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#it’s the shared custody of the brain cell for me
arctixout · 6 months
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jance tokio choreo
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bo-bo-bean · 8 months
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Personal headcanons of characters Sneaky, Mouse KaBoom, and Flippy!!
Wanna join the fun? Come aboard!!!
https://discord.gg/xtVkRqYB
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Zay Appreciation Post 🧡💚
How it started:
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How it's going:
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@z-mizcellaneous-z 🧡💚
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reaperkiller · 2 years
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raspberry, lilac, steel, definitely sapphire, and lemon !
ME AND THE DELIGHTFUL BELOVED TALENTED MUTUALS ON THE WAY TO KILL GOD
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ofswordsandpens · 3 months
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I've enjoyed episode 3 the most so far, but I think the show is still struggling to find a good balance between taking itself seriously and the absurdist humor that RR writes with. My main takeaways:
The Fight Scenes (or Lack Thereof?)
It seems very peculiar to me that the show is just speed running through its battle scenes. Again, it feels very much like the product of Disney trying to sanitize anything that's too extreme?
The trio fleeing from the kindly ones in the book ended with Percy taking control of the bus and then crashing it. It explodes. They lose all of their stuff (money, food). In the show, they simply bail out the back window. No true panic. No tension. Just, okay :) we're leaving now :)
The Medusa Scene. I'll speak more to this later, but in terms of the fight we get to see... well we get to see nothing. Apparently this fight required us to view it through the lens of the invisibility cap (ie. not at all),
I understand this show is intended for a younger audience, but the books are as well. Even the movies, which are pg, came up with better ways to show things without necessarily showing things. As a result, it feels like anything that might induce the slightest bit of tension or fear are sanded down and its honestly doing such a disservice to the books and the audience.
Medusa
I actually really liked this portrayal of Medusa. The 1950s housewife vibe landed well for me. And I loved the actress's voice -- very soft and soothing but always sounding as if she were just about to cry.
Also, I really liked her dialogue. Her digs at Athena and Poseidon were perfectly tragic.
That being said, I really prefer the trio's arrival to the emporium in the book. In the books, they've been wandering the woods and are lost and exhausted and hungry because of the battle/bus crash where they've lost all of their stuff. It almost feels like the emporium popping up "out of nowhere" was more of it finding them.
Meanwhile in the show, Grover finds it through scent on a satyr path and they immediately know its Medusa, which imo takes out so much of the fun of it all??? In the books, they dont know. Grover's just like, freaking the ever living fuck out, and clearly Percy and Annabeth have let him take sole custody of the shared brain cell, cause they're more concerned about getting some food than anything else
Just... RIP dumbass shenanigans
And honestly, I'm not really sure what necessitated the change here in the show (of them not being tricked). It would have been one thing if they were going to change Medusa entirely to not wanting to harm them at all, but imo, I think its arguable/evident that show Medusa was looking for an excuse to petrify Annabeth and Grover (at minimum) regardless of anything.
Honestly, I would have had the show loosely play it out as: book arrival (they dont know its Medusa), keep the dumbass energy and banter, the trio figures out it Medusa while they're eating, Medusa is the more sympathetic version we see in the show, regardless it still ends with the battle.
Also, I do mourn the book battle. The panic and absurdity is just handled better imo. Annabeth shoving them off the bench, Grover flopping all over the place with the shoes but actively getting a good few hits in, Percy having to use to the reflection to behead her... the #TeamWork was emphasized a little more there to me.
Characterization
I think the show is absolutely nailing certain parts of the characters.
They've gotten Percy's anger and his derision towards the gods down. But, I think they're actually underscoring some of his, idk, sincerity? His kindness? It was the line "she met a pinecone's fate" that just rang off to me. While undoubtedly funny, it's just such a stark difference from his reaction to Thalia's story in the books, where he was unsettled by her fate and felt a sincere sympathy for her. The line in the show I assume is meant to criticize the gods, but still, it feels like it comes at the expense of the sensitivity that he has.
They've gotten Annabeth's bluntness, intelligence, pride, and superiority down cold. No question about it. But I feel like they just need to let her be more of a 12yo kid?
Like. In canon she and Percy banter and argue over the silliest of things. She plays hacky sack with Grover and Percy. She blushes and hyperventilates when Luke interacts with her. Episode 3 is like the first time we've gotten to see her do something remotely childish (buying all that candy) and I'm just dying for more of that!! She's not the "mom" of the group and she has her canon dumbass moments. I'm hoping more of this is captured moving forward. They've gotten a good start on the banter, but let Annabeth be more silly! Cause she is!
(Absolutely none of my personal qualms about the characterization are Walker or Leah's fault. They've done amazing. It's the writing/directing I'm side-eyeing).
OH! And I'm sorry but Percy being like "Annabeth we're going to bury medusa with your hat on" would have never ever flown with Annabeth. In no world.
But Grover eating them up at the end? Iconic. Good for him.
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golden-barnes · 1 year
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Operation milkshakes, hospital visits and custody of Mr Bear
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Paring: Beefy and Teacher! Bucky x milf! reader Summary: Sequel to Operation get Mr Bucky and Momma together. Bucky and Reader are finally on their little coffee date, but Amaya gets hurt. Then there's a shared custody to heal a broken arm. {wc: 2.7k} Warning: a bit of bucky being insecure again and a bit of insecurity from reader . Some sexual references bit of tension but its mostly fluff. Amaya gets hurt but it's brief. if you don't like a milf reader pls don't interact I don't want to get hate like last time lmao a/n: I have been writing this for years it seems and I finally am able to finish it and I'm so happy I hope you guys enjoy it. I am gonna try and finish all of my stories this month to be able to do other stuff. I am so sorry if it's shitty as hell, I tried my best to fight the writter's block Reblogs and comments are appreciated.
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Is Bucky embarrassed that he has been texting none stop with his student’s mom? Yes, but who will stop him from feeling like he is walking on cloud nine? For the past few weeks, Bucky has been texting you back and forth whenever you had a break. 
Unfortunately, you haven’t been able to get that cup of coffee because of work, but Bucky knew he had found his match. Funny, intelligent, and the sweetest person he has ever met. 
Fuck, I feel like a love-struck schoolboy. Bucky thinks, cursing at himself while passing the exam papers to his students. Amaya smiled at him, basically giving him a knowing smirk. Holy shit, he feels blackmailed by a 6-year-old. 
She has no idea that Bucky and her mom are on a talking stage, but that doesn’t stop her from smirking at her teacher, who her mom has told her auntie that her teacher was cute. And that was enough for her already planning your wedding where she gets to be a flower girl. 
 Bucky sat down at his desk when he felt his phone vibrate. The notification had your name on it, almost making Bucky jump out of his seat. 
Hey, one of my clients canceled for Friday. U wanna get that coffee? 
Bucky couldn’t seem to write yes faster. He felt so happy, but shit, what was he going to wear? His closet comprises of henleys and sweaters. The occasional tank tops are there, but they weren’t the norm. He dresses like a middle-aged librarian, and he is proud of it. But, on the other hand, maybe he was overthinking it.
“Dude, it’s a coffee date. Not a Michelin restaurant.” Steve rolls his eyes at Bucky’s rant. Bucky told his best friends about inner turmoil and why he was so stressed. Sam just laughed at him.
“We don’t know about that one Rogers; she is a fancy lawyer for a fancy firm. She’s probably making the big bucks.” Sam winked at Bucky, which made him feel even more stressed. 
What if they dated, and she felt embarrassed to show him to her lawyer friends? He is on a New York Public school salary, it’s a miracle he has enough money to live alone, but he was going to be rooming with Steve. 
“Sam, stop torturing him, please. I can see the smoke coming out of his ears.” Wanda explained, heating up her lunch and smirking at her extremely stressed friend. 
“He is just so fun to mess with.”Sam whined while Bucky couldn’t help but scoff. 
“I am glad my suffering is your enjoyment, but I am about to run away to New Jersey and live as a hermit because I haven’t been on a date since college, and I have no fucking clue what to wear. Help me.” Bucky rambles, almost out of breath. Sam bites back a chuckle while Steve just looks worried. Wanda sighs; being the only person with brain cells in the teacher’s lounge is difficult.
“Bucky, wear that brown blazer you wore at my engagement party. Maybe a blue henley underneath. You did say she thought you looked hot in those, so who cares, honestly. “ Wanda Maximoff, the voice of reason to these messy elementary school teachers once again. 
Bucky should stop asking these things to Sam and Steve and just ask go directly to Wanda. 
(Y/N) wasn't doing that great either. She really liked Bucky; he was a hot guy but caring and smart. He made her laugh with his dorky quotes and references. He was well-read and gave her excellent book recommendations. 
More importantly, Amaya loved him. Every day she would show up rambling about something he had done in class that made her very happy. Whether it was telling her a funny story using Mister Bear, Bucky’s teaching assistant that Amaya adored, or handing her a fruit roll-up when the other kids weren't looking. Bucky was her favorite teacher, but it mostly felt like he had taken a father role that she needed.
One thing that made her stress out was how she was perceived. She had been on dates before, and every time the men went home running with their tails between their legs after feeling threatened by her confidence and career. 
Being a single mother and a powerful lawyer really fucked over her chances of dating. Apparently, knowing your worth and what you want doesn’t make you that appealing to men, especially these insecure, fragile masculinity-having assholes. 
But Bucky seemed different; he knew she had a kid and an influential career and still wanted to date her? He was different. 
“You still overthinking this date?” Her coworker and close friend, Jen, asked her. Nat rolled her eyes, knowing (Y/N) like the back of her hand. 
“She has been making a pros and cons list on her computer for the past hour. Girl, he likes you. No grown man texts you romantic quotes at 3 am without sending a you up? Text.” Natasha rambles but (Y/N) sighs. She knows what Nat is saying is correct, but still… She didn’t want to make things awkward for ‘Maya. 
“She has it really bad, but he seems so sweet. It’s just a coffee date; get to know him in person.” Jen tried to comfort her. She patted her shoulder, sorta giving (Y/N) a side hug. 
“Now on to date outfits. I say a plaid skirt and a sweater. The skimpiest skirt you have.” Nat grins evilly. 
“It’s a coffee date, not a hookup.” (Y/N) laughs at her suggestion. 
“Whatever you say, but that man’s shoulders are so broad that it wouldn’t be surprising if your legs were on them after the night.” Nat shrugs, but (Y/N) and Jenn laugh at the sexual joke. 
“I am trying not to give Maya a sibling yet.” (Y/N) threw a piece of paper at Nat. 
“Yet is the keyword in that sentence.” Nat winked at her comment. 
Bucky was shifting his weight on the chair. They had decided to meet at this cute little café that opened about a month ago. It was right next to a bookstore that Bucky loved so much, and coincidently (Y/N) took Amaya a lot to get her story time books. 
“Sorry I am late; traffic was horrible.” Bucky swore his breath was stolen from his chest because the minute he saw her, he felt like his lungs didn’t have air. 
“I- uhm, I get it. You look beautiful, by the way.” (Y/N) smiled at his compliment while sitting right before him. 
“You don’t look bad yourself.” She winked at the teacher, who started sweating bullets once she began to compliment him. 
“Are you ready to order?” The waitress asks the couple. (Y/N) nods while Bucky just looks puzzled at the menu. She smiled at him.
“Give us a minute, please.” (Y/N) said kindly. 
“Do you have any idea what you are going to order? If you don’t mind me asking?” Bucky asks sheepishly, but the woman just smiles. 
“I am dying to try this plum strudel, especially since Maya isn’t here to steal my pieces. And I need a milkshake.” (Y/N) explained; Bucky couldn’t help but laugh.
“Amaya is a bit of a sugar fiend, isn’t she? I can’t even eat my fruits in peace without her looking at me as if I stole them from her.” Bucky joked, (Y/N) rolled her eyes because she knew her daughter.
“It’s not a shocker. It’s practically my fault. When I was pregnant with her, all I did was eat candy. I have a sweet tooth, but she’s like a sugar monster.” She explained, reminiscing all the pregnancy cravings she had. Bucky laughed at her comment. 
“You sure you don’t want coffee?” Bucky asks all of a sudden. Finding it weird that she is ordering a milkshake at a café. She shook her head.
“Oh god, no. It would be my 5th coffee this day. I’ve had back-to-back meetings, and every meeting has a coffee run. Then there’s the coffee between every 15-page contract I have to write.” Bucky chuckles because that seems like he is the same in a completely different way. 
“I get you. After grading my 10th paper, I’ve already drank 3 cups of coffee. My record is 7 in one day. I was planning on getting the milkshake too.” Bucky joked, (Y/N) laughed. 
“So we are two coffee addicts on a coffee date, but we aren’t gonna drink any coffee. Got it.” (Y/N) smirked at Bucky. He felt his ears getting red. Suck it up, Bucky; she hasn’t even said anything sexual. She is just being funny. Bucky said to himself. 
“It appears that we are. I hope you don’t mind, but I’mma order the same thing as you. I love plums. My ma makes the best plum pie I’ve ever eaten.” Bucky rambled, trying to stop himself from buckling under her gaze. Suddenly (Y/N)’s phone rings. 
“Hey MJ, what’s up? Oh what? I am on my way.” (Y/N) hangs up, her face turns somber, and her eyes are filled with tears. 
“I am so sorry, Bucky, but I have to go. Amaya fell, and the babysitter told me she won't stop crying. Her arm might be broken, and I must take her to the hospital.”  She says, gathering up her purse. She was shaking, trying to stand up, but her legs were shaking. Bucky stands up to help her. 
“Can you drive?” (Y/N) shook her head, worried because Amaya was always careful. She runs around like any normal kid but is ultra-cautious about getting hurt. Bucky extended his hand, and she grabbed it. 
She gave him the directions to her house so Bucky could drive her home. She hadn’t really said anything during the entire ride; Bucky didn’t know what to do, so he did what he did best. Ramble on.
“You know I broke my arm around the same age. But mine was in a fight.” Bucky said, which got (Y/N)’s attention. 
“Back when we were kids, Steve was the smallest kid in our classroom, and there was this kid named Tom; he kept pushing him and making fun of him. So one day, I stood up for him and decided I could fight Tom. I should mention that Tom was 2 grades above us, so anyway, he pushed me so hard that I fell. Broke my arm and wasn’t allowed to go to recess anymore. My teacher, Sally, knew that Tom was a bully and got me a lesser sentence.” Bucky told her. She smiled.
“So you were a troublemaker as a kid. Kinda like my ‘Maya.” She joked, smiling, talking about her little girl. 
“Oh, Amaya is a little angel in comparison to me. She is manipulative as hell, but she’s a sweet kid. Takes after her mom.” Bucky complimented. (Y/N) sighed at his compliment. 
