside her door, he decides to knock, and she decides to let him in. 
They sit on the edge of the bed, close enough to hold the bowl between them, their fingers staining sticky from the sweet syrup of the treat, saccharine singing down their throats. And when all the berries are gone, they pass the bowl back and forth, lapping up any remaining sweetness, mouths smacking with want. Her lips are red, swollen from the way she licks at them to chase up what’s left of the taste, and his eyes dart from them to her temple, a much darker red, still healing, still raised and scabbed. 
“Stop looking at it.” 
“I’m not.” “Yes, you are. Everyone does.”
“You wanna look at mine?” Her eyes widen, and he’s already turning his head, running a finger along the sliver on his temple.
“You–”
“I missed, just like you.”
“But you weren’t gonna miss this time, were you?” 
“No, I wasn’t. I’m glad you did though.” It’s the exact wrong thing to say, and he can see the way she shuts down, furling back in on herself, turning away from him, covering the side of her face with her palm.
“Goodnight, Joel.” A long sigh, slipping through his fingers.
“Goodnight, June.” 
At the end of the month, she doesn’t leave. There is no conversation about it. She simply doesn’t leave. And Joel has to swallow down his elation at that. 
Soon, her baskets laid at his feet turn into her helping him in the kitchen. They settle into silent rhythms, hips bumping as fat sizzles in the pan, the dull chop of vegetables and the savory sear of meat cooking. They eat together on the back porch, sitting side by side, taking in the lingering light of summer as they fill their bellies. An act that promises permanence. Her scar is quickening, new skin, new, new, new. And when he reaches out for her, his fingers skating over that arced line, she lets him. 
“Can I see yours again?” A nod, a tilt of his head, and a shiver when her fingers press over his scar. 
“I’m glad you missed, Joel.” She kisses angry, her fingers curling in his hair, swallowing up his groan when she tugs too hard. All teeth, nipping, clicking against his, and he wants more, more, more. He goes greedy with it, hands pulling at clothes, pressing her closer, as close as he can, pulling her into his lap and she’s warm, sharp, softening her snarl only slightly when he licks into her mouth. But she’s gone in a flash, pulling away with a gasp, stumbling down the porch steps, all but falling onto her ass as she wipes at her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes wild and wide. And Joel aches because he had her, he had her, and it felt so good and she’s already snapping back and away. 
“I– I’m sorry, June.” She doesn’t offer him anything else, darting past him and back inside. He sits there, slack, long after the sun dips down below the mountains, a shiver setting on him in the chill of the night. 
But she stays. She gets quiet again, cagey, no longer eating with him, only clipped greetings when they pass each other. But she stays. 
He’d like to say something, anything, but in the fleeting moments he sees her, he finds himself choking on words, his throat constricting and she’s already gone. So it’s a surprise when one day, she comes home and wordlessly sits down next to him on the porch. He doesn’t move, barely even breathes, a hummingbird beat away from her disappearing.
“Why doesn’t your kid live with you anymore?” 
“She ain’t my–”
“Fine, why doesn’t not your kid live with you anymore?” An inhale and an exhale, he has to clear his throat before he answers.
“I lied to her. And did a lot of things she didn’t agree with.”
“Why’d you do that?”
“I was trying to protect her.” 
“Did you?”
“Did I what?” “Protect her?” 
“I suppose I did. Reckon if this is the price I have to pay– for her to be safe– I’m fine with that.”
“Is that why you were out there that night?” 
“Yes.” She hums at that, the both of them still looking straight ahead. He can feel the warmth of her from where her thigh rests so close to his.
“Why haven’t you tried again?” He finally breaks, turning his head to squint at her, her eyes finding his.
“What do you mean?” 
“They don’t think you’re crazy. Not like me. Nobody would blink twice if you went back out there. So why haven’t you tried again?” It’s pure curiosity, no emotion behind her question, an honest and open desire to know.
“Because I’ve been busy keeping you from trying again.” It’s not the truth, at least not the whole of it, and he can tell she knows it, her lips curling into a smile. She’s just as good at this game as he is.
“Can I see yours?” Her hair has grown out more from where they had to shave it, and she has to tuck some of it back to show him the full line of her scar, still dark and jagged. He’s not sure if she’ll flinch, jerk away if he reaches out, but it’s a relief when she doesn’t, pressing her temple into the cup of his palm.
“I’m sorry, Joel.”
“Nothing to be sorry for, June.” He hopes that if he moves slower this time, only taking what she gives, that she won’t pull away. And she doesn’t, letting his lips brush against hers, a fluttering little thing. He swears he can hear it, something cracking in his chest, ribs breaking to make room for this new swell of warmth as she presses her lips to his again, a little more certain, a little more insistent. Her hand comes to rest at the collar of his shirt, fingers curling into the fabric when he sweeps his tongue along her bottom lip, a question that she responds to in kind, opening up to him with a sweet sigh. 
Sweet, sweet, sweet. No snap, no snarl, just a simple slip of her mouth pressed to his. He’s going to have to ration it, this sweetness, willing himself to pull away before she spooks. His hand is on hers, and her hand is on his, thumbs sweeping, back and forth, back and forth, tracing the secret they share. 
“You hungry?”
“Not really.” 
“Do you want to make dinner?”
“Okay.” 
She’s always not really hungry. He knows by now that it means nothing. And sure enough, he has to hide a smile when she pockets a perfect cherry tomato in her cheek as they start on dinner. 
“There's extra blankets in that closet if you need them. Since it’s getting colder at night and all.” Dinner had been a silent volley of glances, punctuated by long sighs. And now, standing in the hallway, somewhere between his own room and where she’s standing in front of hers, Joel feels completely adrift. 
“Okay, thank you. I think there’s a draft in my window actually. It’s been cold in there these last few nights.”
“I’ll trade for some caulk tomorrow. Get that fixed for you.” Something passes over her face, a quick fall that he finds his mind hurrying to figure out. Oh, oh.
“Would you– my room is plenty warm. I can take the couch.” 
“I don’t want you to take the couch.”
“Okay.” 
He’s already under the covers when she pads into his room, wearing a large sweater and a pair of leggings.
“Are you really that cold?” “I run cold.” He has to bite back a laugh at that, simply nodding, keeping his hands clasped over his chest as she slips into bed on the other side. She’s quick about it, rolling onto her side, facing away from him and tugging the sheets up to her chin.
He tries, he really does, his hands itching in resistance. It feels like a leap, a moment of freefall when he reaches across the mattress, settling his hand on her shoulder. But she catches him, bringing her palm to rest over his, fingers furling in a gentle tug. Come closer, I will not bite, I will not run, not this time. 
The gap is closed with a simple curl of his arm over her waist, his chest slipping snug against her back, rising and falling in time with her thrumming ribs.
“Your feet are really cold.”
“I’m sorry, I told you.”
“That’s okay, June. I don’t mind.” 
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prolix-yuy · 3 months
Text
Writers' Iron Chef #13: Lovesick
[PROMPT] Patching up a wound
[ADDITIONAL PROMPT] “Why would you put yourself through something like that?”
[TIME LIMIT] Optional, 10 minutes prep. time 30 minutes writing time Optional, 10 minutes editing time
Pairing: Joel Miller x GN!Reader
Rating: M, descriptions of wound care and blood, allusions to dubcon due to drinking and drug use. While this story is not explicit, my blog and the content shared on it is 18+ so MINORS DNI.
Summary: You've been greedy for Joel for too long.
Notes: Written for Writers’ Iron Chef Prompt 13
I've had a Joel story idea bouncing around in my head for several months now, but it's not much more than disconnected scenes and a vibe, you know? I decided to try and exorcise a part with this prompt. This was imspired by a scene in the movie Foe with Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal (which was excellent, btw) that got the creative juices flowing.
Thanks to @writersironchef for always giving the best prompts!
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The blood that runs into the sink isn’t yours, but it is Joel Miller’s and that’s hardly better.
Laying the needle and scissors beside the sink, you dry your hands on a towel that doesn’t make you feel much cleaner. There’s probably still blood under your nails, half moons of frenzied memories you can look back on when you’re in bed tonight.
“Joel, what the fuck?”
“I need…”
He didn’t have to say much more, and your stomach sours for it. Joel could say he needed you to balance on the edge of a razor and you’d do it just for the fact that he needed you. Pitiful, lovesick, desperate you.
He’d shredded his back coming back into the QZ scrambling away from patrol lights. Tess split off from him, trades to be made and deals best done without her loyal attack dog. So he’d stumbled back to his apartment, stopping just long enough to knock at yours across the hall.
“Jesus Christ, how did you fuck yourself up this badly?”
“FEDRA’s patrolling our usual spots, think they’re onto us…fuck!”
You salved his wounds with apologies as you cleaned grit from long scrapes and worried at the beads of blood that melted across your fingers. The worst was a gash you had to close, infection too present a worry. Hardening your gut, you tried to disassociate how much like sewing leather it felt. Joel bit down on his belt and stuffed his face in a pillow, but fists still slammed on walls around you at his ruckus. 
“I’m done, I’m done, it’s finished.”
“Jesus ‘n Mary, there ain’t much left for you to piece back together at this rate.”
Walking back to the bed, he’s disheveled but alive. He asks for booze, which you find in a high cabinet. He asks for pills, reluctantly revealed to live in a false drawer bottom. You don’t have to say he can trust you with these secrets. Vices were too expensive for you most days. Once he downs both he lays back, injury padded with the cleanest cloths you could find. His breathing hitches, pants in pain, then slows as the drugs and drink take effect. 
And then it’s just you, sitting next to your neighbor as his body releases. 
You should go. Tess would be back any time now and you didn’t want her to see your longing. There are whispers about if Joel is hers, and while you know they belong to each other in a way drenched in darkness, you’ve never been sure if the claim is on their hearts as well. It’s just vague enough of a partnership that when Joel has a good day and shares an extra ration card, your heart flutters. 
But it’s too dangerous. He’s too dangerous, the both of them. You can’t get mixed up in whatever they have going on. Why would you put yourself through something like that?
It’s not the first time he’s come home bloodied, and not the first time you’ve pulled him back together. There’s trust there, but also foolish hope that life could march on and a man could desire you again. Maybe even care for you enough to break teeth and bones. 
A brush against your arm turns you back to Joel, eyes half-lidded but trained hazily on you. One large hand skims over your shoulder, down your arm and lands heavily in your lap. 
“Joel?” you ask, looking down at his thick fingers splayed across your thighs. He hums, low and rumbly as his lips part. 
He’s surely too far gone to know you’re even here. It would be best to slip out unnoticed, talk to Tess tomorrow about checking his injury for infection. 
But you don’t. You’re frozen as the calloused skin of his thumb catches on the worn fibers of your jeans. It’s a caress you haven’t known for years. 
He doesn’t know it’s you.
“Joel,” you say again, and enough courage bolsters you to slide your hand into his palm, the other circling his wrist. He’s so warm, thick-skinned against your fingers. You start to lift from the bed, intending to place his hand where you sat, when it makes a drunken path to cup your chin. Pressure against your jaw turns your face to him spread out on the bed beside you. His chest is bare, light perspiration beading along the cut of his collarbone. He licks his lips slowly, the slip of tongue drawing an ache up from the deepest well. 
“Hey there,” he drawls, and god, you could shatter from it. Tears build in your eyes but you can’t move, his hands drawing you down to him. 
“Joel, it’s…I’m not…” you choke out. It’s a final defense. He’ll hate you tomorrow, but you’ll have said something. His lip quirks, not quite a smile. 
“I know,” he husks before leading your lips to meet his.
You’re not sure he does, but you’re too greedy to say more.
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END
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ohbo-ohno · 7 months
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reader somehow manages to escape the cabin in the woods where serial killer ghoap is keeping them, and stumbles across two park rangers on patrol. ranger price is so, so kind, wrapping you up in a blanket and giving you water and assuring you that everything will be fine, it'll be ok. ranger garrick listens to your sobbing, almost incoherent story of what happened to you with sympathetic eyes. they load you into the back of their jeep, garrick sitting in the back with you gently holding your hands in his to soothe you and calm you down. the gentle touch gets hard and solid when you realize they've brought you right back to soap and ghost's cabin.