“I tried my best. It’s not easy, you know. Being a single mom. Sometimes I think I don’t do enough and that I am never there, but-” 
“Listen, I have been a teacher for a while now. I have seen parents who don’t care and never show up for their kids. You aren’t one of them. I know for a fact that every Wednesday, you take her to a museum or an interactive place. You are her person, and I think you are a fantastic mom. “ Bucky interrupts. He grabs her hand, and she squeezes it. Bucky parks in front of her house. Her big ass house. He keeps forgetting that she is, in fact, a well-paid lawyer. 
Amaya did indeed have a broken arm. Bucky had to carry her to the car and into the hospital. He even sat with her when she was getting her X-ray while (Y/N) talked with the doctors. 
“I wish all dads were like you.  You really made this a lot easier for her.” The nurse said, looking directly at Bucky, who was holding a very tired Amaya. Bucky felt his ears getting warm. 
“I’m not her dad.” The nurse scoffed at Bucky’s correction. 
“Could’ve fooled me with how she’s so attached to you.” She noted. (Y/N) walked into the room with the doctor.
“Hey, ‘Maya.” The little girl in Bucky’s arms stirred at the sound of her mom’s soothing voice. (Y/N)’s eyes were puffy, probably from crying at seeing her baby in pain. Bucky wanted to hug her and Amaya, but he couldn’t really move with a child in his arms with a broken arm. 
“The doctor needs you to sit on the little table over there to check you out.” (Y/N) said, which caused Amaya to slightly shake her head and grip Bucky’s arm with her non-broken hand. (Y/N) looked at Bucky in the eyes, almost pleading with him to help. 
“Amaya, if you sit there, you’ll get to take Mister Bear for the entire month.” Bucky wasn’t new to bribing kids, it’s sometimes the last resort, but Bucky knew how much Amaya loved Mister Bear. The little girl smiled weakly and turned to look at her doctor. (Y/N) smiled at Bucky, she mouthed him a thank you. Bucky was sure his cheeks were glowing red.
“Please, Mister Bucky, sign my cast.” Amaya said, giving him a pen to sign her super bright pink cast. Finally, she calmed down after they put the cast on her, and she got to pick a color. Then, they returned to (Y/N)’s house, where MJ, the babysitter, was still in the place, worried for little Maya.
Bucky laughed, signing his name on her cast and adding a roughly made butterfly. Amaya giggled at the butterfly. Bucky didn’t even notice (Y/N) walking towards them. 
“How are we gonna do the custody for Mister Bear?” She asks, noticing that Amaya is walking towards MJ so she would sign her cast. 
“Well, I use it as a teaching tool, so I have to have it during the day.” Bucky explained. (Y/N) nodded.
“And I can’t pick up Maya this week because I am in court all day.” She added. 
“I can bring him over after work if you want. “ Bucky suggests. (Y/N) extends her hand for Bucky to shake it. 
“I can agree to that, Mr. Barnes.” She said, smiling at Bucky. 
Bucky could die right now, and he would be happy. But who would’ve known that a ruined date could be saved by a shared custody agreement of a teddy bear with a 6-year-old? 
For the past week, Bucky brought Mister Bear for Amaya to play with. After giving the girl the bear, he wouldn’t leave the house. Oh no, no. (Y/N) would give him food, and he would even eat dinner with them. They talked for hours about shows, movies, their childhoods, and just everything they could think of with a glass of wine. Amaya would go to bed, and they would stay up talking, even if they had to wake up early. 
Bucky and (Y/N) had told Amaya that he was staying over for dinner in exchange for Mister Bear because saying, “Hey, mama and your teacher like each other a lot, but you can’t tell anyone” is too much for a 6-year-old. 
What they didn’t count for was that Amaya was too smart for her own good. She knew it was strange that Bucky stayed for dinner and that her mom would wear her “special” perfume whenever Mister Bucky came over. So is this how she’s gonna get a dad? And all she had to do was break her arm. 
Bucky was talking to Steve when Amaya approached him with a book. Both men turned their attention to the little girl with the bright pink cast. 
“Mister Bucky, Mister Bear and I want to read this book tonight. Could you bring it over later?” Steve’s eyes widened, and he turned to his best friend, bewildered by the revelation made by the kid. 
Bucky nodded, trying not to speak because he felt like Steve would have a heart attack if he had verbal confirmation that he was going to (Y/N)’s house every day. 
“James Buchannan Barnes, are you sleeping with your student’s mom?”Steve whisper-s creamed once Amaya was out of hearing range. 
“I am not sleeping with her… We just eat dinner together, and I bring Mister Bear for Amaya. It’s our custody agreement.” Bucky tried to explain, but Steve looked like the vein on his forehead would pop. 
“Fuck Bucky, you are in deep shit now,” Steve whispered. Wait until Bucky tells him he is utterly in love with his student’s mom. Oh shit, what?
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darkcrowprincess · 4 months
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Freddy: I am the only one in this relationship with a brain cell. Billy: When I fully introduced you to Diana, you high pitched screamed and than fainted. Freddy blushing: It's Wonder Woman man! Who wouldn't do that in her presence! Billy: You believed me when I told you Superman and Lex Luther are exs that share custody of Kon. Freddy: What normal person makes a clone of their enemy mixed with their own dna and than rases it as their kid?! Plus have you seen their sexual tension! I heard they both went to same high school in some town called Smallville! Billy: The clubhouse door mishap.You basically did a Drake and Josh. Victor was trapped in the tree house for hours. Freddy gasping in betrayal: I told you that in confidence!
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ohbo-ohno · 4 months
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Okay so BO!!! I have two brain worms lately that I wish to share but I’m only gonna tell you the one now because I’m lazy. Police Officers!Ghoap stopping your friend for speeding and seeing Reader in the backseat, drunk and to yourself, waving at them excitedly when they look in your direction. It gets Johnny all excited and before Ghost can even say anything he’s telling your friend and you to get out of the car, giving you both field sobriety tests. You fail and your friend passes but they both lie and say that they failed and that they have to take you both into custody. Taking you to the station and frisking you, Soap reassuring you when you ask if it’s normal to need two officers for a search. Ghost holding you still when Soap starts to remove your clothes, ignoring your whimpers and whines when he gropes at the flesh of your ass, resisting the urge to bite into it. And then Ghost says they have to do a cavity search on you to be certain you don’t have anything dangerous to hide :((( 🧡🧡🧡 - 🕸
ooh you should maybe check out No One Has To Know by Carin Hart! tbh i wasn't a huuuge fan, but it's got a stalker police officer who kidnaps the fmc and uses his position as an officer to threaten her
anyways! i very rarely write it bc i've actually never been drunk (looong history of addiction in my family) and i feel like if i tried i'd sound like kid guessing at what drunkenness is lmao but! i fucking loooove noncon (dubcon?) with a drunk victim who wouldn't consent if they weren't drunk, and the abuser takes complete advantage of that. hot as fucking hell. and the talking them down the next morning, gaslighting them into thinking they did consent? ohhh i eat it up
anyways 2x. im obsessed with what you've sent me, may i offer some variations?
rookie cop soap & experienced (and jaded) cop ghost who's stuck as his partner. they take both you and your friend in and soap takes you into a private room for your search but ghost can just tell that soap is gonna get himself in trouble, so he finishes his search real quick and goes into the private room to find johnny humping your back while you grind on his leg :( soap freezes in fear because he is actively assaulting you, but ghost just sighs and closes the door, grunts "hurry up, then. need to get her in a holding cell. can spend some more time with her then." and johnny moans, making you moan, and the two of you are just a soaked and desperate mess of limbs
ghost and johnny pulling you over alone on the side of the road in the middle of the night. they handcuff you and you're too scared to fight back, and they insist on doing a search, and then a cavity search before they take you in their car :( you're squirmy and scared and trying so hard to be good, and ghost and soap play good cop/bad cop with you. except, surprising you, ghost is the good cop and soap is the bad cop. mostly because ghost is near silent and soap is rough, kinda mean, while ghost is just ordering you around. anyway the interaction ends with ghost fucking you with his gun :/ you're trying so hard to be good but it's scary and soap keeps threatening to gag you if you get any louder :(
ghost and soap sneaking into the holding cell, making you stay silent in less you want your friend to wake up and see you taking their cocks so well :/ age-old trope but reader getting interrogated by ghost and soap and totally abused and violated as an interrogation method :/ ghost getting mean mean and telling you he'll either fuck you with his baton or beat you with it :/ soap making you shine his badge with your tongue while he's railing you :/
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Missed Communication [Time x Fem!OC x Malon]
In which Time has met his match in the least flattering way possible and Malon has custody of all the brain cells.
A.K.A Time and OC are idiots and Malon's their only saving grace.
Masterlist
Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.
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This was not how I thought my first visit to Lon Lon Ranch would go.
Maybe a friendly greeting with Time's Misses, a few laughs with the boys and then a well placed excuse to escape the chronic awkwardness (and unease) that seems to dominate my every interaction with the Hero of Time these days.
Not. This. Whatever this is.
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Our first meeting had been as normal and pleasant as any magic portal driven meeting could be. That is to say, not normal at all but pleasant regardless. Just really, really weird.
The older Hero and I had just clicked, despite this. His nonchalant deadpanned humor matched well with my well-placed instigation and soft-spoken wit. It helped that I was (physically) his age and boosted a maturity surpassing that of most of his charges.
Also, he was handsome as sin. Like, painfully pretty. Don't get me wrong, objectively all the boys were beautiful, but the mature set of Time's jaw and the faint lines around his eyes just stroked the woman in me.
Man has dilf himbo energy in spades. The whole damned package.
Malon was a lucky woman indeed.
The first few months of our aquatince was warm, simple and steeped in a growing trust that grew with each exasperated sideward glance and fond smile shared over the boys' heads. He was, in the truest meaning of the word, my friend. I dare even say a good one.
And then it happened.
That damned fortune teller.
The beginning of the end of our budding friendship. Stopped dead in it's tracks in less than the span of a breath.
I don't know what she'd told him that day, and he wouldn't tell, but it changed something fundimental in the bond I'd thought we'd shared. Now, he can hardly stand to look at me most days, let alone have a full converstion.
And I'm...just so lost.
It hurts, the sudden distance. So unexpected. One moment we're sleeping next to each other each night, whispering fondly about his beloved wife and my beloved pets, and the next an entire fire and six bedrolls lay between us.
But what can I do. He'd made his stance clear, silent though it may be, and who am I to cling to a friendship I was the only one harboring. It wasn't fair to him, and it most certainly wasn't fair to me.
So, I let it go. Just stayed in the back of the group where our paths wouldn't have to cross and began to forge new friendships among the boys. And honestly, I'm still enjoying myself among this gaggle of sweet, overly protective gremlins. Despite whatever misfortune (or miscommunication) caused this rift between Time and I.
Case in point, Legend might just be the funniest guy I've met in a long time and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to grow closer to him. Even if his words sometimes bite a little too close to home. Though Hyrule's quiet concern over the strained interaction between thier unofficial leader and myself often leaves me feeling guilty. His large, inquiring eyes and soft, sympathetic smile enough to shake a woman down to the bones.
Such sensitive boys, all of them.
I wish I'd had answers for them.
Especially when it all took an even deeper nosedive when Time recieved a letter from his wife. Standard fair but for the way his eye had hooded and cut towards me for just the briefest of moments, focused and cold.
Had I not been looking around the group as I had in that moment, I would have missed it entirely. But be it fate or luck (ill though it may have been) I had unintentionally made eye contact with him.
It was the first time in all my interactions with the Chain that I felt...
...afraid. Of him.
But it was gone as soon as it happened. Seemingly a simple misread flicker of the firelight, but for the way my heart stood cold in my chest for the rest of the night afterward.
And many more nights to follow.
So, upon exiting the portal to the wide pastures of a land I pegged to be Time's, I steeled myself. Against what, I wasn't sure, but I was on his home turf now and he certainly didn't seem to want me around. So, I'd imagine he'd take exception to my presence in his home.
But nothing could have prepared me for...
"Goodness! Why, aren't ya just the sweetest thing! All doe eyed and honey dew smile! Dear! Why didn't you tell me she'd be such a darling!"
Malon.
She took to me like a bee to pollen, a moth to light. She locked her arm with mine immediately and refused to budge, even as she embraced the boys one by one. Her dark blue eyes were glimmering (like the surface of deep water) and hair shining in the sunlight. Sun-kissed face glowing with wonder and delight. The freckles on her cheeks charming across her sweat slicked skin.
She was wonderful. She was beautiful.
I was terrified.
I couldn't bring myself to look in Time's direction. I didn't think my heart would survive what I'd find.
I was afraid to see that cold, focused eye ripping though my soul again, as though staring down an enemy.
I made my excuses early, feigning weariness, much to Melon's dismay. She took it well enough though. Called me a delicate, spring flower. Showed me to the guests rooms, offered me my own. I refused (I wanted to stay with the boys. She seemed charmed by the admission). Touched my hand with such warmth, was slow to withdraw.
I smiled at her, small but grateful, hesitant. My heart was hammering in my chest. The hairs on the back of my neck rose at the feeling of a stare on the side of my face.
She smiled back, seemingly eager for my tentative gestures of friendship. So very sincere, radiating the kind of adoration a person spends their whole lives searching for.
I didn't look to her right. I didn't look up nor  over her shoulder. I kept my eyes on hers, entranced by their dark colors and the little sparks of life dancing within depths but afraid to tell her so.
She was absolutely gorgeous and I was so smitten and so very fucked.
I hoped my face didn't give me away. I prayed that my eyes didn't reveal my thoughts.
When her eyes crinkled at the corners, I knew I'd failed.
I bid them a good evening.
Even as I'd closed the door I could still feel his gaze on me.
I stayed in the room all that evening and all through the night. Four was sweet enough to bring me a plate of dinner, and I was once again so grateful to be in the company of such caring young men.
I really, really was.
That night I slept with Hyrule curled against my back, trying to be the best big spoon he could. Sky was at his, the whole damned ladle to encompass us both within his arms. Legend at our feet, his hand curled loosely around Sky's half rumpled sock and face scrunched in discontent, fingers occasionally twitching around the fabric.
I loved them all so much.
---
Then things got weird.
I exited the room the next morning before the majority of the boys had even left their bedrolls and found Time waiting at the end of the hallway. He was wearing a plain off-white shirt and dark pants.
He looked good. Relaxed, almost, but for the tension in his shoulders when he caught sight of me. The reminder was enough to tear my eyes from him and keep my gaze lowered as I moved steadily to walk passed him.
"Hey." The sound of his voice startled me, so long has it been since it was directed towards me.
He sounded awkward and I wanted to ease that awkwardness. I did not have the strength to, however. I was a coward.
And hurt. Very, very hurt.
Petty.
"Yes?" I eventually said after the stilted silence had carried on too long, unable to keep watching this strong man (this good man, still, for all we were at odds) struggling to continue.
His one good eye tried to meet my gaze, feather soft and regretful in my peripheral, so very vulnerable under my carefully blank stare fixated on his cheek.