FUCK yeah dude. Hell yeah. This is the only idea ever actually. I want to crush it up into a blender and drink it for breakfast everyday. This fucks so hard
They’re so nice :( And Price has that paternal thing going on - you showed up naked and he took the shirt right off his back for you to wear, he just immediately makes you feel so comfortable. And Gaz is such a good empathizer, he makes you feel like he’s really feeling your horror, and he’s so familiar in a way you can’t really describe, it feels natural to relax with him
And dear fucking God the BETRAYAL!!!! You’d see the cabin and just start screaming, looking at them through the mirror with wide eyes. Gaz would maybe laugh a little, maybe coo to you and reassure you it’ll all be ok. Price is rolling his eyes, telling you not to be so dramatic, they’re just taking you back where you belong. And the worst part is you fight to stay with them when they drop you off - you cling to the interior of the car, then to Gaz, then to Price, desperate for anything but Ghost and Soap.
Maybe a few weeks later Gaz and Price come over for dinner. And you’re not nearly broken enough to have no spirit, so you spend the entire evening just fucking glaring at them like they killed your dog, refuse to talk to them, refuse to do anything but stew in your anger.
Gaz is a little condescending, a little pouty maybe. Does that C’mon, you still angry? We took you home, you don’t like us for that? Were we supposed to just leave a stray on the side of the road? And you fucking hate his tone, it takes everything in you to bite your tongue and not just shout in his face.
But Price is a lot condescending. He rubs a hand over your hair, smirks down at you with a mean little glint in his eyes. Says Don’t like your men, girl? You mad at us for putting you back where you belong? What, did they punish you real rough? Don’t take that shit out on me. Chin up, with a little chuck to your chin that has your growling like an animal You’re better off here than anywhere else. Your men take nice care of you, could at the very least treat their guests with some respect.
Johnny and Simon don’t push you to be nice. You sit in Simon’s lap for the meal and the most he does is smirk a little when you get particularly grouchy, but he doesn’t make you talk to them. He does make you kneel between his knees in the living room when Gaz and Price linger to chat. Runs a hand through your hair until you very unwillingly fall asleep with your face on his knee.
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twigg96 · 8 months
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Hello my sweet lovelies. I’ve been trying to write some more Daryl X Y/N and thought what better way to get started than doing the Fluffy and Naughty Alphabet HCs! 😊 so please enjoy the start to my little 52 HC journey!
Daryl Dixon’s Fluffy Hc Alphabet:
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A - Attractive (what about their partner do they like most?)
Daryl loves a partner that cares a lot about other people. Those who put themselves before the betterment of the group are not people who Daryl can ever get along with. He finds kindness, compassion, honesty, and openness attractive in particular.
B - Banter (How do they tease each other? Is it always friendly/ flirtatious or does it turn nasty?)
Daryl doesn’t conventionally tease his partner. But in an unconventional world he thinks their version of teasing fits right in. Instead of the jovial picking other couples do, Daryl will often come over and say nothing but simply take a bite out of his partner’s food, smiling devilishly as he continues on his duties. While walking on patrol together, Daryl and his partner will go from walking hand in hand to playfully bumping each other to shoving each other off the path and into the plant life that lives along the side of the road. Neither partner can always read the other’s emotions so if Daryl is in a dark head space he will lash out if his partner tries to tease him. The same however can be said too for his partner.
C - Cute (Cuddles, Handholding, Sweet Touches, Caresses, Sneaky Moves)
Mr. Dixon is not into PDA. He doesn’t like people having the upper hand on him with information that could be used against him. Plus he’s really really busy a lot of the time. It’s not until the pair are alone either in the darkness of the night or shrouded in the forest that he allows himself to become more vulnerable. Taking his partner’s hand when there are no Walkers about he rubs his thumb over the back of their hand as he whispers plans about the day to come.
In the dead of night he’ll pull his lover close letting them cuddle close to his chest. He’d run his fingers through their hair. It would be a peaceful silence with a few shared kisses simply listening to their shared breaths and heartbeats. As sleep over takes them both and the last thing either of them hear is “I love you” from either partner.
But Daryl isn’t all innocent and shy all the time. Sometimes when things are good he’ll come around and smirk at his partner as they work. Walking up as they bed over he pinches their ass and covers their mouth telling them to meet him in the house in ten minutes.
D - Dates (What kind of dates do they like to take their partners on Are they creative with their date ideas?)
In the post apocalypse there isn’t really time for what we would consider real dates. There is no movie theater. No restaurants. No Pools. No beach. No hotels. Daryl couldn’t do the things he really desperately craved to do with his partner and it killed him. This topic has sparked more fights in your relationship than either of you would ever care to admit. Daryl wanted to provide for you and take you out on real dates. You however saw the sweet scenic bike rides you both took as date enough. His partner saw scouting ahead on a peaceful day as a date. Or even just doing nothing within the walls talking about everything. Eventually you both agree to disagree.
E - Eat (Do they have similar tastes in food or do they share food at the dinner table? I. E. Swapping the tomatoes on the burger for the pickles on their partner's chicken sandwich)
There is no room to be picky after the turn. With good food so scarce if someone didn’t like dinner that night they just didn’t eat. But Daryl hated it when his partner didn’t eat. So he went out of his way to find food they liked when dinner was something he knew they wouldn’t like. He’d offer them the stuff they like off his plate and took the food they didn’t like. No problems or fuss. He loved you.
F - Fire (What drives them the most in the relationship?)
Seeing you survive. Daryl couldn’t live with himself if he ever lost you. And he knew that it was unrealistic to try and expect that his partner would live well past when he would live. That he would die long before his partner and be waiting wherever it was on the other side for them. But it made him so sick thinking about the opposite so he simply did his best to keep you safe.
G - Generosity (How do they show their partner they care?)
Daryl was extremely caring in his love. He may not always show it or even say it but he is always thinking about his partner’s wellbeing. He looks for safer paths to take when they scout together, ones they can’t be ambushed on or that are easier to walk on. He always checks you over for cuts and bruises when he sees you before hugging you too tight or kissing you. He is on high alert outside of the camp at all times ready to protect. He gives his food to you when you need it.
H - Hot Head (Are they quick to anger? Are they spiteful in a fight? Will they say things they don't mean just to piss their partner off? Or are they easy going?)
Oh sweet lord. Yes. This man is a hot head. He is like a volcano. Full of anger and negative emotions that when placed under pressure will make him explode and cover other in the anger and negativity. But understand that this is a product of a horrifically broken home. He tries like hell to keep from erupting all over you. But sometimes it just happens and he never means for it to get as out of hand as it gets.
Daryl gets mean when he’s pissed. He gets nasty and spiteful. He will pull up shit from past fights just to fuel the fire of the argument and keep it going until he feels like you’re just as pissed off at him as he is at himself.
Whatever you do… do not give this man alcohol and expect him to be ok. He is an angry drunk and has no self control. He will get into an argument sometime into the night and it will be more than either of you can handle.
I - Interest (What are some of the interests they may share?)
Before the turn you both enjoyed bike rides and the occasional night out.
But now that the turn happened, you both like the time you spend together hunting and scouting. You both love providing for your camp. And you both still love riding.
J- Jealousy (Are they the Jealous type? How would they act if they were?)
Sweet God yes he’s very jealous! He trusts Rick more than anyone in the group but he looses his mind when you walk into Rick’s house alone to babysit Judith alone to just let the ex-cop sleep. One time when you all first moved to Alexandria a guy outside the walls approached you, Daryl, and Aaron asking if you wanted to go with two real men for a night of “fun”, Daryl beat him into a bloody pulp for thinking about it.
K- Kids (Do they want kids?)
Yes. If the world had never changed. If the dead never walked. He would give you all the children in the world, even though the thought of being a dad scared him more than anything. But now. He worried about the life his children would live. He worried for their safety. He wanted them so much but to put them through hell just because of his selfishness… he didn’t know if it was right.
L - Likes (Favorite things about relationship and partner)
Daryl loved waking up next to his partner each morning. He loved looking into his partner’s eyes and knowing that silent communication was all they needed. He loved the feel of their hand on his telling him it was ok. He loved knowing that without gaining to look you always had his back and he had yours. He loved feeling safe and secure for the first time in his life and he hoped with all he had he gave them the same feeling.
M- Marriage (Are they interested in getting married at all?)
At one point before the turn he actually bought a ring for his partner. He wanted to marry them and do the whole family thing. But once the turn happened that all got shoved onto the back burner. And while you and Daryl never really “got married” you both consider yourselves one step above boyfriend and girlfriend in this new life. Whatever that means to you both and no one opposed it.
N- No (Pet Peeves in a relationship)
Daryl refuses to tolerate a partner who intentionally hurts someone he loves. Betrayal is something he’d been through a lot in his life and he can’t imagine if his partner ever betrayed him.
Letting Daryl protect you is crucial. He can’t stand to loose you and if your constantly throwing yourself into harms way even when he advised you not to it will spark arguments
He must truly and fully trust his partner in their entirety. He wants full honesty from them. If they lie once he considers it a complete breach of trust and it will take a long time to heal that.
O - Orange (What color reminds them of their partner?)
Blue - he sees his partner as the color blue. They are truthful, merciful, loving, tranquil. They remind him of the sky on a clear day. They are calming and serine and they always manage to make him smile even when he wants to scream. He thought of you in his darkest times and felt the most free from all his problems.
P - Proposal (How would they or how did they propose?)
If Daryl would have gotten the chance he would have gotten down on one knee in your favorite spot after a long bike ride feeling you pressed up against his back.
But now it was in the Prison that you two talking jokingly about marriage. What it must have been like to do such a thing and have children. Daryl pulls an old ring on a chain out from behind his shirt. It’s aged. A little tarnished. He tells you about his failed plan. Smiling he tells you that he kept the ring as a piece of you to hold close you his heart.
Q - Queen (King) (What traits makes them a KING or a QUEEN?)
He is the ultimate King! Daryl goes out of his way to make sure that his partner is well taken care of and happy.
God forbid the day that the two of you are ever separated either by accident like at the Prison or by force. He will put his body through the ultimate test and hell in order to get back to you. Everything that stands in his way are simply obstacles to overcome. Day and night he will search until he finds you and if someone has you... god rest their soul.
He is always willing to share. Food, heat, shelter, water, medicine... whatever you need in order to survive.
Daryl can communicate with his partner with just a look. He loves them whole heartedly. He can just feel when something is wrong. It's like a sixth sense. No words are ever needed to be said. However he is always willing to listen if you need to talk.
Family is direly important to him. If you ever were to start one with him he would become all the more protective.
R - Rain (What was the most romantic gesture they have ever done for their partner?)
He made you a necklace...
The day that a good friend of yours turned...you were heartbroken and distraught. You refused to leave your cot in the prison for a full day. You had seen it before. You had even seen other friends turn and it affected you but never like this. Daryl hated seeing you like this. So taking a walk and giving you space he started looking. Looking for things that reminded him of you... Of brighter days. It was then he realized... that was exactly what you needed.
And so he started to look for things to brighten you. To make you smile. Things that reminded you of your lost friend based entirely off of stories you told of them. He found a shiny stone deep in a river bed recounting the tale you told him of the day you and your friend went tadpole hunting when you were young, splashing each other with the mud. A blueish black feather laid perfectly on a rock and reminded him of the myths his mother used to say about the crows and ravens bringing peace to those who grieve. A discarded bear tooth reminded him of the first time you had introduced him to your friend, the three of you hunting into the evening only to find a hare and two squirls.
Tying his treasures onto a long piece of twine he fashioned a necklace and brought it home to you placing it around your neck and telling you it would all be alright.
S- Smooches (Who gave the first kiss? When do they kiss their partner? How often do they kiss their partner?)
Having met Daryl before the turn, you both had more than your fair share of kisses. But your first one... well Daryl claims it was an accident. A heat of the moment reaction of passion.
Merle had been hounding you all day. He had known you were dating Daryl but to him it was just a word until he saw the proof. You were outside with Daryl at the time. Watching him work on Merle's POS truck when Merle came home from work on his bike. The older Dixon immediately swooped in and tried to get fresh. Playing grab ass and trying to get you to go inside with him. Daryl flipped his shit. Throwing the tools to the ground Daryl flew into a rage, pushing Merle away from you and into the house. He was still pacing for 20 minutes before you were able to get him to look at you. Before you could say anything he grabbed you by the hips and pulled you close, gripping your hair and kissing you deeply, muttering that you were his and his alone and if any man touched you like that again he'd cut their hand off. Needless to say he didn't get done with Merle's truck...
Now that the world is upside down Daryl tries to be more purposeful with his kisses, he wants them to mean something if they're the last they are ever to share as a couple. It was hard for his partner to understand at first... but he explained that he would hate it if he kissed his partner simply to end a fight no other meaning behind it and something happened. He wanted passion and romance behind his every action while they had the time.