"I know I don't deserve it, and you need not accept, but I'd like to properly apologize for the way I've treated you in the recent weeks." He finally managed, voice laden with an emotion I couldn't fully place but thought sounded suspiciously like grief. "If you'd allow me, may I please escort you to the kitchen?"
I wanted to say no. I wanted to stay silent. I wanted to be petty.
I wanted Sky to stop worrying about me. I wanted Twilight to stop repenting to me. I wanted Hyrule to stop fretting for me. I wanted Warriors to stop defending me. I wanted Wild to stop raging for me. I wanted Legend to stop hurting for me.
I wanted...I just wanted...
I just wanted my friend back.
I wanted to feel safe again.
"Okay."
I've always been such a fool for vulnerable men.
Tentatively, he offered his arm, eye soft and resigned from the corner of my vision. Waiting for me to reject him, I realized, wanting me to express my rage the only way he knew I'd allow myself. Wanting to be punished accordingly for having suddenly scorned my friendly gestures and inquiring whispers.
What a fool man. Such a damned idiot.
Guess that makes two of us.
I took his arm, fighting down the wave of unease and spite that pushed against my throat. His arm was warm and solid under my tentative touch, barely restrained power coursing under the cloth and skin. I'd nearly forgotten how his shoulders seemed wide enough to carry the weight of the world.
No. No I hadn't. In the quiet of the night, when the unease and uncertainty were strongest, sometimes I wondered if that might would one day snuff the light from my eyes.
I wondered if he'd cry in remorse afterwards. If he'd feel anything at all.
He wouldn't. He wouldn't feel a thing because he'd never do that and I knew it. Wouldn't have been fighting for breathing room between Sky and Hyrule's smothering heat if he'd had any intent to remove me from their lives. Wouldn't have been cradling Wind's small head between the soft valley of my breasts if he'd deemed me dangerous or unsavory or suspicious.
I may have fallen out of his favor, but he loved his boys with a fierce and zealous devotion. He'd never let harm befall them, be it body, soul or tenderly beating hearts.
He'd have cut me down long ago if he ever meant to. To spare his boys the pain of loss.
The kitchen was bright and smelled faintly of herbs when we entered, my arm still folded gently with Time's.
Malon was there, enchanting red hair down around her shoulders and eyes bright, despite the early hour. The faint crease lines of pillow marks reddened the soft curve of her cheek, stark even against the spread of her freckles.
She smiled at me, tired and fond, before pinning her husband with an intense, expectant stare. The set of her mouth and brow was carefully neutral, but the fire in her eyes gave away her true feelings.
She was mad. Not livid or spiteful or even disappointed, just mad.
She was scarier for it. I could tell she wasn't the type of woman to go off on a rampage and say or do anything that would deminish the validity of her own arguements or feelings. She was probably the type of woman to say exactly what she means and how she feels without embellishment nor doubt. She seemed the type of person you couldn't find fault in their anger, because it was perfectly supported by their words and actions.
Noticing this, I almost felt bad for Time and how thoroughly he was probably admonished to make him this compliant after weeks of silence and avoidance. Almost. Mostly I just felt a hesitant spark of validation and kinship with Malon, even as confusion and caution swirled in my chest.
Why? Why was this even happening in the first place? Why this sudden atmosphere around the couple?
They loved each other so much. They missed each other so much. Before- that happened, Time never shied away from expressing his feelings regarding his wife. Nor what she'd written to him in turn.
What happened? What did she see between Time and I that would bring her scrutiny down on her beloved husband? For a woman she didn't even know?
Time led me to the chairs closest to where Malon was leaning against the counter, loosening his grip enough for me to remove my arm from his. It seemed to be another conscious decision on his part, to not pull away and to allow me to be in control of our proximity. Honestly, it was sweet he was trying so hard, and had it been before all of...this, I certainly would have swooned at the effort he was making.
I steeled myself against the warm feeling trying to take root in my stomach though, and instead took a seat at the counter.
"Good mornin', darlin'. You sleep well?" Malon asked softly, eyes warm and sleep dry lips pulled into a tired but inviting smile.
I nodded, before managing to speak around the lump in my throat. "Yes. Thank you for having us, Ms. Malon. I apologize for retiring early last night. The road left me quite weary. You and your husband's hospitality is most appreciated."
I noticed a spark of something glinting in Malon's dark eyes, before it was soothed down with a bright smile. "Now, now! There's no need for that, dear! You're always welcome here!"
She looked to her husband then, and when I instinctively followed her gaze, I wasn't expecting what I saw.
His jaw was clenched, betraying the- false- smoothness of his brow and relaxed curve of his ears. He was upset, but trying to reign it in and project a calm front. The lines around his eye gave him away though.
He looked hurt. Gazing into Malon's eyes with a lost expression.
What was happening?
I couldn't take it anymore. This underline tension and these confusing actions and feelings being tossed over my head. Like fists full of powder clogging my senses.
"I'm sorry, but, please." I said softly, bringing their attention back to me. My stomach rolled, but I pushed on. "I don't understand what's happening right now." I kept my eyes averted. "Please just explain it to me, so I can understand how to fix this."
Silence.
I spoke once more into that silence. Voice tight with emotion and broken, useless pride as I continued.
"I'm sorry for this tension I've caused. I meant no harm. I just want to make amends for whatever I did to offend you." I looked Time in the eyes. The first time since that fateful night we locked gazes across the fire. "I'm sorry. Tell me how to fix this. Please, Link."
The warm slide of tears escaped down my cheeks without permission, my body no longer able to hold back the immensity of my feelings. The hurt, the confusion, the desperation. The pulsing, writhing, whispering doubt that was my fear.
Fear of this man's wrath and the power he so casually holds over me, a foreign woman with no means to properly defend or support herself in this strange, unfamiliar world. Who's very survival hangs by the thin thread that is the Chain's compassion and continued favor.
Fear of his every frown and unreadable silence. Of the loyalty the boys hold for this man and his words, his influence, his command. Of how quickly he can take it all away in a moment of displeasure or offense. This warm safety net of fondness and companionship I've built myself within the soft, welcoming hearts of the boys, nothing more than delicate silk webs weaved around his fingers. Allowed purchase by the grace of his will alone.
Fear of his overwhelming strength, his unrelenting fury in the face of opposition. Of his unyielding might and unfathomable abilities beyond anything my limited understanding of this world can comprehend. The raw talent he possesses, the potential he wields, like magic weaving themselves into mortal flesh.
My shoulders begin to shake, throat closing as I hide my face in my hands, fingers wetting with tears. The weight of everything crashing down like stones upon my chest and I'm overwhelmed by the fall.
I miss my world, my home, my family, my friends. I miss my independence. I miss the security of knowing how to survive in the world around me, of being able to support myself and choose whom I give myself wholly over to.
I miss the power to live without fear of others opinions or goodwill. To stare down those who would judge and scorn me with the confidence of a woman with a full time job and the money to back up her words. Her own apartment, her own bills. A phone and heating and water and food and furry little mouths to feed.
A woman assured of herself and where she stands in the world. I woman without fear.
The woman I used to be. Not this sniveling, begging shell of a creature clinging to life by the favor of a man. Who. Hates. Her.
Eventually, the tears ran their course and I finally became aware of myself again. Arms were around me, holding me against warm muscle hidden under soft cloth as my hands twisted into their long sleeve.
"I...I'm sorry." I choked, embarrassed and struggling to breathe through blocked sinuses. "I didn't mean to...to..."
I opened my eyes.
I realized, staring at Malon's blurred face twisted in compassion from across the counter, that it wasn't her holding me.
She wasn't the one holding me.
My breath nearly hitched in anxiety, stomach dropping in the cold void of my guts. My mind reeled with confusion, a thousand thoughts swirling through my head between one breath and the next. A cold sweat broke out along the nape of my neck, along my lower back.
I'd frozen, still clutching to the sleeve between my fingers and my shoulder tucked into a chest (firm, laden with dense, lithe muscle) that could only belong to one man.
This didn't make sense. Being forced by your wife to apologize was one thing, but to actively comfort the person you resented was something else entirely. I couldn't wrap my head around it.
I felt confused, wrong-footed, relieved. But mostly, I felt stupid. Because I didn't understand a damned thing that was happening right now or what had caused this sudden shift in Time's behavior.
Then Time started speaking, and it was like the entire world began to shatter and remake itself around me.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think- I didn't know-" He paused briefly, before taking a deep, fortifying breath and continuing. "I'm sorry I hurt you. That I put fear in your heart. It was never my intention. I hadn't even considered how the situation must have looked to you."
Another breath, the slightest tensing of his arms around my shoulders. "You always seem so calm and assured in everything you do. It didn't even cross my mind that you might feel vulnerable after everything that's happened to you."
My heart squeezed. All my insecurities, being laid out before me. One glance at Malon's knowing gaze and I understand where this sudden awareness must have come from.
Time continued, heedless of my newfound understanding. "I never once intended to cast you aside or let harm befall you. I care for you so dearly. Even if you had decided to reject my companionship, I'd still protect you all the same. I thought you knew that, but I was wrong. I should never have assumed you knew something I didn't tell you."
He sighed, but it sounded shaky in my ear. "I hadn't stopped to consider your feelings, before I sought to protect my own. And for that, I'm sorry."
The arms around me tightened, as though trying to impart the sincerety of his words with the action. He needn't have bothered though, because despite it all I believed every word he spoke.
If there was one thing I could always rely on, it was his honesty in matters regarding the heart. No matter how strained our friendship became, it was the one thing I knew he would not actively lie about.
But still.
"But I never did anything to you." I sniffed wetly, fingers digging into his sleeve as I fixated my gaze at the countertop where Malon's freckled hands were resting. "I don't understand why you suddenly felt the need to- escape from me." The tears wanted to come again, but I held them back. This was too important to lose focus. "Please help me understand. The fortune teller-"
Time groaned suddenly and Malon laughed with impish delight, a glint of mischief making an unexpected appearance in her eyes. The sound of Malon's laughter brought confused warmth to my chest, cutting through the thick turmoil muddying up my mind.
Awkward silence. Until Time sighed again. Deeply.
"She told me I'd find new and- passionate love."
What?
Wait, what?
I pulled away from his arms a bit, just enough to turn and peer at him through watery lashes, taking in his blurry visage. My brows pulled down and a look of disbelief no doubt found purchase on my face, mouth pressed in a tight line.
"That's it? Weeks of avoidance and radio silence because some lady in a tent said you'd get the hots for someone? And you just assumed that someone might be me?"
I couldn't believe it. All this time. Just because some lady happened to see us traveling close together and decided to play matchmaker? Really?
Of all the-
Wait a damned minute.
"Time?" I said, tone flat as I locked gazes with him. Dead serious.
He looked right back, though there was caution in his eye now along side the regret. "Yes?"
I leaned forward a bit, our already close proximity putting me squarely in his face. My could feel the spark of rightous rage taking form in my chest.
"You weren't having doubts about your marriage with Malon, were you?"
And suddenly there was no space between us, noses nearly touching, his stare so intense I almost pulled back despite still being trapped in his arms. I could feel the warm, damp spread of his breath against my lips and chin.
"No." He said with dead calm, the hard surely of his tone left no room for doubt.
"Good. Because if you were, you don't deserve her." I threw back, still giving him a hard stare.
Silence. He breaths smelled of coffee and something sweet coated over his natural scent. It made my gut twist in a not unpleasant way. It reminded me that his arms were still around me. How warm he was in the morning chill. How firm his muscles were against my hands and shoulder.
He grinned then, eye brimming with fae-like mirth as he rested his forehead against mine. It was the first time I've seen that beautiful expression in so long. My heart ached at the sight of it, warmth and sweet relief flooding into my heart like babbling spring water.
"There you are." He breathed lowly, eye closing as he leaned more into our point of contact. He inhaled deeply through his nose, shoulders relaxing. I hadn't even noticed until then just how tense they were. "I thought I'd ruined this."
"Hmm?" I hummed in question, still caught up in the rapture of seeing his smile again. Head foggy from our proximity, I felt the beginnings of fatigue settling into my bones from my earlier crying.
"My! Would ya look at that! You weren't kiddin' when ya said she had them lovin' eyes, darling!" Malon spoke up suddenly with barely contained glee, popping the bubble that seemed to exist around Time and I.
I pulled away hurriedly, realizing just how close Time and I had been. Sharing breath, foreheads resting against one another and our noses nearly bumping together. His arms around me and my body nestled into his chest. All of it completely inappropriate for the situation. Especially for being right in front of his wife!
And she sounded far too pleased with this whole thing. Like it didn't even matter that I'd just blubbered in her husband's arms and then touched my face to his like I had a right to.
The confusion was back. But this time, it pulled bright, sweet warmth to my cheeks as I stumbled to my feet. The gentle wink of butterfly wings swirled around in my stomach and Malon's delighted smirk only intensified the sensation, sending the flock up into my throat.
I needed to get away. I needed to think.
"I-I accept your apology, Time!" I stuttered out embarrassedly, fighting the blush I knew was trying to heat my face. "I hope we can talk more later, but I'd like time to think about what you said!" I explained a bit too loudly even to my own ears, nearly wincing at my own awkwardness.
Malon, having come from behind the counter, leaned against her husband's back, hands on his shoulders. She smiled sweetly, a complimentary expression to Time's amused grin. Both of them were haloed by the sun shining softly through the window behind them, like a Goddamned magazine cover.
Goodness, but do they make a beautiful couple.
No. Stay focused. Escape first and then figure out what the Hell is happening. Get yourself together.
"Have a good day, Time, Malon!" Time's lip twitched upward. My stomach squeezed. "Okay! Bye for now."
Then, I all but ran from the kitchen, leaving behind what may have been the last of my dignity. Behind me, Malon's sweet laughter chased me down the hall, alighting my face with hellfire.
And therein began my first official day at Lon Lon Ranch.
---
Because of the limited perspective of first person narrative, a lot of the finer details are implied rather then stated. So if something seems out of left field, it's because the OC herself didn't realize what was happening behind the scenes.
Now I must return to the shadows to rest.
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kyberblade · 1 year
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Back To You (Din x Reader) - Part 14
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A/N: There is one brain cell shared among all three of them, and the child has full custody of it. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I have been waiting for this part. When I first came up with the story, I was like, “Ugh! I’m going to have to come up with an OC Jedi to teach the reader and blah blah blah,” and I was dreading it. Then, lightbulb, “You, dummy! There’s an episode called The Jedi.” Don’t look at me. I laughed at myself but also wanted to hide. So without further ado, here is the next part! (Okay, more ado. Sorry.) There is more show dialogue in this one. Also, once again, there is some lore in this that @writerlyhabits​ wrote in a fantastic short, and I loved it so much, I asked if I could use it.
(This takes place right where the other one left off and goes to the middle of episode 2x5/13, The Jedi.)
I do not own Star Wars or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.
Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, Grogu being the cutest thing you ever did see, and Din is once again a warning in and of himself in this one. Typical show violence. Swearing. Space swearing. Some inappropriate jokes but all in good fun and nothing overtly spicy, more innuendos. Mando’a.
Word count: 14,010 (I regret nothing.)
As always, thanks to @grippingbeskar​ for encouraging me, looking over this for me, and being the one to introduce me to Din fanfiction in the first place, getting me hooked. You are fantastic and I always love our chats.
Thank you to @what-the-heckin-heck, @dontletyourchildrenwatchthis, @lloweryourstandardss, and @fordo-kixed-rex for reading this over for me and letting me know I’m not crazy despite it being a behemoth. And @deceiverofgodss​ for helping with the Mando’a.
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Xxx
Your right vambrace rested in your lap, the glove worn underneath clutched tightly between your teeth as you fiddled with the beskar. “Dahnk fahrik,” you mumbled around the leather as the tool slipped. Luckily not much could damage beskar, or the vambrace would be covered in scratches right now simply from this repair attempt.
Din turned in his pilot’s seat to watch when you let out a growl in frustration. “Need some help?”
“Yesh,” you said around the leather before spitting it out beside the vambrace. “Yes,” you repeated with a sigh, letting your head plop back against your chair. 
He chuckled lightly, taking the vambrace to inspect more closely. “What seems to be the problem?”
“The fastening mechanism isn’t working right.” You picked up your head to look at him properly, handing him the tool. “It clicks in, but it still sits kinda loose on my arm. I was trying to tighten the screw, but-”
Din slid the mechanism closed after three small twists with the little tool, a sound click filling the cockpit. “It’s fixed.”
You stared at the armor in his hands for a moment, tilting your head after a minute of silence and blinking. “How-”
“It’s a spring mechanism. Fails on mine sometimes, too. The trick is to bypass it here,” he pointed with the tool to a spot an inch away from where you were working, “so it can continue without catching.” Leaning forward he set the vambrace back in your lap, keeping the tool, tossing it in the air and catching it. 
Holding the beskar close to your face to inspect it for yourself, you narrowed your brows as you turned it over to see all the little crevices, poking at the spot he pointed at almost like you were testing it. “Thanks,” you mumbled.
He nodded once before turning back to the control panel and dropping out of hyperspace.
As you slipped your glove and vambrace back on, you looked up through the viewfinder to see a dreary looking planet looming ahead, half in shadow half in sun, the side in darkness barely lit up with any cities or lights. 
“Corvus, this is the place. I’ve detected a beacon.” As Din spoke, he looked across his shoulder at the kid where he sat to his right on the console, looking up at him with bright eyes, making you smile. “I’m gonna start the landing cycle. You better get back in your seat.”
Din continued to press buttons and flip switches while the child stayed where he was, looking around the cabin as if nothing had happened. His focus settled on the silver ball on top of the lever about a foot in front of him, and you rolled your eyes. This was going to be interesting.
Jerking his head back towards the kid’s seat, Din’s voice got a little gruffer, more stern. “Hey, what did I tell you?” If Din noticed, he didn’t say anything, but you had to stifle a laugh at the way the kid’s face scrunched up into a scowl as he eyed the ball again, eyes narrowed slightly. As quickly as it came, it went, and the most innocent expression fell over his features as he tilted his head to the side and looked up at his caretaker. Oh, he’s good. 
“Back in your seat.” Din turned back to face forward as the kid clamored down with little coos and grunts, hiking himself up into his chair on your right. You raised a brow as you watched him worrying his hands in front of himself as he looked between the ball and Din, and back again a few times. 
Reaching out a hand, his eyes falling partway shut, you didn’t have to feel the surge in the air to know what was happening as the kid started to slyly unscrew the ball with the Force.
Under the guise of adjusting your vambrace further, you tucked your smile towards your chest, trying to swallow the snicker that wanted so badly to come out. 
As you flew over the surface of the planet, it reminded you of the lower levels of Coruscant, grimy and hazy, the air almost yellow and thick. Everything looked gloomy and sad, the trees that once would have been a magnificent forest now stood baren and stripped, lonely spires left as a reminder of a better time.
Landing in the middle of what was once a forest on the outskirts of the village, you heard deep moaning and chittering coming from beyond the little clearing the ship was in. Stepping down the ramp cautiously, you peered around, eyes going wide when you saw the source of the sounds. Large creatures on four legs, taller than the Crest ambled about, snapping what was left of the dead trees in their jaws as they ate. 
At the bottom of the ramp, Din turned to look at you. “If anywhere was a place you needed to conceal your identity, it’s here. This is the type of place where someone would turn you in for a handful of credits, let alone whatever the bounty actually is now.”
“I’ll just stay here on the ship, then-”
“No,” he cut you off. “I can’t protect you if you’re here and I’m there. We stick together.”
You nodded. “Fine. I’m not going to disagree with that. But what’s the solution? I mean, I have my capes but they don’t really conceal me much.”
Din tilted his head to the side as he stared at you, his visor moving from your head down to your toes and back up in a silent appraisal.
You swallowed roughly. “Uh-oh. No. No, Din. Whatever you’re thinking, I don’t like it.”
“You don’t even know what it is yet!” He protested, arms going out to his sides as he laughed lightly.
“But I already know I don’t like it,” you countered, taking a step backwards up the ramp.
“Will you just trust me, please?” He was still laughing over his words, taking a step towards you. “Mesh’la, come on. Have I steered you wrong before?”
“Let’s see,” you stopped, holding out a finger for each situation. “We’ve crash landed on an ice planet because you were avoiding being arrested after helping with a prison break gone wrong.” You held out a second finger, “The Crest was held together with twine and hope as we limped to Arvala-7.” A third finger, “You said you shot the trooper at the base when it was obviously me-”
You let out a squeal as he rushed toward you, turning and darting up the ramp yelling, “No, no, no!” as you laughed. Scooping the kid up, you turned to face Din as you held the kid up in front of your face. “Think of the child,” you panted, trying to catch your breath as the little green bundle in your grasp let out a soft questioning coo. Din kept stalking closer, so you set the child down. “Run, kid! Save yourself!”
Din was on you the next second, your back against the wall of the Crest as you stared at his chest plate with a grin. “We’ve got to quit meeting like this,” you teased. Laughter filled the ship as you batted his hands away. They poked into your sides mercilessly, crawling up to your neck and back down until finally you relented. “Fine! Fine! Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Just stop! Please!” Once he stopped and you could get a deep breath, you glared up at his visor. “It’s really not fair that all of this,” you tapped a knuckle against his beskar, “keeps me from ever being able to get you back.”
“Then you’re going to love my plan.” His tone sounded like he had a broad grin plastered on under his helmet, and it made one climb up your features as well.
Xxx
“This will never work!” You yell through the refresher door.
“It has to,” Din called back, his footsteps pacing back and forth in the main part of the ship. 
Looking down at yourself, you grimaced. He’d told you to put the armor you'd gotten from Vanth on Tatooine on. It was obviously made for someone much larger than you. If you were trying to remain inconspicuous, this was going to do the exact opposite. 
You weren’t even thinking about messing with the helmet right now, it was much too big and you’d probably trip and break something if you wore it before it was necessary. You still wore your own vambraces. Din didn’t want you to bump a button on the others and blow something up.
“Just let me see,” Din said quietly, his footsteps pausing. “Please.”
Pushing the button to open the door, you looked up at him through your lashes, afraid to move your head up to look at him properly, lest the armor all just fall off.
“It…. Um.”
“My thoughts exactly,” you grumbled, shuffling forward with your arms held stiffly out at an angle to make sure it stayed on you.
Sighing, you stopped about a foot away from him, looking up expectantly. When he said nothing, you huffed, rolling your eyes. "This was made for a man, Din."
“....And?" He held a hand out in front of him in question.
“....Men don't have breasts." You adjusted the chest plate slightly, glaring at it as you did.
He choked. "I see."
Rolling your eyes again, you stomped over to your bag that sat on a crate to your right, careful to hold the armor in place, and went back in the refresher.
“Mesh’la, what’s wrong?” Din called from the other side of the door, knocking softly.
“I’m fixing this. Hold on.” You pulled off the chest plate and put on your capes, both of them, along with your scarf, hoping the padding would help fill in the blank spaces the armor left behind. It fit a little more snuggly once you slipped the armor back on, so you opened the refresher door again, walking out a bit more confidently this time.
Your face fell at Din’s instant reaction.
"No. No, no, no. No."
You held your arms out to the side, looking down to survey the armor again. "What? I thought it looked…. Okay-ish?"
"You look like a- and don't take this the wrong way... You look like a Hutt that sprouted legs."
Your arms froze out to your sides, and you looked up at him with only your eyes, the rest of you completely still. "Gee, thanks."
He was quick to add, "Or a Wookie that shrunk."
You lifted your head up to level a glare on him, your voice a deadpan. "I get it, Din."
"Or a-"
Your arms crossed over your chest, somewhat awkwardly at the bulk of the capes and armor. "Say one more thing. I dare you."
He just looked you up and down once, his visor trailing the path slowly before he couldn’t help himself. "....it doesn't look right."
Letting out a battle cry, you launched, tackling him to the floor of the Crest. Your momentum caused you both to roll down the ramp, falling off halfway, and landing on the ground with a thump.
"Why. Are. You. So. Annoying?!" You shook his shoulders, lifting him as far up off the ground as you could- only an inch or so- and dropping him back down between each word for emphasis. But you were barely moving because of the padding, each movement stilted, and Din just snickered beneath you at the whole situation.
"Kid, help!" He cried over a snort of laughter, turning his head toward the ramp. 
"Your gremlin can't save you now, Mando," you practically growled out.
Suddenly the world spun for a brief second before coming to a grinding halt as you let out a breath on an oomph. When you looked up, you saw the T of his visor looking down at you as he now had the high ground. 
"No need," he said simply, lowering to get close to your face as his next words came out on practically a hum. "You can wear my old armor, it'll fit you better. And if not....” His head tilted to the side just slightly. “Nothing is always an option."
You raised a brow at him, eyes narrowing on his visor as you slowly repeated his words. “You want me to walk into the village.... In nothing?"
His head tilted the other way. "Who said anything about the village?"
Xxx
“I look ridiculous.” The sound of your voice through a modulator made you wrinkle your nose inside the beskar dome. 
“You look like a Mandalorian.”
You sighed. “I sure hope so. Otherwise all of this,” you gestured down to the armor, “was for nothing.”
“I wouldn’t say nothing….”
You reached out and shoved his shoulder lightly as you both chuckled. Taking off the helmet, you took a deep breath.
“It’s not an awful way of life. Maybe you should consider it,” he teased. “You look good in beskar.”
“And hide all of this?” You made a swooping gesture to your face before you laughed. 
“True,” Din said lightly, bumping your shoulder with his own. “Maybe it’s just that it’s my old armor.”
“That could be it….” You winked at him before you put the helmet back on, grumbling as you did. “I don’t know how you do this all day every day. I feel like I can’t breathe.”
“Everything still works the same,” Din mused, making you turn a visored glare on him, the helmet shifting slightly to the side with your movement. 
“Ugh!” You groaned. “Don’t make me glare at you. Or laugh. Any sudden movement and this thing is gonna go.” You righted it on your head, sighing when it finally sat right again.
A soft coo came from the top of the ramp, and you looked up to see the child ambling down slowly, almost sleepily. Your helmet began to shift with the movement, but Din held one finger up to the temple and held it in place. 
The child plopped down in the middle of the ramp looking thoroughly exhausted, eyes blinking slowly as he fought sleep, and when you spied the silver ball in his hands, you finally understood. He had spent his energy trying to get his toy.
“What did I say about that?” Din walked up to the child, lowering to his haunches and taking the ball gently from his ward. Holding it up, he spoke sternly. “This needs to stay in the ship.”
The child reached after the toy, whining softly as Din tucked it into his belt while he rose to his feet. Turning to survey the area, he didn’t seem impressed. “Not much to see out here.”
“Good, because I can’t move to look,” you grumbled, holding the top of the helmet with one hand as you slowly turned to glance around as well. 
“Never had dealings with a Jedi before,” Din mused absently, and for some reason that stung unexpectedly.
It frustrated you that you couldn’t be enough to help the kid. You hadn’t had the training, it just wasn’t possible to be everything he needed. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt sometimes. 
Din scooped the child up into his arms with a grunt. “Let’s head into town.” The child cooed as Din tucked him into the satchel. “See if we can pick up a lead.”
You followed behind as quickly as your awkward armor clad frame would allow, one hand on top of your helmet as you tried to keep up with your Mandalorian.
Xxx
As you approached the city wall, you lowered your hand to rest on your belt, your saber tucked safely away behind Din’s cape. Careful not to linger near your weapons, you tried to look as casual as Din did beside you on your right. 
A guard said something you didn’t understand, then a man came walking across the top of the wall, standing tall and imposing in the center over the city gates. “State your business.”
“Been tracking for a few days. Looking for a layover.” You kept your face forward as Din spoke, every bone in your body itching to rest your hand on your blaster.
The man looked skeptical, but it quickly faded into appreciation, if somewhat aloof. “Nice armor.” When Din said nothing, he continued. “You a hunter, then?”
Din nodded once. “That’s right.” His tone was a little more amicable now, trying to get on the man’s good side.
“And them?” The man bounced his head your way, eyeing your patchwork armor. 
You nodded, as little as possible, but you still felt the helmet start to slip before it suddenly held fast. Glancing down at the satchel, you saw the kid reaching out to help, and you nodded more firmly.
“Guild?”
“Last I checked,” Din said after a moment, making you smile under the helmet while you nodded slowly once again.
The man tilted his head at you. “Do you not talk?”
Without missing a beat, you shook your head no. The armor was for a man, and your voice wouldn’t pass as masculine even if you tried. Which you had back on the ship. Din and the child found it very amusing, both of them laughing hysterically. It was ridiculous, you had to admit. You’d chuckled yourself.
“Vocal chords were frozen before they came to the Creed. Toxin from an uninhabited planet chasing a bounty. Not much to say in our line of work, though, anyway.”
You tilted your head to look up at the man again, and felt the kid’s grip on the helmet slip. Reaching out yourself, you held it still with an unseen force, looking the man in the eye.
He arched his brow at Din’s words, looking at you with a new appreciation in his gaze before he turned his head to one of the guards. “Open the gate.”
Releasing your hold on the helmet after you looked forward again, you walked a step behind Din, as smoothly as you could. Sending the kid a wave of thanks, you heard his soft coo in response.
Walking down the main thoroughfare, you came upon a vendor Din started to question before they turned and walked off, leaving him trailing off mid sentence with a sigh. 
Behind the booth was an alley with a man crouched down in front of two children. They looked so sad, you decided to do something about it. A gentle nudge with your mind, and two pieces of fruit rolled off the vendor’s table, landing softly against the children’s feet. You made sure to make their path look haphazard and natural.