T - Travel (Do they like to travel with their partner? Where do they dream of traveling to?)
God... does Daryl want to travel with his partner. He often dreams of the days before the turn. Dreams of taking you to far away places. Safe places. But the world is no longer that place... and so he tries to stay realistic in his waking life. Safety means stability. If he can have a stable life with you then he can start a family... He simply wants a safe stable place to settle... but he knows that may not always be possible. And so he roams looking for the perfect place for you both to live out your days.
U- Universal (How Public are they with their affection? Are they very open with PDA? Do they brag about their partner?)
Daryl is incredibly reserved. He always has been. He doesn't like the attention that PDA brings. He would much rather recede to the privacy of the forest or a darkened room/hallway than to make his move in front of the others. If Daryl was ever to talk about his personal life it would be to Carol (for advice and advice only about his partner's wellbeing) or Rick (To ask for dating advice/ and maybe to brag)
V- Valentines (First holiday together. How did they prepare? How did they celebrate?)
While holidays no longer exist and have no meaning after the turn, he often thinks to the only holiday he ever got to spend with his partner, properly.
It was Christmas. A holiday he and Merle had long since forgotten. One they had abandoned long before either of them were out of primary school but still knowledgeable enough to decipher that Santa Claus was a classist jackass. You had insisted they each give it a shot. For you. No religion involved just free shit. Daryl was hesitant. He didn't want to be disappointed again. Merle however was defensive. He wanted nothing to do with the holiday and often ridiculed the entire idea of it in it's entirety. But... the two relented after hearing that you would be cooking for them all weekend long. Merle complained and bitched the entire time you decked the halls of their trailer. "This sparkle shit better come out of my God damned carpets! I don't need ta find it in June!" You couldn't find a tree at a price any of you could afford but Daryl cut the biggest limb off a nearby pine and hoped it would be good enough. You were able to make stocking for each of the boys and on christmas eve you stuffed them with gifts and laid their presents under the makeshift tree. In the morning... they both stared at you nervous and akward. Like they both wanted to move and tear into shit but were scared they'd get in trouble. So you sat them down and handed them gifts. It wasn't much. You were working with a waiter's salary... but it was more meaningful to either of them than you ever knew. When Merle growled, embarrassed he didn't get you anything you simply said that spending the day with them meant more to you than any gift and you thought... for a second, that you watched both men's hearts grow three sizes that night.
W- Wicked (What do they do that purposely pushes their partner's buttons?)
Daryl will pull shit up from the past and use it against his partner to start a fight. He does this the most when he's feeling shitty about himself or a situation he's in and can't fix. He wants his partner to be just as upset and angry at him as he is with himself.
He has a really... really bad drinking problem. He is a mean drunk. If he wants he will find alcohol and drink in front of his partner knowing they hate it when he acts vindictive and hateful.
He gives the best silent treatment in the entire apocalypse. He could exist completely silent for literal weeks. (please do not mistake his need for space with the silent treatment. He gets over stimulated a lot and needs space)
Straight up disappears for days without ever telling his partner where he's going or when he'll be back. This gets worse after the Sanctuary.
Calls them pet names they despise (this is normally in retaliation to pet names they give him)
X- Xylophone (What song fits the relationship?)
Y- Yearning (When do they miss their partner the most? What do they do to placate themselves in the mean time?)
Daryl misses his partner so much when he's out on a run that lasts longer than a day. He worries about them constantly. If he can't bring them then he tries to bring a part of them, something to remind him of them. A trinket he can worry until he can get home. But if he can't or it's an emergency and he didn't have time. He always has a matching tattoo on his arm that you both got on your one year to remind him to come home to you...
Z- Zipper (Do they let their partner pick their outfits?)
If you find clothes that fit him out on runs he'll look at them and choose to wear them or not. Sometimes you bring home baby clothes to pick on him when he's being a big baby bitch. Other times you bring him clothes you know he's never going to wear just to fuck with him. He never says it out loud but he thinks this is funny.
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thelightsandtheroses · 6 months
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and my soul has changed, and my heart
Your Hand In Mine | Joel Miller x female reader.
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Drabble Summary: Joel and Tommy catch up on patrol after word of Joel's date with you spreads around Jackson. Word Count: 1245 Drabble Warnings: mentions of past child death (Sarah) and grief, 18+ blog MDNI Notes: I'm here with another Joel POV drabble! Thank you so much for your patience with this update, I am partway through chapter four so hope to update that shortly. The title for this drabble is from the song Orange Juice by Noah Kahan
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The patrol route is quiet. There’s not a sign of infected or people around. Joel rests the back of his head against the tree he’s leaning against, watching Old Beardy drink from the nearby stream.
Joel can’t quite stop that alertness, the background wariness in case of something changing. It’s not a curse, it’s kept him alive this long.
It’s peaceful though. The area is illuminated by dappled sunlight between the trees hitting the water, the sounds of water babbling over the rocks and nature around are inescapable - you could forget about the world for a moment here.
Joel remembers how Ellie had taken everything in with such childlike wonder when they’d left Boston, how a world he’d known and taken for granted had seemed so new to her. He hadn’t wanted to let her in there, wanted to define her as cargo, as the reason Tess was gone, as a means to an end.
He was different then.
Joel allows himself one more moment of reverie before he focuses again.  He feels the familiar pang in his chest as he realises Sarah would have loved it here, would have been scrabbling up the nearby rocks. For just a moment he’s back in Texas, hiking with her on a weekend and nothing’s changed, nothing’s happened. He can almost see her, but he’s afraid to encourage that, too many nightmares start that way and end with her bleeding out in his arms.
Joel shakes his head, makes his way over to Old Beardy, runs his hands on the horse’s neck.
“I reckon we should make our way back now,” he says calmly.
“Yeah.” Tommy doesn’t move though; he stands there looking at Joel with a growing smirk on his lips. “So,” Tommy starts and Joel realises exactly what this is.
He’s unknowingly walked right into his brother’s set up here - patrol, getting out of Jackson.
“Just get it out your system, Tommy, ” Joel deadpans, arms folded. He should have known going to the Tipsy Bison, having a date in Jackson, would spread around town faster than a virus.
“I’m happy for you, Joel. The idea of you and Ellie putting roots down here, building a life, that’s - that’s what it was all about right? What you told me about why you -” Tommy breaks off.
They don’t talk about it.
They don’t talk about the secret Joel told Tommy only days ago on a patrol. He had to tell Tommy, had to tell someone. Tommy understood. He was worried about that, especially with the baby - he wondered if Tommy would ever forgive him for that, for condemning his niece to a world without a cure. Or maybe it’s because of her that Tommy gets it.
“I have one drink with someone and -”
“Small towns, man.”
“Didn’t miss that.”
“Nope. You’ll get used to it. She’s friends with Maria, you know?”
“No, I didn’t know that.” Joel pauses. “She’s … I don’t know, Tommy. I thought after - after Tess, after everything that was all gone for me.” He’d resigned himself to what his life could be - one better than he had expected over the past twenty years, but he hadn’t seen you in his horizon, hadn’t thought there could be a you.
“Fate works in funny ways, I guess.” Tommy pauses and looks at Joel quizzically. “I can see it, y’know.”
“See what?”
Tommy laughs. Sometimes it surprises Joel -  how easy his brother seems to live now and how foreign the sound of his laugh had become to him too. Getting to Boston, surviving those years … there wasn’t much humour. There was always laughter in the house before.
He can hear Sarah’s laugh faintly even now. The way she’d almost fold herself up with laughter sometimes, shaking her head furiously.
Since Ellie, since everything over the last year, it’s like he’s bleeding Sarah everywhere.
Every memory he’d boxed up and hidden away is here now, out in the open and sometimes they feel less like a knife, or shiv, in the gut and sometimes the loss is as raw as it was the day his world fell apart. There’s always a dull ache though. That will never fade.
You’re not supposed to have to bury your kid.
He tries to shake the memory away, to bring himself back to now and this moment.
Joel’s here. He has his brother and Ellie and these delicate tendrils of a future again - Jackson, you, a chance. He’ll take that.
“So, I’ve got to ask, brother, how did you even get talking to her?”
“You sayin’ she’s out of my league?” You are, he thinks, you’re different to him, if you knew what he’s done … would you let him sit with you at night? Would you have kissed him on your porch?
Would you get it? You’re a parent, maybe you would. Or maybe you wouldn’t.
“I didn’t say that,” Tommy says, “Just she usually keeps to the library and her home mostly, and you’re not exactly a voracious reader.”
“Maybe I’ve changed.”
It’s not like Joel has ever hated reading; it’s just it’s not been a priority. Escaping into someone else’s story is a luxury when you’re fighting to make rent, to provide for the people you love. After the outbreak, it seemed fanciful, foolish even.
“Maybe you have,” Tommy says with a weight and stare that says more than his words.
Joel knows what Tommy thinks. He thinks he’s softened in age, with Ellie and Jackson. He isn’t the man of those nightmares anymore, not a hunter, not dangerous. He broke down in Jackson to his brother after all, bared his soul on his age, his deafness, his fears. He’d all but begged Tommy to take Ellie then. maybe it was about more than that - maybe he was just putting up barriers. He did it though.
Tommy’s wrong though. That man hasn’t vanished, that man hasn’t changed. He’s still there under the surface.
You can never fully exorcise those demons.
To live and survive in this world, you probably shouldn’t either.
“So, how did you get talking?” his brother asks, “How’d this start?”
Well, I met her on a bench in the middle of the night in some secret insomnia club we’ve created because hey, I’ve not slept properly in months, years even. No, Joel can’t say that to Tommy.
“We bumped into each other a few times, got to talking.”
“She seems nice, from when I’ve spoken to her and she’s been around with Maria. I can see you two gettin’ on. I mean I really thought you and Esther could have had something though -”
”She had a Victorian doll collection, Tommy. That shit was scary before the end of the world.”
“Yeah, but other than that.”
“I couldn’t get past the dolls, they were in her goddamn bedroom, staring at me …” Joel shudders at the memory. The cracked porcelain heads, faded fabrics and unblinking eyes staring at him when he didn’t want their attention. Esther was a lovely woman but there were over twenty of those dolls in her bedroom alone.
Maybe they helped her. But they sure didn’t help him.
“Okay, I get it, I get it. What if -”
“She won’t have a collection like that.” At least, Joel hopes you don’t.
“Here’s hoping. We should head on back now.”
Joel nods, shifts his backpack, and moves to get on Old Beardy.
He takes in the scene around him just a second longer.
Peace.
Maybe it’s not so far away.
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104 notes · View notes
writingsonsaturn · 19 days
Note
lucy taking care of sick reader!!!
lucy and r aren’t dating yet, but they aren’t just friends either. when r doesn’t come into work one day, and no one (besides grey) has heard from her, lucy goes straight to her house when she goes out on patrol. she stops in throughout the day after finding out that r is like beyond sick.
maybe a little scene where r lays her head in lucy’s lap and lucy run her hands through readers hairrrrrr oh my
lovesick - lucy chen
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{ masterlist }
🪐: im still trying to find my writing style, so hopefully this is okay and fits what you wanted!! <3
word count: 982
content warning: sickness (flu like), just fluff
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
You woke up with a throbbing head and a clogged up nose. Originally, you thought you could power through it and suck it up long enough to finish a shift, but the moment you stood upright your world became disoriented. 
Doing your best to breath through the dizziness, you reached over for your phone to call into work. Grey practically pleaded with you to stay home when you mentioned you would come into work if you needed to, “you have more than enough sick days, use them and keep your ass out of my station.” You just sighed and agreed, saying your goodbyes when he wished you to get better soon.
Without much thought to it you passed back out on your warm comfy bed, hoping sleep would rid you of the constant pain your brain was forcing you to endure.
Lucy checked her watch when she got in, thinking maybe you were just late or had been caught in some early morning traffic. As the time ticked away she decided maybe it would be best to text you, and when she didn't get an answer her thoughts ran around her head like an athlete competing in a race that would determine if they go farther into their season. 
She opted to check in on you when she was out on patrol, getting into her squad car and making you her first check up of the day, praying to whatever could hear her that you were there and okay.
Pulling up to your apartment she felt a ping in her chest, she wasn’t sure why she was so worried about you. You guys weren't exactly a couple, but the others would argue that you two were basically already married, you both would laugh it off and call the team crazy, still continuing the narrative that you two were just ‘friends”. 