The children beamed as they picked them up, but the man sadly informed them they couldn’t afford them. Taking a step forward, you held up your hand to stop him, Din withdrawing the amount of credits needed from his belt and setting them on the table. 
“We can’t-” the man began, but you just waved your hand at him, gently shaking your head back and forth the little the helmet would allow before it slipped. “Thank you,” he finally said instead, to which you only nodded once.
“I need some information,” Din began softly, taking a step forward. “I’m looking for someone.”
The man’s face fell, and he turned to the children. “Okay, bye.” As they scampered off, he rose to his feet. “Please, do not speak to them, or to any of us.” It looked like he had more to say, but couldn’t. 
Din took a deep breath in, but was cut short by some armed guards surrounding both you and him. “The Magistrate wants to see you.” Sighing, Din turned to you, signing in Tusken. “Go back to the ship. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Nodding as gently as possible, you didn’t know how else a Mandalorian would respond, so you did the first thing that came to mind. Bringing your hand up in a salute as you stood at attention, you held it for a second before turning on your heel at Din’s slight head shake in reaction.
Well.
You tried.
Xxx
You stood near the front gates as you waited for him, keeping a watchful eye on the village around you. 
It was dismal, dark, everything a bit hazy, and an overall sense of gloom hung in the air. Nobody smiled, you heard no laughter, no sounds of children playing around the corner. Just the chatter over the guard’s comms and silence.
Every once in a while, the tense air was broken with a distant yell, someone crying out in anguish as the faint sound of crackling electricity buzzed in the background. It echoed off every wall, so you couldn’t pinpoint where it came from, but it made your spine crawl every time. 
You thought you heard a “please” on the wind, carried on the latest cry, right before you saw Din approaching quickly down the street, walking a bit faster when he saw you. 
“I told you to wait on the ship,” he signed, ignoring the questioning eyes of the man who let you into the city close on his heels.
“I decided this was best,” you signed back, earning a soft growl of frustration from him.
“Problem?” The man looked between the two of you as he came to stand across from you where you leaned against the front wall, one leg bent, foot propped up against the stone beneath you easily.
You started to shake your head when your breath caught in your chest as you were abruptly hauled off the wall by the material at the back of your neck. Turning to find your assailant, you were met with none other than Din’s visor, tilted at you pointedly, making the scoff you were about to let loose die on your lips as you remembered your cover.
“No, no problem,” he grunted as he began to haul you toward the front gates, and out of the city. “Just a little domestic dispute is all.”
Swallowing the huff you wanted to let out, you shrugged out of his hold, signing in a flurry when your hands were free. “Domestic dispute my ass.”
The man let out a snort of laughter, looking down to his feet to try and conceal his amusement. When he looked back up to find two T visors on him, he sighed. “Did I mention I speak Tusken?” After a moment he held up his hands placatingly. “But, hey, it’s none of my business.” He leaned in on the last few words with a wink, before leaning back again, hands falling to rest on his belt easily. 
After a long moment, you signed something not so nice to him, making him laugh. “Sorry. I know when I’m not wanted.”
The child let out a coo from his satchel, looking up at the man with bored eyes.
“What is that thing anyway?”
Narrowing his eyes up at the man, his ears falling to the side of his head in an unimpressed scowl, the kid let out a soft grunt. 
“I keep it around for luck.” Din’s dry tone made you want to laugh.
“You’re gonna need it where you’re headed.” The man’s ominous warning didn’t sit well with you, and you turned your back on him, heading toward the tree line.
With the helmet’s enhanced hearing, you were just able to make out his low voice as he leaned into Din. “What about them? You keep them around for luck, too?”
You couldn’t hold back the soft snort when Din mumbled softly, “Something like that.”
Xxx
You stayed several paces ahead of him the entire way back to the ship, letting the helmet slip to the side a bit further with every impact of your feet as you tread a little more forcefully than necessary. 
Not knowing what else to do, you had reached up and offered your best salute, hoping it didn’t look as awkward as it felt. Din had walked off with a shake of his head, not offering you much hope that you looked very convincing. But then…. Then he came and hauled you off the wall by the back of your neck like a mothering animal to a misbehaving baby…. At least you had tried to be a little Mandalorian, you grumbled to yourself, thoughts bouncing off every wall of your mind. 
Meanwhile he had just been plain Din, what with his domestic dispute, and luck, and something like that. Letting out an exaggerated breath, you rolled your eyes, which was a bad idea, because when you tried to focus forward again, the helmet had slipped further in those precious seconds and your field of view was now almost completely sideways somehow.
Going back to the ship, as soon as you were on board, you ripped the helmet off, taking a deep breath. 
“How does he do it?” You mumbled, setting the lump of beskar on a crate.  
After some time passed, you were startled when a body pressed up against your back. It wasn’t until you felt the cool touch of beskar against your ear that you relaxed again, letting your eyes fall closed as you let out a sigh. You were still baffled by how he could move so silently.
“We need to work on your Mandalorian etiquette." His voice was low and somewhat amused, his hands finding purchase on your upper arms before they began to trace down towards your hands.
"Why? Was I a little... Rusty?" You looked over your shoulder at him, fighting a smirk. 
Stopping all movement, Din went rigid, even his modulator falling silent. Turning abruptly, he let go of you, and made his way out and back down the ramp to the outside of the ship.
“Din?” You chuckled, watching him with your eyes. Following him to the top of the ramp, you popped your head through the opening and followed his steps as he made his way around the Crest in a circle with knit brows. “Din.”
You tried everything, but he didn’t speak to you for a good hour after that.
You tried really hard to get him to talk to you and he just looked at you for a moment, pausing his incessant movement, shook his head in disbelief, and began working on part of the Crest again. 
Finally you’d had enough, following on his heels like a bad smell, lamenting, "It's the armor! It's rubbing off on me!"
He mumbled so quietly you almost missed it. "I'll help rub something off on you-"
"What?" You cut him off.
"What?" He fired back dryly just as fast.
You stared at him for a long moment, your eyes flitting over his helmet as your jaw dropped in shock before you squeaked, "What?!?”
Another long moment passed before he simply turned and walked away in silence. 
"Din?"
He held up a hand, waving it dismissively as if to say "Shhhh!"
“Ugh!” You groaned, throwing your head back and staring at the ceiling of the ship as you followed him around. “Will you please tell me what the Magistrate wanted?”
“Wants me to kill a Jedi.”
You stopped moving, your head snapping up to look at him properly. 
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to,” he clarified. “Offered me a spear of pure beskar in exchange. If I turned that down, it’d look suspicious. Plus, she gave me coordinates of her last known location. Get your stuff packed up, we’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now,” you said without hesitation. “I’m not going to take the armor off, it was too hard to get it to look right in the first place, plus if we run into anyone from town, we need to sell our story again.” You turned, taking a few steps toward the ramp before rounding on him with a finger held close to his visor. “But I’m not wearing the helmet.”
“I thought it stayed pretty well-”
“That’s because he,” you pointed to his little green ward sound asleep in the satchel, “wore himself out holding it on for me, then I held it the rest of the time.”
Din looked down at the child. “I didn’t know,” he murmured.
“Not everything is black and white like your visor would lead you to believe, Din.”
Xxx
Walking through the woods, the soft moans of the wood chomping creatures the only sound in the air, you kept a few paces ahead of him.
“So you have to kill a Jedi?”
He only grunted in response.
After a long moment of silence, your voice lowered before you continued, something hesitant in your chest. “Do you do this sort of thing a lot?” You looked over your shoulder at him, eyes lowering to the ground before you turned forward again, voice going lower still. “I mean, before I came along.”
Din sighed. “A bounty was a bounty, mesh’la. I…. I didn’t really think twice. Didn’t look much further than the information on the puck. Until this one.”
Chancing a glance back at him one more time, you saw he was looking down at the kid in his satchel with a fond tilt of his head, the kid now wide awake and blinking large eyes up at him as he babbled nonsense around an adoring smile.
“What made you think twice?”
Din lifted his visor to look at you straight on. “I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. He was just a kid….” His focus turned toward the ground in thought, his voice going along with it. “….kinda like I was.”
“If….” You turned forward, unable to look at him as you said the next part. “If you got my puck, what would you do?”
“Go straight to the bar and get you the hell out of there.” He didn’t even hesitate.
You smiled softly. “No, I mean if you didn’t know me.”
“Oh.” Suddenly his hand was around your elbow, tugging you gently to a stop. “Mesh’la, you don’t want to go down this road.”
“Maybe you’re right. I just…. I don’t know. I’m curious-”
“No. Mesh’la,” he tugged you softly in the opposite direction you had been going. “You really don’t want to go down this road. The coordinates are that way.”
“….Oh.” Taking a few steps in the proper direction to get ahead of him again, you scrunched up your face in disbelief at yourself once you were past him as you mumbled, “I knew that.”
His hand still around your elbow stopped you short. “Mesh’la.” 
Sighing, you looked at the ground. “Forget it, Din.”
He tried again, ignoring you, his tone just as soft. “Mesh’la.”
Refusing to face him, you lifted your gaze to study the forest of dead trees around you, the faint figures of the giant creatures lowing in the distance drawing your focus as you spoke. “No, Din. I don’t know what I wanted to know. Just…. Just forget it. Okay? Please?”
He sighed. “Mesh’la,” you echoed his heavy exhale, rolling your eyes, making him let out a soft snort of laughter. “Before…. My job as a bounty hunter wasn't…. Nice. It was an existence more than anything. Yes, it came to be something I enjoyed to an extent, but…. The taking of lives, ruining someone’s life, breaking up a family…. That was never the part I wanted. I hated that part.” The fingers around your elbow slowly began to trace absent patterns. “I….” He let out a huff. “I came back to the bar, back to you, to try and forget about those parts. You made me feel a little bit more human when I’d been stripped down to just a monster in beskar.”
Turning, you looked up into his visor. “You were never a monster, Din.” He shook his head at you with a disbelieving huff, his gaze falling toward the ground. “You weren’t,” you said more firmly, trying to catch his gaze again, smiling ever so slightly when you did. “You may scare Mythrol, but you’re not a monster.” You leaned in slightly, like you were sharing a secret. “I scare Mythrol, remember. And I am most definitely not a monster.”
“I don’t know….” He mused, his voice dripping in amusement. He began to move down the correct path again, pulling you gently until his hand fell from your arm as he pulled in front of you. “Have you seen you just after you wake up?”
Stopping in your tracks after only a few steps, your jaw dropped as an indignant scoff tumbled out, making him chuckle. Stomping past him, you brushed his shoulder with your own, the beskar on each set of armor bouncing off the other with a clang. “I take it all back. You’re awful.”
It only took a few more minutes before Din slowed to a stop behind you, making you turn to face him, tugging at the scarf around your neck where it was still tucked into the armor. “This is starting to itch….”
“I tried to warn you,” he muttered, pressing a few buttons on his vambrace as he looked around, pressing something on the side of his helmet once he was satisfied. “Well, these are the coordinates.”
Looking around, you tugged the scarf a bit harder, sighing in relief when it loosened just a bit. “This?” You used your other hand to gesture to the vacant space, save for barren trees.
He only nodded, turning slowly to survey the area for himself. “Keep your eyes open.”
“For what?” You grumbled. “This place is a ghost planet.”
He huffed, making another half turn before turning back towards you, his shoulders tense. “We must be close.”
Something rustled not far from you, making all three of you snap your attention to the side at the sound, searching for the source.
“You hear that?”
“No. I’m just reacting exactly like you for absolutely no reason,” you grumbled, eyes darting back and forth in search of the sound. It was hard to swallow the smile that wanted to come up when you felt his visor level on the side of your face, utterly unimpressed with your jokes.
Keeping his visor fixed on you, he walked over to a large nearby stone, setting the kid down on top of it. Finally, he turned to look at the kid as he spoke softly. “Don’t worry. Sit right here. Let me see what’s out there.”
Pulling the scope off his rifle, he looked around the area, coming back to a spot with a sigh. “False alarm.”
Following his line of sight, you saw one of the giant creatures in the distance, meandering slowly through the leafless trees. You were about to make a joke, something about the huge beasts and how they obviously hid so well, when you felt a sudden surge in the Force. You barely had time to say, “Mando!” before he spun just in time to block two white sabers with his vambraces.
The metal sang under the pressure of the blades before they were drawn back and you saw the face of your attacker, a Togruta, very strong with the Force.
She glanced between the two of you quickly before she went in again for another swipe at his beskar, the clang and ting of impact ringing around the clearing. A spin sent the blades careening for your own armor clad arms, and you felt the impact vibrate throughout the metal as you swiftly blocked, then put distance between you once again.
Using the Force, you summoned your saber from where Din still had it tucked away safely under his cape, and it flew into your waiting hand, igniting on impact.
Without wasting a second, you ran in between them, blocking her sabers with your own. White met purple in blinding flashes, the zing of kyber on beskar rang in between the hum of clashing blades as Din tried to come from the other side.
You saw her eyes widen in shock for only a moment when she saw the glow of your saber meet hers, but she quickly schooled her features back into something more battle ready, more menacing as she came back in for another attempt.
Both of you blasted your vambraces at her, walls of fire coming from each side and meeting in the middle in a collision of flames. She leapt up and out of the way at the last second, soaring high over your heads and landing safely away, firmly on her feet with her blades at the ready. 
Din’s whipcord shot out and wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her side, her sabers pointed to the ground. She quickly looked up and you saw her plan form in an instant. Before you could say a word, she had leapt up again, obviously using the Force to gain distance from the two of you, and spun her body over a low hanging branch, yanking Din up by the cord with the movement.
He grunted, reaching out with a blade in his other vambrace to slice the cord tethering them together, dropping to the ground with a thud. He spun to face her as she turned, swinging her sabers with a flick of her wrists to cut the cord still around her at her back with a flash of sparks and hum of her blades on impact. Her blades once again at the ready once the whipcord was gone, she stood ready to charge. 
“Ahsoka Tano!” Din held up his hand placatingly, backing up a step when she began to move toward him, his blaster drawn in his other hand. She stopped when she heard what he said. “Bo-Katan sent me!”
She hesitated, eyes darting between the two of you, dancing along the glow of your blade held in front of you at the ready before returning to your eyes.
“We need to talk,” he continued, voice softer as he caught his breath, and her gaze drifted over to the child.
She lowered her sabers as she casually slipped into conversation, and disengaged them, making you hesitate as you lowered your own blade, keeping it ignited as you held it loosely at your side. 
“I hope it’s about him.”
After studying her face for a long moment and finding nothing bad, you followed her gaze to look at the child as he cooed softly, tilting his head back and forth as he looked between the three of you. 
“And her.”
Looking over your shoulder, you found her eyes now on you, seeming to see beneath the layers of beskar with just a look. Shifting your weight nervously, your gaze darted to Din before you disengaged the saber, clipping it to your belt.
“Him,” you said decidedly as she and Din walked closer to the child. 
Narrowing her eyes as they looked you up and down one more time, she pursed her lips as she stared at your face for a long moment. “And you,” she finally added again, something mischievous in her tone. 
“No, just hi-”
“You may have just come for him,” she began, turning to walk away further into the woods, stooping down to pick her cloak up off the ground that had fallen off at some point in the battle, then motioning you both forward after a few steps. “But it is both of you that need my help.”
You and Din shared a look before following after her, Din scooping up the child on the way.
“I don’t-”
She held up her hand to stop you, a small smile working its way up her face. “There is no need to lie to me, little one. I could sense you long before I saw you. You’re quite powerful, but obviously never actually trained, much like your little green friend over there.” She gestured to the child with a small jerk of her head, eyes on the path in front of her. “Come.” Pulling the cloak over her shoulders, she finally fully looked at you and smiled. “We have much to discuss.”
“We don’t have anything to discuss,” you grumbled, keeping your stride alongside her. “You and the child do….”
She smiled knowingly. “We’ll see.”
Xxx
Ahsoka sat with the child by a lantern in complete silence. You could feel some sort of exchange happening between them, but you couldn’t tell what it was about, only that it felt friendly and good natured. The large moon behind them made the scene all very picturesque, but from your little viewpoint down here, everything about it made you want to run up and curl yourself around the child and never let go. It felt like a changing of the guard.
Din paced back and forth on the edge of the clearing as you leaned up against one of the old trees, your ankles crossed leisurely and your arms across your chest.
“Could you be any more of a worried father right now?” You chuckled over the words, holding your hands up in surrender when he stopped to stare at you, his head tilted in annoyance.
The armor was long gone from your frame and in a neat bundle with all but one of your capes and your scarf- which you were wearing- near your feet, ready to be carried back to the Crest. Your clothes you’d worn as a base layer had never felt better as you stretched your sore muscles, tired after lugging beskar around all day. You looked down, adjusting your vambraces needlessly, fiddling with the weapons on your belt while you waited.
He began pacing again, face toward the ground as he moved, and you sighed.
“They’ll be fine,” you tried after a minute, your arms crossing back over your chest as you slumped further back against the tree.
He stopped again, his shoulders tense, chest broad as he visibly kept from looking their way. “Can you hear what they’re saying?” 
Narrowing your eyes, you tilted your head just slightly in question. “What they are silently saying in their heads?”
“Yes.” He spoke so matter of factly, you couldn’t help but answer in the same tone.
“Oh yeah. He’s complaining about the lack of frogs in his diet- No I can’t hear them!”
With a heavy sigh, his shoulders visibly deflating and rolling forward, he began to pace again, eyes on the ground.
Pushing off the tree, you stepped into his path, stopping him with your hands on his shoulders. The way he was moving you expected it to take more effort but he gave very little resistance, a small breath leaving his modulator as he looked up at you.
“Din. Breathe.” Taking a step closer, you tilted your head back to keep eye contact with him. “This is what he needs. What’s best for him. We won’t let him go if it isn’t right.” Your hands fell down into his cowl and you pulled him closer still. “And after that little fight she put up, I have no doubt he would be completely safe in her hands. She’s a Jedi, Din. She knows what she’s doing, knows what he needs. You know that.”
He let out a ragged breath, his gloved hands coming to rest solidly on your back, fingers tracing absently ever so slightly as he spoke. “I know. Doesn’t make it any easier.”
“Never said it would,” you whispered, turning your head to the side and resting your cheek against the fabric still fisted in your hands.
“And what about you, mesh’la,” Din prodded quietly after a moment, his hands stilling on your spine to hold you to him in a preemptive move. “Is this what you want?” You pulled back to look at him, and his grip only let you pull back enough to tilt your head back further. “Is it what you need?”
“He’s your ward, Din. Your foundling. It’s not my decision-”
He tisked, his head tilting to the right. “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”
Closing your eyes, you buried your face in his cowl with a soft groan. Rolling your head back and forth against the fabric, you spoke into the material, unable to look at him. “No. It’s not.”
“You haven’t even talked to her yet-”
“And I don’t need to.” Pulling back, you looked at him through narrowed eyes, your brows pulled together in a scowl. “I’m fine with what I am, Din. Would I have one day, long ago, maybe have become a Jedi? Yeah.” Your eyes fell to his cowl, darting briefly to his signet that glinted in the moonlight, making you smile, before you looked back up at him. “But that’s not where I am now. It’s not where I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to be here. With you.” You poked his chest, smiling. “….Kicking ass.”
He chuckled softly.
“I didn’t join a clan just to up and leave when something else came along. You know me better than that.” You arched a brow as you looked up at him, eyes flitting back and forth between where you assumed his eyes were.
“I do,” he said softly, leaning his forehead against your own. “I know you.”
“Then why even bring it up?” He laughed again at your soft grumble.
“Because, mesh’la, I want to do what’s best for both of you. Even if you did leave, you’d still be a member of my clan. You’ll always be a member of my clan.”
“Damn right I will be,” you mumbled, unable to contain your smile. 
The squeaking of the lantern as it swung by Ahsoka’s side made you both pull away, turning to face the Jedi and your small ward. She set the lantern on the ground, then shared a long look with Din, then you, a soft smile on her face, before finally turning and setting the small child on a nearby stone. 
He grunted softly as he looked between all of you, his ears wiggling as he did. 
She sat on a rock across from him, tucking her arms under her cloak as she settled in, staring at the lamp for a long moment, before she looked back at the child with a fond smile, tilting her head as he continued to babble and coo. 
“Is he speaking?” Din finally broke the silence. “Do you…. Understand him?”
“In a way.” Looking at the child fondly, she then looked up to Din. “Grogu and I can feel each other’s thoughts.”
Everything stopped. Your breath caught in your chest. Your eyes went wide from where they studied her, darting over to the little green child you’d instantly connected with, come to love more and more over the months, and would protect with your life. The kid.
“Grogu?” Din spoke hesitantly, as if tasting the word as it passed through his lips. 
Lifting his ears, the chi- Grogu turned up toward Din, a questioning coo you’d never heard him make before softly tumbling forward into the silent space.
“Yes. That’s his name.” Ahsoka looked at the chi- Grogu with something that seemed like sadness.
Reaching out, you felt nothing but a kindred connection between the two of them, almost making you smile as the ki- Grogu turned to look at the Jedi again, but you successfully tucked it away. Turning to look up at Din, you watched as he shifted his weight a bit, processing this new information.
“Grogu.” He said it more confidently, looking directly at the kid, an affectionate tilt of his head after when Grogu immediately perked up, turning his way, ears up, eyes wide, and that silly little questioning coo tumbling out again, followed by a sweet, short little squeal of returned affection. 
“He was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.” Ahsoka stared at the lamp as she spoke. “Many Masters trained him over the years. At the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire rose to power, he was hidden.” Din lowered to a stone across from her, listening with rapt attention. “Someone took him from the Temple.”
His visor turned to you, and without even looking, you felt its weighted stare along the lines of your face. “I saw it.” Glancing up toward the Jedi, she tilted her head to the side in question, studying you closely. “I was there.”
“That’s not possible,” she gently shook her head. “You would have been too young-”
“I was only a baby when the Temple burned.” You held her gaze, hard as it was, but you managed. “I remember the smoke, billowing into the sky. My parents shaking their heads, watching with such sadness…. The dread, not my own, but an overwhelming, horrible feeling I’ll never forget just coming over me in waves as the flames grew.”
Removing the saber from your belt, you gently moved it back and forth between your hands idly as you continued. “I found this on Trask, in a black market box stamped with the Empire’s symbol in the corner. It called to me. Endlessly, until I touched it. Then the voices quieted, and….”
“The visions started,” Din offered softly in support.
“Tell me about them.”
Looking over at Din, you smiled sardonically. “Um, okay.” You looked at the ground for a moment before looking back up at her, expecting some sort of judgment, but only found curiosity and a touch of concern. “It started with the vision of the k- Grogu,” you corrected yourself pointedly, making her smile, “at the Temple on that day.”
His big eyes blinked up at you as he babbled softly, his head tilting to the side as a hand reached out toward you. Sticking your index finger out to place in his small hand with a smile, you continued quietly. “I saw it all as a bystander. Then I saw him. I leaned over him to protect him on instinct, then it all faded. When I told him about it, he did this,” you wiggled your finger in reference, making him giggle. “And I saw from his perspective.”
Removing your finger, you reached it up to scratch the top of his head, a contented purr making you smile. Turning back to the Jedi, you lowered your hand to your lap. “When I leaned over him in my dream…. Vision…. Thing,” you huffed, “in his memory, I was still there. I was a shadow covering him, and made him feel safe…. At peace.” Reaching out, you pulled your finger on the tip of his ear, making it shake away from you as he let out a squeal, his face scrunching up in amusement. “When he looked up, I saw my own face looking down into his cradle. I had just gotten my vambraces, and the saber, his signet on my knife, and all of it was there and accurate down to the last detail.”
Ahsoka leaned forward, resting her head on her fist, elbow braced on her knee. “And the second?”
You sighed, leaning back on your palms. “I saw him,” you jerked your head to the left toward Din. “A ten year old him, living a story he’d only vaguely told me about weeks before. Details he never mentioned, things he forgot…. Then, at the end, a Mandalorian flew off with him on a jet pack, and I swore it was like he was looking right at me.”
“When she told me that, I remembered seeing a girl down below as we took off,” Din said almost disbelievingly. “It sounds crazy, but I remembered it clear as day. And just like the other one, the vambraces, the saber, the mudhorn, all of it.”
Ahsoka smiled, bracing her other arm and cradling it under her chin beside the first as her eyes flicked between you all amusedly. “Sounds to me like the three of you were always meant to be a clan of three.” She nodded toward the saber in your hands. “And that was always meant to come to you.” She held your gaze firmly with her own. “Kyber crystals choose the wielder, not the other way around. If it brought you to it, then immediately quieted when in your hands….” She sat back, her hands falling to her lap. “Then you were chosen.”
You stared at her, hesitating before finally stating the obvious. “But I’m not a Jedi.”
“Doesn’t matter. The Force worked with the crystal, and that is what it chose to show you. Purple kyber can be extremely….”
“An asshole?” She smiled at your muttered response.
“Rambunctious,” she concluded. “But then again, the crystals are supposed to be a reflection of the wielder, so I suppose you knew that already.” Sending you a wink, she turned back to Din and Grogu, her voice floating into your head. We’ll finish talking later. I feel you haven’t told me about one other vision that is troubling you. Perhaps I can help. 
Looking over at Din, you remember how he had reacted to the possibility of someone saying he had removed his helmet. It was like you had broken him. Darting your eyes back to Ahsoka, you were grateful she had kept this one between you.
“Then his memory becomes…. dark,” she continued, looking at Grogu sadly. “He seemed lost.” Looking over, you saw the little one hanging his head almost dejectedly. “Alone.” She looked at you pointedly, before turning her gaze back toward Din. “I’ve only known one other being like this. A wise Jedi Master named Yoda.”
At the name, a warm sensation crawled over your skin, a familiar feeling settling in your gut, almost as if a presence was right behind you, as words from when you found the saber echoed in your head.
A gravelly, quirky voice invaded your mind, echoing in the vast nothingness you found yourself in. You didn’t recognize it, but it brought you a sense of peace. ���Trust in the Force, you must. Your path, you have found. Easy, it will not be, but walk it still, you must.”
Ahsoka chuckled softly, Grogu letting out an amused grunt as they shared a look, some unspoken exchange passing between them.
“Can he still wield the Force?”
Din hesitated, shifting his weight slightly. “You mean his powers?”
Ahsoka’s eyes darted to you quickly before they landed back on Din, her smile growing, her eyes softening. “The Force is what gives him his powers. It is an energy field created by all living things. To wield it takes a great deal of training and discipline.”
Her eyes once again fell on you in an unspoken question, and you shrugged, your eyes fluttering shut for a moment before meeting her gaze again in amusement. “I’ve tried to explain it before. I don’t….” You shrugged again, smiling. “It just doesn’t take.”
Nodding in understanding, her eyes danced with mirth as they fell back on the Mandalorian.
“I’ve seen him do things I can’t explain.” Din spoke haltingly, looking at Grogu before looking at you. “The same things, if not sometimes more than I’ve seen her do.” Looking back at Ahsoka, he sighed. “My task was to bring him to a Jedi.”
Something dark crossed over her face, her eyes falling back down to study the lamp again, her voice dropping with it. “The Jedi Order fell a long time ago.”
“So did the Empire, yet it still hunts him.” Lifting her gaze to his visor, she seemed to ponder his words. “He needs your help.”
A faint smile climbed her face as her gaze fell back down on the lamp. When she looked over at Grogu, you followed, and saw the child was almost asleep, fatigued         from the long mental exchange, no doubt. She sighed as he let out gentle coos, right on the edge of rest. “Let him sleep.” She took a deep but silent breath. “I’ll test him in the morning.”
You got to your feet, walking over to Din’s side as he scooped up the child, pausing when her voice sounded at your back.
“You. Stay.”
Turning, you saw her looking you right in the eye as she got to her feet. “There’s something I want to try.”
Looking across your shoulder at Din, you saw him hesitate a few feet away. Nodding once, you jutted your chin in the direction of the Crest. “I’m fine. Go.” When he lingered, you sighed, closing the distance between you, your hand coming to rest on his upper arm. “If you’re gonna be all Mando about it, at least go sit and lean against the tree I was leaning against earlier. And try to sleep? Please?” Giving his arm a squeeze, you plastered on your best smile. “For me?”
“That’s not fair,” he sighed, turning to head over to the tree several yards away.
“Thank you!” You called after him, laughing when he waved a hand in the air dismissively. Turning back to face Ahsoka, you waited for her to explain.
“How did you come to know how to use the Force?”
Shifting your weight from foot to foot uncomfortably, you stared at her for a long moment before you found the courage to respond. So far in your life, you’d talked to a total of one other person about this. Din. Adding another finger to the count was hard.
“On my own. I just…. Did it. It’s not technically proper use of the Force, but by the time I was old enough to understand that, there was no proper training available. So I used it for mundane things until they came into my life.” You gestured behind you with a slight backwards lean of your head. “Now I only use it to help keep them safe. Well, and when Mando is being annoying. But I consider that saving my life, and sometimes his, depending on this situation.” You laughed softly.
“You don’t want training.” It wasn’t a question. An observation.
You shook your head. “The kid, he needs this. Deserves this. He’s going to do great things someday. He’ll always be my ad’ika, but the things he’s destined for are far from little.” (“Little one.”)