Lucy knew better than that though, she knew you were the first person she called when she was having a rough night and needed a warm bed to share with someone, you were the first she told about good news, you are the only person she truly, and deeply loved with every living and beating part of her body.
She grabbed the key you had given her for the nights she needed someone, after the Rosalind situation you forced her to promise you that no matter the time of night or day she would come over whenever she needed to. Lucy wouldn’t say she now abused the fact she had a key to your place, but it was used more than her own key to her apartment at this point.
“Y/n?” Lucy called out, she heard the faint sound of a groan coming from your bedroom, alerting her of your presents. “Hey, are you oka-” Her words were paused by the sight of you, your skin was shining with sweat and you were cramped in a fetal position. “My love, what happened?” she quickly came over to you touching your forehead, flinching at how warm it felt compared to her skin.
You only groaned and rolled over, “i really don't feel good luce.”
You tried your best to explain all your symptoms, but your scratchy throat only allowed for so much irritation before you were in a coughing fit. Lucy rubbed your back gently, doing her best to coax you through your attack, “Here let’s get you out of this stuffy room, and on the couch, yeah?” she encouraged. You nodded leisurely and threw your arm over her shoulder, allowing her to help you to your living room.
Quickly, Lucy put anything and everything you could possibly need besides the toilet in arms reach. “Before I leave, do you need absolutely anything else, babe?”  you only smiled at her with droopy eyelids, “No, but i wish you didn’t need to leave” you pouted at her causing her to smile. 
“Call me or text me if you need me, I'll be here in an instant.”
And then she was gone, you continued to pout until her next check up with you during lunch. “Okay, love, i brought you some chicken noodle soup and some cough syrup” she set the soup in front of you with cold water and a pre-measured cap of medicine. “Thank you, love” you croaked out, “You don’t have to thank me” she replied while helping you get in an upright position so you could comfortably eat your food and take the disgusting medicine.
“I'll be back after my shift, and remember to call-” “call you if i need anything, i know, honey.” you finished her sentence, she left you with a quick kiss on your forehead.
After eating and forcing yourself to down the medicine you fell back asleep, you woke up a handful of times with the constant tossing and turning, and being too hot or too cold. You finally decided you had slept enough and reached for the tv remote, aimlessly flipping through channels.
You heard the door click and a smile began to grow on your face, “sorry i'm late! Traffic has been just awful today” Lucy explained, taking her shoes off and sitting her to-go bag on the counter. “It’s okay hon.” you looked at her as she sat down. 
“How are you feeling?” Lucy asked you, as you laid your head down on her lap looking up at her, “I've certainly been better” you joked. 
She reached her soft fingers to rake through your hair, massaging your scalp, aiding the headache that had been attacking your head all day long. “Well i'm here now, darling” she looked down at you, soothingly rubbing your forehead, lulling you to sleep. 
She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back at getting you to sleep so quickly, making a mental note that maybe when you get better she’ll finally take you on a long awaited date.
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lunajay33 · 3 months
Text
Destiny Pt.6🐺 (Bonus)
Summary: Paul has just shifted to his new life as a wolf and feels empty without his imprint hoping he finds her soon, y/n just moved to forks to live with her dad and sister Bella and decides to go to the bone fire to make new friends
•Masterlist•
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It’s been a week since I moved in with Billy and Jake, and I’ve noticed I’ve gotten a bit better, I didn’t have to walk on eggshells and watch everything I do, plus Paul was able to come over all the time, I really loved Billy for allowing me to stay
Paul was laying in my bed as I was decorating the little room with the things I’ve brought over from my old room
I turned around and he was spread out just looking at me
“What?” I smiled as I jumped ontop of him
“You’re just beautiful” he laughed as he held my hips against his lap
“Stop that you know I don’t like all that attention” I said hiding my face in him chest
“Oh yes you do, I see the way you smile and blush after I say something like, how beautiful your eyes are, or the way you scream when you laugh, I know you love it when *I* compliment you” he poked as he rolled me over on the bed
“I suppose you may be right”
“See that’s my girl”
Those words went right to my heart, I can’t believe he’s all mine
“I love you Paul” I said softly as I placed my arms around his shoulders
He was quiet for a while but I could hear a growl or maybe some kind of purrr from his chest
“I’m sorry it’s too early I shouldn’t have…”
“No, I love you too, you’re my everything, my life” he took my hands and placed them against his chest
“You feel that?” The thrumming and warmth enveloping my hands
I nodded excitedly
“That’s my love for you, the love that will never die”
“Oh Paul how did I get so lucky” I said about to cry
For the rest of the evening we were wrapped around each other talking, sleeping, making out until Jake came barging in saying they had to go and patrol
“COME ON PAUL” Jake yelled from the front door
“You can come back here after patrol tonight that’s if you want!!” I smiled
“I’ll definitely see you tonight baby but don’t wait up for me, but I gotta go, love ya” he said running out with the boys all waiting there for him
“LOVE YOU”
~~~~~~~~~~
I stayed up as long as I could before I had to go to sleep exhausted, I pulled on my matching pajama shirt and shorts and tucked myself in
Hours later I heard the front door creaking open and a bunch of rustling around, too tired to get up I just waited till I felt Paul lift the blankets and pull me against his chest
Feeling his worth lul me to sleep
“Night baby” he whispered as I fully feel into the best sleep of my life
~~~~~
The next morning I woke up to the sun shinning in my face, I groaned roling over to be facing Paul
The sun was highlighting all his stunning features, his brown hair, his tan skin
I ran my fingers through his hair as he started to wake up
“Morning my love” I smiled
“How was your sleep with your personal heater?” He laughed
“Good except for the part where someone snores loudly in my ear”
“Hey I was exhausted from patrol give me a break”
“Okay fine just this time” then the phone rang
I ran to the phone wanting to let Jake and Billy rest longer
“Hello Black residence”
“Y/n is that you?”
“Bella? Why are you calling” I said nervous as I felt Paul come behind me and wrap his arms around my waist
“Look im sorry for what i said, we want you back”
“Bella you can’t keep using me as your punching bag when you have problems, I deserve to be happy too, and I’m happy here” I said leaning in closer to Paul
“But Charlie talks about you all the time, you could atleast visit him” she said getting angry
“Well I can call him myself and work it out, I gotta go now” I said hanging up
“You okay?”
“Ya I just can’t get a break with her”
“How about I take you to the woods for the day and show you a good time” he smirked
“I’d love that”
~~~~~~~~
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userpedros · 1 year
Text
those three little words || joel miller
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pairing: Joel Miller x female!reader
This story takes place in Jackson after the events of Salt Lake
Summary: It'd been a while since you, Joel and Ellie had gotten settled in Jackson. But those three words that were still unspoken were left to linger in the air.
Word Count: 3.5k+
Warnings: age gap - Joel is in his 50's, reader in her late 20's (because apparently, that's all I know how to write), slightly angsty, slighty sweet. it's like a fun lil sour patch kid but instead of sour, you get some angst. implied sexy time but nothing is mentioned.
A/N: This has not been beta read, I did go back over it once to proofread but that's it. Anyway, Soft!Joel is my favorite and you can all pry him out of my cold, dead hands! That's it!
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"Ellie, get back here! Damnit!" Joel huffed as he chased the teen through the wild backyard. The smell of summer was thick and the cicadas were screaming with all the might their tiny little insect bodies had. The loud noise brought back some nostalgia for you. Nostalgia and longing for times before the cordyceps took over.
But today, with the beautiful weather, it felt like old times before the world had gone to shit. The family you'd gained along the way, the older man and the teen running around the yard seemed to call to better times for you. It felt better, things felt right. Most of all, you'd begun to feel at home, a feeling foreign to you for so many years. Now you had a home. You had a home in Jackson, and you had a home in Joel and Ellie. You were finally starting to feel at ease.
You smiled as you watched Joel and Ellie play with the worn soccer ball in the backyard. He'd never admit it, just like he’d never admit a lot of things, even though Joel was in his fifties, that man could still kick a soccer ball around like no one's business. Most importantly, he was totally letting Ellie win. Joel the soccer dad back at it again, everything was as it should be.
You sighed as you turned around, a smile still plastered to your face as you watched from the porch, taking a seat in the old rusted yellow patio chair. You whopped and hollered for Ellie as she tried her hardest to beat Joel, her brown hair falling out of her bun, trying to run circles around the man.
The afternoon dragged on as the two continued in the yard for several hours. Finally, as they both started to slow down, they began to head toward the house. Joel tugged Ellie under his arms as he ruffled her hair, earning a sigh and groan from her as she tried to slip out from under his grasp. He let her go as he took in the sight of you, watching them from the porch. Your face held nothing but the brightest smile, something that came quickly to you when you saw him.
You began to space out into thought as Joel and Ellie took seats across from you on the porch. They began to talk about the patrols she’d been warming up to, Tommy taking her far away from infected but letting her have a handle on his rifle with a scope. Joel smiled along with her as they talked about how good of a shot she was, better than many kids in Jackson at her age.
You watched as Joel watched you most of the time, taking time to pay attention to Ellie but mostly keeping his brown eyes trained on you. Joel was a protective man, something that just didn’t go away, even after the safety you three had now. The last twenty years had provided him with enough material for nightmares for the rest of his life. He was different now though. He was a man who changed. He was not the same Joel that lived in those shitty apartments FEDRA handed out. He wasn’t the same man taking those shitty jobs for rations that were more like ghosts, disappearing just as fast as they came.
A weight seemed to have been lifted off his shoulders as soon as you three settled in Jackson. He held your hand now in public and called you pet names in public. He did more for you than he’d ever done for Tess. Which of course, left some sadness that panged deep in your stomach when you thought of her and how things ended up; but hey, you couldn’t control how things ended up.
You and Joel had become inseparable, creating the little family you three knew you needed. You came back to Earth from your little space out, looking back at Joel, turning away from the smiling teen's face as she told one of her famous puns.
You both laughed in sync, looking over to Ellie as she stood up with the final line of her pun.
“There’s more where that came from, folks!” Her smile beamed even more prominent when she heard someone call for her from the front of the house. “Alright, guess that’s my cue to go. I’ll see you guys later!” Ellie stood up and waved as she walked into the house. You both watched as she disappeared from your lines of sight. You could hear her entering the kitchen to grab a snack before heading out to hang out with whoever was at the front door. You sighed and shook your head as you stood up.
“Maybe we should go get cleaned up, hmm?” Joel said as he stood up, holding his hand out for you to grab.
You grabbed his hand as you both made your way inside, Joel holding the door open like a complete gentleman. That was nothing new though, he was always like that with you. You two together was something new since you came to Jackson but it was something you two had both welcomed as soon as it happened.
“Hmmm… what should we do now that El’s gone?” You peered up at Joel as you both stopped in the entry way of the kitchen.
He grabbed both of your hands and intertwined them with his as he pulled you in closer. He released one hand as he held the back of your head, placing a small kiss on your crown.
“’M actually supposed to be meetin’ with Tommy ‘bout some new routes for Patrols. Sorry darlin’.” He pulled back as he looked down at you.
“You have some time before you head out?” You wiggled your eyebrows as you looked up at him, giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes that you could muster.
“What’d you have in mind?”
“I was thinking I could help you clean up a ‘lil before you left. Just a thought.” You giggled as his brown eyes went wide.
“Oh, I think that’s a great idea, could use all the help I can get. ‘Specially with one spot, ‘s real tricky to get just right by myself.” He winked as he whisked you up in a flash and carried you up the stairs. The mixture of your combined laughter filled the air as you two settled in for a shower, making sure to lock the bathroom door as the cleaning session began.
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It was later at night when Ellie burst through the door, a smile heavy on her lips as she took you in. You were sitting in your reading chair in the corner of the living room, a small reading light clipped to your book as a blanket covered your lap.
You were so deep into whatever it was that you were reading you hadn’t even noticed the teen come through the door.
“Where’s Joel?” When she spoke out loud it startled you, causing you to drop your book on the floor and place a hand on your chest, trying to steady your breathing.
“Holy shit Ellie! Warning!” You looked up at her as you picked your book off of the floor and placed it on the chair you were sitting in as you stood up. “He’s out with Tommy, something about new routes.” You shrugged as you made your way over to her.
She took in the sight of what you were wearing. One of Joel’s button-downs and a pair of leggings. “Joel’s gonna lose his mind if he sees you’re in his clothes again.” She looked at you and down before she headed into the kitchen.
“Water?” She looked back at you as you grabbed the water and glass for her. It was something you didn’t mind doing, acting as her surrogate mother. You adored her, and the trek across the country you two had made with her only solidified how much you cared about her, even though you were in your later 20’s you still cared for her the way a mother should. After all, she needed that and you needed someone to care for just as much.