Ahsoka smiled fondly, nodding in agreement with a soft hum as she began to circle you slowly. “I can feel it in you. The chaos. The mischief you spoke of from the kyber, it simmers just below the surface.” She came to stop directly in front of you, her thumb and index finger clutching her chin in thought. “It’s part of what fuels you, gives you the strength you have, the abilities you’ve expressed like the visions and connections before their time, but….” Her eyes studied your face, darting all over until she found what she was looking for, finally returning to your eyes. “It’s also a source of anger for you. A loss of control. I sense a rage that sits just on the edge, ready to tip over with little provocation.”
Your eyes fell to the ground in shame. “The last few times I’ve gotten emotional, highly stressed or scared specifically, it…. It feels like I’m not in control.” Lifting your gaze to hers once again, you found only grace there, no scorn or judgment. “I’m able to stop it, rein it in, but each time it’s a little harder. It’s so easy. This last time I thought I was fine, that it had stopped at some crates shaking on a platform, but then Mando went to hug me, and I tried to gently push him off, but…. Instead I pushed him back several feet.” Looking down at your palms, you stared as if they held the answer. “It was like something exploded out of me, it wasn’t…. I didn’t….” Swallowing roughly, you lowered your hands as you lifted your head to look at her fully. “Please help me.”
As her hands went to clasp behind her back, she began to circle you again. “Tell me about this other vision.”
“It was something in the future, Mando’s future, to be exact.” She nodded for you to continue. “It happened right after the others, came on like a headache. Other Mandalorians asked if he’d removed his helmet. He said yes. They excommunicated him from their ranks. He was devastated in the vision and when I told him about it.”
“There’s something you’re leaving out. A detail…. Something small you couldn’t quite see.” Her head is tilted to the side as she rounds into your field of view again, passing around the other side a few seconds later.
“How did you….” You huffed. “I guess that’s the difference between proper training and not….” She chuckled at your muttered words. “A weapon. I think. I don’t know. A small black…. Something laid at his feet, but no matter how hard I looked, it was just like I was asleep, my eyes too bleary to make it out.”
Coming around in front of you for the umpteenth time, she stopped, looking at you with an arched brow. “I’m going to teach you something basic we learn in the Temple as younglings. I think it’ll help you learn to focus. Maybe, if you can apply the practice to this dream-”
“So it was a dream, not a vision?”
“It was the future, a possible outcome, however you want to call it.”
You sighed as she smiled before continuing. “If you can apply this practice to this vision, maybe it’ll help clear up any lingering confusion.”
Nodding your head vigorously, you stood a bit straighter. “Please. Yes. What do I need to do?”
She stood directly in front of you, walking a few paces away before turning to face you once again, her expression nothing but kind and amused. “I want you to jump.”
“How high?” You joked, your weight shifting easily onto one leg, thinking she was teasing.
“That is entirely up to you.”
Centering your weight again, your eyes widened before a look of incredulity crossed your features. “Oh, you’re serious?”
Hands still behind her back, she leaned just slightly toward you, her eyes practically dancing with held back laughter it seemed. “Jump.”
You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “How does this help-”
“If you’d just do it, you’d understand.”
You whirled around when her voice sounded at your back, finding her now suddenly behind you several feet, stood in the same posture, hands behind her back patiently. “How did you….” Closing your eyes, your brows knit together, you shook your head in disbelief, eyes flying open when you felt a sudden surge in the air around you, a slight breeze making the finer hairs around your face move just slightly, only to find the spot she had been in empty.
“I promise this will work,” she said from off to your left, making you spin to try and find her yet again.
“Okay, now you're just showing off.” Hands on your hips, you grumbled at her with an arched brow, making her laugh.
Suddenly she shot up overhead like she had during the fight, landing back where she had started as if nothing had happened, and all you could do is watch with your jaw dropped. 
“Maybe,” she conceded, “but I thought a little demonstration was necessary, don’t you think?”
Lifting your chin and straightening your spine, you closed your eyes, tapping into everything around you. The Force flowed up from the ground, still vibrant and plush despite the barren surface surrounding you. A whole mess of creatures just below the surface working hard to repair the damaged soil sending vibrations across your skin. Ahsoka shined bright in front of you, little tendrils of energy rolling off of her like condensation on a nice cool drink. Somewhere behind you you heard Din and Grogu snoring softly, both of them emitting something so good and content that washed over you like waves.
It all built up in you like a spring, coiled and ready to burst, and when you bent your knees just slightly then rocked to the balls of your feet, suddenly the ground fell away, and with your eyes still closed, the wind rushing in your face made you grin.
Once something solid was under you once again, you peeked your eyes open to find yourself on the other side of Ahsoka now, standing on top of the rock you had been sitting on earlier. It was several feet away, much more than you should have been able to jump on your own. Your cape fluttered down around you from the force of the movement, swooshing just slightly until it came to a stop. 
You looked at Ahsoka, finding a lopsided grin climbing up her face as she watched you closely. “Now,” she said quietly, “use that focus, draw on it, and think about that vision. The object. The space. The people. Pull from everything, and let it build you a clearer picture.”
Nodding, you closed your eyes, recalling every aspect you could. The other Mandalorians. Din. Narrowing your brows you realized Grogu wasn’t there. You didn’t see yourself, either, but you could tell you were somewhere in the background, watching. 
The object at his feet shimmered like a mirage from the heat of Tatooine. That was different from before, now it was coming in and out of focus, still just enough hidden that you couldn’t tell what it was, though. 
“Then you are a Mandalorian no more.”
Your focus pulled to Din as the words of the other Mandalorian echoed in your head, and you saw his world shatter. He began to ask for forgiveness, how he could atone, and the other Mandalorian next to him made some jab, and you wanted to punch him for it. 
Sizing up the brute, you heard Ahsoka whisper near your left ear, “Focus….”
Shaking your head, you tried to do what she said, looking down at their feet to see the object clearly for the first time.
“It’s…. It’s a saber?” You tilted your head as you stared at the item, wanting to be certain. Din picked it up and left before the vision dissipated. You stared at Ahsoka with wide eyes. “A saber. But how can that be?”
“Describe it to me.”
“Black hilt, um…. The other Mandalorians didn’t seem surprised by it, either. It almost seemed like they had maybe been fighting over it with the position Mando and the asshole were in.”
A light went off behind her eyes, understanding covering her features. 
“Do you know it?”
Her head tilted to the side, a mischievous look taking over her face. “I think it’ll all be okay.”
“Mesh’la?”
Leaning to the side to look around Ahsoka, you saw Din standing near one of the rocks a few feet away, Grogu still snoring in his arms.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, the little womp rat did. Had some dream, started flailing, smacked my helmet pretty hard, actually. The sound woke me up….” He looked down as the kid started sleeping fitfully again.
Ahsoka reached out, placing a hand on his head, and instantly the lines on his face soothed, his limbs coming to still as he snuggled further into Din’s arms. “He’s dreaming about frogs,” she laughed softly.
“What have you two been doing?”
You smiled at Din as he looked at you expectantly. “Watch this.”
Xxx
The next day Ahsoka brought your little clan to a clearing, leading your little band as you brought up the rear. Grogu cooed from his spot in Din’s arms, looking all around with wide eyes.
You watched the mossy ground pass underfoot as you walked, marveling at the greenness of it as it squished beneath your feet. Growing up on a planet basically made of durasteel and concrete, you felt like you were walking on air. Leaning closer to Din in front of you, you pushed up onto your tip toes and whispered, “Somewhere green.”
He snorted. “This doesn't count.”
“I see green, it counts,” you grumbled.
“It’s barely even green, mesh’la. It’s moss. The rest of the planet is a wasteland.”
“It counts.”
“Fine, it can count,” he mumbled. “But as soon as I take you somewhere like Endor, or Naboo, even Sorgan….” Grogu’s ears perked up on the last one, his face turning up to look at Din with a smile. “You’re not even going to remember this place.”
Before you could respond, the group was coming to a stop, and before you realized, you were bumping into Din’s back with a soft oomph. “Ow,” you muttered pitifully, rubbing your nose as you took a step back.
Peering over your hand, you saw Ahsoka smiling at Grogu still perched in Din’s arms. “Let’s see what knowledge is lurking inside that little mind.” She booped his nose with her finger. Motioning over towards a nearby stone, she turned to look for something while Din set Grogu down on the large rock.
He sidled up beside you, muttering in a low voice, “What do you think she is going to do?”
“I’m not sure,” you studied her as she picked up a stone before rising to her feet again. “But I trust her.” Tilting your head back to look up into his visor, arms across your chest, you tried to ease his worry with a reassuring smile. “So far she hasn’t given me a reason not to.”
“No voices?”
The smile took a crooked tilt up in amusement as you turned your attention to Grogu. “No voices. No bad feelings. No premonitions. Nothing about the past, present, or future. And no taunting kyber crystals.” Turning back to his visor, you narrowed your eyes playfully. “Did I cover everything?”
“Just making sure,” he clarified somewhat teasingly, turning his own attention over to the child.
“Well, there was one voice.” You saw his head turn toward you in your peripheral and you smirked. “Hers. She spoke to me in my head.”
“You…. She…. Can do that?” He sounded amazed but also slightly disturbed.
“Easily,” you mused, trying to contain the broad grin trying to come out.
“Ne shab’rud’jetiise,” he mumbled under his breath, turning back to face Ahsoka with a slight incline of his head. (“Don’t fuck with Jedi.”)
Facing her palm upwards with a small stone resting in the center, she turned it toward Grogu, keeping the stone held firmly to her palm with the Force. Then, with a slight push, the stone began to float through the air slowly, gently tumbling end over end like a planet on its rotation. 
Din took in a sharp breath when the rock started levitating, holding it until the stone landed in Gorgu’s hands. Letting it out on a stutter, his chest deflated a bit with the motion, his shoulders curling forward just slightly in relief.
Letting out soft coos, Grogu looked at the stone, then over to you before he turned to Ahsoka.
Holding her palm face up once again, she smiled at him encouragingly. “Now, return the stone to me, Grogu.”
The child looked down at the stone one more time before lifting his gaze and darting it between the three of you, eyes wide and innocent. You’d seen this look before. He knew exactly what was going on, what was expected of him, but something stood in the way. He got almost a little bit…. Shy.
“He doesn’t understand,” Din finally offered after a long moment of silence, and you had to bite your lip to keep from grinning at how concerned he was.
“He does,” Ahsoka assured, turning from the Mandalorian to the child. “It’s okay,” she soothed after he whined quietly, staring down at the stone. Slightly bouncing her extended palm for emphasis, her tone once again grew more firm. “The stone, Grogu.”
With the slightest jerk of his head toward the Jedi, Din motioned for the child to do what she said. You almost rolled your eyes at him. Gone were the days of a cold Mandalorian, jumping from job to job and only worrying about credits and his ship. He’d never admit it out loud, but he wanted so badly everything for this child. He was the nervous father on the sidelines, trying to help their child succeed in any way they could. It made your chest feel too small for the feeling swelling inside it at the thought.
You brought a hand to cover your mouth in an attempt to hide the smile trying to betray you at the scene unfolding in front of you. When Grogu looked up at you after Din, it was all you could do to raise your eyebrows in encouragement and tilt your head toward Ahsoka like he had, keeping the smile sealed beneath your fingers.
The whole exchange felt light and easy, so it was surprising when the kid looked to the stone for a final time before dropping it in front of him with a frustrated grunt. It made your brows knit together as you studied your little ward, trying to reach out to him with encouraging thoughts, happy things, maybe even something about frogs, but he was completely closed off to you.
Din let out a sigh behind you, his weight shifting slightly as you knew he, too, was feeling Grogu’s discouragement without any need of using the Force.
Ahsoka let out a sigh of her own, before walking over and crouching in front of Grogu, staring at him intently. When she reached out and took his small hand with hers, you reached out to try and feel what they were ‘saying’. Closing her eyes she ducked her head and took a deep breath before she spoke calmly. “I sense much fear in you.”
Grogu looked at her as he babbled softly, ears wiggling as he did. You didn’t sense anything from him to her, he didn’t even try, but there was a small tendril being extended to you, faint and tentative, like a child hiding in their mother’s skirts when a long lost relative comes to visit. You let every calming thing you could think of flow back on the line being precariously hung between you. Be brave, ad’ika.
Walking back over to her spot across the clearing from the child, Ahsoka explained softly. “He’s hidden his abilities to survive over the years.”
Din shifted his weight to one side, his head tilting ever so slightly to the right. “So has she, but she doesn’t have this problem.”
Keeping your eyes on Grogu, you explained in a quiet voice, “I didn’t watch everyone I love die.” Your gaze fell down to study the ground, your voice so low you pictured it skimming just along the surface. “I kept it hidden. He’s kept it buried.” You turned your face up to look at his visor. “Imagine the Crest sat for a year, untouched. At the end of that time, it’s still a ship. But everything about it is going to be rusty, gunky, need a good tune up.” Grogu cooed, bringing your attention back to him with a smile. “He just needs a little elbow grease, is all.”
Humming in agreement, Ahsoka nodded once. “Let’s try something else. Come over here.”
Din jerked his head to the side, beckoning the kid over once again, sighing when Grogu stayed where he was. “He’s stubborn.”
“Not him. You.”
Din turned his attention back to her quickly, your palm coming to slap over your forehead as your eyes scrunched up tight.
“I want to see if he’ll listen to you.” She smiled softly in amusement.
He scoffed, walking over to stand beside her. “That would be a first.”
“I like firsts. Good or bad, they’re always memorable.” She placed the pebble in his hand. “Now, hold the stone out in the palm of your hand. Tell him to lift it up.” She began to walk around behind him, headed toward where you stood to the side. 
He sighed again, doing what she asked. “Alright, kid. Lift the stone.”
Ahsoka paused before she made it very far, leaning in by his ear to whisper pointedly, “Grogu.”
Din’s weight shifted side to side as he turned his visor on her, a heavy breath, not quite a sigh, filling in the silence. Facing the child once again, his posture stiffened just a bit. “Grogu….” The child perked up with that adorable new sound he made whenever he heard his name. “Come on, take the stone.” Grogu deflated, his gaze turning toward the ground with a dejected coo. “You see? I told you, he’s stubborn.” This time you actually did roll your eyes when Din enacted every bit the stubborn one and threw the rock to the side in annoyance. 
“I wonder where he gets that from,” you mumbled, simply smiling at him when he tilted his head at you in response.
“Try to connect with him.”
After a long moment, Din reached into his belt, pulling the little silver ball out, the child instantly peering up curiously. 
“Grogu…. Do you want this?” Din spoke tantalizingly, lowering to his haunches and holding the ball out in front of him. “Well, go ahead. That’s right, take it. Come on. You can have it.” He nodded his head once, gesturing toward the ball. “Come on.”
The ball flew through the air like you had seen a million times on the ship, straight into the kid’s hand. A small burst of joy surged in the air from Grogu, but it quickly faded into something a little more nervous as he stared at the little silver orb.