“Joel will get over it. Here’s your water, sweet girl.” You smiled at her, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“You’re right he will. He really cares about you, you know? Not like how he cares about me, but somethin’ really different.” She gulps down the water as she starts to head towards the cabinets to begin to raid them for a snack, even though the only things in there were expired things Joel had brought home for her on supply runs.
“I know, I care about him too.” You smiled at her as you stepped back into the living room. You grabbed your blanket from the chair and sat on the couch, waiting for Ellie to join you.
She made her way over to you, sinking into the old fabric, and settling into your side. There you two sat for a few moments, just taking in the silence and serenity of being safe while cuddling in the blanket together. She broke the silence by completely catching you off guard when she spoke.
“I know he loves you. He loves us both, he just won’t say it.” You didn’t bother to look down at her as you looked across the room and stared at the old painting that hung on the wall. You really studied the boat scene as you thought about what she’d just said.
You’d told Joel you loved him one night when you two had finally started to get settled in Jackson. He’d acted as if he hadn’t heard you, shutting the bathroom door, and ending the conversation between you two. You never brought it up again. You knew he cared about you, you wanted him to care about you the way you cared about him, but you knew after all that he’d seen and the incredibly high walls he’d built, it might take an incredibly long time before he ever felt feelings like that again.
“I know he loves you, Els. Anyone can see the way he cares about you.” You sighed as you squeezed her into your side.
She dropped the subject, knowing it wasn’t going to get anywhere. That was always the one thing that stayed quiet and closeted between you three. Those three little words. Joel and Ellie were so caged up they’d probably never say them. She sighed as she rested her head on your shoulder. “I’m happy you two got stuck with me as cargo. Feels nice, like I finally have a family.”
You kissed her forehead as you felt tears well in your eyes. “We are a family, sweet girl. You’ll always have us.”
You felt her breathe out as you two sat there longer in silence before the world went dark and you two were passed out on the couch, cuddled up in the blanket.
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It was a lot later when you woke up to the sound of the front door closing. Ellie was still fast asleep against you when you turned your head up to look at whoever had walked in the door. You squeezed her into you tighter a surge of panic going through you. You took a deep breath when you saw that it was just Joel.
You realize then that you must’ve fallen asleep. You wonder what time is it as he walks over to where you two were seated on the couch. He spoke in a low tone, careful not to take Ellie.
“Should we just leave her on the couch? Don’t really wanna wake her up, she looks so peaceful.” He smiled down at her as you carefully got up, leaving the blanket wrapped around her form. You reached behind her and put a pillow under her head carefully, trying your hardest to keep her asleep. You nodded as you motioned toward the stairs. Joel followed behind you.
You could feel his eyes burning into you as you walked up the stairs as quietly as you could. You knew he was going to say something about you wearing one of his shirts again, but you didn’t care. He normally didn’t either, he usually just wanted to take it off as soon as he saw it on you. Things had been a little different ever since you said those three little words and he’d ignored you. Sure they normally felt alright during the day or whenever you two were intimate but at night when everything was still and quiet, things always felt different and weird. It felt like uncertainty hung in the air. Uncertainty of where things might end up or where you would end up if you brought it back up.
Joel shut the door quietly behind you as you walked to your side of the bed, crawling in without bothering to change. You were exhausted and you just wanted to sleep.
Joel had other plans though as he stood against the door, crossing his arms, his eyes continuing to burn into you just as they had on the stairs.
“You comin’ to bed, Joel?” You fluffed the pillows up behind you, sitting up as you waited for him to fall into bed next to you.
“You’re wearin’ my shirt again.” He stated as he stood against the door, he almost looked rooted there, as if he’d taken up station there for the night. His back was rigid as he watched your every move, his arms still crossed, his biceps bulging underneath the tan jacket he always wore.
“Sorry, just wanted to feel close to you, that’s all.” You sighed as your eyebrows rose as you continued to hold his gaze. “I can take it off if ya want.”
“No, it’s fine where it is, just makin’ an observation. Looks real good on you anyways.” He huffed out as he walked over to the chair that sat next to the window.
You watched as he shed his jacket. You closed your eyes to give him privacy as he changed into a pair of sweatpants, sans shirt. You sighed as you felt him crawl into bed next to you. You suddenly couldn’t swallow the words that seemed to bubble up in your throat. You felt constricted as the words that Ellie had spoken to you earlier came to mind. The words and thoughts were out of your mouth faster than you could register, making you wish you were flexible enough to shove your foot in your mouth.
“I think we need to talk Joel.” You cringed as you let the words fly out of your mouth. They hung in the air for a few seconds, waiting for a response
You waited for a response but none came, the bed suddenly groaning as he stood up, walking to the end of the bed. He turned around and stared down at you, waiting for you to say something. You took in his form, trying to keep your eyes on his face instead of his arms and chest. This was a serious conversation and you weren’t going to let your hormones take over.
“Well go on, what do we need to talk about?” His arms were crossed once again and he looked irritated. You were still half wishing you hadn’t spoken and taken the path you usually traveled, not talking to Joel about your feelings.
“Remember about a week after we finally got settled in Jackson, it was late and we were goin’ to bed-,” He cut you off, holding his hand up.
“I think I know where this is goin’.” He ran his hands down his face as he took in a deep sigh.
You watched as his chest heaved and the words came flying out of your mouth.
“I told you I loved you Joel and you didn’t say a word. You didn’t even look at me, you just got up and went to the bathroom. You waited in there ‘till I fell asleep.” The words were out now, nothing could shove them back in your mouth. You wanted to crawl into a hole, become an armadillo so he couldn’t see the red staining your cheeks. The embarrassment that you had to be the one to bring it up and you just didn’t wait for him to eventually say it, even though you both knew that was never going to happen.
“Why didn’t you say anything that night Joel?” You pulled the blanket up to your chest as you took a deep breath and continued. “You just let me say it that night. You just let me say it and you just walked away. Do you know how bad that hurt?”
He didn’t say anything as he turned out and looked out the window. He walked closer to it, resting his hands on the sill, and placing his forehead against the cool glass.
“I don’t have a good answer for that one, darlin.’”
You could feel the air thickening as tears welled up in your eyes. “What are you so scared of, Joel? Why can’t you just tell me how you feel? I’m sick of actin’ like everything is great but every night when we go to bed it’s as still and quiet as can be.”
“I can’t tell you because I can’t give you what you want sweetheart. I’m old. I feel myself gettin’ older every day. I can’t be what you need for long.” You could hear his voice getting deeper and huskier.
You stood up and made your way over to where he was placed in front of the window. You placed your hand on his shoulder, squeezing as you spoke.
“I have everything I could ever want. I have you and I have Ellie. No matter what happens tomorrow, I am happy.” You sighed as you moved your hand and placed your head on his shoulder. “I love you, Joel. Nothing is going to change that. I’ll love you ‘till the day something happens to one of us and I’ll love you after that.”
He didn’t say anything for a few minutes. You both continued to stare out the window, taking in the view of the Wyoming mountains in the distance.
“It’s so beautiful here, Joel. I never thought I’d end up somewhere like this. I never thought I could be happy like this again.” His head lifted as he looked over at you, watching you as you watched the mountains in the distance.
“I know what you mean. Never thought I’d end up here either. Never thought I’d have the chance to be happy again like this.” He turned, his southern accent thick and dripping with sadness for the past. He looked down at you, your head falling off of his shoulder to crane back to look into his eyes.
“I think you’ve known for a while that I care about you, darlin’. You know that I love you. It just seems like somethin’ so stupid to admit in a world like this. I haven’t said those words in 20 years.”
You nodded as you looked back out to the view, understanding what he meant by that. He probably hadn’t said that to anyone since he’d last said that to his daughter, Sarah. You knew that was probably as much as you were going to get out of him. You were just happy he finally said it and that he’d opened up a little bit. Sarah was such a sore topic, for good reason. A small smile broke out across your face as you stayed peering out at the mountains.
You two stood there for a while, just like that. You looked out at the view and he looked out at you. The silence finally broke when Joel coughed a bit, putting a free hand on your back. You turned and looked at him letting out a sigh as you started to head toward the queen-sized bed you both shared.
“Ready for bed, Miller?” You smiled up at him as you both went your separate ways to your sides of the bed.
“Ready for bed, sweet girl.” He smiled a weak smile at you as you both climbed into bed. He pulled you into his arms, your head leaning down to rest on his chest. Sleep started to overcome you fast as he pulled the duvet up onto your body.
The last thing you heard before you were engulfed in the sweetest and deepest sleep you’d had in a while was an omission from Joel. The sweetest words you’d think to ever roll off his lips.
“I love you, darlin’. Nothing is ever gonna change that.” With that, he kissed your forehead and you were off to sleep. Ready to take on whatever came the next day because you knew no matter what you’d have Joel and you’d have that sweet girl sleeping downstairs on the couch. Everything was falling into place.
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dumbbitchenergy17 · 11 months
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Clan of Three (BOBF) - Chapter 4
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Chapter Four: In the Name of Honor
Plot: A Mandalorian, an infant with a history of the jedi, and a teenager with similar powers with a slowly discovering lineage. With the child off with the Jedi, the close-knit pair continues their travels through the galaxy.
Word Count: 8.9K
Pairing: Father Figure!Din Djarin x Platonic!Teen!Reader
Warnings: fighting/violence, injuries, angst, slight ptsd, some wholesome moments, father-daughter moments
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Returning quickly back to Mos Espa hearing an attack happened on the Sanctuary, reaching the exploded building the sandstone blacken by the explosion. Entering the building you see Boba, Fennec, and the two Mods; Drash and Skad.
“That was fast. Were you able to hire any foot soldiers?” Fennec asks and Din says, “I think so…Cobb Vanth is raising a garrison for us.”
“What price did you negotiate?” Fennec questions waiting for the price but he shakes his head, “Free.”
“Free?” Din nods, “He’s been holding off the spice trade single-handedly. I told him we could shut it down.”
“That’s not free. That’s most of Jabba the Hutt’s business.” Fennec protests with Cobb’s demand.
“That’s what the town wants,” Din replies and Fennec goes to retort but Boba cuts her off.
“I agree to their terms.” Fennec comes over to her boss trying to reason with him, “There’s a lot of credits to be made from that orange powder.”
“In the long run, it is better for us as well. Mos Espa can become a prosperous city under our protection. Spice is killing our people. Let Marshal Vanth and the people of Mos Pelgo…” Boba says.
“Freetown is its name now.” You pipe in and Boba nods, “Let the people of Freetown know they have my word.”
“You can tell Cobb Vanth himself when he arrives here with the reinforcements.” Din says and Boba is only worried he will not, “You are confident he will come?”
“I am.” He vouches and the bounty hunter nods, “Well if he does not, we are doomed. Our skill is no match for the Syndicate numbers. We must buy time until they arrive. We’ll lockdown at the palace.”
“It’s a bad idea.” Skad says and Fennec looks over at the bionic man, “Is that so?” 
“It is.” He says and the assassin leans against a wall looking at the man, “And where do you propose we wait for reinforcements?”
“Here.” He says gesturing to the ruins you were in. “Here? In these ruins? Nonsense. The palace offers greater protection.” Boba says shaking his head and Drash steps forward.
“If you want to abandon Mos Espa and hide in your fortress, go ahead. We’re staying. The people who live here need our protection.” She says that the two young adults' decisions are final. You had to respect it, this was their home and they were fighting for it. Fett is silent looking at them before he nods, “We’ll stay.”
You set up camp in the ruins of the Sanctuary and when dawn arrived the plan was put into action with only Fennec, Boba, Din, yourself, and the majordomo that was apparently their hostage/informant.
“As we wait for the reinforcements to arrive with Cobb Vanth from Freetown, our forces are quietly patrolling the streets of the old city. The Pyke Syndicate has not yet arrived in numbers, but the minute they do, we will see them before they see us. The truce you negotiated with the other families of Mos Espa will ensure that they will remain neutral and allow us to gain the upper hand by surprising the arriving soldiers,” Fennec explains the plan as you sit on a piece of rubble listening in, “The Gamorrean guards are posted in the Klatooinian territory at the starport and will alert us if any of the Pyke Syndicate forces arrive. Krrsantan is in Trandoshan territory, keeping tabs on the streets of the municipality in front of City Hall. Drash and Skad are with the other Mods keeping an eye on the Worker’s District and the Aqualish Quarter. As you can see, all our flanks are covered. Nobody is sneaking up on us. When the people of Freetown arrive, we will have the forces required to pivot our strength to whatever region the Pykes choose to attack from.”
“For now?” You ask resting your hands on your crossed legs and Fennec looks over at you, “We wait.”
“Lord Fett?” Boba’s 8D8 droid enters the sanctuary, “There is someone here to see you.” You all stand up surprised someone had arrived at your positions.
“I thought you said nobody could sneak up on us.” Boba says to Fennec as you all draw your weapons and Din puts you behind him as the three of you hid outside behind the pillars while Boba steps out into the open and you hear him speak, “I thought I smelled something. If you’re looking for a job, you’re late.”
“I’ve already got a job. I’m here to negotiate on behalf of the Pyke Syndicate.” A gravelly but distinctive voice calls out and Boba scoffs, “I don’t negotiate with gutless murderers.”
“If that’s not the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy.” The man retorts for the hypocrisy from Boba. “Clear out. And tell your bosses we know they’re outnumbered.” Boba warns him and you hear the man chuckle and you tighten your grip on your blaster.
“I wouldn’t be counting on the people of Freetown to be coming anytime soon. I paid Marshal Vanth a visit. You should’ve never left him without his armor,” The air is silent as your blaster falls from your hands. No, you just saw him he couldn’t be. The guilt that crashed into you made you physically ill, no he was still there and safe. Cobb was…
“Without training, you are a danger to yourself and others. People will die because of your actions if you continue down this path.”
“You bastard!” Your body reacts running past Din and you get right around to see the man with blue skin and completely red eyes. His hand moves to the blaster on his waist and Boba grasps his own. Hands snatch your shoulders and you’re pulled behind the pillar as Din’s hand covers your mouth muffling your screams that turn to cries his other wrapped around your waist to stop you from running. Fennec has her rifle aimed out to cover you both as Din tries calming your breakdown.
“Shush you’re alright. You have to be quiet.” He whispers in your ear as he holds your back against his chest as you flail in his grasp as your tears and cries are quieted by his hand. His heart breaks hearing your cries it was cruel you had just seen the man who had helped raise you only to find out he was killed in cold blood.
“Before you get any ideas, I’ve got backshooters too. Let the spice move through Mos Espa, and all this can be avoided.” The man calls out as your struggle stops as you slump back to Din’s body tears streaming down your face.
“No.” Boba says and Bane looks at him his hands resting on his waist, “What do you propose then?”
“I will only negotiate with the head of the Pyke Syndicate.” Boba says and Bane grins ready for the killing blow, “You mean the one that massacred your Tusken family and blamed it on a speed bike gang?” Boba is frozen by the memories of the ones that taught him the ways of Tusken, he had thought it was the speed bike gang.. “You know it’s true.”
Boba’s hand moves his finger resting on the trigger and Fennec appears from behind the pillar her rifle ready as she calls out to him, “Boba.”
“Let’s do this right here, right now.” Bane taunts him as anger runs through his veins. He could do it right now.
“Not now. You pick when.” Fennec reminds him but he shakes his head, “He killed Vanth. The reinforcements aren’t coming.”
“We fight on our terms, not theirs.” She says trying to convince him but anger had taken over him as they were clearly at the disadvantage, the Mandalorian behind the pillar was busy calming the grieving girl and he was blinded by the idea of killing Bane.
“I can take him.” He says his voice rough, “You’re emotional.”
“I can take him.” He grits out and Fennec moves to stand right beside him.
“We need to adjust. You’ll have your moment.” She reminds him. Understanding where he was coming from but it wasn’t the time. The anger clears his vision just enough to listen to her reasoning and his finger leaves the trigger.
“Tell your client negotiations are terminated.” He says turning and Bane calls out to him making him look back. “You’re going soft in your old age.”
Looking at the other bounty hunter the man that knew his father that knew him before he responds, “We all do.”
You’re pulled inside the sanctuary Boba and Fennec following afterward as the majordomo starts speaking, “That was an impressive display of restraint. Exemplary stratagem. If I may be so bold as to offer additional counsel-”
“I wonder how much he would pay for the Twi’lek.” Boba says and that shuts him up, “Understood. Many pardons. I should never have interjected.”
You shove Din off you moving towards the back of the room the guilt and sorrow in your chest turn into something ugly. It was burning in your veins the anger you had felt on that cruiser, the rage that fueled your body. Your knees hit the floor and your hand grabs the saber resting on your belt. The small pearl resting inside the kyber crystal chamber is the first gift you’ve ever got from him. He raised you…protected you..and he was gone. You clutch the blade to your chest mourning over the loss of the man you once saw as a father. Those ugly thoughts whisper in your ears, he would be alive if you were there to protect him, you got him involved with the Pykes and now he’s dead, Freetown blames you for his death, you killed their Marshal…their protector. The fear and anger bleed through your body unaware of it seeping into the weapon in your hands.
Din looks over at where you sit on the ground staring off completely shutting out the world. Your droid stands beside you but you don’t even notice it. He didn’t know what to say or do, he wasn’t good at going through loss. He moved on when someone died having connections was not safe for a man who is constantly put in danger. But you were just a child…you wore your heart on your sleeve and he was forced to watch you lose yourself with the man’s death.
Boba and Fennec are silent, the other man going through his own form of mourning with the truth of the Tuskens’ death. Silence fills the destroyed sanctuary before Drash’s voice comes in through the comms, “Come in, boss. Come in. Something feels strange over here.”
“Have the Pykes arrived?” Boba asks, “Not yet, but something feels off.” The woman responds and suddenly there’s blaster fire
“The locals are attacking! I thought we had a treaty.” Drash shouts over blaster fire and Boba frowns at the news,
“So did I.”
“They laid a trap!” Drash yells out before the comms go mute as Boba yells trying to get in touch with the Wookie, “Santo! Santo, come in!”
“It’s a coordinated attack. We’ll have to gather our people.” Boba says looking at Fennec and Din who listens in keeping an eye though on the girl in the back.
“There’s no way to overcome their advantage. We need to take out command and control.” Fennec shakes her head and Boba curses.
“Does the Pyke Syndicate still operate out of Mos Eisley?” Boba asks Shaiz’ majordomo who tries not to reveal the full information.
“Oh, it’s difficult to say for certain that…” Three blasters are pointed at him and he corrects himself, “Mos Eisley? Yes, now that I think of it, indeed they do. More specifically, the Desert Survey Office.”
Boba turns to the assassin, “Can you do that? Can you get there in time?” She shrugs, “Worth a shot.” She quickly departs taking a speeder and zooming through the streets.
“They’re here,” Din calls out and Boba joins him looking through the broken window as the Syndicate forces begin to move in surrounding the whole front of the building.
“It was just a matter of time. Is Cad Bane with them?” He asks trying to spot him but Din shakes his head, “Don’t see him. Any news on the others?”
Boba looks defeated, “Would be a miracle if any survived. All three gotras of Mos Espa turned on us.” He says and Din nods,
“It was the smart move.”
“It was. I suppose you’ll be heading out.” Boba asks seeing the very imminent failure.
“I’m not.” He refuses but Boba gives him the chance, “You should.”
“It’s against the Creed. I gave you my word. I’m with you until we both fall.” Din says and Boba looks at him, “You really buy into that bantha fodder?” He asks and the Mandalorian nods
“I do.” Fett chuckles checking the cartridge of his blaster, “Good.”
“The way I see it, we have two choices. We wait until they get into position and launch a siege on their terms.” Din says and Fett looks at him, “Or?”
“We rush out there, catch them unaware,” Din gives a quick but shoddy plan, “Then we can escape to your ship at the palace.” Fett shakes his head hearing the end of the plan.
“I can’t abandon Mos Espa. These people are counting on me.” He explains and Din nods pulling out his blaster, “Okay, then. We’ll both die in the name of honor.”
“You sure you wanna stay?” He says he was giving him the chance to leave, especially with the girl he was protective of.
“This is the way.”
“If I may offer an alternative?” The majordomo cuts in and the two bounty hunters look at him silently, “Shall I continue?...I’ll continue. You may not know this about me, in fact, how could you, except perhaps what vestiges remain of my accent, but… I was educated on Coruscant. Not that that makes me better in any way.”
“Get to it.” Fett cuts him off and he nods sharply getting back on track,
“Yeah, uh… I attended finishing academy. My parents were not wealthy by any means. I specialized in Civic Council Negotiations. Now, if you would feel confident empowering me to negotiate on your behalf, I’m fairly certain we would be granted passage off world with, at worst, some theatrical, symbolic, groveling gestures and an exchange of funds.”
Fett is silent before nodding, “Very well. Give me your tablet. I will write out my statement and what I am willing to pay.” Taking the majordomo’s tablet and starts writing as he smiles, “I shall go as your emissary. I have no compunction whatsoever genuflecting or even groveling if needs be, which would save you from any potential bruising of ego, so to speak.”
Fett returns the table before gesturing outside, “Now go before I change my mind.”
“Yes. Excellent.”
Din looks over to where his adopted daughter rests panic runs through his veins finding you and your droid missing. “Kid?!” He shouts but it’s too late to try finding you as their plan was already in action
“Salutations! Salutations! I am unarmed but for this tablet bearing the terms of surrender. I wish to present to whomever spokesperson is empowered to deliberate an acceptable outcome in the eyes of the Oba Diah high council.” The majordomo calls out with open arms to the armed men outside the Sanctuary. The commander of the group steps forward looking at him,
“Read it to me, tail-head.” He spats and the majordomo points to his head laughing at the joke, “Oh, because of the enchanting sobriquet, and one of which I never tire. Yes. Someday I hope to see the fabled Obsidian Cliffs of Oba Diah with my own eyes.”
“Read it.”
“Agreed. Let us dispense with the pleasantries,” Clearing his throat he looks at the written surrender, “I, Boba Fett, speaking as Daimyo of the Tatooine territories formerly held by Jabba the Hutt, do present the following offer,” His voice trails off having read ahead quickly growing silent, “Perhaps we should discuss what you’d be willing to…”
“Read it.” The man repeats growing tired.
“…following offer. Nothing. Uh…You will leave this planet and your spice trade. If you refuse these terms…,” Clearing his throat fear taking over his body as he’s forced to keep reading, “…the arid sands of Tatooine will once again flourish with flowered fields fertilized with the bodies of your dead.”
The Pyke commander lifts his blaster at the majordomo as he holds his hands up, “His words.”
Before the majordomo can be executed, Fett and Din soar in on their jetpacks gunning down the Syndicate soldiers. Though they are fired back the beskar armor protects them and with their weapons and the surprise strike the two are able to take down many of the Syndicate soldiers on their own. Firing his whistling birds Din takes down several Pykes and Boba sends an attack with his flamethrower. Bolts hit the two of them striking them back as they grow too much as they are knocking them down.
“They just keep coming.” Boba groans firing at as many soldiers as he cans but when one falls down another appears.
A few soldiers draw closer to the two of them as they try taking them down when they suddenly are pulled into the air dropping their blasters and clutching their throats. The soldiers and the two bounty hunters look around for who was doing this when a loud crack fills the air as their necks all snap in sync their bodies hitting the ground.
A screech fills the air and they all look over as fear strikes through them, even the bounty hunters seeing their ally. Din felt his throat close up and he was back on the cruiser, frozen watching you beat the life out of Moff Gideon. The rage in your eyes as your fist pounded caving in the man’s face the blood coating your body. What frightened him was seeing the weapon in your hand but it crackled in the air the plasma blade wild and chaotic reflecting your emotions. It was the color no longer orange but a blood red, a color all knew that referred to the opposite of the Jedi.
The color of the Sith.
“Is that a Jedi?” One of the Syndicate soldiers calls out the confusion in their tone. Unsure if the red-lightsaber wielder was their enemy or their ally. A snap fills the air as their neck turns a full 180 and they drop dead. You drop your hand the other clutching the saber your anger and hate bleeding into the weapon as it grows more powerful but also more unstable.
“Where is Cad Bane.” You growl out as blaster fire aims right at you. Dodging or reflecting the bullets back at them as they try to fight back but your rage is flooding through your veins. The blood pumping in your ears as you decapitate a soldier turning the blade around to stab another that tries to get the jump on you from behind. Din and Fett watch in awe but also in slight horror as your fluid movement with the weapon massacres their enemies. You arch the blade up slamming it down on one as they are split in half. The shades and hues of different blood coat your hands and parts of your body.