Din quickly stepped over to him, praise tumbling out of his mouth excitedly. “Good job! Good job, kid. You see that?” He lowered to his haunches, taking the ball back from the child gently. “That’s right. I knew you could do it. Very good.”
You could feel something anxious roll over Ahsoka beside you, and you chanced a glance her way, finding her looking at the pair of them in concern. You knew where this was headed, you’d seen it from the start. You had just hoped that maybe since the Jedi Order wasn’t around anymore that someone would be willing to bend the rules, especially for someone like Grogu. Turning back to watch Din still fawning over the child, you had to physically bite your tongue to not say anything. This needed to come from her.
“He’s formed a strong attachment to you.” Din turned his head to look at her briefly before looking at Grogu again. “I cannot train him.”
Her last words brought him back to his feet. “What? Why not? You’ve seen what he can do.”
You hung back, leaning on the rock you had been observing from, looking between the three of them. Your heart admittedly broke a little to hear the words you already knew would be said. You had found a way. Sure, you weren’t actually a Jedi, but like Ahsoka had said, that didn’t stop some kyber from choosing you. That didn’t stop the Force from making you a clan of three. Attachment hadn’t been something wrong for you, but you saw it was something almost terrifying for her. Something beyond just the teachings of the Jedi. Something about this felt personal.
“His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears. His anger.” She looked at you pointedly on the last word, almost begging you to understand.
And you did. To a degree. There was also a part of you that still believed this was best for him. The part that had been in that vision with him, had felt his peace and comfort from the halls of the Temple. There was a part of him that longed for this, no matter how deep it was buried.
“All the more reason to train him.” Din was having none of it.
“No.” She stepped closer, her voice lowering. “I’ve seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight. To the best of us.” The last part was almost like an afterthought, and you watched her closely, unable to get another read on her. Her walls had gone up. “I will not start this child down that path. Better to let his abilities fade.” Looking at Grogu one more time, she turned and began to walk away, passing right by you without a second glance. “I’ve delayed too long. I must get back to the village.”
The child began to whine softly, so you started over toward him, stopping when Din began to speak again, turning to watch the Jedi’s reaction.
“The Magistrate sent me to kill you.” Ahsoka froze at Din’s words. Slowly she turned to look at him over her shoulder, something between disbelief and ‘I should have known better’ on her face. “I didn’t agree to anything,” he continued in a softer tone. “And I’ll help you with your problem, if you see to it that Grogu is properly trained.”
She turned around fully to look at the child once again, but you were standing in the way. She met your eyes as you stepped aside, allowing her gaze to flicker down to the child and you watched the decision roll behind her eyes as she let out a heavy sigh.
Xxx
Walking through the woods back toward the village, Din carrying the child in the satchel and you carrying the bundle of armor until you could get back to the Crest, you listened as they discussed the technicalities of an attack.
Din listed off blasters and droids and a whole mess of things Ahsoka just nodded to, while you made a face at the kid, making him smile from his little perch.
You finally began to listen when Din spoke of the man who had let you into the village. “He reads ex-military to me.”
You scoffed before you mumbled, “He reads asshole to me.”
Din shook his head at you as a soft snort passed through his modulator, Ahsoka smiling fondly. “Combined, not even your laser swords would be able to protect you from all that firepower.”
“You do this on purpose, don’t you?” You turned up toward Din, adjusting the bundle on your back as you stared into his visor. 
Ahsoka still smiled, Din just tilting his head at you as she finally spoke. “True. But don’t underestimate the Magistrate either.”
Finally coming to a stop, you dropped the bundle of armor with a thud as they discussed the lady that had hired Din. Stretching your back as you listened, you grimaced at the stiffness in your limbs, shooting the kid a wink when he cooed at you.
“She plundered worlds, destroying them in the process.” 
That was enough for you. Anywhere that had life outside of trillions of people crawling around like bugs on duracrete and steel deserved to be saved, not looted. You hated this woman even more now.
“When you were in the city did you see any prisoners?”
“I saw three villagers strung up just outside the inner gate.” 
So that’s what you’d heard. You stared at the ground as they continued to talk back and forth, worrying your thumbnail between your teeth. There were no voices, nothing sinister in the back of your mind, just a genuine bad feeling about the whole thing simmering just under your skin. 
“We must find a way to free them.”
Din’s voice was amused as he continued. “A Mandalorian and a Jedi? They’ll never see it coming.”
“And whatever I am.” You didn’t even realize you said it out loud, your head snapping up when you feel three sets of eyes on you. It had been meant to be out loud, then you’d thought better of it, but still it had come tumbling out into the open before you realized it.
Ahsoka placed a hand on your upper arm and a sense of calm began to wash over you. It wasn’t mind control like you had done with Mythrol, but instead just a surge of something good, something rooted deep from within her being shared with you. “You are yourself. And that is all you could ever hope to be.”
Xxx
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tired-biscuit · 5 months
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why are people asking me to write shikamaru
i literally write about the two biggest idiots of the group who MAYBE get the chance to share custody of a single brain cell from time to time and they’re asking me to write about megamind 3000 lmao
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nerdyvocals · 7 months
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Remember when I introduced @look-at-those-niceass-rocks to Rise of the Pink Ladies and collected three rounds of unhinged quotes?
Well, I recently started them on Julie and the Phantoms, so enjoy this collection from episodes 1-3! We definitely didn't have this watch party almost a week ago and I definitely didn't forget to post this, shut up
Me: Once again, I have a list of characters I predict you will simp for Bee: Excellent, I cannot wait to be called out
Bee: That's the best way to get either the best hot dog in the world or food poisoning! Me: *bombastic side eye*
Alex: That's a new flavor... Bee: Oh they're gonna die Me: It is called Julie and the Phantoms! Bee: I thought it was an aesthetic choice!!!
*Ten seconds later* It was not an aesthetic choice
(About Julie) Oh it's adorable! Oh, it's traumatized!!
(About Luke) Oh, he's an idiot, I love him
Oh they're all idiots!!!
Me: This is a Kenny Ortega show, by the way Bee: That...so very tracks
Me: (About Luke) This man is so goddamn pretty it's not fair, I watched this the summer before my sophomore year of college and I cut the sleeves off all my shirts. I get such gender envy from this man, okay, he is so pretty and- I am just now realizing that he and Cynthia have the same haircut... I... I may have a type Bee: Whaaaaat? You? A Type? Nooooooo-
Me: They share custody of the braincell. Alex has it more often than not. Bee: I can see that. (a scene later) He (Reggie) sees the brain cell every other holiday.
Alex: -And I didn't get a hug from either of you! Bee: Me Reggie: Bring it in! Alex: Don't touch me! Me: Also you Bee: I feel personally attacked
I would also immediately wish for a puppy
Bee: (about Luke) He baby girl! Me: He so baby girl!!!
(Anytime Reggie and Luke sing into the same mic. Which happens... quite a bit in the first few episodes) Bee: Gay?? Kiss gay???
I don't know what he (Reggie) is but He Is Gay
(After that kid dragged his instrument down the steps) Bee (hyperventilating): PAUSE please, God, I need a fuckin' second, fuck! Me: hehehehe fuckin' band kid
(after the Ghostbusters bit, completely deadpan) That. Was fucking hysterical.
Bee: Is that fucking Seth Clearwater??? Me: I hate that that's what you know him as
Reggie and Luke: *singing into the same mic for the third time in as many episodes* Bee: The unfinished business is actually Kissing the Homies Goodnight
The following two quotes are honorable mentions from the little we watched of episode four before I had to leave to do Other Things
Both of us, simultaneously: I love High School Musical!!!
Me: Girl, he has been dead longer than you have been alive, that is a corpse- Bee: *in a jaunty little tune* Where is his corpse? It's in the ground! Play hide and seek, find his bones! Me: *shaking with repressed laughter* Bee: ...That was really fucking weird, I don't know why I- Me: *WHEEZE*
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pastlink · 1 year
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My whole feed is "ROBIN IS GETTING INDICTED INTO THE CULT" 🤣 why do we have exactly one brain cell?
Because that's just the way it is. We have shared custody of the one (1) braincell.
And like the vibes are immaculate and so so Cultist Olli. Allow me:
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Can't blame the braincell, when they're the same picture.
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warmesthello · 11 months
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DNDADS S2E32 Thoughts (spoilers)
I love the dynamics of the teens back together working towards a (mostly) common goal. They share one brain cell and they are never using it and I love that for them.
Normal jumping out the fucking window was a perfect reaction as was all of Will’s rping this episode. He played this the exact way that these loser kids function: Hermie has wronged me in the hottest way possible (a show of school spirit) and now he MUST be mine. Love it. No notes. Thank you Will for keeping oakworthy nation fed.
I just love Taylor so much and I’m glad that Freddie is giving him some genuine connection to Nick even if it is goofy sometimes. I also just love the way that Taylor has gotten defensive of himself and his friends and while Scary has rejoined the group he’s still apprehensive and ready to protect his boys. It feeds the Swiftli part of my brain that wants Taylor to get defensive over Link.
Speaking of Link...this boy is 100% Grant Wilson’s child (derogatory but with love). The way that his scam involved Hermie’s adoptive family believing that they were losing custody of their son just. Damn Link I think know you have your own issues to work through. AND HE WAS SO ADAMANT ABOUT IT TOO. It was funny but also I was worried that they would actually go through with it. Glad he didn’t and also got to use the human gun again.
Scary is so babygirl. Love her. She commits heinous crimes and we forgive her because we were all a teen girl at some point, weren’t we? Glad she got to settle back in with her friends a bit this episode, especially with the way Willy has been treating her. When she mentioned that Willy would think she was stupid it was so upsetting. She internalizes so much of what he says even when she’s not on his side, I need this girl to go talk to her parents and have a good cry about it. Her tummy may not hurt but her mental health certainly does and she IS being so brave about it.
I am so excited to see Hermie again next ep though I am wondering what happened with Cassandra since last episode she said she was on her way to the Oak house?
Also glad everyone wasn’t at Normal’s throat again but this kid really can’t catch a fucking break, even Willy is trashing him when he’s not even there!!!!
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constantcompanion · 7 months
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I committed fic again.
Kids Say the Darndest Things
Fandom: Eddie/Buck, 911
On AO3.
Summary: Eddie and Buck share one brain cell. And this week Chris has custody of it.
Eddie tells Chris about his breakup with Marisol while they're cleaning up after dinner one night.
Chris shakes his head. "I can't believe how bad you are at dating."
"Oh, come on, sometimes things just don't work out. Or they're just not the right person. Or not the right time."
"It'll never be right if it's up to you."
"Give your old man a break. Anyway, we'll be fine. More guy time for us. More hanging out with Buck."
Chris grumbles. "Why don't you just marry Buck?"
"Ha, very funny, Chris. Why don't you go focus that sparkling wit on your homework."
********************
Marry Buck. His kid is hilarious.
Eddie certainly wasn't upset that his breakup with Marisol meant he would have more space for his best friend. Their time spent together since Buck’s recovery from the lightning strike had been up and down at best.
Yeah, it had hurt when Buck had said Natalia was the one who saw him, and Eddie hadn't exactly been sad to see Buck’s relationship with the Death Doula end.
Eddie saw Buck. He saw his big heart and his smile. He saw his all encompassing love for their friends, and for Eddie’s son. He saw his passion for the things he was interested in, and how he continually tried to make himself better, and how much Buck wanted to be loved. And Eddie loved him--Oh.
OH.
Oh, shit.
************************
Eddie doesn't know what to with his newfound realization. It's not every day you come to the revelation that you're in love with your best friend. And you have no idea if anything real between you is even a possibility.
He's been thinking about it, analyzing it for days, and has come to the conclusion that, for his sanity, he should just not do anything.
And then Eddie’s mouth decides to ignore that conclusion.
It's an unusually calm--not the Q-word--shift when Eddie and Buck are somehow alone in the locker room. Their conversation is their usual banter. Buck is talking about a story he read about a comet, and his recent astronomy Wikipedia spiral. About how, since they have more time, they should take Chris to the observatory soon.
Eddie listens contently to Buck’s excited chatter and when Buck pauses, Eddie finds himself interrupting in a fond tone.
"Chris joked that I should just marry you."
As soon as the words come out of his mouth, Eddie realizes he may have just given away hints of what has been running through his head, through his heart. He silently holds his breath, waiting for Buck to laugh uproariously. To make a glib joke. To toss aside the remark.
Instead, Buck smiles. It's not a smirk. It's not amused. It's something gentle, a smile that is reflected in his eyes.
"Well, before you propose, Eds, you should really start by asking me out on a date."
Buck’s gaze is steady. Eddie gulps, and then--
"Buck, do you want to go out on a date with me this weekend?"
The alarm suddenly rings out through the station, startling the two men, who both turn automatically to head towards the engine. Before Eddie can take a step, though, Buck has placed his hand on his shoulder, his lips brushing Eddie’s cheek with the sweetest of kisses before he whispers in his ear.
"I do."
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muzzleroars · 1 year
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game im playing currently gave me the perfect way to desribe my take of joker's role in the story in-regards to like yaldy which is i think he was meant to be sort of a bridge between the gods(him) and the real world
yaldy is using joker to decide if humans are worth saving right? so he most beable to also see what he see's in some way
basically im back on my yaldy was training joker to become his vessel hc bullshit
i SWEAR we are sharing some kinda brain cell because akira being the bridge between yal and humanity is genuinely how i think of him (quite literally in the godhunter au, as akira's entire purpose in that is to stay humanity's destruction by pleading their case, but it applies for canon as well). like akira was handpicked to be whatever yaldabaoth considers worthy/the best, as i believe he's essentially attempting to copy how igor runs the velvet room - he has a task to accomplish, and he seeks out the human he believes will be most capable in achieving it.
i know it falls apart a bit given that the game is rigged, but that doesn't negate the fact that yaldabaoth was doing something with akira. did he want him to actually be able to win? no, of course not, but i also think yaldabaoth was very interested in seeing just how far akira could go; the further he got, the harder the game became with actual life and death stakes. YET akira bested each trap, even faked his own death and escaped police custody, because there was always a way out. there was always a win condition. even at its most difficult, the game was not impossible. as igor, he even commands the twins to execute akira, but akira uses the power of his bonds, which yaldabaoth specifically encouraged and fostered in him, in order to escape death once again. and yaldabaoth stays there, watching as lavenza returns. because the game is still going. i believe it only truly ends once yaldabaoth reveals himself and offers akira his deal as the ultimate end of their bond. akira has made an ally of him because while he lost the game (ie, support of the public in favor of the thieves), he still beat every obstacle yaldabaoth was capable of handing down to him. yaldabaoth wanted ultimate control over the world, and i think he knew from the very beginning that akira held a huge amount of sway in whatever the outcome would be. his potential was unmatched, and in the end yaldabaoth wanted that on his side...plus, i sincerely think yal just wanted to play a good game, and that's exactly what akira gave him.
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