Grabbing one by the neck after cutting his hands off you pull him into the air, “Where. Is. Cad Bane.” You hiss as he screams in pain and you dig your saber deep into his chest silencing him.
The roar of a speeder and blaster fire comes from behind unaware reinforcements arrive. “The people of Freetown,” Boba calls out firing out as they move towards the armorer vehicle filled with people firing at the Pykes. Din wants to pull you away from the fight as you are in the middle of it but is unable to move beside the speeder seeing Taanti,
“I’m sorry about the Marshal.” Din gives his condolences as the Weequay fires out at the soldiers,
“They gunned him down in cold blood.” He hisses and Din feels his heartbreak trying to think about how you were feeling.
“You didn’t have to come here.” He says and Taanti shakes his head, “Yes, we did. This planet deserves better. I don’t know how she’s dealing with it.” And they two see you slash your blade through another man not getting a second to breathe as you block blaster fire to kill another man. This is what he feared, he had seen your old self start to come back but it was crushed so quickly. The bloodlust and anger in your eyes, when the punches stopped being held back the attack not to defend yourself but to make them hurt. For them to feel the suffering that you felt. Blood soaked the sands as you tear through their defenses, but it was the moment he saw you hesitate to take in much-needed air he saw you go down.
“Kid!” Din yells running straight into the chaos, as the others give him cover, and the arrival of the mods pulled the soldiers' focus away from you. He sees your hand grabbing your leg your saber held in the other, you swing at him still blinded but he’s able to block it with the beskar. Your arm drops seeing it’s Din as he pulls you up to stand trying to take most of your weight off pulling you to safety and your free hand blocks blaster fire with your saber. Once around the safety of the Freetown armored speeder, your back is against the speeder as Din kneels in front of you. Your thigh was bleeding from a bolt striking you there, he rips part of your cloak and ties it above the wound to stop you from bleeding out. You go to move but Din pushes you back down the fighting still going on around you.
“I have to get Cad! I have to kill him! For Cobb-” “You’re done!” Din yells pushing you back down as you try to get back up again. Your gaze is fierce as you stare down Din and he holds you against the speeder. “You’re done, kid…” He says his voice weak.
“They’re falling back!” Someone yells out and you struggle to stand as Din helps you up an arm around your waist to keep you up. You could see the Pykes retreating away as the people around you cheer and celebrate.
“Freetown!” “Yeah!”
“I wouldn’t celebrate yet. We got problems,” Din says as you see coming around the corner two very large spider-like droids, “We got real problems.”
Blasters and even Fett’s missiles are useless with their powerful deflector shields as they turn and take aim at the vehicle. “Run! We’ll distract them.” Din helps you run away as the attack hits the speeder and it explodes in a ball of fire. The people of Freetown, the Mods, and Krrsantan start to flee down the streets of Mos Espa as the three of you stay back.
“Go get out of here!” Din yells and you shake your head pulling out your saber the red blade appearing with a crackle and roar,
“I’m not leaving you!” You shout back quickly dodging a bolt from hitting you as it collides. Rolling as the sand kicks up in the air from the powerful attack you hiss in pain looking at your leg and seeing the blood soaking through your pant leg. Din and Boba attack the droids their blasters making no dent and Din pulls out the Darksaber trying to pierce through their shields but it doesn’t go through.
“I can’t get through.” Din yells out as you keep moving backward avoiding the droids' attacks, “These two will destroy the whole city!” Fett shouts and Din tackles you when another attack is aimed at you. He helps you up as you keep running well yours is a half-sprint half-hobble
“Our energy weapons can’t get through, and our kinetic weapons have too much velocity,” Din says
“Can you protect the others?” Fett asks and Din nods, “I can distract them for a spell. Why?”
“Watch out!” Fett yells as you both dodge a bolt heading to the two of you, you grunt from the strain in your leg.
“We need reinforcements.” You wheeze out your arm wrapped around Din’s shoulder the other holding your saber.
“From where? You’ve run out of friends.” Din says aiming the comment at Fett.
“Protect the others.” He says before blasting off into the air leaving the two of you against the giant droids. Din fires at them and is able to get the attention of one as you both take off in the streets. You’re pulled forward by Din a clear trail of blood following behind you both as the droid fires upon you. Turning the corner you see a cart driven by a rickshaw droid heading toward you and a woman waving at the two of you.
“Mando! Ha! We found you! I got a surprise for you.” Peli calls out to you two as Din waves his hand forward,
“Turn around!” He yells over the sound of the droid getting closer and how far away you were. “What?”
“Turn around!” “Can’t hear you!”
“Turn around!” You both scream as the droid turns around the corner and Peli screams out as the cart quickly turns around. Din with the help of Peli helps you onto the back as he jumps on as well as the droid drives down the street.
“Can this thing go any faster? Go faster, you bucket of bolts!” Peli yells at the rickshaw droid as it speeds up and you have to clutch onto the back of the seat to hold on. Din fires back at the Scorpenek as it chases after you all, his focus was torn in two defeating the droid and making sure you were okay. Your hand was a death grip on the back of the seat the other deflected bolts from the droid. You were bloody and sickly-looking he could see your blood staining your pants from your injury.
“Hey, Mando! Look who’s here.” Peli calls out and you both look as she pulls a blanket off revealing the child you both look away only to whip back in shock.
“What? Hey, what are you doing here?” Din leans forward looking at Grogu in shock, “Buddy? How..” The small child jumps into Din’s arms and he pulls him into a hug,
“Oh! Okay, little guy. I’m happy to see you too. I didn’t know when I’d see you again. It’s okay. Yeah. I missed you too, buddy,” Din chuckles at the coo Grogu releases and you smile stroking his ears and he giggles, “But, uh… we’re in a bit of a bind here right now. You be careful. You keep your head down. You stay hidden until the fight’s over. Hey, that’s the shirt. You got the shirt.” He brings Grogu back to his seat and peeks inside his cloak spotting the beskar shirt hidden underneath.
“Save your tender moment. We’ve got a Scorpenek droid chasing us.” Peli shouts out as she fires her blaster past you.
“What is he doing here?” You ask and Peli shrugs, “The Force works in mysterious ways.”
The Scorpenek droid fires at you missing you all but it manages to shoot off the head of the rickshaw droid. It shakes before exploding as the cart flips from the momentum as you all are sent into the air. You see Din grab Grogu right as you crash into the ground groaning in pain as you turn to see the Scorpenek droid right upon you as you deflect its blaster fire. You come to stand but fall back down your hand presses against your thigh pulling back and seeing it stained red. Din yells out to you as the droid aims right at you but before it could fire a terrifying roar that makes you cover your ears distracted. Looking up seeing a rancor jump over several buildings dodging the fire from the droid. You’ve only heard the stories of the creatures hearing the legend that Jabba the Hutt had a rancor and those that disobeyed him would be fed to it.
The rancor appears before you and you see Boba Fett on top riding the beast as it manages to damage its shielding. You see Din appear behind the droid and use the darksaber to break inside the deflector shields. Climbing on top of the droid as it tries shaking him off and he slices off one of the gun turrets but is knocked off. It raises its leg to crush Din when you throw your saber it spins cutting off the leg and it returns back into your hand. The droid collapse gave Fett’s rancor time to finish tearing it apart and destroying the tech. Din grabs you pulling you into his arms as he embraces you and the child. His breath is shaky as he holds the two of you feeling like a part of him is whole again. He wasn’t sure how the child had gotten here but was thankful for the higher beings out there.
The attack of the second Scorpenek droid ends the touching moment as Din stands helping you up holding Grogu in his arms, “Keep ’em on their heels. They’re on the run.”
“Come on, let’s get the Pykes.” You say moving forward your saber ready as you join the battle against the remaining Pyke soldiers and the final droid. The rancor beats the droid into buildings and it fires at it but its hide absorbs the attack. It rips apart the turrets stopping the droid from firing it tries stabbing the rancor with its legs but the creature destroys it. With a roar, it destroys the droid before going after Pykes. You deflect blaster bolts from hitting you or your allies as you shove your hand out and it shoves back a few Pykes into stands of fruits or walls. A fresh breath of air fills your body and you sense the presence. Your head turns off in a direction and the anger that had been left distracted by others had felt it too. You could do it. Get your revenge..for Cobb. Your saber drops slightly as the blaster fire flies past you, you can reach out tapping into the force that surrounds you. Feeling the grains of sand, the smell of the blasters, the drip of sweat mixed with blood falling from your body, the muffled sounds of gunfire and shouting.
Then you find him as the world around you returns and you stare at his presence.
“Bane…”
Cad Bane fights against the Rancor firing his blaster at it before he scares it off from the fire in his vambraces. The creature roars throwing Fett off his back and flees into the streets of Mos Espa. Fett rises staring at the other bounty hunter across the street just the two of them.
“Clear out and take your hoodlum gang with you,” Fett calls out to the man.
“I’ve known you a long time, Boba. One thing I can’t figure. What’s your angle?” He admits and Fett shakes his head, “This is my city. These are my people. I will not abandon them.”
“Like the Tuskens.” Bane tries to goad Fett but he remains firm and doesn’t let the anger take over, “Don’t toy with me. I’m not a little boy any longer, and you are an old man.”
“I’m still faster than you.” Bane retorts.
“That may be, but I have armor.” He agrees but he had the advantage of the beskar armor that protected him.
“Let’s find out.”
The two stand still before whipping out their blaster, Bane hits Fett knocking him down his blaster flying from his hand. Looking down at him Bane stalks toward him, “Now’s about the time you jet off to your bacta tank.”
“This is my city!” Fett yells sitting up flames emitting from his vambraces as Bane dodges rolling out of the way and firing at him again knocking him back down.
“You gave it a shot. You tried to go straight. But you’ve got your father’s blood pumping through your veins. You’re a killer.” Kicking him back away from his weapon, Bane kicks his weapon away, “This isn’t the first time I beat you out on a job.” He slams his foot onto Fett’s wrist as he groans in pain pinning him down to his knee and digging into his chest as he shoves the blaster between the gaps of armor.
“There’s no shame in it,” Bane says ripping the helmet off Boba revealing his face as he glares at the man. Rising to stand still pinned he slowly raises his blaster, “Consider this my final lesson. Look out for yourself. Anything else is weakness.”
“Bane!” A voice calls out and the bounty hunt looks forward and Boba looks upside down trying to see who it was. On the end of the street is a girl covered in blood though not her own. She stands tall though Bane notices the weight she shifts off the injured leg. “You and I have business.” Your hand pulls the saber off your belt a screech fills the air as the red blade appears and you see Bane grin.
“A jedi?” He says and you raise it pointing it at him,
“You’re going to die for what you did.” You spat and he laughs only making you tighten your grip on the weapon.
“I think you’ve wandered off little lady..best get back to your Mandalorian.” He says and your glare is piercing.
“I’m exactly where I need to be.” You hiss and Bane steps away from Fett not before delivering a swift kick to his side making him groan.
“You know I’ve met your grandfather before,” Bane calls out and you bring your other hand to stabilize your grip on the saber, “I know who you are, you look just like Kenobi…but your anger is just like Skywalker.” He hisses the names to remember his enemies during the time of the Clone Wars.
“The Marshal died a painful death because of me…his screams filled Freetown.” He says and your vision goes red. You race towards him as he fires at you though you deflect them sending them back to him. Throwing your saber it spins toward him but he dodges the attack sending flames your way. Rolling underneath the attack grabbing your saber mid-air a beam of plasma clips your hair the loudness causing a ringing in your ear. Closing the distance you raise your saber to strike him down when he kicks you in the stomach you fall back and he fires right at your saber hitting the open chamber of the saber.
The plasma completely destroys the saber as the power cells become unstable and explode. You’re thrown back hitting the ground the wind ripped from your lungs as the destroyed saber rest before you. You were certain you blacked out when you hit the ground, your ears ringing as you gasp for air. Scratches from the shrapnel of the hilt decorate your face and hands. Shakily trying to push yourself up a kick to your face and you spit out blood before a foot digs into your chest pinning you back into the sand, Bane stands above you and you see the blaster raised and aimed at you when he’s attacked by Boba Fett. You force yourself to roll to your side pushing yourself up on shaky hands and catching Fett impale Bane with his gaderffii stick. 
Blood pours from your face and nose as you drag yourself and rest on the sands the destroyed saber and the crystal shattered in pieces. Tears and blood blind you as your fingers shake trying to collect the pieces of the krayt pearl until the fragments rest in your palms. The gift you treasured for years, using it for your saber, destroyed by you…by your anger. Your head drops as you cry over the broken weapon mourning over losing one of the only things you could call yours.
Following the battle, Din realized you went missing before he received a call through his comm from Boba, that he had you. Arriving with Grogu in his arms and Peli and the others they found Boba Fett standing over the body of Cad Bane a grim look on his face. Din’s focus was instantly drawn to the girl keeled over in the sands. Rushing to her his movements slow down hearing the cries come from the girl and coming around to face her sees the destroyed saber resting in front of her as you clutch something in your hands to your chest. Slowly kneeling down and placing the child down beside his hands hover out in front of him.
“Kid..” He whispers making you look at him and his heart cracks. Cuts litter your face as blood a now steady trickle from your nose and your mouth. Your eyes were red fresh tears wet your waterline and lashes. Your bloody hands pull away from your chest opening it up and revealing the shattered pearl, “Oh kid..” He pulls you into his chest as you crumble crying into his chest. Din holds your head to him the other stroking your back.
“It’s…it’s my fault…I would get people hurt,” Your voice hoarse as he tries wiping the blood from your face, “People were…going to die…because of me.”
“No..no none of this is your fault okay…it’s not your fault cyar’ika.” He says holding your face between his hands as tears fill your vision.
“Din..” You fall back into his chest as he holds you to him. The small child looks on with a sad expression before coming between you two and you pull back as it brings his small hand over yours. His fingers barely cover a single finger and he closes his eyes focusing. You can feel the immense force coming off him as he pulls back then looks up at you and you understand the look in his wide eyes. You look at your hand at the pieces of the pearl it was dull lacking its shine and hue.
Closing your eyes you squeeze the portions of the pearl tightly in your fist pouring all your energy into it, turning the fear and anger that first harmed the crystal into love and peace. Thinking of all your positive memories, being on the Razor Crest with the child and Din, on Sorgan seeing trees and so much green for the first time, reuniting the Frog family with its children, coming home to Tatooine, and seeing Cobb. The memories you had with him, your first time meeting, he teaches you how to defend yourself, the times he took care of you when you were sick or soothed your fears when you had a nightmare, his horrid jokes as you worked on your speeder together, your fifteen birthday and actually celebrating it since your parents died, him gifting you the Krayt Pearl. Tears of sadness as the memories of Cobb fuel you to heal the crystal. Din watches you focus your eyes closed as you clutch the destroyed pearl between your hands. A weight is lifted off your shoulders and you open your eyes slowly opening your palm tears spring from your eyes seeing the intact crystal as it shimmers in the light. You look at the pearl a wide grin covers your features as he looks at the item resting in your hands. He would always remain amazed by the things you or the child could do just earlier seeing Grogu put the fierce rancor to sleep. You smile looking up at Din when all the energy in your body is drained as your vision goes black. Din was able to catch you the second your eyes rolled back, he panicked for a second seeing you collapse in front of him bringing his fingers to your pulse sighing in relief feeling your heartbeat. The pearl barely rests in your unconscious hands, the act of healing must have drained all your energy just like it had for the child who looks at the two of you.
“Come on kid,” Din says to Grogu as he grabs the pearl and the remaining pieces of your saber putting it in his satchel, his own gift still with him. Scooping you up into his arms he holds your unconscious body looking down at the small child beside his feet and then at the one in his arms. He felt at peace knowing the two of you were back with him, he would protect you two and make sure you never shed a single tear again. He swears on it.
You felt weightless a calming sensation surrounds you but the urge to wake up draws you away from the dreamless sleep you are in. Your eyes blink open and you notice you submerge in some cold liquid and a breathing device is in your mouth. Taking in a breath of air from the device as you try thinking back on how you got to hear everything in a blur. Suddenly the liquid drains as the capsule opens and you sit up pulling the apparatus from your mouth and taking in a shaky inhale suddenly aware you were soaking wet only in the new pair of clothes as they stick to your skin.
“Princess Kenobi-Kryze you are awake, your bacta session has fully healed your wounds.” A protocol droid rolls in as it hands you a robe that you quickly wrap around yourself. Being the cold water now out in the air your body shakes slightly as you try to warm yourself up. “I will notify Lord Fett and your party that you have awoken.” The droid doesn’t give you much time to answer especially the title as you sit there looking around the room, it was pretty empty besides the bacta tank and some other items which you assumed were Fett’s. You bring your hand to your face not feeling any cuts or scaring on your face. Looking at your leg pulling up the pants to see your thigh. Your fingers run along the smooth skin, the blaster wound not even leaving a mark
“Kid.” You turn seeing Din standing in the doorway the small green infant in his arms. He crosses the room before you’re even out of the machine his free arm wrapping around your head and pressing you to his chest. You can feel the shaky exhale he releases as he holds you to him Grogu grabs a finger with his small hands and you smile stroking his ears. He pulls back looking over you not a single scratch was left, the bacta completely healing your injuries.
“Come on kid, they're gonna need this tank.” He helps you to stand as he keeps a hand on your shoulder. You don’t get to ask when Drash and Skad bring in a man and the air leaves your system as they move past you quickly to place him inside.
“Cobb..” You whisper looking at the man as he’s placed inside the tank and they quickly close it up, it filling with bacta. “But they said…”
“He was able to get some help but the bacta will quicken the process,” Drash says as she looks at the man with understanding in her eyes and it hits you.
“You modified him..” Drash nods as you pull from Din’s arms stepping towards the tank and seeing the man resting peacefully in the healing bacta. Your hands rest against the glass wishing he could reach out and take yours. Resting your forehead against the tank whispering into it, “Please be alright.”
“Come on kid..” Din calls out as you stand up swiping the stray tear that threatens to fall and you pull returning to the Mandalorian as he wraps his arm around your shoulder, “Let’s get you dressed.” He says leading you like a child to another room as the droid comes over your clothes in its arms. Thanking the droid you head behind the privacy screen getting dressed grateful to be back in your clothes. Your fingers run along the clean fabric as you pull your pants up your legs surprised to see the sewing put in to fix your pants.
Returning around the screen Din still waiting there with the child in his arms as you holster your blaster and knife. It was like instinct to grab your belt to fix your saber but your hand comes empty. The pain from losing your saber is too fresh as a frown takes over your features.
“Hey kid,” Din calls out and you look at the man trying to hide the sad look on your face to no avail. He waves his hand for you to follow him. Leaving the tower as you move through Boba Fett’s palace until you reach the throne room and laying in the middle as a rug and a singular item wrapped in a cloth tied with a cord.
“What is this?” You look at the man as he leads you toward the rug placing the child down as it moves to the cloth sitting across from it.
“A gift.” He says taking you by the shoulders to make you sit on the rug in front of the object wrapped in cloth. Din moves back standing to the side and you look up at him as he gestures to you and then to the cloth, “Go on.” You give him a suspicious look before turning to the cloth and glancing at the child who is also looking in interest. Undoing the cord with care and putting it to the side you slowly undo the cloth, your breath gets caught in your throat when you see the item. The saber is in perfect recreation as it rests in separate pieces including the inner works. The only difference that you did notice was the metal of the hilts it had a slight marbling effect something you’ve never seen before. Grabbing a part of the hilt the cold metal presses against your skin, and you feel the weight of it but it was light at the same time.
“Is this beskar?” You look at Din as he nods at the shocked expression on your face. “But I thought beskar wasn’t meant to be weapons.” You ask as he moves towards you crouching down.
“It’s not, it’s technically considered taboo to Mandalorians, but like the child, you deserved armor as foundlings,” He points at the hilt resting in your hand, “This is your armor. To protect you as a Jedi…and a Mandalorian.” Din reaches into his satchel pulling out the krayt pearl and you perk up as he passes it to you and you accept it with such delicacy. The intact pearl shimmers in the light and has a faint warm glow that is brighter in the healed cracks. You look at the disassembled saber and the crystal in your palm slowly placing it back down onto the cloth as Din steps back. Taking a deep breath feeling your heartbeat loud and strong as it slows down with your breathing. Your hands rest on your knees as your palms face upward as your drift shut. Focusing on your breathing as the doors open as the Force rushes over you wrapping around your body like a blanket. It’s comforting and welcoming like an embrace protecting you as the small objects shake gently and then rise into the air. You can feel the sunlight through the sandstone, the texture of the handmade rug underneath you, hear the inhales from the child in front of you and the modulated breathes from the Mandalorian, tasting the crisp air, and the smell of fresh linens that wraps your body.
Din watches in amazement as the pieces of the weapon move throughout the air stopping in their desired places and the weapon forms before him. Working outwards on both ends towards the middle, the power cells are covered through wiring and the beskar hilt. The weapon of the Jedi imbue with the Force as it comes towards the middle the final piece of the puzzle being the krayt pearl is it slots itself in the open chamber but protected by the metal of his ancestors.
You open your eyes as the weapon rests before you. Reaching out towards it you feel the sudden weight of the beskar but in your hands, it lightens in your grasp. Your eyes trace the details of the saber as your finger rest on the button and you activate it. A screech fills the air as the plasma emits from the hilt. A gorgeous orange like the sunset on Tatooine bathes you in the color light. The healed crystal purifies it of the color of the Sith.
The blade retreats back into the hilt and you look at the saber resting in your hand but also the weapon on his belt, the whispers faintly coming from it calling you. Din follows your gaze seeing the Darksaber resting on his hilt before he pulls it off his belt holding it out to you. “I am not the owner of this weapon thus it should not be in my possession.” He explains that you froze it was fear that stopped you. The weapon that had cut through your flesh, in the possession of the man that slaughtered your people, was yours by right, your claim to the blade but also to the throne of a destroyed planet. But while no throne rests or no armor of your ancestors adorns your skin this weapon was yours to lead and rule the hidden Mandalorians scattered across the galaxy.
“Ibic cuyir te ara.” The whisper of the voice as a hand is ghost-like on your shoulder, and you feel the presence of the person before it fades as you take the weapon in your grasp feeling the weight of it as you attach it to your belt beside your saber. You felt the conflict in yourself as you hold the weapon meant for true rulers not orphans from Tatooine. Din could see the fear in yourself with this weapon and the responsibility it means to yourself. You look up at Din who is looking at you though you can’t tell what his expression is underneath the beskar.
“You can stay here, with Cobb have a home here on Tatooine. I won’t stop you.” Din says the fear of seeing you hurt again is too great for him to deal with. If he knew you were here and safe he could deal with his exile without fear. You look away to the child holding onto your pant leg. Bending down pulling the child into your arms you step forward and Din holds his breath ready for you to agree and leave his life. Your hand reaches out grabbing his holding onto the leather glove as his finger wraps around yours instinctively his thumb rubbing the back of your hand.
“I’m not leaving you,” You say looking at the man you see as a father figure, the man who protects and loves you, the man who would tear a part of the galaxy to see you safe with him, your buir, “I’ll follow you anywhere you go.” You promise him as he looks down at you.
He was at a loss for words, the girl he had originally meant to be a quarry, their relationship rocky and hesitant, but with time you had slowly broken down his walls and created a space in his heart, he would do anything to see you smile or to hear your laughter, put down his own life to make sure you and the child were safe, to allow you to be a kid…his kid, his ad. Din looks down at you before nodding,
“Okay.”
Din prepares the N-1 with the coordinates of the planet they were meant to travel sending the navigation to link with your X-Wing. From behind him, Grogu taps the dome with the small ball from the Razor Crest in his hands.
“No.”
A series of more taps as Din speaks again to the child in the pod seat built into the N-1.
“Uh-uh.”
More taps follow as Din grows more annoyed by the persistence of the child.
“No.”
A chuckle follows his comms as he looks over seeing you in your X-Wing watching the display, “Come on he’s not gonna stop until you do it.” You say as the child bangs on the glass more frantically. R4 produces his own response as you make a sound of agreement.
“Don’t need the opinion of the droid here.”
More banging comes from the glass making Din glance back at the child.
“All right. But this is the last time.” He says flipping the switch you watch the ship accelerate rapidly and you hear Gorgu’s squeals from the comms as it jumps to lightspeed. R4 beeps at you as you chuckle adjusting your grip on the joystick and punching in the coordinates,
“I know R4,”
Flipping the switch as the 5th engine roars ready and your finger hovers over the button to release the energy and jumps to hyperspace. To explore the galaxy as one adventure ends and another begins,
“This is where the fun begins.”
A/N: There is Clan of Three: Book of Boba Fett! Another part of this fantastic series is done! You are fucking incredible people and season three's first chapter is coming out next Wednesday!
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